Harvest Moon: Light of Hope is Now Available on Steam and is 10% off!*

In celebration of Harvest Moon’s 20th Anniversary comes an all new Harvest Moon title for Steam! Harvest Moon: Light of Hope! The game encompasses twenty years of the spirit that have made the franchise what it is today!

*Offer ends November 21 at 10AM Pacific Time

Bossa Studios has canceled its in-development skateboarding game Decksplash after the game failed to attract enough attention during a week-long open beta.

The developer had previously said that it would end production of the game if it did not reach 100,000 players during that beta period on Steam, under the reasoning that a certain level of interest was needed ahead of release to justify the title’s online playability.

Hinging a game’s development on the outcome of an experiment like this is a bold move, and admittedly one not all developers are in the position to make. Still, the attempt itself highlights how important it is for developers to find ways to realistically gauge a project’s player base when developing a title with an online component.

“The Free Week proved what we suspected at the start: Decksplash is a good game, evidenced by its 79-86 Steam score throughout the week,” explained Bossa Studios following the beta. “The players who experienced the game liked it, but in the end there just wasn’t enough of them to guarantee a healthy online community and keep the game’s matchmaking alive for the long run.”

“The lesson to take home is that, though not the best, this outcome is a good one for everyone involved: its players won’t spend money on a game that won’t survive the long haul, the team can move on to a new Bossa project with a sense of closure having done their best with Decksplash, and we tried a new way of validating a multiplayer game. Should we have canceled the game without this experiment, a ‘what if’ would always be there in the back of our minds.”

As much as technology has been able to connect us, there are people who argue that technology divides us — that technology is an enemy of personal intimacy.

Nina Freeman, lead designer on Star Maid Games’ Cibele, released a little over a year ago, begs to differ.

“I was always kind of shy,” says Nina Freeman, lead designer at Star Maid Games. “I played Final Fantasy Online for four years during high school — during a really important time in my life. I was a quiet kid back then and was able to connect with people online. And I thought ‘This is a place where I can connect with people.’ I remember how important that was to me.”

Cibele, a game about a pair of people meeting and growing closer over an MMO, shows the connections that many of us make with our games and technology. Texting, social media, online dating, and MMOs not only put us in contact with people all over the world, but they also allow for that personal intimacy — that sharing of the true self and emotions — that we all seek as human beings.

While they may appear to some to be a means of locking ourselves away from the “real world,” we constantly strive, as social beings, to create those personal connections through our technology, and in some ways find new connections that many of us, especially the shy and nervous, have trouble making.

Cibele is a celebration of those connections, made for good or ill — the ethernet cables that connect to the human heart.

Cibele tells the story of (fictional) Nina meeting a man, Ichi, online in an MMO called Valtameri. Throughout her play time with him, players will experience the growing intimacy between the two, following their journey as they grow closer over their play time together.

It’s a personal, unique story to tell in a video game, one born of Freeman’s interest in telling the ordinary stories of human life. “Personal work; I was really interested in that kind of work in the poetry world, and, as I was learning to write, trying to evoke that kind of thing in my work,” says Freeman. “The voice that I developed revolved around writing personal work, focusing on mundane situations and everyday life.”

“When I started making games and writing for games, I already had that body of work that I had done to draw from, and that practice, and that mindset, so I carried that over into my games work. I was still interested in writing about ordinary life and ordinary people,” she says.

One such story that is becoming more and more ordinary is in finding romance or companionship online. With our online connection to the rest of the world, we’ve used it to be in contact with each other, talking with strangers from around the globe about our interests, or in sharing our intimate secrets with someone we only know through a screen. “If you look at any major form of technology, inevitably people are going to try to use it to be in communication with each other,” says Freeman.

Many MMO players know all about this. MMOs are all about joining up with strangers to work together toward a shared goal, or at least being put into a pool of people with a shared interest. Just being in such a situation can breed conversation, and barring that, the act of grinding mobs for rare drops or experience – of idly fighting monsters within the online game – can leave a large gap for the kind of boredom that prompts people to talk and share.

“I was trying to go for that idle MMO grinding that leads to hanging out.” says Freeman.

It’s from this kind of idle chat between two people sharing the same task that births a growing bond between the characters. Nina and Ichi grind mobs together in the world of Valtameri, steadily talking over the tedious task simply to fill the silence in the game and in their minds. Over time, that shared talk grows into a comfort with the other player. Friendship, or more, comes from this time together.

It’s an ordinary story about ordinary people slowly falling for each other, and all within that context of the shared game.

Freeman needed to frame that life experience as a game for people to experience. To tell her story in an interactive way, she would turn it into a video game. Still, it wasn’t as simple as just cobbling together an MMO and having people play through it.

“Early on, the plan was to have five worlds you would go to and each would have sub-worlds,” says Freeman. “It would be pretty similar to how Final Fantasy XI is structured (the game that I was drawing on). You would go through these worlds and meet all of these different characters — you would meet all of Nina’s friends, and all the while you would be hanging out with Ichi.”

“I quickly realized that was way too large of a scope for the resources and the team and the time I had to make the game,” she adds. “When I realized that, I also realized that I didn’t want to make a simulation of an MMO. I just wanted to tell a story about a relationship.”

