Super Mario 64

Super Mario 64
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, Nintendo 64DD, Virtual Console (Wii, Wii U), Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online
Release date	Nintendo 64: Template:Release Virtual Console (Wii): Template:Release Virtual Console (Wii U): Template:Release Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online: Template:Release[?]
Language(s)	English (United States) French (France) German Japanese Simplified Chinese
Genre	3D platformer, action-adventure
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Kids to Adults PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - General
Mode(s)	Single player
Input	Nintendo 64: Nintendo 64 Controller iQue Player: iQue Player Wii: Classic Controller Nintendo GameCube Controller Wii U: Wii U GamePad Classic Controller Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Nintendo 64 Controller

Super Mario 64 is a 3D action-adventure platform game released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996 for Japan and North America and in 1997 for Europe and Australia. It is the eighth entry in the Super Mario series. This game was one of two (three in Japan) launch titles for the Nintendo 64, along with Pilotwings 64, which helped drive initial sales of the console. Despite its name, Super Mario 64 runs in 32-bit, like most Nintendo 64 games at the time. Since its release, Super Mario 64 has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important games of all time.

In entering the third dimension, Super Mario 64 largely eschews the obstacle course-based design of the 2D Mario platformers for a mission structure and gameplay focused on exploring a larger area. Though not the first 3D platform game, Super Mario 64 codified many of the controls and design conventions of the genre. Being the first 3D Super Mario game, Super Mario 64 has introduced several moves, including triple-jumping, ground-pounding, long-jumping, diving, and side-somersaulting, which would be used in most subsequent installments of the Super Mario series. Punching and kicking were also introduced but would not appear in any later title. The game popularized Charles Martinet's portrayal as Mario (being the first game of the Super Mario series to feature his voice) and Princess Toadstool's name as Peach in the West, and made them both series standards.

In 1996, a Nintendo 64DD version of the game was shown at Shoshinkai 1996. A sequel, named Super Mario 64 2, was being developed for the Nintendo 64DD, but it was canceled due to the 64DD's commercial failure.

On November 17, 2003, Super Mario 64 was rereleased for the iQue Player as one of the launch titles, and a timed demo of the game was bundled with every iQue Player. The game was digitally rereleased for the Wii's Virtual Console service in November 2006 and for the Wii U's Virtual Console service in April 2015. Super Mario 64 was among the first games released on both Virtual Console services.

A sequel titled Super Mario Sunshine was developed for the Nintendo GameCube and released in 2002. In 2004, a remake was released for the Nintendo DS, titled Super Mario 64 DS. It has several differences, notably the inclusion of Luigi, Yoshi, and Wario as playable characters. An emulation of the 1997 rerelease of the game is bundled in with Super Mario 3D All-Stars for the Nintendo Switch, though with upscaled graphics and a redrawn HUD. The original game is one of the launch titles for Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online.

As of 2015, Super Mario 64 has sold over 11 million copies worldwide and is marked as the best-selling Nintendo 64 game. The game became the second-best-selling game on the Wii's Virtual Console after Super Mario Bros., as of June 2007.

Storyline

The Princess's letter

Mario in front of a painting, which serves as an entrance to a level

The following is the story given on pages 4 and 5 of the Super Mario 64 instruction booklet. The colors given in the instruction booklet signify who is talking: red, hotpink, orange, and blue, with black being narration.

hotpink

red
Mario is so excited to receive the invitation from the Princess, who lives in the Mushroom Castle, that he quickly dresses in his best and leaves right away.

red
Shaking off his uneasy premonition, Mario steps into the silent castle, where he is greeted by the gruff words,

orange
The sound seems to come from everywhere.

red
Mario begins searching all over the castle. Most of the doors are locked, but finding one open, he peeks inside. Hanging on the wall is the largest painting he has ever seen, and from behind the painting comes the strangest sound that he has ever heard...

red
Without a second thought, Mario jumps at the painting. As he is drawn into it, another world opens before his very eyes.

And so begins the grandest of all adventures!

Once inside the painting, Mario finds himself in the midst of battling Bob-ombs. According to the Bob-omb Buddies, someone...or something...has suddenly attacked the castle and stolen the "Power Stars". These stars protect the castle; with the stars in his control, the beast plans to take over the Mushroom Castle.

To help him accomplish this, he plans to convert the residents of the painting world into monsters as well. If nothing is done, all those monsters will soon begin to overflow from inside the painting.

red
Princess Toadstool and Toad are missing, too. Bowser must have taken them and sealed them inside the painting. Unless Mario recovers the Power Stars immediately, the inhabitants of this world will become Bowser's army.

red
Stolen Power Stars are hidden throughout the painting world. Use your wisdom and strength to recover the Power Stars and restore peace to the Mushroom Castle.

blue

Gameplay

The player controls Mario. In addition to his jump and a basic punch string, Mario's repertoire includes a variety of advanced acrobatic moves (many of them carried over from the 1994 game Donkey Kong) accomplished through precise timing and various combinations of the analog stick and the jump button, such as the somersaulting Triple Jump and the low but far-ranged Long Jump. Eschewing the "Super Mario to Small Mario" mechanic found in most of the previous mainline games, Super Mario 64 employs an eight-sided health meter called the Power Meter, which is depleted when Mario makes contact with enemies or obstacles, and is replenished by collecting coins, running through Spinning Hearts, or submerging Mario in a body of water. Like the previous games, Super Mario 64 employs a life system, although as the game saves after most progression tasks, the effect of a Game Over is marginal.

When the player starts a game, Mario starts off outside the Mushroom Castle, a multi-floor hub mostly devoid of enemies and obstacles. Inside the castle are multiple rooms with paintings and other surfaces concealing portals to the game's various courses. The main goal of the game is to collect Power Stars. There is a total of 120 Power Stars in the game, though only 70 need to be collected in order to complete the game. The Power Stars are split between the fifteen main courses, nine secret courses that are smaller and usually contain only one or two Stars, and various secrets inside the Mushroom Castle. The main courses contain six numbered missions each plus a hidden Power Star for collecting 100 coins. Only a limited portion of the castle is explorable at first, but as Mario collects more Stars, he is able to open more rooms and unlock Bowser levels. Defeating Bowser in his first two levels opens the castle's basement and top floor, respectively.

The game employs a mission-based structure. When the player enters a main course, a screen shows them the Stars they have collected and the newest mission unlocked, each having a title hinting at the mission tasks. Missions vary widely in nature, ranging from defeating enemies to reaching a point of interest on the map to racing friendly characters, though every course features a mission that requires collecting eight Red Coins scattered around the map. Accomplishing a mission rewards the player with a Power Star; collecting it boots Mario back to the room he came from, although collecting 100-Coin Stars allows him to stay on the map. The fifteen main courses consist of large open worlds, with many points of interest and paths, and as such, many of the missions can be completed out of order. Some missions, however, can be completed only by selecting a specific scenario from the course-selection screen, as to prompt the appearance or disappearance of a character or object needed to complete the task.

The courses feature various enemies who chase or attack Mario on sight. Most enemies can be defeated by kicking, punching, or jumping on them and leave coins when defeated; some missions also require Mario to defeat a specific type of enemy. Multiple missions involve fighting a large boss, whose defeat usually involves a puzzle or more advanced maneuvering than standard enemies. Not all characters Mario can encounter are hostile, however. Friendly NPCs include Toads sealed inside the castle's walls who give hints or backstory when spoken to, Bob-omb Buddies who give clearance to use a cannon on the course, and mission-specific characters who challenge Mario to a race or ask him to fetch an object in exchange for a Power Star.

Various power-ups can help Mario on his adventure. Koopa Shells can be ridden on land, water, or lava to provide temporary invincibility, and by hitting Cap Switches found in the secret courses, Mario can activate blocks containing the Wing Cap, Vanish Cap, and Metal Cap, whose powers are necessary to complete many of the missions. As the game is a showcase title for a new console and the first 3D Super Mario game, many aspects of the game showcase the Nintendo 64's features. Multiple sections take advantage of the analog stick's precision requiring Mario to walk slowly over narrow passageways or tiptoe to sneak up on enemies. Some bridges and platforms sway under Mario's weight.

Controls

Nintendo 64

Super Mario 64 uses a majority of the buttons on the Nintendo 64 Controller; the only buttons not used are the Control Pad and .

• – Move Mario/cursor, climb poles, angle camera in second-person mode, fly (when wearing the Wing Cap)
• – Jump, swim, confirm
• – Punch, dive, grab, throw, cancel
• – Crouch
• , – Move camera
• – Zoom in, enter second-person mode (which allows the player to look around)
• – Zoom out
• – Toggle camera mode
• – Pause the game, show Power Star list (when in the castle) or pause menu (when in courses)

Wii (Classic Controller)

• – Move Mario/cursor, climb poles, angle camera in second-person mode, fly (when wearing the Wing Cap)
• – Jump, swim, confirm
• - Punch, dive, grab, throw, cancel
• – Crouch
• (left/right) – Move camera
• (up) – Zoom in, enter second-person mode (which allows the player to look around)
• (down) – Zoom out
• – Toggle camera mode
• – Pause the game, show Power Star list (when in the castle) or pause menu (when in courses)

Wii (GameCube controller)

• – Move Mario/cursor, climb poles, angle camera in second-person mode, fly (when wearing the Wing Cap)
• – Jump, swim, confirm
• – Punch, dive, grab, throw, cancel
• – Crouch
• (left/right) – Move camera
• (up) – Zoom in, enter second-person mode (which allows the player to look around)
• (down) – Zoom out
• – Toggle camera mode
• – Pause the game, show Power Star list (when in the castle) or pause menu (when in courses)

Wii U (default)

The Wii U Virtual Console version's controls can be customized.

