Super Mario Odyssey players find easier way to beat the game’s dreaded jump rope challenge

Of the many secret Power Moons to collect in Super Mario Odyssey, there’s one that may be more frustrating than most. But one particularly smart player has come up with an easy way to do it that may have you slapping your head for not thinking of it first.

(If you’re afraid of being “spoiled” about hidden Moons, here’s a warning that you’re about to be.)

One of the Moons in New Donk City is called “Jump Rope Genius,” and it requires a lot of precision to obtain. Mario needs to keep up with a jump rope as it gets faster and faster, jumping over it 100 times — and only then will he collect the Moon.

Because of the intensely accurate timing required to keep pace with the jump rope as it speeds up, players have been beating their heads against this Moon since the game launched.

Here’s a clip from Redditor turbo-cobra that sums up most people’s feelings about this pseudo-rhythm minigame:

Trying to do it the normal way — by jumping — is a huge pain. But JR_GameR on Twitter devised a much smarter method. In the tweet below, they reach 100 points and win the Moon with ease, thanks to a motor scooter.

Mario can jump with the motor scooter that hangs around the Metro Kingdom. The move that is far more reliable than just having Mario skip rope the normal way. Unlike having Mario jump on his own, the scooter will jump the exact same way each time. Position it correctly, and you should be good to go.

A Reddit thread offers a bunch of other great tips for accomplishing this minigame, which could send you up a wall otherwise. We’ve also got some in our guide to finding New Donk City’s Moons. Hopefully, you can consider this Jump-Rope Challenge done with one of those methods, should the scooter not work for you.