Freeman’s story involved the relationship between two people within an MMO world. Anything beyond that would only muddle the story in extra details that, while making the game appear more realistic as an MMO, would draw attention away from the growing bond between Nina and Ichi. This meant stripping an MMO down to the main experience that many would go through while talking with each other.

“So, I decided just to take the core MMO tropes I had in mind that were at the base level of this way more complicated version I was working on and strip away all of the extra stuff,” says Freeman. “All of the characters, all of the worlds, all of the UI and HUDs that MMOs stereotypically have, and just boil it down to what the core experience of playing an MMO online is, which, to me, is playing with someone and clicking on enemies to kill them. Because really, that’s what you’re doing most of the time.”

Freeman didn’t just want players to witness this relationship. Witnessing it is something the audience can do with any other medium. Part of what draws players to a video game story is that level of interactivity involved — the player is an active member of the storyline. As such, an important aspect of Cibele was in getting the player to take on a role in the storyline – to become Nina.

“I thought a lot about how I could get the player to feel like they were sitting at the computer as her, living this experience, rather than be someone that’s controlling her,” she says. “There are certainly games where you create an avatar and author their story, and that’s a totally valid way to tell a story in a game. I’m more interested in giving players a character and giving them the tools to perform it and really get into that character and their mindset.”

“I thought a lot about how I could get the player to feel like they were sitting at the computer as her, living this experience, rather than be someone that’s controlling her.”

For Freeman to tell her story, she would have the player act out the part of Nina in it. In doing so, the player would feel a stronger bond with the events in the game. This would be done by reshaping their viewpoint. While players are in control of a character in a game as they play, Freeman sought to change that sensation of controlling an avatar into a sense of controlling yourself in your own life.

Still, a player knows they are not the character in a game. On a conscious level, they are aware that they are manipulating an avatar with their keystrokes. To make a player truly feel like they’re a character in the game world, Freeman would have to put a lot of thought and care into the experience, reshaping how the player perceived it.

Freeman says, “The first thing I think about is ‘What is the core experience of this and how can I help a player embody this experience actively?’ For Cibele, I knew I wanted to tell a story about this online relationship, and I thought ‘What was she actually doing when this was happening? How can I help players perform her?'”

Her solution involved giving the players free access to her world and her life, all in the guise of controlling Nina’s computer. When not within the confines of Valtameri, players are free to play around on Nina’s computer, looking at her pictures, reading her poetry and emails, and going through her chat logs, all framed around a desktop layout that may seem familiar to that which the player launched the game from.

“Cibele is a pretty intimate story, and a lot of expressing that intimacy and helping players embody that character is by having folders full of selfies, having the poetry, having lots of pictures, having lots of stuff that feels like it would fill a real person’s computer — that it would fill this specific person’s computer,” says Freeman.

In having these elements, Freeman could blur the lines between the player and the character. The framework of the desktop filled with pieces of Nina’s life can mirror the player’s own desktop loaded with a scattered scrapbook of photos, messages, and pieces of their own life. In doing so, the player can become closer to the role they are playing, inhabiting the character rather than guiding her as a separate person.

In becoming Nina, the player connects with another person’s story. They learn to experience the story as that character, rather than control an outside being. They learn to connect with a story that is within the mind of another person, so through the interactivity Freeman has created with Cibele, the player forms a connection with a stranger they have never met through technology. They share a bond through a shared story they have both lived through, in a sense.

“I think connecting with other people is really important and I am definitely someone who feels the need to connect with other people when I can,” says Freeman. “You know when there’s that moment when you’re telling someone a story about yourself, and they say ‘I totally understand where you’re coming from.’ and you can tell that they really do? That is something that I value a lot.”

That connection was what Freeman sought with Cibele, and for many of its players, she has touched on something within them with her creation. “It’s definitely been really surprising to see how many people have connected with it in such an intimate way. When I was working on it, I knew I was telling a personal story. I knew I was telling a story that people might relate to. I have other friends that have online relationships and I knew that it was a thing. But I didn’t expect people to come out of the woodwork as much as they did,” says Freeman.

“I still get emails from people saying ‘I played your game and something exactly like this happened to me or someone I know.’ Just seeing people connect with it in that way has been really encouraging and has made me more excited than ever about telling ordinary life stories in games from the design perspective of embodiment.”

With her work, Freeman has touched the lives of those people she hasn’t met, and through Cibele, helped them think about those moments in their own lives or the lives of their loved ones. She’s used her work to create a piece of tech that can guide a player to reflect on themselves, and in taking on a role in Cibele, think about their experience in a new way.

“I think when people perform a character that it helps them really think about it in a different way — helps them think about their experience and how their experience can be contextualized by the world and by other people’s experiences,” she says.

This does not just end at a gameplay experience, either. Freeman has injected much of herself in her own work, using her own pictures, poetry, and personal experiences into the game. She is telling a fictionalized account of her story, and yet, as an artist creating a piece of interactive story, and as a person whose story is immortalized in the game, Freeman has put herself out there for people to connect with.

“I could either pay an actor and fake all of this stuff, or I could be true to myself and use all the stuff that I do actually have and that was actually on my computer. I think that doing that fit the tone of the game more, especially to me as the designer, because it is a very intimate, personal game to me. It just felt right in both a production sense and in a design sense, to play myself,” says Freeman.

