Sphynx
- Not to be confused with Sphinx.
| Sphynx | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Super Mario Odyssey | |
| Appears in | Super Mario Odyssey (2017) |
- “Greetings, traveler, and to your hat as well. Can you answer my riddle?”
- —Sphynx, Super Mario Odyssey
The Sphynx (or Sphinx)[1] is a large stone statue that appears in Super Mario Odyssey. It appears in several kingdoms, blocking the way to a small room in which the player can find a Power Moon, and often a large number of coins. It moves once the player answers its riddles, which are generally questions relating to the kingdom in which it is found. After the player opens its paths, talking to the Sphynx leads to extra questions; answering all of the Sphynx's various questions correctly unlocks an achievement from Toadette in the Mushroom Kingdom, granting the player a Power Moon. The Sphynx appears with this role in the Sand Kingdom, Seaside Kingdom, and Moon Kingdom. In the Wooded Kingdom, the Sphynx does not give any Power Moons and instead blocks the main path further into the kingdom until Mario passes its sole riddle. It does not stay in the Wooded Kingdom; it leaves after a certain objective has been completed. It also appears partway through the cave on the Darker Side, where, if Mario has passed all other quizzes, the Sphynx challenges him to one final quiz where he will be rewarded with a Life-Up Heart for answering the first question correctly and lots of coins for answering the whole quiz correctly. However, if he fails one question, he must restart from the beginning of the cave before he can try again.
The Sphynx finds humor in Mario incorrectly answering questions, having a bit of a laugh before letting him try again. The earlier riddle is always fairly simple, to the point where the Sphynx thinks they are not really riddles.
In the post-game, the Sphynx can be seen floating with a sail in the sky of the Cascade Kingdom, the Metro Kingdom, and Bowser's Kingdom. In these cases, if the player captures a pair of binoculars and focuses them on the Sphynx, a Power Moon appears.
The Sphynx is modeled after the real-life Great Sphinx of Giza.
Questions and answers[edit]
Correct answers are highlighted in green.
Sand Kingdom[edit]
| # | Question | Answer 1 | Answer 2 | Answer 3 | Answer 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What does the thieving monster desire from this land? | Ring | Maracas | Freezy Treats | Sand |
| 2 | The one who gallops across the sand... How many coins are required to get on its back? | 1 | 30 | 100 | Like, a billion |
| 3 | The foreign visitor, traveling by car- what stopped his journey? | Ice | Water | Sand | The moon |
| 4 | Atop the Inverted Pyramid, how many statues of the sand gallopers are there? | 4 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| 5 | What is my name? | Mr. Questionface | Suffix Wizard | Quiz Kitty | Sphynx |
Wooded Kingdom[edit]
| # | Question | Answer 1 | Answer 2 | Answer 3 | Answer 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What does the monster want from this kingdom? | Water | Wood | Flowers | Soil |
Seaside Kingdom[edit]
| # | Question | Answer 1 | Answer 2 | Answer 3 | Answer 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is the name of this land? | Fossil Falls | Forgotten Isle | Lake Lamode | Bubblaine |
| 2 | How many fountains did the monster seal? | Two | Three | Four | Five |
| 3 | When you, brave traveler, turned into a red fish, what ability did you get when you shook the Joy-Con/Pro Controller? | Cheep Cheep | Attack | Tremble | Gushen |
| 4 | There is a room in this land that can only be entered if you're wearing the chosen clothing. What is that clothing? | Swimsuit | Pirate Outfit | Nothing but undies | Resort Outfit |
| 5 | Why am I here? | Got lost | Fell off Dorrie | To ask questions | Wanted to swim |
Moon Kingdom[edit]
Before defeating Bowser[edit]
| # | Question | Answer 1 | Answer 2 | Answer 3 | Answer 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Should you really be answering questions right now? | Hmm... | Well... | No. | Stingy! |
After defeating Bowser[edit]
| # | Question | Answer 1 | Answer 2 | Answer 3 | Answer 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What type of flower did the traveler offer the bride? | Hat Flower | Fire Piranha Plant | Rocket Flower | Poison Piranha Plant |
| 2 | Which animal can't be found in this land? | Rabbits | Frogs | Dogs | Sheep |
| 3 | The objects that fell on all the kingdoms of the world were what kind of rock? | Sun | Moon | Fire | Water |