• – Move Mario/cursor, climb poles, angle camera in second-person mode, fly (when wearing the Wing Cap)
• – Jump, swim, confirm
• – Punch, dive, grab, throw, cancel
• – Crouch
• (left/right) – Move camera
• (up) – Zoom in, enter second-person mode (which allows the player to look around)
• (down) – Zoom out
• – Toggle camera mode
• – Pause the game, show Power Star list (when in the castle) or pause menu (when in courses)

Additional moves

Mario punching and kicking

Mario sweep-kicking

To navigate the courses more efficiently and complete certain missions, Mario has to use several moves. Along with the standard moves listed above, there are several additional moves that can be done by using button combinations.

In the following list, a "→" (right arrow) shows buttons to press in succession, and a "+" (plus sign) shows buttons to press simultaneously.

• While running, quickly turn around + : Sideways Somersault
• Upon hitting a wall, : Wall Kick
• → upon landing: Double Jump
• → → : Triple Jump (while running); lift off (wearing the Wing Cap)
• → : Jump Kick (from a standstill); Midair Dive (while running)
• → → : Punch → Punch → Kick
• In midair, : Pound the Ground
• + : Crawl
• + : Backwards Somersault (from a standstill); Long Jump (while running)
• + : Sweep Kick (from a standstill); Slide Kick (while running)

Characters

Owing to his removal during development, Super Mario 64 is one of the few Super Mario games not to feature Luigi, along with Super Mario Land, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, and Super Mario Sunshine. Many data structures in the code have unused references to Luigi's object slot, but he is considered irrecoverable from the final game's codebase. A prerelease model and textures only surfaced through the 2020–2021 Nintendo data leak. However, Luigi was included as a playable character in the game's Nintendo DS remake, Super Mario 64 DS.

Name

Description

Mario

The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom and the game's protagonist. He was invited to the Mushroom Castle by Princess Peach, only to find that she had been kidnapped by Bowser. Mario has significantly expanded movement options to reflect the 3D environment of Super Mario 64. Some notable new moves include the Triple Jump, the Wall Kick, the Pound the Ground attack, and a punch-punch-kick. Unlike in previous installments, Mario has a health meter and does not shrink in size if struck by an enemy.

Non-playable characters

Name	Description	Locations
Lakitu Bros.	A pair of cloud-riding Koopas that are documenting Mario's quest to liberate the Mushroom Castle and rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. One Lakitu Bro is with Mario throughout the entirety of the game, serving as an in-game explanation for the title's 3D camera controls. He is generally unseen, but his reflection can be spotted in a large mirror on the second floor of the Mushroom Castle. They work for the organization the Kingdom News Network.	All courses
Princess Peach	The ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. She invited Mario to the Mushroom Castle for cake, but she is missing by the time he arrives. Toad informs him that she was kidnapped by Bowser and sealed away within the castle's walls. The game follows Mario's quest to restore the castle's Power Stars and liberate the princess.	Castle Grounds
Toad	One of Princess Peach's attendants and an old friend of Mario's. He is one of several Mushroom Retainers that have been trapped inside the castle. He gives Mario hints, tips, and words of encouragement when spoken to. Some Toads give Mario a Power Star if prompted.	Mushroom Castle
Bob-omb Buddies	Friendly Bob-ombs that lack fuses. They reside on the Bob-omb Battlefield, where they are at war with the Big Bob-omb and his army. A Bob-omb Buddy is hidden away in nearly all subsequent courses. If spoken to, it prepares a cannon for Mario to use. The cannon remains open and accessible for all subsequent revisits.	Bob-omb Battlefield, Whomp's Fortress, Jolly Roger Bay, Cool, Cool Mountain, Shifting Sand Land, Snowman's Land, Wet-Dry World, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tiny-Huge Island, Rainbow Ride
Koopa the Quick	A Giant Koopa from Tiny-Huge Island. He challenges Mario to a race when spoken to and rewards him with a Power Star if he defeats him without using certain shortcuts. Mario first encounters Koopa the Quick on the Bob-omb Battlefield in the mission Footrace with Koopa the Quick after defeating the Big Bob-omb, and he encounters him again on the "huge" side of Tiny-Huge Island in the mission Rematch with Koopa the Quick.	Bob-omb Battlefield, Tiny-Huge Island
Hoot	A talking owl who roosts in a tree near Mario's starting position on Whomp's Fortress. Once woken up, Mario can grab onto Hoot's talons and be carried high into the air for a limited time. Hoot slowly descends while carrying Mario and drops him if he hangs on for too long, citing his weight.	Whomp's Fortress
Penguins	Big talking birds found in courses that feature snow. They are instrumental in several Power Star missions. The Mother Penguin found at the base of Cool, Cool Mountain awards Mario a Power Star if her lost chick, Tuxie, is returned to her, while the Big Penguin found in the cabin at the top of the mountain gives him a Star if beaten in a race. Revisiting this penguin after collecting all 120 Power Stars reveals that he has let himself go. The extra weight makes him a tougher opponent to out-sleigh.	Cool, Cool Mountain, Snowman's Land
Snowmen	Two giant snowmen occur in the game. One snowman is the focus of the mission Snowman's Lost His Head. His head is on a pedestal halfway down the mountain, while his sentient snowball body appears towards the top, by Mario's starting position. Either piece asks Mario to help put him together when prompted. Once assembled, the snowman gifts Mario a Power Star. The other is in Snowman's Land, where he can climbed as if he was a mountain. As Mario nears his head, he starts to complain about an irritating crawling sensation on his body and tries to blow Mario off. A Power Star is on the very top of his head.	Cool, Cool Mountain, Snowman's Land
MIPS	Princess Peach's pet rabbit. He is found in the castle's basement and flees if approached. He gives Mario a Power Star if caught. While captured, MIPS claims to be late for tea.	Mushroom Castle
Dorrie	A gentle giant that resembles a plesiosaur. It can be found swimming in an underground lake, where it can be ridden. Mario can steer Dorrie's body while standing on its back and lower its neck by performing a Pound the Ground attack on its head.	Hazy Maze Cave
Ukkikis	Mischievous monkeys. One steals Mario's cap when grabbed. Mario must grab the Ukkiki again in order to get it back, but he runs away if approached and must be cornered. During Mystery of the Monkey Cage, an Ukkiki appears on the summit and taunts Mario. If grabbed, he begs to be released in exchange for a Power Star.	Tall, Tall Mountain
Yoshi	An old friend of Mario's. He is a dinosaur-like creature with a long tongue. He can be found on the roof of the Mushroom Castle once all 120 Power Star are collected. Yoshi awards the player 99 extra lives and a special Triple Jump for fully completing the game, then disappears off the side of the castle.	Castle Grounds

Locations

Setting

A photograph of a hokaniwa (left) compared to a screenshot of Tiny-Huge Island (right). The design principals of the former is the cited influence behind the courses in the game.

Super Mario 64 takes place within the walls of Princess Peach's castle in the Mushroom Kingdom. It is the first Super Mario game to explicitly include the Mushroom Kingdom as a location since Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988). The game's levels, called "courses", are not naturally occurring places on Mario's world. They were created by Bowser using the Power Stars he stole from Peach. Most of them are accessed through paintings that hang in the castle's walls, but some are more cryptically hidden or require the player to accomplish a task in the castle before becoming accessible. Some paratextual material and subsequent titles present the courses introduced in this game as visitable places outside of the paintings.

Generally, a course is a sprawling location with interactive environmental elements and several levels of elevation. Courses often have subareas and collectibles obscured in the landscape that passively encourage the player to rotate the camera and explore. Most courses feature prominent landmarks, such as the mountain in Bob-omb Battlefield or the volcano in Lethal Lava Land, that provides the player with a consistent point of reference that mitigates their chance of getting lost. Like its more immediate predecessors, courses are themed after real-life ecosystems (i.e. deserts, mountains, seas) and more fantastical settings (i.e. haunted houses, clock towers, rainbow roads in the sky). The theme informs the type of objects that can be interacted with in the level; the types of enemies that can be encountered; and the non-playable characters that can be spoken to. For example, cactus enemies, a condor, and quicksand are in the desert-themed Shifting Sand Land. Penguins, slippery ice, and deep snow appear in Cool, Cool Mountain and Snowman's Land. Most courses contain switches and strikable objects that modify elements of the course, such as the Crystal Taps in Wet-Dry World.

Unlike the levels of prior two-dimensional entries, the courses in this game are open-ended and largely do not funnel the player towards one goal. This was an intentional departure from the level design principals of prior games because the development team did not believe they could be replicated for a fun experience in a three-dimensional environment. Director and series creator Shigeru Miyamoto wanted Super Mario 64 to be a game where players "create their own vision", a decision partially influenced by the technical difficulty of making a precise jump in a 3D environment. This mindset manifested in levels where players were largely free to interact with the world in ways they wanted to, with larger platforms and sprawling spaces that encouraged exploration rather than carryout precise actions to reach a goal. The courses themselves were created using hakoniwa or "box garden" design principals. A hakoniwa is a intricately-arranged miniature garden within an enclosed space, with layers of depth and detail that become apparent to an onlooker when carefully examined. Applying these principals allowed the development team to create complex levels that surprise players, another important tenet during development. In the West, where creating miniature gardens is not as culturally prevalent, these types of levels are most often likened to sandboxes.

Courses

Mario jumping into the painting for Bob-omb Battlefield.

Most of the courses are accessed through paintings inside Princess Peach's Mushroom Castle, the hub world of the game. The surface of a painting ripples like water when near, and Mario is brought to the course it represents by physically jumping through it. Accessing levels in this manner is a departure from the overworld system in previous platform games (see below). However, the castle is divided into several sections that are analogous to the world structure of proceeding games, where multiple levels are available to the player on a single section and the player must complete a boss-dedicated course in order to gain access to the next one. As Mario advances through the castle, he encounters some courses that are accessed through portals other than paintings, such as Shifting Sand Land, which is accessed through what looks like a brick wall at a dead end in the basement, or Tick-Tock Clock, which is entered through a clock face. The location of courses on subsequent floors is generally more complex and are puzzles in themselves, such as the painting for Snowman's Land that is only viewable through a mirror.