Injecting herself into the work has made a part of her open for strangers to connect with and learn about themselves with. They aren’t the only ones who gain a new perspective from this sharing, as Freeman herself was able to personally reflect from the act of creating this work.

“In Cibele, the writing process and design process for me was definitely an exercise in brutal honesty,” she says. “I didn’t want to tell some biased, sugar-coated story about this relationship. I wanted to tell it how it was and be very real about it.”

“I think putting myself in it helped me be really honest about it and it helped me examine that stuff. It’s kind of fraught at times to think of old relationships. I had enough critical distance from it that it was pretty simple, but I think putting the pressure on myself to put myself in the game helped me be even more honest about it,” says Freeman.

In creating this work for players to embody, Freeman had, in a way, allowed herself the space to come to terms with a part of her life by using something that was meant to connect with others. In ensuring her story was right to share with other people, and in preparing it for that sharing, she had helped herself think over an important time in her life. Players she had never met would make a connection with her work, but in its creation for those players, Freeman had also made a deeper connection with herself.

There are still many who see relationships through tech as something lesser — that our connections online will never match those of someone in person.

Freeman’s work in Cibele helped many players across the world come to terms with some aspects of their own relationships online, creating a healing, reflective power with the game she had put together. Through a piece of technology, she could reach out and touch the hearts of people she had never met, helping them with difficult memories or drawing up pleasant ones. She could connect with them on an emotional level.

People are starting to see how we use our technology to bond, and how we use it to continually reach out to one another. “Tinder is one of the biggest internet things ever, and if you think about Snapchat, so much of it is just teens flirting with each other. All of this stuff is slowly normalizing, and the conversation around it is definitely changing. I don’t hear people on a daily basis saying ‘Tinder is dangerous’ or ‘Snapchat is dangerous.’ That is not as much part of the conversation anymore,” says Freeman.

Through Freeman’s work with Star Maid Games, we can see the connections that games can make, and of the personal power that embodiment can have over a person. We can learn to live through another’s story, and have a more compassionate view of them. We can also learn to forgive ourselves, seeing our own actions, whether we be creator or player, through a new light.

In having the player live through the simple charm, and aftermath, of an online relationship in Cibele, we learn to reflect on our lives and those of others. We live through the pain of another, and in doing so, connect more with the people around us, both through the work and in our personal lives.

Hello, Simmers!

It’s an exciting time for us working on The Sims 4, as we prep for our official release on Xbox One this November 17. But starting today, we are especially excited to exclusively offer Xbox players a trial of the game before launch through EA Access. If you’re a member of EA Access, you can now enjoy up to 10 hours of The Sims 4.

Now, we know some of you might be new to the world of The Sims, so we wanted to give you some fun things to try during your trial. And don’t fret — if you happened to get attached to your first sim during this trial period, you can carry over your saved progress when you purchase the game! Pretty cool, right?

Anyway, back to some tips!

#1 Spend Time in “Create A Sim”

We know some folks like to rush through a character creator because they really want to jump into the game, but the fun thing about The Sims 4 is that the you can write your own story. So, take a bit of time to customize their look, what they wear, as well as identifying their aspirations, personality traits, and more!

With The Sims 4, you can customize almost every aspect of your Sim, and the possibilities are endless. Now you can create yourself, a friend, or even bring characters from your imagination to life!

#2 Check Out Build Mode

Moving your Sim into their first home is a big step, and you want to pick a neighborhood that fits their lifestyle. While it’s always tempting to try and go after the beautiful and luxurious-looking homes, sometimes it’s good to start your experience with a bit of a fixer upper. Try taking something in a lower Simolean range, as it provides a good opportunity to really test out the build mode features.

There are lots of great build features for you to check out when building the home of your dreams. Change the layout of a home by knocking down walls, erecting new ones, giving that kitchen a much-needed makeover, and even adding additional rooms onto the building to give your Sim that extra living space.

#3 Choose a Career

Your Sims aspire to live certain lifestyles, but just like real life they need to earn Simoleans to fuel that lifestyle. One of the ways they can do this is through choosing a career. Explore the stars through the astronaut career, become the next big artist through the painter career, or even live a double life through the secret agent career.

Luckily, there are plenty of options to choose from, so you can really tap into your skills and interests.

We hope that this list of suggestions can help you spend your EA Access Play First Trial time to the fullest. There are so many different stories you can tell through The Sims 4 and we cannot wait to see what you create.

To learn more and stay up to date on all things The Sims 4, please follow @TheSims on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.

Welcome to our ultimate guide for collecting every Power Moon from the Sand Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey! Below, you’ll find maps detailing the exact location for all 89 of the Power Moons located in this Kingdom, as well as descriptions on how to get each and every one of them.

The numbers on the maps correspond to the relevant Power Moon listed below and, whilst most of them appear in that spot from the beginning (or after you’ve completed the story at least), it is worth nothing that sometimes you are required to perform a specific action to make it appear. Use a combination of our maps and walkthrough information to grab each of the Power Moons with ease. Enjoy!

Sand Kingdom Power Moons (1-25)

1. Atop the Highest Tower: This is your first task when you initially arrive at the Sand Kingdom. Keep climbing the tower as indicated by the game to find this Power Moon waiting for you on top.

