Super Mario 64

In 1996, Nintendo released *Super Mario 64* for the Nintendo 64, marking the first time the plumber appeared in a fully three-dimensional world. The game kept the familiar characters, visual style, and core platforming action of earlier titles but placed them inside a large, open hub. The story begins with Bowser invading Princess Peach’s castle, kidnapping her, and hiding the castle’s Power Stars inside magical paintings that lead to different worlds. Players control Mario, moving through these levels to collect Power Stars, which unlock new areas of the castle and eventually allow him to reach Bowser and save Peach.

Director Shigeru Miyamoto first thought of a 3D Mario game while working on *Star Fox* in 1993. The development team spent roughly a year on design and twenty months on production, beginning with the virtual camera system. After that, they worked on the 3D character models and fine-tuned the sprite movements. Yoji Inagaki handled the sound effects, while Koji Kondo composed the score.

The game generated huge anticipation, boosted by advertising and its appearance at the 1996 E3 trade show. It launched in Japan and North America in 1996, and in PAL regions the following year. Critics praised its ambition, visuals, level design, and gameplay, though some had complaints about the camera system. By 2015, it had sold nearly twelve million copies, making it the best-selling Nintendo 64 game.

*Super Mario 64* is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential video games ever made. Many developers point to it as a key influence on 3D platformers, with its camera system and full 360-degree analog control setting a new standard—much like *Super Mario Bros.* did for side-scrolling games. That influence shows up in later titles such as *Spyro the Dragon*, *Banjo-Kazooie*, and *Psychonauts*. A remake, *Super Mario 64 DS*, came out for the Nintendo DS in 2004, and the game has been ported to other Nintendo consoles. It has also inspired numerous fan games, mods, a large speedrunning community, and long-standing rumors about its features and development.

The gameplay is a mix of 3D platforming and action-adventure. Mario can walk, run, jump, crouch, crawl, climb, swim, kick, grab objects, and punch using the controller’s analog stick and buttons. Special jumps—like the double and triple jumps, long jump, backflip, and wall jump—are performed by combining a regular jump with other actions. Players can adjust the camera, which is operated by a Lakitu broadcasting Mario, and switch between first-person and third-person views.

Instead of the traditional power-ups from earlier games, *Super Mario 64* uses a health point system shown as a pie chart with eight segments. Mario can restore health by collecting yellow coins (one segment), red coins (two segments), or blue coins (five segments), or by walking through a spinning heart or jumping into water. Underwater, the health meter represents how long Mario can hold his breath; it drains slowly underwater and refills when he surfaces. Finishing a course gives an extra life for every fifty yellow coins collected, and extra life mushrooms are hidden in trees and poles—they may chase Mario through the air or fall to the ground, avoiding him and disappearing if not grabbed quickly.

Three colors of translucent blocks—red, green, and blue—appear in many stages. Their corresponding switches are hidden in secret areas inside stages or the castle itself. Activating a switch makes that color of block solid permanently, allowing Mario to obtain special cap power-ups throughout all stages. The Wing Cap lets Mario fly after a triple jump or when shot from a cannon. The Metal Cap makes him immune to enemies, fire, and noxious gases, lets him withstand wind and water currents, perform on-land moves underwater, and have unlimited air capacity. The Vanish Cap makes him partially immaterial and invulnerable, allowing him to walk through some obstacles. Another implicit power-up is the shell left after stomping a Koopa Troopa, which Mario can use to run over enemies and surf on water, lava, and quicksand.

The hub world is Princess Peach’s Castle, with three floors (lobby, main tower, and basement), plus a moat and courtyard outside. The main goal is to jump into paintings to enter courses that contain Power Stars. Collecting these stars unlocks more of the castle. Each of the fifteen courses has seven Power Stars—six from named missions and one for collecting 100 coins in the level—plus an additional fifteen hidden as secrets or bonuses, for a total of 120 Power Stars. Courses are filled with enemies and friendly creatures that offer help or ask for favors, such as Bob-omb Buddies who let Mario use cannons. Some Power Stars appear only after completing specific tasks, often hinted at by the course’s name. These challenges include collecting one hundred yellow coins or eight red coins, defeating a boss, racing an opponent, or solving puzzles. The final level is blocked by “endless stairs” similar to the Penrose stairs concept, but Mario can ascend them after collecting seventy Power Stars. Before that point, the music in the endless stairs resembles a Shepard scale. The castle also contains many hidden mini-courses and other secrets that may hold extra Power Stars.