Power Moon

Power Moons are collectible items in Super Mario Odyssey. Equivalent to the Power Stars in Super Mario 64 (and its remake), Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Shine Sprites in Super Mario Sunshine, they can be found in the various kingdoms of the game and are used to power the Odyssey in order to let Mario reach additional kingdoms. Unlike the previous objects, however, collecting them does not cause Mario to leave the area he is in, making them most comparable to the Golden Bananas of Donkey Kong 64 in terms of function. The minimum number of Power Moons needed for ending the game is 124; collecting 250 Power Moons unlocks the Dark Side, and collecting 500 Power Moons unlocks the Darker Side. Collecting all 880 unique Power Moons (not counting the additional ones that can be bought at Crazy Cap after completing the main story) turns the Odyssey's sail into a golden color and unlocks a painting in the Wedding Hall at Honeylune Ridge that allows players to play through a harder version of the final battle with Bowser, while collecting 999 Power Moons will unlock a special celebration at the Mushroom Kingdom, involving a large top hat on the tower of Peach's Castle. Power Moons can be obtained in a variety of ways, such as collecting a Key, 5 Moon Shards, a sequence of Rainbow Notes, planting Seeds in pots, or through the Slots minigame.

Gameplay-wise, they act mostly like the Power Stars and Shine Sprites in earlier titles, being the main collectible Mario needs to find to progress. Unlike these, however, there are between 1 and 104 per kingdom, and completing them does not cause Mario to exit the stage unlike in prior 3D Mario titles (except for Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World which instead follow the formula of the 2D Super Mario games and feature Goal Poles instead). Power Moons are also replaced with clear replicas after they have been collected, much like the Power Stars and Shine Sprites, and count as five global coins each when collected again. Power Moons also restore the player's Health Meter, air meter (if swimming), and water (if a Gushen is captured) when collected. Story-mode Power Moons are always found floating above a metal pad. After a Power Moon is collected, it becomes translucent and colorless the next time it appears.

Larger variants called Multi Moons also exist in the game. These count as three Power Moons in one, and can be attained by defeating bosses or clearing main story missions.

Including the three-moon count from Multi Moons and post-game store moons, there is a numerical total of 999 Power Moons available in the game. Any moons bought afterwards do not add to the number.

In the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS versions of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Power Moons are found at the end of the bonus levels Secret of the Inverted Pyramid, Mine Cart Cascade Crusade, Uptown, Downtown, and Cookatiel's Sizzling Sprint, which are based off of kingdoms from Super Mario Odyssey. They function exactly the same as the Power Stars found in the regular levels.

Colors
Power Moons feature a different color depending on the kingdom in which they are found. Their color also matches the color of the pole of the kingdom's Checkpoint Flag. In the Mushroom Kingdom, they take the form of Power Stars, except in 2D sections, where they simply appear as pixelated, gold-colored Power Moons instead.

Super Mario Odyssey

 * North American website bio: "The Odyssey requires a steady supply of Power Moons to travel. Luckily, they seem to be plentiful-although some are harder to find than others."

Names in other languages

 * For a list of the Power Moon names in other languages, see here.

Trivia

 * When Mario collects his first Power Moon in the Mushroom Kingdom, Cappy says that he didn't know that Power Moons come in different shapes. This may suggest that Power Moons and Power Stars are different shapes of the same object, a distinction that may also include the more rounded-off, metallic-looking Power Stars of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2.
 * When Mario collects a Power Moon, he'll perform three variations of the same pose that change his right hand's gesture, all three of which are callbacks to three previous Mario titles:
 * A victory sign pose, referencing Super Mario 64
 * An open palm, referencing Super Mario Sunshine
 * A closed fist, referencing Super Mario Galaxy
 * The jingle that plays when collecting a Power Moon is an arrangement of the jingle that plays when collecting a Power Star in Super Mario 64. In the Mushroom Kingdom, the original theme plays instead; unless the player collects an 8-bit Power Moon in that kingdom, in which case the 8-bit Power Moon theme plays.
 * If a Power Moon is collected in one kingdom, but put into the Odyssey in another, the Power Moon's color changes to match the kingdom color the Odyssey is currently in. However, this only happens post-game, as pre-final boss moons can only be put in the Odyssey in the same kingdom they are collected in.
 * Some Power Moons, such as the Hat-and-Seek Power Moons, can only be collected once and not again for 5 global coins, while other Power Moons, such as Power Moons from Timer Challenges, can be infinitely recollected for 5 global coins as long as the player obtains the Power Moon within the time limit.