2. Moon Shards in the Sand: Another required Power Moon, this time around you need to collect five Moon Shards. They are all scattered around the poison lake apart from one which is on top of a pillar. Capture a nearby Moe-Eye (the stones with sunglasses) and use its ability to see a path appear from the pillars above you – you’ll then be able to collect the last shard.

3. Showdown on the Inverted Pyramid: You’ll receive a Multi Moon for defeating Harriet of the Broodals on top of the Inverted Pyramid.

4. The Hole in the Desert: Once you’ve defeated the Broodal, a hole will open in the ground below the Inverted Pyramid. Enter this hole and make your way through until you reach another boss battle. Win here and you’ll receive yet another Multi Moon.

5. Overlooking the Desert Town: This Power Moon is sitting inside a bell tower at location number 5 on our map. Simply jump up to the top and collect it.

6. Alcove in the Ruins: In the ruins you’ll see a large slide of sand that Mario cannot jump through. Head towards the slide but look to the right to find a small alcove with a Power Moon inside.

7. On the Leaning Pillar: On the mainland of the ruins near location number 7 on our map, you will find a couple of Bullet Bills being fired towards you. Capture one, and then direct it over to this leaning pillar to collect the Power Moon.

8. Hidden Room in the Flowing Sands: Head towards location number 8 on our map and jump into the large square patch of quicksand. On the western wall you’ll see a slight gap where the building meets the sand. Head to that point and let Mario sink until his head is just under this gap. Then push your left control stick forwards and keep jumping frantically to make Mario reach a secret room underneath the sand. Inside, you’ll find a Power Moon.

9. Secret of the Mural: Head inside the 2D Mario section that circles the tower. Just before you exit at the top, jump back down onto the moving platform as it touches the left wall. If you walk into this wall you’ll find a tiny hidden area with a Power Moon.

10. Secret of the Inverted Mural: In the 2D Mario section on the Inverted Pyramid, you’ll eventually come to a part where you can see two green pipes. Go past these pipes and jump through a crack in the wall to find a hidden Power Moon.

11. On Top of the Stone Archway: By using one of the power lines from the small town area near the Odyssey, you will be able to zip right over a Power Moon that is sitting on an otherwise impossible to reach archway. Jump off the zip wire at just the right time to grab it.

12. From a Crate in the Ruins: When you reach the top of the first 2D Mario mural, you’ll see some crates nearby. Smash the glowing crate to reveal a Power Moon, and then use a Bullet Bill to fly over to its new location.

13. On the Lone Pillar: From the Tostrena Ruins Round Tower checkpoint, capture Glydon (the flying dragon-lizard-thingy) and glide towards location 13 on our map. You’ll be able to reach a pillar with a Power Moon sitting right on top.

14. On the Statue’s Tail: On top of the Inverted Pyramid, you’ll notice that one of the Jaxi Statues’ tail is glowing. Hold down the ‘Y’ button to throw Cappy at the tail and, after a short time, a Power Moon will pop right out.

15. Hang Your Hat on the Fountain: Find the fountain in the main, small town area near the Odyssey. Hold down the ‘Y’ button to throw Cappy at the golden part at the top and a Power Moon will eventually come out.

16. Where the Birds Gather: Head to location number 16 on our map (near the Oasis) and you’ll see a small group of birds sitting on a small lump in the sand. Ground pound this spot to uncover a Power Moon.

17. Top of a Dune: Head to location number 17 on our map to find the tallest dune in the Kingdom. Make your way to the top of this dune and use the HD Rumble in your controller(s) to feel a Power Moon underground. When you’re on the strongest spot, ground pound!

18. Lost in the Luggage: If you head to location number 18 on our map, you should be able to find a glowing spot in the sound that will reward you with a Power Moon if you ground pound it. Depending on how far through the Kingdom you have progressed, it will either be near a taxi frozen in the ice, or a couple of car tires and boxes.

19. Bullet Bill Breakthrough: Capture the first Bullet Bill in the ruins and use it to fly through the hole in the wall just behind it. Doing this will allow you to use the Bullet Bill to smash the giant cage inside, freeing a Power Moon.

20. Inside a Block Is a Hard Place: Head to the Tostarena Ruins Sand Pillar checkpoint and jump down to the area below. On the far side of this little area you’ll see a glowing block – simply use the nearby Bullet Bill to smash it open and collect the Power Moon inside.

21. Bird Traveling the Desert: If you look out for it, you should notice a bird flying around the bottom half of the Kingdom and, if you can touch it, you will receive a Power Moon. We managed to make contact at location number 21 on our map but it travels between this spot and the oasis on the eastern side of the Kingdom.

22. Bird Traveling the Wastes: A second bird can be found flying around the poison lake on the eastern side of the Kingdom. Once again, simply make contact with the bird to receive a Power Moon.

23. The Lurker Under the Stone (see location 3): Head back to the top of the Inverted Pyramid and you’ll notice a bump in the ground that keeps moving around. Use Cappy to stun the bump and then ground pound it when it’s still to reveal a Power Moon.

24. The Treasure of Jaxi Ruins: Head through the entire Ice Cave (located by entering the whirlpool-like area of quicksand in the ruins) until you reach the exit. You’ll emerge on a small platform that has two chests on it – use Cappy to open the one on the left to reveal a Power Moon.

