Does Super Luigi Odyssey Exist? No, But Here‘s Why Fans Want It

Let‘s be clear from the start – Super Luigi Odyssey is not a real video game. While many Mario fans have envisioned or created mock-ups of a Luigi-themed follow-up to the hit 2017 Nintendo Switch title Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo has made no official announcements regarding a "Super Luigi Odyssey" being in active development or plans at this time.

Luigi‘s Limited Role in Super Mario Odyssey

While he doesn‘t have his own Super Luigi edition, Luigi does make small cameo appearances in Super Mario Odyssey across various kingdoms. After a free game update following the initial launch, Luigi occasionally shows up to give Mario special challenges to obtain extra power moons and coins. This included the new two-player mode "Balloon World," allowing friends to hide balloons for each other to then search and find within the Odyssey kingdoms.

So Luigi is present, but he plays a pretty minor role overall and is not a main playable protagonist in Super Mario Odyssey. That hasn‘t stopped eager Nintendo fans from dreaming up and designing their own visions for a 3D Mario adventure featuring Luigi at the helm rather than playing second fiddle.

Why Fans Crave More Playable Luigi

Luigi has always lived in the shadow of his older brother Mario. After debuting alongside Mario in the 1983 arcade classic Mario Bros., Luigi would largely be stuck occupying the role of a secondary character for decades to follow. While he has starred in the odd Luigi‘s Mansion spin-off title or two, mainstream 3D Mario games have firmly placed Mario as the VIP and left Luigi as an occasional supporting face.

But Luigi has a growing, passionate fanbase who vocally express their desire to see the "slimmer twin" break out as the main hero for once. The Year of Luigi campaign in 2013 gave devoted Luigi lovers hope he may get more of the spotlight. And the character‘s jittery, clumsy yet lovable personality has cemented him as an underdog fans root for.

So the appeal of finally being able to guide Luigi through an epic collectathon 3D Mario adventure undoubtedly fuels the imagination and social media campaigns for an imagined Super Luigi Odyssey title. Gamers see the potential for all new humorous hijinks paired with Luigi‘s signature jumps and moves in the Odyssey universe.

And as the Mario franchise celebrates past secondary figures like Bowser through games like Bowser‘s Fury, hopes for Luigi‘s time as a headlining hero intensify all the more from his diehard fan club.

What Does Nintendo‘s History Predict?

Nintendo as a company however usually keeps their plans tightly under wraps and plays their release calendar close to the chest. So speculating on odds of an actual Super Luigi game coming from Nintendo can be reading tea leaves.

However looking at patterns of Nintendo‘s core Mario releases and spin-offs over the years offers some clues. Ever since Super Mario 64 revolutionized 3D platforming, Nintendo has maintained a cadence of launching a new innovative 3D Mario title per console generation. These entries featuring Mario as the protagonist have remained flagship tentpole releases for Nintendo.

Luigi has never assumed the leading role in one of these core 3D Mario games, instead appearing occasionally as a sidekick or in multiplayer capacity. Nintendo seems intent on keeping brand consistency of Mario as mascot front and center for major mainline entries.

However, Nintendo has shown a willingness over the years to greenlight Luigi-centric spin-off adventures. While not receiving the same marketing fanfare or budgets as the flagship Mario experiences, these Luigi titles often provide quirky alternative takes:

• Mario is Missing! (NES/SNES)
• Luigi‘s Mansion (GameCube)
• New Super Luigi U (Wii U)
• Luigi‘s Mansion 3 (Switch)

So while Super Luigi Odyssey seems like a farfetched dream, history indicates Luigi may continue to receive his own smaller scale games as a change of pace from Mario‘s adventures.

What Are the Odds of a 3D Luigi Title?

Without being Nintendo insiders, the odds of predicting a 3D adventure starring Luigi hitting store shelves is challenging. However commenting in a 2019 interview, video game journalist Chris Scullion sees potential:

"I definitely think Nintendo will make another 3D Luigi game at some point down the line. We’ve seen that not only is Luigi quite popular these days, but Nintendo experimenting with secondary characters in big adventures following the success of Captain Toad."

Veteran Nintendo reporter Imran Khan also noted during a 2022 podcast potential for Nintendo expanding the playable character options in 3D Marios:

"Given trends with Mario spin-offs and Multiplayer 3D World, I could envision a game offering co-op with Mario and Luigi as dual playable choices throughout. Nintendo likes keeping core Mario games consistent, but that could let Luigi share more of a co-starring role."

So industry experts allow room for Luigi someday stepping into a grander quest, even if not necessarily a solo adventure outright labeled Super Luigi Odyssey. Multiplayer or co-op seems one path where Luigi could secure extra gameplay time beside just Mario.

My Take as a Gaming Commentator

As someone who has followed Mario and Nintendo closely for over 25 years while creating YouTube videos, blogs, and other gaming commentary, here is my two cents. I would be genuinely excited if one day a fully 3D Luigi adventure comes to pass.

I view it as a sensible continuation of evolution we‘ve seen putting Luigi more regularly in starring capacities, just in different genres like his Mansion series. Expanding that role recognition into Nintendo‘s bread and butter 3D platforming gameplay feels a logical next step. A tactile, movement-driven game overflowing with Luigi‘s animated personality and distinctive jump seems ripe for joy and laughs.

If multiplayer or cooperative play ends up the route Nintendo opts for to prominently incorporate Luigi into core series gameplay, I‘d still welcome that gladly. Past experiments blending the brothers like New Super Mario Bros on DS whet the appetite for seeing the duo‘s teamwork and contrasts bounce off one another in a large 3D sandbox.

Ultimately as a fan myself, I just want to see Luigi catch more breaks and celebrate time front and center. And millions of other Luigi lovers surely feel the same. Perhaps the highly active social media campaigns and art will place pressure on Nintendo to grant that Super Luigi wish one of these days. Then we can all finally enjoy those lanky leg high jumps in a Mario Odyssey-flavored solo adventure.