Rather than present a unilateral scenario that leads to a single spatially-fixed goal, most courses in the game host multiple objectives called "missions" that each have a goal in a different location from each other. For most courses, entering a painting (or equivalency) brings the player to a mission selection screen, where selecting one sends Mario to the course within the confines of the mission's specific scenario and its unique goal. In nearly all courses, this goal is a Power Star, a collectible token resembling the Super Star power-up of prior entries. Touching one completes the level and returns Mario to the castle. The number of Power Stars collected is tracked by the game and communicated to the player on the user interface in the upper right corner of the screen. Accumulating Power Stars is how new courses become accessible to the player. On the first floor, some ★ doors that seal away certain paintings only open after Mario has collected a specified number of Stars. Mario can only access a new floor after clearing the current one's Bowser course, itself only becoming accessible after a specified number of Power Stars have been obtained. However, there are 120 obtainable Power Stars in a game that only requires 70 to access the final level. The player has some discretion on how many or which ones are obtained to finish the game, as well as the order.

In most courses, one mission correlates with one Power Star, and its name on the mission selection screen hints at the Star's location in the course. However, some Power Stars can be encountered outside of their dedicated mission and collected. Some mission-dedicated Power Stars only become available to the player once they have cleared specific missions (e.g. "Footrace with Koopa the Quick" only becomes available after completing "Big Bob-omb on the Summit") or accomplish tasks outside of the paintings (e.g. striking the Cap Switch in the Cavern of the Metal Cap makes the titular power-up accessible in "Through the Jet Stream", in which it is not optional). Certain actions completed within a course permanently change elements within it regardless of the mission subsequently played. Reoccurring examples are the cannons found in most courses, which Mario can enter and launch from to reach distant areas. A cannon becomes useable in a course after Mario has spoken to a Bob-omb Buddy, a friendly non-playable character that controls the cannon, and it will remain accessible for all subsequent revisits.

Similar to Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995) and a departure from previous Super Mario games, there is no Time Limit in effect within courses, but there are a few cases where there is one. For example, Blue Coins only appear for a brief period of time once a Blue Coin Block is struck, and Mario must outrun Koopa the Quick in order to earn a Power Star. All power-ups in this game change Mario's form for a limited time and one cannot be brought outside of a course even if he completes it while still under its affect – another similarity to Yoshi's Island.

There are two different types of courses in Super Mario 64. They are:

• Main courses that contain six dedicated missions and an unlisted 100-coin mission. Some of the dedicated missions build off of each other environmentally or narratively. (i.e. The events that transpire in the completion of one mission are reflected in the events of the subsequent mission.) However, some Power Stars can be encountered before the mission-dedicated one and can be collected, resulting in some instances where the Stars are obtained out of the intended "order". These courses are the most intricate levels in the game. Most include objects that can enable quick traversal between areas, such as cannons and Warp Points. Some courses include accessible subareas, such as the volcano in Lethal Lava Land or pyramid in Shifting Sand Land. There are 15 main courses in the game, and they are the only levels explicitly numbered and listed on the pause menu.
• Mini courses that are smaller and structured more like traditional obstacle courses that emphasize precise platforming. They lack dedicated missions to select and most only contain one Power Star. Power Stars obtained in mini courses are counted together as "Secret Stars" on the pause menu. Mini courses can further be classified into three subtypes, as detailed below. They are:
  • Bowser courses that lead to an arena where Mario must defeat Bowser. Each Bowser course features a Power Star obtained by collecting eight Red Coins, but this does not complete the level. In the first two courses, defeating Bowser awards Mario with a Big Key, a different kind of token that completes the level when touched. The Big Key is used to permanently unlock the door to another floor in the castle. In Bowser in the Sky, the final course, defeating Bowser releases a Jumbo Star. Collecting it does not contribute to the player's Power Star total, instead freeing Princess Peach. There are three Bowser courses in the whole game, one for each floor.
  • Secret courses that are cryptically hidden in the castle. All secret courses have at least one Power Star to collect, with the sole exception being The Princess's Secret Slide that has two. None of these courses are accessed through paintings, and often require the player to investigate a space within the castle to find. There are three in the game.
  • "Switch courses" where Mario is under the effect of a power-up immediately upon entering it and is needed to reach a Cap Switch. When one is Ground Pounded, it causes the power-up to permanently become accessible within the main courses. They are analogous to the Switch Palaces in Super Mario World (1990), though unlike them, striking the Switch does not make Mario exit the course. These are the only courses in the game where Mario can fall down a pit without losing a life; he is instead brought back to the castle.

There are eight courses on each floor. At least four of them are main courses and two are mini courses. One of the mini courses is always a Bowser course. Including Mushroom Castle, there are 25 courses in the game. The chart below lists all of them. Each one is provided a screenshot, a brief description, and a list of their missions. The order that the courses and missions are listed follows their organization in Pelland and Owsen (1996). Only the names of the missions in main courses are provided in-game. When available, the missions that lack in-game names, such as the 100-star missions, are also derived from Pelland and Owsen (1996). Where no such name exists, the mission assumes the name of its course.