25. Desert Gardening: Plaza Seed: Underneath where Talkatoo is perching in the main area of town, you’ll see three plant pots. If you throw the seed that can be found right in front of them into one of these pots, it will slowly start to grow. When it reaches full height, you’ll be able to throw Cappy at it to receive a Power Moon.

Sand Kingdom Power Moons (26-50)

26. Desert Gardening: Ruins Seed: If you haven’t already encountered the plant pots, make sure to read our description for Power Moon number 25 above first. Now head to location number 26 to find the second seed – it is located in a small alcove on the outside of the eastern wall of the ruins. Bring the seed back to repeat the process and eventually collect a Power Moon.

27. Desert Gardening: Seed on the Cliff: If you haven’t already encountered the plant pots, make sure to read our description for Power Moon number 25 above first. Now head to location number 27 to find the third and final seed – you’ll need to drop down onto a small ledge on the side of the cliff to find it.

28. Sand Kingdom Timer Challenge 1: Head to the ruins at the furthest northwest point on the map and throw Cappy at the scarecrow sitting on the roof. Use a combination of rolls and wall jumps to make your way to the Moon before the timer runs out.

29. Sand Kingdom Timer Challenge 2: In the southwest corner of the poison lake near the Moe-Eyes, you should be able to spot a P Switch. Step on it with a Moe-Eye and use its sight ability to see a new path extend over the poison. Grab the key – and then the Power Moon – before the time runs out by switching the sunglasses on and off as and when you need them.

30. Sand Kingdom Timer Challenge 3: You’ll find another scarecrow at location 30 on our map. Throw Cappy at it to make blocks appear over the poison. You can either try to run and jump your way across these within the time limit or, if that’s a little too hard, you can use a Jaxi to run over the poison instead.

31. Found in the Sand! Good Dog!: You’ll find a dog standing just in front of the main town area near the Odyssey and, if you stand near him for a short while, he’ll lead you to a spot in the ground. After he has uncovered a glowing spot, use a ground pound to reveal a Power Moon.

32. Taking Notes: Jump on the Palm: Head to the oasis area in the southeast part of the map and look for a large treble clef on top of one of the palm trees. Touch it, and then collect the notes that appear on top of the trees, to collect your Power Moon.

33. Herding Sheep in the Dunes: At location number 33 on our map, you’ll find a local resident sitting inside a circle of stone. He’ll tell you that he has lost three sheep – you need to get these sheep back into that circle to receive the Power Moon. They are all located close by in the northern section of the map – simply throw Cappy at them from behind to send them flying in the direction you want them to go.

34. Fishing in the Oasis: Head to the oasis area (in the southeast) and capture the Lakitu hovering by the water. Use his fishing ability to lure out the largest shadow from the water to reveal a Cheep Cheep who will reward you with a Power Moon. 

35. Love in the Heart of the Desert: You’ll find a Goombette at location 35 on our map (in the ruins section near the Bullet Bills). You can either build a tower of Goombas by capturing one and then jumping on others – taking this over to the Goombette when you’re tall enough to make eye contact with her, or you can capture one Goomba and take it over to the spinning flower near the second Bullet Bill. Use ‘ZL’ to release the Goomba temporarily, hit the flower with Cappy, and then recapture the Goomba and fly up to the ledge with the Goombette. She’ll give you a Power Moon for your troubles.

36. Among the Five Cactuses: Grab yourself a Jaxi, and then head right up to location number 36 on our map (right at the top in the centre). You’ll find a row of cacti and, by smashing the tall middle one, you’ll reveal a Power Moon.

37. You’re Quite a Catch, Captain Toad!: Start by capturing the Lakitu by the oasis in the southeast corner of the map. Fly north until you reach an area with three cacti and a noticeboard. Cast your line into the sand to attract the largest silhouette you can see – it turns out to be Captain Toad! He’ll give you a Power Moon as a thanks for rescuing him.

38. Jaxi Reunion!: Just northeast of the oasis you’ll find a statue of a Jaxi with an empty spot for another statue to be placed. Take a living Jaxi over to that spot to be rewarded with a Power Moon.

39. Welcome Back, Jaxi!: Head to the top of the Inverted Pyramid and call a Jaxi using the ‘Jaxi-stop’. Ride the Jaxi over to the only corner of the Pyramid that doesn’t have a statue on it to reveal a Power Moon.

40. Wandering Cactus: At location 40 on our map (just below the eastern poison lake) you’ll find a cactus with a green button on its top. Capture the cactus and move it away from its original standing space to find a glowing spot in the sand – ground pound this to reveal a Power Moon.

41. Sand Quiz: Wonderful!: This Power Moon will only be available to you if you have already obtained Power Moon number 51. If you have already spoken to the Sphynx once, do so again to be quizzed for a second time. If you need help with the answers to its questions, they are: 30, Ice, 5, and Sphynx. 

42. Shopping in Tostarena: Simply head to this Kingdom’s Crazy Cap store and purchase this Power Moon for 100 Gold Coins.

43. Employees Only: Just behind the Crazy Cap store is a small grate that has been busted open with a few coins inside. Crouch to enter this little hidden passageway and follow it through until you end up behind the counter of the store. The Power Moon is waiting for you right there.

