Fossil Falls (theme)
| "Fossil Falls" | |
|---|---|
 Image fromNintendo Music | |
| Composed by: Naoto Kubo | |
| Key | C major |
| BPM | 138 |
| First appearance | Super Mario Odyssey (2017) |
| Latest appearance | Donkey Kong Bananza (2025) |
- “Fossil Falls is the first bright environment in #SuperMarioOdyssey. The background music for this area was written to fully instill a sense of excitement to the start of your journey, and took over 10 days to record!”
- —Nintendo of America[1]
"Fossil Falls"[2] is an orchestral musical theme composed byNaoto Kubo forSuper Mario Odyssey, where it plays in theCascade Kingdom and the first underground section ofDarker Side. This theme serves as the main theme for the entire game, with various arrangements being included in jingles and other areas of the game.
Reuses[edit]
The following list does not include ports or remakes ofSuper Mario Odyssey.
| Work | Description |
|---|---|
| Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Nintendo Switch / Nintendo 3DS) | "Fossil Falls" is played during theMine Cart Cascade Crusade level. |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | "Fossil Falls" is a playable track on anySuper Smash Bros.- andSuper Mario-series stage. |
| Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo | "Fossil Falls" is played as part of the "Chain Chomp at Fossil Falls" alarm. |
Arrangements[edit]
 | It has been requested thatmore audio and/or video files related to this section beuploaded.Specifics: All missing arrangements Please upload music, sound effects, voice clips, or any videos for this section. See thehelp page for help getting started. |
Super Mario Odyssey[edit]
Super Mario Odyssey features several rearrangements of "Fossil Falls":
- "Meeting Cappy"
- "Capturing a Frog"
- "Fossil Falls - 8-Bit"
- "You Got a Moon! 1"
- "You Got a Multi Moon!"
- "Mario Meets the World: The Odyssey's Maiden Voyage"
- "Setting the Scene 1"
- "To the Next Kingdom"
- "Setting the Scene 3"
- "Odyssey to the Moon"
- "Battling Bowser 2: The Final Fight"
- "Honeylune Ridge: Collapse"
- "Honeylune Ridge: Collapse - 8-Bit"
- "The Super Mario Odyssey Crew"
- "The Wardrobe Widens!"
- "The Farthest Lullaby - Fossil Falls - Music Box Ver".
 Fossil Falls - 8-Bit | File info |
| To the Next Kingdom | File info |
| Battling Bowser 2: The Final Fight | File info |
| Honeylune Ridge: Collapse | File info |
| Honeylune Ridge: Collapse - 8-Bit | File info |
"Fossil Falls" is featured inSuper Mario Odyssey Sound Selection.Super Mario Odyssey Original Soundtrack features "Fossil Falls" as well as the other arrangements featured in the game.
In addition, a faster variant of the theme is arranged multiple times in the game as a jingle, including whenMario collects aLife-Up Heart or activates a secret.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie[edit]
The Super Mario Bros. Movie features a brief arrangement of "Fossil Falls" in the beginning of the track "Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom", which was composed byBrian Tyler. In this arrangement, an orchestrated version of the main melody is played before transitioning into a rendition ofP Switch BGM / Toad's House.
Mario Kart World[edit]
InMario Kart World, a sitar arrangement of "Fossil Falls" in3
4 time can play inFree Roam. It is titled "Fossil Falls" in the game's pause menu.
Donkey Kong Bananza[edit]
Donkey Kong Bananza incorporates a brief arrangement of "Setting the Scene 1" into the end of the theme that plays during the cutscene whereKing K. Rool takes overNew Donk City.
Other arrangements[edit]
The Game Awards 2020[edit]
Duringthe Game Awards 2020, as part of theSuper Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary celebration, theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra performed a medley featuring arrangements of variousSuper Mario themes including "Fossil Falls".[3]
Super Mario Orchestra Concert[edit]
"Fossil Falls" is included on the setlist of theSuper Mario Orchestra Concert as part of a medley with other themes fromSuper Mario Odyssey.
Cosmos Fountain Show[edit]
A version of the Game Awards 2020 arrangement is played atUniversal Epic Universe in the Cosmos Fountain Show as part of a medley featuring otherSuper Mario themes.[4]
List ofSuper Mario appearances[edit]
Games[edit]
| Work | System | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey | Nintendo Switch | 2017 | Original | "Fossil Falls"[2] | Naoto Kubo |
| Arrangement | |||||
| Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch | 2018 | Original | Naoto Kubo | |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Nintendo Switch | 2018 | Original | "Fossil Falls"[5] | Naoto Kubo |
| Mario Kart World | Nintendo Switch 2 | 2025 | Arrangement | "Fossil Falls"[6] | |
| Donkey Kong Bananza | Nintendo Switch 2 | 2025 | Arrangement |
Film and television[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | 2023 | Arrangement | "Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom"[7] | Brian Tyler |
Albums[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey Sound Selection | 2017 | Original | "Fossil Falls" | Naoto Kubo |
| Super Mario Odyssey Original Soundtrack | 2018 | Original | "Fossil Falls" | Naoto Kubo |
| Past arrangement (Super Mario Odyssey) | ||||
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | 2023 | Past arrangement (The Super Mario Bros. Movie) | "Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom" | Brian Tyler |
Other media[edit]
| Work | Year | Type | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo | 2024 | Past arrangement (Super Mario Odyssey) |
Gallery[edit]
Image for "Meeting Cappy" onNintendo Music
Image for "Capturing a Frog" on Nintendo Music
Image for "Fossil Falls - 8-Bit" on Nintendo Music
Image for "You Got a Moon! 1" on Nintendo Music
Image for "You Got a Multi Moon!" on Nintendo Music
Image for "Mario Meets the World: The Odyssey's Maiden Voyage" on Nintendo Music
Image for "Setting the Scene 1" on Nintendo Music
Image for "To the Next Kingdom" on Nintendo Music
Image for "Setting the Scene 3" on Nintendo Music
Image for "Odyssey to the Moon" on Nintendo Music
Image for "Battling Bowser 2: The Final Fight" on Nintendo Music
Image for "Honeylune Ridge: Collapse" on Nintendo Music
Image for "Honeylune Ridge: Collapse - 8-Bit" on Nintendo Music
Image for "The Super Mario Odyssey Crew" on Nintendo Music
Image for "The Wardrobe Widens!" on Nintendo Music
Image for "The Farthest Lullaby - Fossil Falls - Music Box Ver". on Nintendo Music
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ダイナフォー[2] Dainafō | Portmanteau of 「ダイナソー」 (dainasō, "dinosaur") and 「ウォーターフォール」 (wōtāfōru, "waterfall"); officially romanized as "Dinofour"[8] |
Notes[edit]
- On theNintendo Music app, "Fossil Falls" is labeled as 'Selects', classifying it as one "of the very best tracks from the Nintendo Music library", originating fromSuper Mario Odyssey. "Fossil Falls" shares this title with "Steam Gardens" and "Jump Up, Super Star!".
References[edit]
- ^NintendoAmerica (April 5, 2018).Post.Twitter. Retrieved December 25, 2025.
- ^abcNintendo Music
- ^thegameawards (December 10, 2020).London Philharmonic Performs a Super Mario Bros. Medley at The Game Awards 2020.YouTube. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
- ^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHTQkwLrias
- ^Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Sound Test
- ^Mario Kart World pause menu
- ^The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- ^2018.The Art of Super Mario Odyssey.Tokuma Shoten (Japanese). ISBN978-4198646967. Page 322.