Courses
First Floor and Mezzanine
01. Bob-omb Battlefield ×7 ×6 ×1	Missions
	Big Bob-omb on the Summit	Footrace with Koopa the Quick
	Shoot to the Island in the Sky	Find the 8 Red Coins
	Mario Wings to the Sky	Behind Chain Chomp's Gate
	Treasure in the Sky
Grassy fields surrounding a spiraled mountain. A battle is waged here between the peaceful Bob-omb Buddies and the enemy Bob-ombs. Once the battle is over, the Bob-omb Buddies allow Mario to access their cannons. There is a floating island in the east, and a barred cave towards the center with a Chain Chomp leashed in front of it. Unlock criterion: enter Mushroom Castle
02. Whomp's Fortress ×7 ×1 ×1	Missions
	Chip Off Whomp's Block	To the Top of the Fortress
	Shoot into the Wild Blue	Red Coins on the Floating Isle
	Fall onto the Caged Island	Blast Away the Wall
	Whomps and Flowers
A fortress in the sky. It is ruled by a Big Whomp who sits at the top of the fortress. The path leading to him has falling platforms and stone enemies. Once defeated, a climbable tower appears at the top. A chain of floating islands are in the northeast. They can we reached with the help of Hoot, a sleepy owl found in the course's single tree. Unlock criterion: collect a Power Star
03. Jolly Roger Bay ×7 ×1	Missions
	Plunder in the Sunken Ship	Can the Eel Come Out to Play?
	Treasure of the Ocean Cave	Red Coins on the Ship Afloat
	Blast to the Stone Pillar	Through the Jet Stream
	Pirates' Plunder
A cove containing the wreck of a sunken ship. A giant moray eel nests in the ship and stirs when approached. An underwater corridor in the northwest leads to a cave that holds treasure chests. Solving the puzzle of the chests reveals a Power Star. Unlock criterion: collect 3 Power Stars
04. Cool, Cool Mountain ×7 ×3	Missions
	Slip Slidin' Away	Li'l Penguin Lost
	Big Penguin Race	Frosty Slide for 8 Red Coins
	Snowman's Lost His Head	Wall Kicks Will Work
	Dough in the Snow
A snow-covered mountain inhabited by penguins and snowpeople. Wooden bridges and a moving gondola are built into the side of the mountain. A log cabin is near its peak. It contains the Snow Slide, where Mario is challenged to a race by a big, belly-sliding penguin. Unlock criterion: collect 3 Power Stars
Bowser in the Dark World ×1 ×1	Missions
	Bowser in the Dark World	8 Red Coins
A winding path in a cavernous void. The path bears Amps and shifting platforms. It ultimately leads to Bowser, who is fought on a circular platform surrounded by floating bombs. Unlock criterion: collect 8 Power Stars
The Princess's Secret Slide ×2	Missions
	The Princess's Secret Slide	Second Star
A carpeted slide hidden on the mezzanine. Reaching the bottom of the slide gives Mario access to a Power Star - the first Secret Star available to the player. Reaching the bottom within 21 seconds awards him with a second one. Unlock criterion: collect a Power Star
The Secret Aquarium ×1	Missions
	The Secret Aquarium
A closed tank housing blue fish and Red Coins. Collecting all of them reveals a Secret Star. The aquarium is accessed through a little alcove in the same room that holds the painting for Jolly Roger Bay. Unlock criterion: collect 3 Power Stars
Tower of the Wing Cap ×1	Missions
	Flying for Coins
Towers in a sea of clouds. The turret in the middle holds the Wing Cap Switch that makes the Wing Cap permanently available in main courses once struck. Red Coins appear around the towers and can only be collected by Mario in his wing form. Unlock criterion: collect 10 Power Stars
The Castle Basement and Courtyard
05. Big Boo's Haunt ×7 ×4	Missions
	Go on a Ghost Hunt	Ride Big Boo's Merry-Go-Round
	Secret of the Haunted Books	Seek the 8 Red Coins
	Big Boo's Balcony	Eye to Eye in the Secret Room
	Beat the Boos!
The haunted house hidden in Princess Peach's courtyard. The rooms of the house contain ghosts and animated furniture that try to strike Mario. Navigation requires solving puzzles and memorizing patterns in the halls. Failing to do so often brings Mario to the house's flooded basement, where a spinning carousel filled with Boos can be found. Unlock criteria: clear Bowser in the Dark World, collect 12 Power Stars, and defeat the Big Boo that holds the miniature carousel in the courtyard
06. Hazy Maze Cave ×7	Missions
	Swimming Beast in the Cavern	Elevate for 8 Red Coins
	Metal-Head Mario Can Move!	Navigating the Toxic Maze
	A-Maze-Ing Emergency Exit	Watch for Rolling Rocks
	Blue Coins in the Haze
An underground labyrinth filled with dead ends, traps, and bottomless pits. There are two floors. The first one has a large chamber in the southeast with a controllable elevator, hallways with rolling Boulders in the the northwest, and a maze with toxic clouds in the northeast. The lower floor leads to a pool that holds a friendly sea dragon. Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Dark World
07. Lethal Lava Land ×7 ×2	Missions
	Boil the Big Bully	Bully the Bullies
	8-Coin Puzzle with 15 Pieces	Red-Hot Log Rolling
	Hot-Foot-It into the Volcano	Elevator Tour in the Volcano
	Surf the Lava
Platforms in a lava sea. Some of them shift back and forth or can be manually rolled. They surround a small volcano that can be physically entered. Bullies appear in this course and will knock Mario into lava on contact. Sparkies and other fiery obstacles also appear that burn him when touched. Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Dark World
08. Shifting Sand Land ×7 ×1 ×1	Missions
	In the Talons of the Big Bird	Shining Atop the Pyramid
	Inside the Ancient Pyramid	Stand Tall on the Four Pillars
	Free Flying for 8 Red Coins	Pyramid Puzzle
	Once More into the Pyramid
Desert sands surrounding a pyramid. A condor flies through the sky here. Much of the course is covered in quicksand and steep dunes. Little tornados can be used to avoid obstacles. Narrow walkways are found in the northeast and a small oasis in the northwest. The pyramid can be entered, where a labyrinth leads to the stone boss, Eyerok. Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Dark World
09. Dire, Dire Docks ×7	Missions
	Board Bowser's Sub	Chests in the Current
	Pole-Jumping for Red Coins	Through the Jet Stream
	The Manta Ray's Reward	Collect the Caps...
	Above the Submarine Pen
Deep water. A whirlpool is at the center of the seabed and is circled by sharks and a manta ray. A corridor in the east leads to an wider area where Bowser has hidden a submarine. Unlock criterion: collect 30 Power Stars
Bowser in the Fire Sea ×1 ×1	Missions
	Bowser in the Fire Sea	Power Star for 8 Red Coins
Three narrow pathways surrounded by lava. Portions of the course gently rise and fall in lava, making traversal challenging. The pathway leads to the the second battle against Bowser. Unlock criterion: complete "Board Bowser's Sub"
Cavern of the Metal Cap ×1	Missions
	Grab 8 Red Coins
An underground streambed that holds the Metal Cap Switch. Striking it makes the Metal Cap accessible in other courses. The water moves rapidly in this course. If Mario is swept up in it, he is brought to the Castle Grounds. Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Dark World
Vanish Cap Under the Moat ×1	Missions
	8 Red Coins
A hidden area only accessible once the castle's moat is drained. When Mario enters the course he is in his vanish form, and he must navigate the course while the power-up is still in effect to access the Vanish Cap Switch. Striking it makes the Vanish Cap accessible in other courses. Unlock criteria: clear Bowser in the Dark World and drain the castle's moat
Upper Floors and Tower
10. Snowman's Land ×7 ×1 ×1	Missions
	Snowman's Big Head	Chill with the Bully
	In the Deep Freeze	Whirl from the Freezing Pond
	Shell Shreddin' for Red Coins	Into the Igloo
	Coin Cold Storage
A chilly land surrounding a giant Snowman. Slippery ice and freezing ponds occur in this course. Chill Bully occurs on a floating island of ice in the east. Narrow paths allow Mario to ascend the Snowman, but he will begin to blow gusts of air when he nears his head. An enterable igloo is near the base of the Snowman. Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Fire Sea
11. Wet-Dry World ×7 ×1	Missions
	Shocking Arrow Lifts!	Top o' the Town
	Secrets in the Shallows & Sky	Express Elevator--Hurry Up!
	Go to Town for Red Coins	Quick Race Through Downtown!
	Blue Coin Collecting
A flooded, empty town. There are colorful switches at several locations in the town that cause the water level to rise or fall. There is a hidden Downtown area that can only be accessed through the cage in the southeast. Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Fire Sea
12. Tall, Tall Mountain ×7 ×1	Missions
	Scale the Mountain	Mystery of the Monkey Cage
	Scary 'Shrooms, Red Coins	Mysterious Mountainside
	Breathtaking View from Bridge	Blast to the Lonely Mushroom
	Challenge the Slide!
A tall mountain surrounded by mushrooms high above the sea. Gusts of wind and the Fwoosh enemy make ascending the mountain challenging. The entrance to a secret slide can be found near the summit. Ukkikis live in this course, one of which attempts to steal Mario's cap. Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Fire Sea
13. Tiny-Huge Island ×7 ×1 ×1	Missions
	Pluck the Piranha Flower	The Tip Top of the Huge Island
	Rematch with Koopa the Quick	Five Itty Bitty Secrets
	Wiggler's Red Coins	Make Wiggler Squirm
	Stomp the Giants
An island that presents itself in two different ways depending on which painting it is accessed from in the castle. One is large with vast areas and giant versions of normal enemies. Mario can easily access the interior of this version of the island, which is home to Wiggler. The other is tiny with small enemies. Changing the terrain in one version of the island affects the other two and doing so is required to obtain all of its Power Stars. Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Fire Sea
14. Tick Tock Clock ×7	Missions
	Roll into the Cage	The Pit and the Pendulums
	Get a Hand	Stomp on the Thwomp
	Timed Jumps on Moving Bars	Stop Time for Red Coins
	Multi-Coin Blocks
A vertical obstacle course within the tower's clock. Moving platforms are found throughout the clockwork that can help Mario reach hidden alcoves or throw him back towards the bottom. The speed of these platforms (and whether they move at all) is determined by where the clock's hands are positioned when he enters the course. Unlock criterion: collect 50 Power Stars
15. Rainbow Ride ×7 ×1	Missions
	Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow	The Big House in the Sky
	Coins Amassed in a Maze	Swingin' in the Breeze
	Tricky Triangles!	Somewhere Over the Rainbow
	Blue Coins Atop the Maze
Floating islands and moving platforms high in the sky. Magic Carpets travel along rainbows in large stretches of the course, one of which feeds through a floating palace. The Rainbow Cruiser can be found in the northeast. Unlock criterion: collect 50 Power Stars
Bowser in the Sky ×1 ×1	Missions
	Bowser in the Sky	8 Red Coins
A challenging obstacle course that leads to the final confrontation with Bowser. Some of the platforms on this course allow Mario to walk up walls if he maintains momentum while others shift under his weight. Bowser will start to break the arena he is fought on, leaving it in the shape of a five-pointed star. The reward for defeating him, the Jumbo Star, is not incorporated into Mario's total Power Star count. Unlock criterion: collect 70 Power Stars
Wing Mario Over the Rainbow ×1 ×2	Mission
	Cloud Hopping for Coins
Clouds and checkerboard platforms in the sky. The platforms are bridged by rainbows. Unlock criterion: collect 50 Power Stars
Other
Mushroom Castle ×5 ×1	Missions
	A Gift from Toad (basement)	A Gift from Toad (second floor)
	A Gift from Toad (third floor)	That Wascally Wabbit! (after collecting 15 Power Stars)
	That Wascally Wabbit! (after collecting 50 Power Stars)
Princess Peach's castle in the Mushroom Kingdom. Toads and MIPS are sealed inside. Some of the former will give Mario a Power Star when spoken to. The grounds around the castle is the first area of the game, and where Mario initially appears every time the player loads their save file. Nearly all outher courses are accessed from inside the castle, with the Cavern of the Metal Cap and Vanish Cap Under the Moat being the sole exceptions. Unlock criterion: begin a new save file
Level chart information and legend: The main courses are designated with the unique number they are given in-game. Bowser, secret, and switch courses lack numerical designation and are listed as they appear in Pelland and Owsen (1996). Three symbols convey attributes about each course: denotes the total number of obtainable Power Stars; denotes the total number of accessible cannons; and denotes the number of boss battles. The name of each mission is accompanied by a symbol that indicates what type of mission it is. denotes a mission where the reward is a Power Star; denotes a mission where the reward is a Jumbo Star; and denotes a mission where the reward is a Big Key.

Mushroom Castle

Main article: Peach's Castle

The Castle Grounds before Mushroom Castle.

Mushroom Castle is a connective space from which Mario can access the game's levels. It is a white-bricked palace with a red-tiled roof. Five towers are built into the castle: four at each corner and a large one in the center. Each one is topped with a spire, and the four outermost ones are also topped with a red pennant. A stained-glass portrait of Princess Peach is above the front doors, in which Peach has been imprisoned by Bowser. The smaller windows on the castle are shaped like mushrooms. Mushroom Castle overall bears a superficial resemblance to a keep. It is framed as the place where Princess Peach lives in the Mushroom Castle and usually contains Power Stars for protection. Several Toads, the princess's subjects, also live in the castle.

In the majority of prior platform games, the player selects levels on a map-like menu with a cursor. The cursor itself may represent the player character, as is done in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, but the degree of control the player has on the cursor is more limited than they would have in the actual levels. Super Mario 64 instead has a fully interactive level as the "map", where Mario controls exactly the same as he does in the courses and the map itself is an expansive level with its own secrets to find.

The Castle Grounds is the first area in the game where the player takes control of Mario, and it is a risk-free environment for the player to familiarize themselves with his controls. There are no enemies here, nor concrete objectives. While the player is directed to the castle in Peach's letter to Mario, nothing forces them to enter it, implicitly encouraging them to explore. The Castle Grounds is a grassy area with gently sloping hills, trees, picket fences, and a small lake that feeds into the castle's moat. Several readable signs are near Mario's starting position that detail his available actions, but they are not forced upon the player.