44. Sand Kingdom Slots: For this Power Moon, simply head to the building offering a game of slots in the main town area and talk to the assistant. You’ll need to throw Cappy at the spinning icons to make them all stop on the Power Moon.

45. Walking the Desert!: This one can be a little tricky. Head to location 45 on our map to find a Koopa wearing a sombrero. He’ll ask you to take part in a walking challenge and, if you can complete it, he’ll reward you with a Power Moon. Our best advice for the challenge is to pay attention to the circle when it first appears and take note of where it lies in relation to the cacti and bushes surrounding it. Use those as a reference point when you walk around.

46. Hidden Room in the Inverted Pyramid: Inside the Inverted Pyramid, you’ll eventually enter a room where you need to use a Bullet Bill to fly through pillars that are on a sort of conveyor belt going from right to left. When you reach this room, capture a Bullet Bill and use ‘ZL’ to jump out of it at just the right time to land on the conveyor belt (in between your choice of pillars). You’ll get taken through the left wall with the pillars and find yourself in a hidden room containing a Power Moon!

47. Underground Treasure Chest (see location 46): Enter the giant hole beneath the Inverted Pyramid and make your way through the majority of its rooms. Eventually you’ll reach an area where you need to fly a Bullet Bill past some pillars to a patch of ice, and then a second Bullet Bill to the exit. Instead of flying the first one to the patch of ice, take it around the right hand side of the structure to reach some hidden steps. Use the spinning flower to get on top of the structure and make your way along the thin path to reach a platform with a treasure chest on top – there is a Power Moon waiting inside.

48. Goomba Tower Assembly (see location 46): Inside the giant hole underneath the Inverted Pyramid, you’ll notice a large tower of Goombas waddling around one of the earlier sections. Capture this tower and collect more Goombas by jumping on them until you can jump to reach the Power Moon that is floating in the air nearby.

49. Under the Mummy’s Curse: Head to location number 49 on our map and jump down into the hole in the ground (you can’t miss it). Inside this room, keep defeating the enemies that surround you until a Power Moon pops out.

50. Ice Cave Treasure: Jump into the large whirlpool-like bit of quicksand in the ruins and make you way through the majority of the Ice Cave below. The last set of pillars (just before the green pipe at the end) have another set of pillars hovering above them in the air. Wall jump between two of the pillars when they touch the ground, timing it just right to continue your wall jumping up onto the second set of pillars above them. When you’re on the top, jump across the pillars to collect the Power Moon hovering at the end.

Sand Kingdom Power Moons (51-69)

51. Sphynx’s Treasure Vault: On the northwest edge of the ruins you’ll find a huge Sphynx. The Sphynx will ask you a question – get it right (by answering with ‘Coin’) – and you’ll receive a Power Moon.

52. A Rumble from the Sandy Floor: In the main town area near the Odyssey, you’ll find a green pipe not far away from Talkatoo. Enter the pipe and use the HD Rumble of your controller(s) inside to locate the Power Moon underground – a ground pound on the right spot will make it appear.

53. Dancing with New Friends: On the northwest edge of town there is back door entrance guarded by a resident in a sombrero. To enter, you must be wearing the Sombrero and Poncho clothing items from this region’s Crazy Cap store. Simply stand on the large circle inside to claim your Power Moon.

54. The Invisible Maze: Head to location number 54 to find a red hat door (you’ll notice a column of coins showing you the way down from the cliff’s edge). Use the Moe-Eyes in memorise each floor pattern and reach the end to get the Power Moon.

55. Skull Sign in the Transparent Maze (see location 54): In the same hidden area as Power Moon number 54, you’ll notice a signpost with a skull on it in the first room. Throw Cappy at it for a while by holding down the ‘Y’ button and a Power Moon will eventually pop out.

56. The Bullet Bill Maze: Break Through!: On the front wall of the ruins in the northwest region of the map you’ll see a red door. Go inside and use the Bullet Bills to travel to the end of the maze – a Power Moon will be waiting for you.

57. The Bullet Bill Maze: Side Path (see location 56): In the same maze room as Power Moon number 56, you’ll notice a separate path that leads off to the left just before you reach the first set of rotating walls. Replace your Bullet Bill nearby and fly all the way around this alternative path to find another Power Moon.

58. Jaxi Driver: Capture a Jaxi and head to location number 58 on our map to find an entrance that goes under the poison lake (if you can warp to the Jaxi Ruins checkpoint that would be ideal). When you’re inside the secret room, use your Jaxi to reach the end and grab the Power Moon waiting for you. 

59. Jaxi Stunt Driving (see location 58): In the same room as Power Moon number 58, use your Jaxi to touch the large treble clef in the central area. You’ll need to touch all of the music notes that appear by charging down one side of them, braking heavily, and returning the other way. A Power Moon is yours if you can manage it.

60. Strange Neighborhood: In the middle of the town area near the Odyssey, a rocket is sitting on top of one of the buildings. Capture that rocket and use it to fly to a secret area – reach the end of this area to collect a Power Moon.

61. Above a Strange Neighborhood (see location 60): In the same secret area as Power Moon 60, progress through the course until you see a small tower of three Goombas and a platform to the right with three blocks hovering in the air. Jump on top of the middle block and then jump up again to reveal a hidden block – jumping on this new block will allow you to reach a second Power Moon hovering just above you.