| 4 | Where is the secret entrance to the Wedding Hall in this kingdom? | Above the shadow | Below the bell | Inside the seed | The side door |
| 5 | How did I travel to this place? | Flew on your wings | Floated by airship sail | Rode in a rocket | Warped here |
Darker Side[edit]
| # | Question | Answer 1 | Answer 2 | Answer 3 | Answer 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is the only kingdom that I, the great Sphynx, have not visited? | Wooded Kingdom | Mushroom Kingdom | Sand Kingdom | Seaside Kingdom |
| 2 | Which of these unique attributes do I not possess? | Sand-resistance | Waterproofness | Gardening skill | Zero-gravity adept |
| 3 | What will you remember most about your adventures through all the kingdoms? | My splendid 'stache | Talking to a Sphynx | A strange talking hat | The Sand Kingdom |
| 4 | Why do I ask people questions? | It's exciting | It leads to insights | It passes the time | It's a chance to talk |
| 5 | What final words am I saving for you? | You got lucky! | Thank you! | You faked it! | You cheated! |
Gallery[edit]
Model
The Sphynx in the Sand Kingdom
The Sphynx in the Seaside Kingdom
The Sphynx in the Moon Kingdom
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey | ObjectData/SphinxQuiz.szs | Sphinx Quiz | - |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スフィン・クイズ[2][3] Sufin Kuizu |
From「スフィンクス」(sufinkusu, "sphinx") and「クイズ」(kuizu, "quiz") | |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 斯芬·奇思[4] Sīfēn Qísī (Mandarin) Sīfān Kèihsī (Cantonese) |
From "斯芬克斯" (sīfēnkèsī / sīfānhāksī, "sphinx") and "奇思妙想" (qísīmiàoxiǎng / kèihsīmiuhséung, "eccentric thoughts"), analogous to the Japanese name | |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 斯芬‧奇思[5] Sīfēn Qísī (Mandarin) Sīfān Kèihsī (Cantonese) |
From「斯芬克斯」(sīfēnkèsī / sīfānhāksī, "sphinx") and「奇思妙想』(qísīmiàoxiǎng / kèihsīmiuhséung, "eccentric thoughts"), analogous to the Japanese name | |
| Dutch | Sphynx[6] | - | |
| French | Sphynx[7][8] | - | |
| German | Sphynx[9] | - | |
| Italian | Enigmicia[10] | Portmanteau between "enigma" and micia ("kitty") | |
| Korean | 스핑퀴즈[11] Seupingkwijeu |
Portmanteau between "스핑크스" (Seupingkeuseu, "Sphynx") and "퀴즈" (kwijeu, "quiz") | |
| Russian | Софинкс[12] Sofinks |
Portmanteau between the given name София (Sofija, "Sofia") and Сфинкс (Sfinks, "Sphynx") | |
| Spanish | Kin Triga[13][14] | From a corruption of qué intriga! ("how intriguing!") and "Kin", a nickname for the given name "Joaquín" |
Notes[edit]
- Although the Sphynx in appearance is based on the Great Sphinx of Giza found in Egypt, its association with riddles is inspired by the Greek Sphinx.
References[edit]
- ^ Nintendo Magazine 2023 Summer (Digital English edition). nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved July 15, 2023. (Archived July 28, 2023, 06:45:25 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ 「我… スフィン・クイズが 行かなかった国は？」– The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (Japanese).
- ^ Sakai, Kazuya, and kikai, editors (2018). 『スーバーマリオ オデッセイ 公式設定資料集』. Tokyo: ambit (Japanese). ISBN 978-4-19-864696-7. Page 115.
- ^ "吾……斯芬·奇思 尚未造访的国家是？" – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (Simplified Chinese).
- ^ 「我……斯芬‧奇思 尚未造訪的國家是？」– The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (Traditional Chinese).
- ^ "Een mooie reis, een veelzijdige tocht. Welk rijk heb ik, Sphynx, niet bezocht?" – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (Dutch).
- ^ « Quel est le seul pays dans lequel je n'ai jamais, moi, le Sphynx, posé mon auguste séant? » – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (Canadian French).
- ^ « Quel est le seul pays dans lequel je n'ai jamais, moi, le Sphynx, posé mon auguste séant ? » – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (French).
- ^ „Welches ist das einzige Land, dass ich, die überragende Sphynx, noch nicht bereist habe?“ – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (German).
- ^ «Sai dirmi il nome dell'unico regno che io, l'enigmicia, non ho visitato?» – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (Italian).
- ^ "나… 스핑퀴즈가 방문하지 않은 왕국은?" – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (Korean).
- ^ «В каком царстве я, великий Софинкс, никогда не был?» – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (Russian).
- ^ "¿Cuál es el único reino que yo, Kin Triga, no he visitado?" – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (Latin American Spanish).
- ^ «¿Cuál es el único reino que yo, Kin Triga, no he visitado?» – The Sphynx on the Darker Side (27 Oct. 2017). Super Mario Odyssey by Nintendo EPD Tokyo (Ver. 1.3.0). Nintendo (European Spanish).