The castle's interior is divided into three sections analogous to the worlds of prior Super Mario games: a first floor and mezzanine; a basement and courtyard; and a second and third floor that leads to the central tower. With the exception of the basement, the castle's flooring has a checkerboard pattern and red carpeting. A hilly vista with a blue sky behind it is painted onto the walls. The basement is a flooded, dungeon-like area lit by torches that can burn Mario. One of the basement's corridors has a pair of stone pillars that, when Ground Pounded, drains the moat. The courtyard is a grassy space behind Mushroom Castle with a fountain at its center. It is filled with Boos, one of which contains a miniature carousel that holds Big Boo's Haunt. Among the courses of a section, Mario can typically play them in any order. There are some exceptions, such as at the start of the game, when only Bob-omb Battlefield is initially accessible.

Rather than list them individually on the pause menu, all Power Stars collected from the mini courses are collectively listed as the castle's "Secret Stars", and, indeed, most of them are well hidden when compared to the main courses in the game. Finding them necessitates exploration and puzzle-solving within the castle's walls. For example, the only way to access Vanish Cap Under the Moat is by draining it, the means of which is never explicitly communicated in-game, but instead comes from familiarity with Mario's moves. The window that leads to The Princess's Secret Slide is not in the center of its room, departing from what is established in the other rooms that contain paintings and can only be found if the player deviates from what is established. This design principal permeates throughout the castle and often awards the player with 1-Up Mushrooms, hidden courses, or interactable elements.

As in the main courses, several non-playable characters appear in Mushroom Castle. Toads (including the Toad, as relayed in some paratextual material) can be found on each floor, where they will provide gameplay tips and words of encouragement when prompted. Some of them will give Mario a Power Star when spoken to. MIPS, Peach's pet rabbit, can be found hopping around the basement once Mario has obtained a certain number of Power Stars (see chart above). He will give Mario one if caught. Yoshi, the rideable dinosaur from Super Mario World, appears on the castle's roof after Mario has collected all 120 Stars. He can reach him with a cannon that opens up on the Castle Grounds after completing Bowser in the Sky with all 120 Stars collected.

Enemies and obstacles

New enemies

Name	Description	Locations	Possible spoils
Amp	Small, floating, invincible metal balls that spin around fixed points while emitting electricity.	Bowser in the Dark World, Shifting Sand Land, Vanish Cap Under the Moat, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Snowman's Land, Wet-Dry World, Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride, Bowser in the Sky
Bookend	Haunted books that either emerge from their bookcases to bite Mario or shoot straight out at him en masse.	Big Boo's Haunt	×1
Bubba	Enormous and quick fish that try to swallow Mario whole.	Tiny-Huge Island
Bully	Horned creatures that attack Mario by pushing, and can only be beaten by pushing them into lava.	Lethal Lava Land, Bowser in the Fire Sea	×1
Butterfly	Normally passive creatures, butterflies in later courses may turn into 1-Up Mushrooms or giant iron balls that pursue Mario through the air before exploding if he continually bothers them.	Castle Grounds, Whomp's Fortress, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tiny-Huge Island	×1
Chair	Haunted furniture that flings itself at Mario.	Big Boo's Haunt	None
Chuckya	Huge purple Bob-ombs that pick up and throw Mario and can only be defeated by doing the same to them.	Wet-Dry World, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tiny-Huge Island, Rainbow Ride, Bowser in the Sky	×5
Clam shell	Giant shellfish that open and close their valves, sometimes containing an item.	Jolly Roger Bay, Dire, Dire Docks
Flame thrower	Tiny Fire Chomp-like spheres that float in place, shooting a homing flame at Mario when approached.	Hazy Maze Cave, Shifting Sand Land, Vanish Cap Under the Moat, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Wet-Dry World, Tiny-Huge Island, Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride, Bowser in the Sky
Fwoosh	A cloud that blows gusts of wind to knock Mario off the ledge.	Tall, Tall Mountain
Grindel	Mummified Thwomps that attempt to squish Mario by either slamming down or leaping forward.	Shifting Sand Land
Heave-Ho	Wind-up machines that powerfully toss Mario over their backs.	Wet-Dry World, Tick Tock Clock
Klepto	A condor that tries to steal Mario's cap.	Shifting Sand Land
Mad Piano	A haunted mini grand piano that noisily pursues Mario over a small area while chomping.	Big Boo's Haunt
Manta Ray	An enormous passive ray that damages Mario on contact and leaves behind a trail of rings.	Dire, Dire Docks
Money Bags	Hopping purses that disguise as coins.	Snowman's Land	×5
Moving Bar	Varyingly designed wall protrusions that try to push Mario, but can also be used as platforms.	Whomp's Fortress, Tick Tock Clock
Mr. Blizzard	Snowmen that either throw snowballs at Mario or hop back and forth oblivious to him, with the former type being beatable by running around them enough.	Cool, Cool Mountain, Snowman's Land	×3
Mr. I.	Giant floating eyeballs that shoot bubbles at Mario, but can be defeated by running around them enough.	Big Boo's Haunt, Hazy Maze Cave, Lethal Lava Land	×1
Piranha Flower	Large Venus Fire Traps that sprout suddenly, shoot a homing fireball, then retract.	Tiny-Huge Island	×2
Scuttle Bug	Giant spiders that pursue Mario and sometimes leap from pits.	Big Boo's Haunt, Hazy Maze Cave	×3
Skeeter	Giant water striders that skim across the water passively, pursuing Mario while on land.	Wet-Dry World	×3
Small Koopa Troopa	A tiny Koopa Troopa that is defeated immediately upon contact.	Tiny-Huge Island	×1
Small Piranha	Miniature Venus Fire Traps that sprout suddenly, shoot a homing fireball, then retract.	Tiny-Huge Island, Bowser in the Sky	×1
Snufit	Small, ghostly Snifits that shoot small bullets at Mario.	Hazy Maze Cave, Cavern of the Metal Cap	×2
Spindel	A cylindrical Grindel that rolls back and forth.	Shifting Sand Land
Spindrift	Slow, flying floral creatures that like cold environments and make Mario spin if he jumps on one.	Cool, Cool Mountain, Snowman's Land	×3
Sushi	Large but passive sharks that swim in wide circles.	Dire, Dire Docks
Tox Box	Huge moving metal cubes with one hollow side.	Shifting Sand Land
Unagi	A huge moray eel that likes to stay in tight places.	Jolly Roger Bay
Whomp	Stone slabs with faces and weak backs that attack Mario by slamming forward.	Whomp's Fortress, Bowser in the Sky	×5

Returning enemies

Name	Description	Locations	Possible spoils
Beach Koopa	Koopa Troopas after being evicted from their shells, which they frantically try to return to.	Bob-omb Battlefield, Tiny-Huge Island	×1
Bob-omb	Walking, respawning bombs that pursue Mario after lighting themselves, but can be picked up and thrown.	Bob-omb Battlefield, Shifting Sand Land, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tick Tock Clock, Bowser in the Sky	×1
Boo	Ghosts that turn transparent and invulnerable when looked at.	Courtyard, Big Boo's Haunt	×1 ×1 ×1
Bub	Fish that swim slowly after Mario.	Dire, Dire Docks
Bullet Bill	Giant bullets that swerve to hit Mario.	Whomp's Fortress	None
Chain Chomp	A huge iron guard dog shackled to a stump.	Bob-omb Battlefield
Fly Guy	Shy Guys that spit fireballs and fly with propellers that make Mario spin when jumped on.	Shifting Sand Land, Snowman's Land, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tiny-Huge Island, Rainbow Ride	×2
Goomba	Small enemies that pursue Mario and often come in groups of three but can be beaten with any attack.	Bob-omb Battlefield, Whomp's Fortress, Jolly Roger Bay, Bowser in the Dark World, Shifting Sand Land, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Snowman's Land, Tall, Tall Mountain, Rainbow Ride, Bowser in the Sky	×1
Goombette	Tiny Goombas that are instantly defeated when they touch Mario, but also push him back unless he attacks them.	Tiny-Huge Island	×1
Grand Goomba	Huge, strong Goombas immune to punches and kicks that also sometimes fail to notice Mario.	Tiny-Huge Island	×1 ×1
Koopa Troopa	Timid turtles that run away from Mario and get knocked from their shells upon being attacked.	Bob-omb Battlefield, Tiny-Huge Island	×1
Lakitu	Cloud-riding turtles that throw an endless supply of Spiny Eggs at Mario.	Tiny-Huge Island, Rainbow Ride	×5
Monty Mole	Endlessly respawning creatures that emerge from holes to throw rocks at Mario.	Hazy Maze Cave, Tall, Tall Mountain	×1
Piranha Plant	Sleepy plants that chomp upon being woken up.	Whomp's Fortress	×1
Pokey	Tall segmented cacti with weak heads.	Shifting Sand Land	×1
Sparky	Fireballs that hop along land after spawning from lava or fire.	Lethal Lava Land, Bowser in the Sky
Spiny	Spiked turtles that walk around slowly and can only be destroyed by going underwater.	Tiny-Huge Island, Rainbow Ride	None
Spiny bomb	Spiked eggs thrown by Lakitus which hatch into Spinies, and are vulnerable to explosions.	Tiny-Huge Island, Rainbow Ride	None
Swoop	Bats that hang upside-down until approached, at which point they start flying around.	Hazy Maze Cave	×1
Thwomp	Floating stone cubes that slam to the ground every few moments, and can also be used as platforms.	Whomp's Fortress, Tick Tock Clock