62. Secret Path to Tostarena!: As ‘Secret Path’ Power Moons often are, this one is pretty complicated. To get this Moon, you will need to use a warp painting from a different world – but there’s a catch. The warp painting you need will be in one of two places – either Lake Kingdom, or Wooded Kingdom – and this will depend on which of these you decided to travel to first on your initial play-through. You need to head to the Kingdom you visited first.

If you went to Lake Kingdom first, head there and travel to the Courtyard checkpoint flag. Right next to the flag is a small pool and if you closely at the deep end, you’ll notice a warp painting down below. Dive down and enter the painting to warp back to the Sand Kingdom and grab your Power Moon.

If you went to Wooded Kingdom first, head to the Forest Charging Station checkpoint and throw Cappy at the scarecrow in one of the charging machines. Jump up quickly onto the platforms that appear, making it all the way to the top, and then use a backflip to jump from the top platform onto the scenery above. Walk over to the right and you’ll see a block with the warp painting attached to one side – head inside and warp to the Sand Kingdom for your Power Moon.

63. Found with Sand Kingdom Art: In the east side of the town area near the Odyssey, you’ll find some hint art that resembles Bowser’s Kingdom. To get this Moon, you’ll need to fly to Bowser’s Kingdom and warp to the Souvenir Shop checkpoint. From the flag, walk across three stones and ground pound that one to reveal a Power Moon.

64. Jammin’ in the Sand Kingdom: In the town area located near the Odyssey, you’ll find a Toad wearing some headphones on top of one of the buildings. Play him the track ‘Broodals Battle’ and he’ll give you a Power Moon.

65. Hat-and-Seek: In the Sand: Just before you enter the town area (from the Odyssey’s location) you’ll notice a resident of the Cap Kingdom nearby – talking to him reveals that he’s lost a friend. Now walk over to the group of characters standing in front of a small purple building and talk to the one who is wearing a sombrero with eyes like Cappy to receive a Power Moon.

66. Sand Kingdom Regular Cup: Head to the ruins in the northwest corner of the map to find a Koopa standing next to a leaderboard. Talk to him and defeat him in a race to collect a Power Moon. The race is easy to win – simply jump onto the Jaxi just to the left of your starting position and use him to charge towards the goal.

67. Binding Band Returned: Head to location 67 on our map to find a hole that will take you underground. Ignore the Chinchos (mummy-type things) in front of you and jump into the slingshot which will fire you over to the giant Binding Band. Do a ground pound on top of the diamond to receive a Power Moon.

68. Round-the-World Tourist: This one takes a bit of time but it will net you several Power Moons along the way. You’ll first need to talk to the Tostarenan standing next to the taxi just in front of the town area. He’ll tell you about where he wants to visit in his taxi and you must keep travelling from Kingdom to Kingdom – finding him in his new location. If you need some help, he travels to the following Kingdoms: Metro, Cascade, Luncheon, Moon and Mushroom, before eventually returning to the Sand Kingdom which allows you to collect this Moon.

69. Peach in the Sand Kingdom: Head to the top of the Inverted Pyramid and run to the corner indicated by number 69 on our map above. You’ll find Peach standing there and she’ll give you a Power Moon if you talk to her.

Sand Kingdom ‘Moon Rock’ Power Moons (70-89)

These Power Moons will become available to you when you have smashed the Moon Rock located in this Kingdom. 

70. Mighty Leap from the Palm Tree!: In the oasis area in the southeast corner of the map, climb the palm tree just behind the checkpoint flag to find a Power Moon sitting above it. Perform a backflip to make contact with it.

71. On the North Pillar: For this Power Moon, you need to start by zipping along the electrical wire that connects the Inverted Pyramid to the ruins in the northwest corner of the map (you can start at either location). As you travel along the wire, you’ll notice a Power Moon located on a pillar below you – jump off the wire with ‘ZL’ at just the right time to land on the pillar and collect your Moon.

72. Into the Flowing Sands: In the ruins – at location 72 on our map – you’ll notice a Power Moon sitting in plain sight on the large slide of quicksand. Stand on any piece of land above this Power Moon and jump down to make contact with it.

73. In the Skies Above the Canyon: Head to the Tostarena Ruins Round Tower checkpoint and turn west to find some moving platforms. Walk onto the first platform and, just before it is about to drop down to the sand below, jump off to reach the Power Moon hovering nearby.

74. Island in the Poison Swamp: Capture a Jaxi and head to location number 74 on our map. When you arrive at the poison lake you’ll see a Power Moon hovering above a small mount of sand – simply run over to it with the Jaxi to collect it.

75. An Invisible Gleam: Head to the Moe-Eye Habitat checkpoint and capture one to make use of its sunglasses ability. Walk over to the platform that raises you up onto the pillars above and use the Moe-Eye to walk along the hidden path. You’ll notice a hidden glowing section on top of the second pillar – ground pound this spot to receive a Power Moon.

76. On the Eastern Pillar: This is by far one of the hardest Power Moons to acquire in the entire game – although there is a small trick to learn! Start by warping to the Tostarena Ruins Sand Pillar checkpoint and capture one of the Bullet Bills below. Fly over to the leaning tower that has a Power Moon floating on top to the east. From there, turn around to watch more Bullet Bills firing towards you and, as soon as one manages to get around the ruins on the mainland and is heading your way, jump over to the pillar next to you so that the Bullet Bill changes direction.

