Super Mario Odyssey announced for Nintendo Switch, but not for launch

As expected, Nintendo has announced a new Mario title for the Nintendo Switch today. Dubbed Super Mario Odyssey, this new game plucks Mario from the Mushroom Kingdom and puts him in a location that has some striking similarities to our lovely planet Earth. Just as well, he seems to have a new travelling companion this time around.

Unfortunately, we don't have many details about Super Mario Odyssey just yet, and that's partly due to its release date. Unlike some of the rumors we heard before the Switch was revealed, Super Mario Odyssey isn't going to be a launch title. In fact, it won't be available until sometime during holiday 2017.

Because of this, Nintendo was hesitant to offer many details, instead just providing what amounts to a teaser trailer that shows off some of the locations Mario will visit. We're given a peek at a sprawling cityscape, a lush forest, and Bowser wearing some kind of ridiculous suit and top hat. This may prove to be one of the strangest Mario titles yet, but until we have more details, it'll be difficult to make that call.

In Mario's journey to this "unknown world," it seems he'll be accompanied by a new cap. This new cap of his has its own set of eyes, but what purpose it'll serve isn't clear yet. Maybe we can expect his cap to offer new abilities, just like FLUDD from Super Mario Sunshine? We'll have to wait on Nintendo for more information.

Speaking of Sunshine, it's worth noting that Super Mario Odyssey is the first open-world Mario game to release since the GameCube title, which should have fans of the Super Mario 64 style excited. For the moment, Nintendo won't be offering demos of Super Mario Odyssey, and we probably won't hear more about the game until we get closer to summer. There's always a chance that Nintendo explains more during tomorrow's Treehouse live stream, so stay tuned!