Obstacles

Name	Description	Locations
Bomb	Spiked, stationary explosives used to defeat Bowser.	Bowser in the Dark World, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Bowser in the Sky
Casket	Caskets rise and fall. They can crush Mario if he goes under one.	Big Boo's Haunt
Current	Rapidly moving water that can forcibly remove Mario from the course if it pulls him far enough.	Jolly Roger Bay, Cavern of the Metal Cap, Dire, Dire Docks, Tall, Tall Mountain
Endless stairs	A magic staircase that loops Mario forever if he tries to climb them without enough stars.	Mushroom Castle
Falling pillar	Giant, precariously balanced stones that tip at Mario.	Jolly Roger Bay
Fireball	Basic flames found either by themselves or shot from enemies.	Mushroom Castle, Bowser in the Dark World, Hazy Maze Cave, Lethal Lava Land, Shifting Sand Land, Vanish Cap Under the Moat, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Snowman's Land, Wet-Dry World, Tiny-Huge Island, Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride, Bowser in the Sky
Fire bar	Rotating rocks with a constantly alit flamethrower on either side.	Lethal Lava Land
Flamethrower	Jets of fire that usually come from small holes, but can also come from other openings and even lava.	Bowser in the Dark World, Big Boo's Haunt, Hazy Maze Cave, Lethal Lava Land, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Rainbow Ride, Bowser in the Sky
File:SM64 Screenshot Freezing Water.jpg Freezing water	Chilled water that hurts Mario on contact, either gradually or immediately depending on how cold it is.	Snowman's Land
Glass block	Platforms in Rainbow Ride that Magic Carpets travel through as an obstacle.	Rainbow Ride
Hidden smasher	A giant mass of metal hidden in a wall that tries to crush Mario when he approaches.	Lethal Lava Land
Ice block	Sliding triangular ice chunks that come in two sizes and push Mario into the freezing water.	Snowman's Land
Ice block shooter	A giant hole with Shy Guy masks that shoots triangular ice chunks.	Snowman's Land
Ice structure	Stacks of ice created into a maze that requires a Power Star.	Snowman's Land
Ice wall	Walls made of ice with some containing Coins. Vanish Mario is required to pass through these walls.	Snowman's Land
Iron ball	Variably sized large black spheres that roll down slopes.	Bob-omb Battlefield, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tiny-Huge Island
Ivy	Slows Mario's speed and also makes it difficult to jump.	Tall Tall Mountain
Lava	Molten rock that burns Mario.	Lethal Lava Land, Bowser in the Fire Sea
Moving sand	Rapidly flowing sand. Mario can stand on it, but it will push him in the direction of its trajectory.	Shifting Sand Land
Pendulum	Swinging obstacles that can block Mario's path. Its speed can change depending on the time Mario enters Tick Tock Clock.	Tick Tock Clock
Pit	Bottomless abysses that remove Mario from a course.	Whomp's Fortress, Cool, Cool Mountain, The Princess's Secret Slide, Tower of the Wing Cap, Bowser in the Dark World, Hazy Maze Cave, Vanish Cap Under the Moat, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tiny-Huge Island, Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride, Wing Mario Over the Rainbow, Bowser in the Sky
Quicksand	Sand that pulls Mario under at varying speeds.	Shifting Sand Land
Rolling rock	Giant boulders.	Hazy Maze Cave
Slide Box	A skull-marked crate that moves back and forth on the rocking ship.	Jolly Roger Bay
Strange cloud	Putrid gas found in deep, stagnant caves.	Hazy Maze Cave
Tornado	Whirlwinds that make Mario spin.	Shifting Sand Land
Treasure Chest	Treasure boxes that give an electric shock if Mario tries to open them in the wrong order.	Jolly Roger Bay, Dire, Dire Docks
Turtle Cannon	A metal cube that shoots out Bullet Bills.	Whomp's Fortress
Water bomb	Bouncing balloons that pursue Mario after being shot from cannons.	Bob-omb Battlefield
Water tide	Water that rises up or down.	Mushroom Castle, Wet-Dry World
Whirlpool	A vortex that can suck Mario inside.	Dire, Dire Docks
Wind	Gusts that can either help or hinder Mario.	Cool, Cool Mountain, Snowman's Land, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tiny-Huge Island, Rainbow Ride, Bowser in the Sky
Wire net (vertical)	Walls made of iron bars or wire nets. Vanish Mario is required to pass through these walls.	Vanish Cap Under the Moat, Big Boo's Haunt, Hazy Maze Cave, Lethal Lava Land, Shifting Sand Land, Dire, Dire Docks, Wet-Dry World, Tick Tock Clock

Bosses

Bosses are listed in the order that they are first encountered.

Name	Description	Missions
King Bob-omb	A giant Bob-omb in Bob-omb Battlefield. He appears as the first boss in the game and has the first Power Star. He refers to himself as the "baron of all blasting matter".	Big Bob-omb on the Summit
Whomp King	A giant Whomp on top of Whomp's Fortress. He has the first Power Star, and after he is defeated, there is a tower on top of the fortress.	Chip Off Whomp's Block
Bowser	Bowser appears in Bowser in the Dark World, Bowser in the Fire Sea (where the arena tilts), and Bowser in the Sky (where he must be thrown three times). Mario needs to swing him by the tail clockwise or counterclockwise and hurl him at bombs on the outside of his circular arena.	Bowser in the Dark World, Bowser in the Fire Sea, Bowser in the Sky
Big Boo	A giant Boo that appears three times in Big Boo's Haunt. He initially appears once all the Boos in the mansion have been defeated, again in the underground Merry-Go-Round, and lastly on the top balcony of the mansion.	Go on a Ghost Hunt, Ride Big Boo's Merry-Go-Round, Big Boo's Balcony
Big Mr. I.	A giant Mr. I. which only appears in the attic of Big Boo's Haunt.	Eye to Eye in the Secret Room
Big Bully	Large Bullies that appear in Lethal Lava Land. On both occasions, they try to knock Mario into the lava.	Boil the Big Bully, Bully the Bullies
Eyerok	A being composed of two stone hands with eyes on each palm. He appears when Mario blasts open the top of the pyramid in Shifting Sand Land and rides the elevator inside.	Stand Tall on the Four Pillars
Chill Bully	A large Bully made of ice. He tries to ram Mario onto a lethally frozen pond in Snowman's Land.	Chill with the Bully
Piranha Flowers	A patch of five giant, fire-breathing Piranha Plants in Tiny-Huge Island. They quickly sprout and recede from the ground.	Pluck the Piranha Flower
Wiggler	A giant Wiggler. He becomes angry when his home in Tiny-Huge Island gets flooded.	Make Wiggler Squirm

Items and objects

Throughout the game, Mario can make use of several items. Some items are out in the open, whereas others are found by breaking open yellow blocks or completing challenges.

Items and power-up blocks

Name	Description	Name	Description
Coin	A standard coin found in the levels. When collected, it restores one wedge of Mario's Power Meter.	Yellow block	A floating yellow block that holds either coins, 1UP Mushrooms, or Power Stars.
Red Coin	A red variant of the Yellow Coin, each worth two coins. Eight are scattered around most courses, and collecting them all causes a Power Star to appear. They restore two wedges of Mario's Power Meter when collected.	Red block	A floating red ! Block that holds a Wing Cap. It becomes solid once the red Wing Cap Switch is pressed.
Blue Coin	A blue variant of the Yellow Coin, each worth five coins. They usually appear after Mario pounds Blue Coin Blocks or after he defeats stronger enemies such as a Mr. I.	Blue block	A floating blue ! Block that holds a Vanish Cap. It becomes solid once the blue Vanish Cap Switch is pressed.
Spinning Heart	A large heart that spins when Mario walks through it, which recovers his health. The amount of health it recovers and how fast it does so is dependent on how quickly Mario moves through it.	Green block	A floating green ! Block that holds a Metal Cap. It becomes solid once the green Metal Cap Switch is pressed.
1UP Mushroom	A green spotted mushroom that gives Mario an extra life when collected.	Wing Cap	Once collected from a red block, the Wing Cap allows Mario to fly for a limited time.
Koopa Shell	A shell from a Koopa Troopa that Mario can ride, allowing him to defeat enemies he runs over and move around the course quicker. Pressing causes the shell to disappear. If a Koopa Shell is grabbed underwater by using , Mario can hold on to the shell for a short time and move underwater easier.	Vanish Cap	Once collected from a blue block, the Vanish Cap turns Mario invisible, allowing him to pass through wired cages and ignore enemies.
Power Star	The main objective of the game. Collecting enough Power Stars allows Mario to open ★ doors.	Metal Cap	Once collected from a green block, the Metal Cap turns Mario into metal, allowing him to walk underwater and defeat small enemies by simply running into them.