You’ll need to capture the Bullet Bill and fly it in an easterly direction towards location number 76 on our map. For the Bullet Bill to fly that far you’ll need to either capture it at the latest possible point – jumping off the pillar in the direction of your goal and throwing Cappy backwards to grab it – or capture it and then shake your controllers like crazy to make it boost forwards as many times as you can (something we very annoyingly overlooked the first time around!). When you’ve captured your Bullet Bill, zoom towards location number 76 as quickly as you can – if you get there on time the Bullet Bill will smash a rock which has a Power Moon inside.

77. Caught Hopping in the Desert!: At location number 77 on our map you’ll find a group of rabbits. Only one of them is holding a Power Moon so keep chasing them – using Cappy to stun them if necessary – and make contact with them to see what they are holding. Eventually (or on the first run if you’re lucky) you’ll get the Power Moon.

78. Poster Cleanup: Behind the ruins in the northwest corner of the map you’ll find a local who wants the wedding posters removed from the building. Talk to him, and then use a combination of jumps and Cappy throws to remove every last poster – the Power Moon will then be yours.

79. Taking Notes: Running Down: Take a Jaxi to location number 79 on our map. When you arrive you’ll notice a glowing treble clef – you need to touch the treble clef and then collect every music note that appears. The trick here is to learn exactly where to line up your Jaxi’s run to collect all the notes in time (starting from directly behind the treble clef is your best bet).

80. Taking Notes: In the Wall Painting: Head inside the 2D Mario mural on the Tostarena Ruins Round Tower (accessed easily by the corresponding checkpoint). You’ll notice a treble clef inside which will spawn several music notes – collect all of the notes before the timer runs out to collect a Power Moon.

81. Love at the Edge of the Desert: A Goombette is looking for love right at the very top of the Kingdom (location 81 on our map). Warp to the Tostarena Ruins Entrance, capture a nearby Goomba, and begin your incredibly long journey for love to that location. When you finally arrive you’ll receive a Power Moon.

82. More Walking in the Desert!: Return to the Koopa wearing a sombrero at location 82 on our map to start a second walking challenge. As before, the trick to this Power Moon is to memorise how the track you need to follow sits within the scenery – take note of where the lines are in relation to nearby cacti and bushes. Perform the walk successfully enough and you’ll receive a Power Moon.

83. Sand Kingdom Master Cup: Return to the Koopa near the ruins in the northwest corner of the map to challenge him to a second race. The best approach for this race is to jump on the Jaxi who is sitting just to the left of your starting position. Ride him all the way to the goal and win to claim your prize.

84. Where the Transparent Platforms End: Head to location 84 on our map (just below the town area) to find a grey warp pipe. Once inside, make your way to the end by using the nearby Moe-Eye’s sight ability and grab the Power Moon that is waiting for you.

85. Jump Onto the Transparent Lift (see location 84): Inside the same room as Power Moon 84, capture the Moe-Eye and walk onto the second, longer hidden platform that can be seen with his glasses. When it almost reaches the wall on the right, you’ll be able to drop off onto a platform right down below you. Collect the key that is located on this platform to unlock a Power Moon above.

86. Colossal Ruins: Dash Jump!: Right next to the Tostarena Ruins Entrance checkpoint is a grey pipe. When inside, use the flowers to speed your way through the room until you make it to the Power Moon waiting for you at the end.

87. Sinking Colossal Ruins: Hurry! (see location 86): In the same room as Power Moon number 86, you’ll need to make sure to collect the golden key in the more complex part of the speedy section (located quite far down and near the end of that wall) and still make it back to the top. If you reach the end on the same run as collecting the key you’ll be able to grab a second Power Moon.

88. Through the Freezing Waterway: If you head to location number 88 on our map you’ll find a grey pipe (the quickest way to reach it is to jump off the Inverted Pyramid). Once inside, use the Gushens to navigate through the room – using a combination of their upwards and sideways boosts to reach the Power Moon at the end.

89. Freezing Waterway: Hidden Room (see location 88): In the same secret area as Power Moon number 88, use the Gushens to travel through the room until the section just after the first set of three gold rings. From here, burst up onto the moving platform, and then burst up and over to the left to find a hidden section of the room. Make your way through this section to find the Power Moon waiting for you.

We hope that you have found this guide on collecting all Power Moons in Super Mario Odyssey’s Sand Kingdom useful. Let us know if you’ve managed to grab them all with a comment below.

Announced somewhat quietly in the Summer before featuring in a recent Nindie sizzle reel, Aces of the Luftwaffe – Squadron is now just a few days away from release on the Nintendo Switch. Somewhat different from the non ‘Squadron’ release previously seen on smart devices, this is a vertically scrolling shooter with an emphasis on local co-op play (though you can tackle it solo).

The eShop page popped up over the weekend and now its trailer has been uploaded to YouTube.

The official description promises a ‘captivating storyline’ and ‘spectacular bosses and dogfights’, so fingers crossed that it delivers. In the UK it’ll cost £13.49, which will likely convert to $14.99USD / €14.99; it’s due for release on 17th November.

Do you like the look of this one?