Sphynx
- Not to be confused with Sphinx.
| Sphynx | |
|---|---|
 Artwork from Super Mario Odyssey | |
| First appearance | 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 amount of coins. It moves once the player answers its riddles, which are generally questions relating to the kingdom in which it is found. After opening its paths, talking to the Sphynx will lead to extra questions; answering all of the Sphynx's various questions correctly will unlock an achievement from Toadette in the Mushroom Kingdom, granting the player a Power Moon. It 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 will challenge him to one final quiz where he will be rewarded with lots of coins. However, if he fails one question, he must restart from the beginning of the cave before he can try again.
Sphynx finds humor in Mario incorrectly answering questions, having a bit of a laugh before letting Mario try again. The earlier riddle is always fairly simple, to the point where 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 it on the Sphynx, a Power Moon will appear.
The Sphynx is modeled after the real-life Great Sphinx of Giza.
Questions and answers
Correct answers are highlighted in green.
Sand Kingdom
| # | 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
| # | Question | Answer 1 | Answer 2 | Answer 3 | Answer 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What does the monster want from this kingdom? | Water | Wood | Flowers | Soil |
Seaside Kingdom
| # | 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
Before defeating Bowser
| # | 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
| # | 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
| # | 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
Model
The Sphynx in the Sand Kingdom
The Sphynx in the Seaside Kingdom
The Sphynx in the Moon Kingdom
Additional names
Internal names
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey | ObjectData/SphinxQuiz.szs | Sphinx Quiz | - |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | スフィン・クイズ[?] Sufin Kuizu |
Pun on「スフィンクス」(sufinkusu, sphinx) and「クイズ」(kuizu, quiz) | |
| Chinese | 斯芬・奇思[?] Sīfēn Qísī |
Based on the Japanese name; pun on「斯芬克斯」(Sphinx) and「奇思妙想」(a word to describe a brainy person) | |
| Dutch | Sphynx[?] | - | |
| French | Sphynx[?] | - | |
| German | Sphynx[?] | - | |
| Italian | Enigmicia[?] | Riddle-Cat | |
| Korean | 스핑퀴즈[?] Seupingkwijeu |
Based on the Japanese name. From "Sphinx" and "quiz" | |
| Russian | Софинкс[?] Sofinks |
Sophinx | |
| Spanish | Kin Triga[?] | From "qué intriga" (how intriguing). "Kin" is a short version of "Joaquín", a common first name in Spain. |
Trivia
- 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. This Sphinx was depicted being female and also has wings and would ask passers-by in Thebes to answer her riddle, and would kill them if they did not answer correctly. The hero Oedipus then correctly answered her riddle and then, out of spite, she killed herself.
References
- ^ 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.)