Objects

Name	Description
Transportation objects
Shrinker Pipe	Pipes that look visually similar to Warp Pipes. They change Mario's size, making him either larger or smaller.
Cannon	Cannons that launch Mario to distant areas. They are accessed like pipes.
★ door	Doors that require Power Stars to enter.
Big Star Door	Bigger variants of ★ doors that require Power Stars to enter, leading to boss levels.
Key Door	Doors that require a key to enter.
Painting	Portals that are used to travel from the Mushroom Castle to the game's many levels.
Boo painting	Boo paintings that Vanish Mario can pass through.
Blocks and containers
Block	Plain-looking blocks that can be destroyed by a single punch or ground-pounding, containing coins.
Dotted-Line Block	Transparent blocks that turn solid and are able to be used after the player hits the Cap Switch.
Crate	Smaller variants of blocks that can be picked up and thrown.
Crazed Crate	Crates with faces that bounces around three times in the direction the player character is facing if grabbed.
Metal crate	A large iron block that Mario can push.
Ground-poundable objects
Stump	Tree stumps. Ground-pounding and running around in circles can produces coins.
Moat pillar	Pillars in the basement of the Mushroom Castle that can be ground-pounded to drain the water.
Climbable objects
Tree	Tall plants. Most function similarly to poles.
Pole	Climbable poles. Mario clings to one by jumping onto it. He can ascend, descend, and change which face of the pole he is on by moving . Pressing makes Mario jump from whichever face he is on.
Stone spire	Climbable rock-like poles that appear in Jolly Roger Bay.
Wire net (horizontal)	Fences Mario can climb horizontally.
Interactable objects
Bubble	Underwater bubbles that appear when Mario opens a treasure chest underwater, and contain oxygen that refills his Health Meter.
Bubble ring	Rings that trail behind a Manta Ray. Once Mario swims through five consecutive bubble rings, he is rewarded with a Power Star.
File:SM64 Sign 2.png Sign	Posted signs that contain information on actions.
Switches
Cap Switch	Dome-shaped and color-coded switches that activate solid ! switches. It comes in three different colors: red, blue, and green.
Purple Switch	Flat and rectangular switches that trigger events, such as turning a steep slope into a staircase.
Blue Coin Block	Blue coin switches that activate blue coins.
Crystal Tap	Colorful octahedral switches that either raise or drain the water level in Wet-Dry World if Mario touches one.
Platforms
Lift	Moving platforms. Their designs and environmental context for moving depends on where they are encountered.
Rotating lifts	Lifts attached to a conveyer belt. It completely rotates as it reaches the apex of the conveyer belt, meaning Mario is pushed off of it if he does not jump off himself.
Chairlift	Hanging rail-based platforms that moves once Mario lands on it and stopping again after it returns to the bottom if he has left it.
Paddle wheel	A set of four lifts that perpetually spin around their pivot point.
Activatable staircase	Stairways that briefly appear when a switch is pressed.
Lava Lift	A lift in Lethal Lava Land that helps Mario travel across lava.
Float	A wooden platform that floats on water.
Arrow Lift	Gray blocks with blue arrows that move back and forth when Mario steps on them.
Elevator	Lifts that rise up or drop once stepped on.
Work Elevator	A large flat platform with four arrow-emblazoned buttons that Mario can step on to move the platform.
Express Elevator	An elevator in Wet-Dry World that drops once stepped on, then rises back up.
Magic carpet	A carpet that will follow a set rainbow styled rail once stepped on. If the player remains off the carpet for too long, it will disappear and respawn back in its original position.
Tracks	Rails represented by a broken chain of flame throwers that can moves lifts where Mario can travel.
File:Donut liftSM64.png Falling Block	A type of platform that falls if players stand on it long enough.
Fast Falling Block	Platforms that fall immediately when stood on.
Seesaw	A long wooden platform that tilt left or right depending on where Mario walks on. They have different appearances depending on where they are found.
Rolling log	Cylindrical wooden platforms that, when stood on, roll over. The player must run along them or jump carefully to avoid falling off until they reach their destination on a set path.
Spinning island platform	Platforms in Whomp's Fortress, Lethal Lava Land, Wet-Dry World, and Rainbow Ride that spin.
Rotating bridge	A platform in Whomp's Fortress that turns in a 180 degree axis.
Wooden beam	A plank-like platform in Whomp's Fortress that can be knocked over to create a bridge.
Sliding rectangular platform	A long rectangular platform in Bowser in the Dark World and Bowser in the Sky that slides in and out.
Sliding square lifts	Square-shaped paired platforms that move around within a larger square.
Spinning floor	A platform in Big Boo's Haunt that spins in the merry-go-round area.
Wobble platform	Square platforms in Lethal Lava Land that wobble from left to right when the player stands towards one of its edges.
Lava float	A squared or rectangular platform in Lethal Lava Land and Bowser in the Fire Sea that sinks and rises in lava.
Drawbridge	A drawbridge in Lethal Lava Land that opens and closes.
Spinning ring platform	A platform in Lethal Lava Land that spins. It stops when the volcano erupts, then resumes spinning.
Tilting platform	A platform in Bowser in the Fire Sea that tilts sideways from left to right.
Pillar	Pillars in Shifting Sand Land that can be stood upon to open the top of the pyramid.
Shifting interconnected platforms	Blue platforms connected to bridges in Bowser in the Fire Sea that gradually rise up and drop down.
Mushroom Platform	Mushrooms that serve as platforms.
Conveyor Belt	Platforms that carry Mario from another place to another without him moving. The speed and direction varies depending on the time Mario enters the course.
File:Nocoverart.png Flipping block	A cubed platform in Tick Tock Clock that flips. The speed and direction varies depending on the time Mario enters the course.
File:Nocoverart.png Flipping triangular block	A triangular platform in Tick Tock Clock that flips. The speed and direction varies depending on the time Mario enters the course.
Rotary bar	A platform in Tick Tock Clock that rotates. The speed and direction varies depending on the time Mario enters the course.
File:Nocoverart.png Spinning hexagonal platform	A hexagonal platform in Tick Tock Clock that spins. The speed and direction varies depending on the time Mario enters the course.
File:Nocoverart.png Spinning triangular platform	A triangular platform in Tick Tock Clock that spins. The speed and direction varies depending on the time Mario enters the course.
File:Nocoverart.png Moving cube platform	A brown cube platform in Tick Tock Clock that moves up and down. The speed and direction varies depending on the time Mario enters the course.
File:Nocoverart.png Moving rectangular platform	A rectangular platform in Tick Tock Clock that moves up and down. The speed and direction varies depending on the time Mario enters the course.
Clock hand	An arrow-like platform in Tick Tock Clock that moves gradually. The speed and direction varies depending on the time Mario enters the course.
Propeller platform	A platform in Rainbow Ride that spin. It can either be ridden or hinder Mario's path.
Pendulum Platform	A platform in Rainbow Ride that sway from side to side indefinitely.
Pyramid platform	A platform in Rainbow Ride that flip upside-down for a few seconds once activated by a Purple Switch.
File:Nocoverart.png Transparent cloud	A cloud in Over the Rainbows that cannot be used as platforms. Some of them contain a Red Coin.
Sliding puzzle piece	A puzzle piece in Lethal Lava Land that acts like a platform and slides in any four directions.
Ship	A ship in Jolly Roger Bay that tilts left to right.
Bowser's Submarine	This appears in only one mission in Dire, Dire Docks.
Rainbow Cruiser	An airship that appears in Rainbow Ride.
Cloud House	A large floating manor that appears in Rainbow Ride.
Other objects
Arrow Sign	Directs Mario one direction.
File:Nocoverart.png Rainbow ring	Directs Mario where to fire in Rainbow Ride.
Star Marker	Star-shaped shadows that mark the spot where a Power Star appears once all eight Red Coins have been collected.

Reissues

Super Mario 64: Shindō Pak Taiō Version

Super Mario 64: Shindō Pak Taiō Version (Japanese: スーパーマリオ64 振動パック対応バージョン) is a version of the original game released in Japan on July 18, 1997 that includes Rumble Pak support. This game is the same as the international release of the game, as it retains all of the glitch fixes as well as graphical and sound changes (except Mario calling Bowser by his name in the "So long kinga^[sic] Bowser!" voice clip, which was changed to "Buh-bye!"). Other differences include a new title screen Easter egg and the fixing of the "Backwards Long Jump" glitch. This version was re-released for the Virtual Console on Wii in Japan on December 2, 2006, then on Wii U on April 8, 2015.

Super Mario 64 DS

Main article: Super Mario 64 DS

Super Mario 64 DS is a remake of the game for the Nintendo DS, bearing some new features in its storyline, gameplay and graphics. Unlike Super Mario 64, Mario is not the only playable character (nor is he even available at the start; the only character available at the start of the game is Yoshi); in addition to Yoshi, Luigi and Wario also join the adventure in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the hands of Bowser. Yoshi being on the roof at the start of the game is a reference to the fact that he is there at the end of the original version. Other new features within the game include a multi-player mode, in which up to four players can play simultaneously on each Nintendo DS connected together locally; minigames to play with each character; and new additions to the story mode such as new missions and levels.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars

Main article: Super Mario 3D All-Stars

Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a compilation game for the Nintendo Switch featuring high-definition remasters of Super Mario 64 (specifically the Shindō Pak Taiō Version, marking its first international release), Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. It was released on September 18, 2020 as part of the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. The game is displayed in 720p resolution and contains redone textures.

Version differences

There are a total of four Nintendo 64 releases of Super Mario 64: the original Japanese version, the North American release, the European and Australian release, and the Japanese Super Mario 64: Shindō Pak Taiō Version re-release.

Changes to the North American release

Text changes

• The script is exclusively in English.
• Princess Peach signs her letter with a large, pink "Peach". In the Japanese release, she signs her letter in normal sized black text.

Audiovisual changes

Japan

America

• The entrance to Jolly Roger Bay is changed. In the original release, it is a painting of bubbles in a blue frame. In western releases, it is a painting of a sunken ship in a gold frame.
• In the Japanese version, the animation that plays when Mario collects a key after defeating Bowser depicts him dancing with a Power Star, as he does after completing a Power Star mission in all versions of the game. In western releases, this is changed to a new animation in which Mario dances with the key itself.
• The unused "key" HUD icon is removed from this version. It is replaced with a corrupted graphic.
• The J, Q, V, Z, %, &, !, and ‼ characters are removed from the game's multicolored font, and replaced with corrupted graphics similar to the key. None of these symbols are actually used anywhere in the game.
• The Chain Chomp's bark has been changed to a completely different sound.
• The Red Coin sound effect increases in pitch with each coin collected. In the Japanese release, all red coins make the same sound.
• The intro cutscene has several additional sound effects not present in the original release:
  • The blowing of wind when Lakitu is flying.
  • The click of the camera shutter when the in-game camera moves to Lakitu's perspective.
  • The spring sound and voice line "Ha ha!" when Mario jumps out of the pipe.
• A sound effect not present in the Japanese game plays when Mario exits a course through the pause menu.
• When entering certain substages, such as Tower of the Wing Cap, the Power Star collection sound effect plays.
• When Lakitu appears to explain things to Mario, a short tune entitled "Lakitu's Message" plays. Since this tune is not in the original Japanese release, it isn't found on the official soundtrack.
• Western releases add more voice acting for Mario:
  • "Hello!" when his face greets the player on the title screen.
  • "Okey-dokey!" when the player chooses a save file.
  • "Let's-a go!" when the player chooses a star before entering a course.
  • "Game over!" when he runs out of lives.
  • "Press START to play!" during the title screen demo.
  • "Boing!" when he jumps off a Spindrift.
  • "I'm-a tired!" and the names of various pastas when he is sleeping.
  • "Mamma mia!" when falling out of a non-painting course after Mario loses a life.
  • In the original Japanese version, Mario says "Here we go!" when he throws Bowser. In western versions, he only says "Here we go!" when throwing Bowser a short distance. When he throws Bowser a long distance, he instead says, "So long kinga Bowser!".
  • Similarly, when Mario hits a wall in the Japanese version, he grunts. In western versions, Mario grunts if he hits a wall at a low speed, but says "D'oh!" if he Long Jumps or dives into a wall.
  • When Mario Triple Jumps in the Japanese release, he says "Yahoo!". In western releases, he randomly says any of "Yahoo!", "Wha-ha!", or "Yippee!"; however, he says only "Yahoo!" when using the improved Triple Jump obtained after talking to Yoshi.
• All of Princess Peach's voice acting is new in this version of the game.

Fixed glitches

Mario looking away from the camera

• When Mario steps on one of the Cap Switches, a text box is triggered that explains the function of the switch. In the Japanese release, this text box causes the action in-game to pause until the text box is closed. If a Power Star is collected before this text box appears, the star does not vanish as it is supposed to do upon collection. In western releases, the text box does not cause the action to pause, which fixes this glitch.
• If 1000 coins are collected, the coin counter is intended to immediately set itself back to 999 coins. In the Japanese release, it instead sets the life counter to 999. Because the life counter is stored in memory as a one byte wide signed field, this causes an overflow, and Mario's life total becomes -25. Western releases correctly set the coin counter to 999, rather than the life counter.
• The first two times Bowser is defeated, he leaves behind a key. If Mario is standing where the key lands and the player presses to activate the first person camera, Mario continues to look that way during the key collection cutscene.
• In Shifting Sand Land's pyramid, collecting the fifth secret may cause the audio to stop playing. If this happens, attempting to leave the course in any way causes the game to crash.
• If Mario exits a course while standing on a moving platform, he retains his momentum when the Mushroom Castle loads. This causes Mario to spawn in an abnormal location.

Level design changes

• In the mission Blast to the Stone Pillar, the Power Star is in a yellow block, rather than in the open as it was in the Japanese release.
• In the mission Li'l Penguin Lost, the Power Star's spawn location has been moved from directly above the Mother Penguin to an empty area adjacent to her. This was apparently done because the penguin's hitbox made it difficult to collect the star in its original location.

Changes to the European and Australian release

These releases feature all the changes of the North American release, plus the following additional changes:

Text changes

• The script can be switched between English, German, and French.
• The North American version's "Sound" menu has been renamed to "Options", reflecting the fact that the in-game language can be changed from this menu.
• The characters Ä, Ö, and Ü have been added to the multicolored font, to allow proper representation of the German language. The Ü character is not actually used anywhere in the game. V and Z, which are present in the Japanese release but changed to corrupted characters in the North American release, are restored in this edition of the game.

Audiovisual changes

The North American version.

The European and Australian versions.

The North American version.

The European and Australian versions.

• The copyright date on the title screen is changed to reflect the release year of the European and Australian editions. The trademark symbol was changed for unknown reasons, and the logo is slightly narrower.
• The intro screen says "PRESS START" in the NTSC versions, but just "START" in the PAL version. The text was also moved slightly to the left in the PAL version.
• The NTSC versions have slight letterboxing, while the PAL version does not. This is most noticeable with the gap between the edge of the HUD elements and the edge of the screen.
• In the intro, Mario jumps out of a pipe and a variation on the classic Mario pipe sound effect plays. In this edition of the game, the sound effect plays at a much quieter volume.
• The sound of a Big Star Door closing is now more similar to the sound of the door opening.
• The yellow coin collecting sound is slightly slowed down.
• The sound effect of grabbing and then releasing Mario's face on the title screen is changed.
• Mario's Double Jump sound is different.

Gameplay Changes

• This version of the game outputs a signal compatible with the PAL television standard, rather than the NTSC standard used by the North American and Japanese releases. Therefore, it outputs 25 frames per second instead of 30. This causes everything in the game to happen at 5/6ths of the speed that it happens in the North American release.

Changes in Super Mario 64: Shindō Pak Taiō Version

This release features all the changes of the North American release, plus the following additional changes:

Text changes

• The original Japanese script is restored.
• Text that mentioned pressing to read signs in both the original Japanese and localized scripts now additionally mentions can be pressed as an alternative.

Audiovisual changes

The North American version

Super Mario 64: Shindō Pak Taiō Version

The Easter egg and compatibility notice

• The copyright date on the title screen is updated to reflect the release date of Super Mario 64: Shindō Pak Taiō Version. The trademark symbol is changed.
• A notice in the lower right corner of the intro screen informs players that this release is compatible with the Rumble Pak.
• If the player presses on the intro screen, the background fills with images of Mario's face. These faces are copied from the frame buffer, so they move in synchronization with the modeled Mario face.
• The voice line "So long kinga Bowser!" is changed to "Buh-bye!", likely since Bowser's Japanese name is Koopa.
• Mario's Double Jump sound is a higher pitched version of the same sound from the European and Australian version.
• One of Mario's single jump sounds is higher-pitched.
• Mario faces the camera after grabbing a tree.

Gameplay changes

• The game is compatible with the Rumble Pak.
• The "Backwards Long Jump" glitch has been fixed. Although the move itself can be performed, the player is prevented from gaining high speeds.
• The Power Star in Blast to the Stone Pillar is out in the open like in the original Japanese release rather than in a yellow block like in the international releases.

Notable mistakes and errors

• At the end of the game, when speaking to Yoshi on the castle roof, he says "Mario!!! It that really you???" instead of "Mario!!! Is that really you???".
• If Mario is one star short of opening a ★ door, it still refers to the word needed in the plural: "You need 1 more Stars" instead of "You need 1 more Star."

Those errors remained in the Virtual Console version. However, they were removed in Super Mario 64 DS, as Yoshi is a playable character and the message that appears when Mario does not have enough stars to open a ★ door is instead "You need (number) more."

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Super Mario 64 pre-release and unused content

One unused asset is the Blargg, which is still in the game's data, and would've appeared in the Lethal Lava Land, Bowser in the Fire Sea, and Wing Mario Over the Rainbow stages. Also, Big Boo held a key instead of a Star inside of him. The purpose of the keys was to unlock a variety of the various doors in Big Boo's Haunt - there was even a "key counter". 32 levels were planned for the game, but only fifteen of them made it into the final product.

Staff

Main article: List of Super Mario 64 staff

Game director

• Shigeru Miyamoto

Assistant directors

• Yoshiaki Koizumi
• Takashi Tezuka

Mario face programmer

• Giles Goddard

Course designers

• Kenta Usui
• Naoki Mori
• Yoshiki Haruhana
• Makoto Miyanaga
• Katsuhiko Kanno

Development

Super Mario 64 was the last game to be directed by Shigeru Miyamoto.

During the development of Super Mario 64, the title screen featuring Mario's face came from 3D struggles, leading Shigeru Miyamoto to suggest playing with Mario's model like a programmer. Additionally, Miyamoto took up swimming at the time, which is reflected in Mario's breast stroke move.

Reception

Super Mario 64 received critical acclaim, garnering a score of 9.8 from IGN, 9.4 from GameSpot, and 9.75 from Game Informer. Although it was criticized for its camera system and difficulty, it was praised for its graphics, level design, soundtrack, and the Super Mario franchise' shift from 2D to 3D. Sometime after the game's release, rumors about secret glitches, stars, and hidden characters circulated. Among the most notable is the widely publicized hoax that Luigi was hidden and fully playable, causing false rumors to circulate on how to unlock him.

Super Mario 64 was one of the games featured at The Art of Video Games, an exhibition held at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2012. The game won voting in the "action" category for the Nintendo 64, beating out Banjo-Kazooie and Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
N64	Doug Perry, IGN	9.8/10	"In fact, this game is exactly as one might hope it would be: Mario in 3D. More freedom, more space, more options, better graphics, improved and elaborated control schemes -- it's all there. Possibly the greatest videogame achievement ever. Don't rent. Buy."
N64	Gamespot Staff, GameSpot	9.4/10	"Mario 64 is a game that rewards the curious, the original, and in some cases the bludgeoningly stubborn and tenacious. If Mario 64 is even a rough indication of what's to be expected from Nintendo, or from games in general, then we just might have a revolution of sorts in our very hands."
Wii	Corbie Dillard, Nintendo Life	10/10	"Finishing the game won't take you too long but as with most Mario games that's not really the point, it will take you weeks (and quite possibly months) to discover all the secrets contained within this game."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		94
GameRankings		96.41%

Sales

Super Mario 64 is the best selling game for the Nintendo 64, selling 11.62 million copies worldwide, as of December 31, 2009.

Appearances in other media

It has been requested that this section be rewritten. Reason: Explain in which books it has been adapted

This section is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.

Super Mario 64 has received various manga adaptations.

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  Super Mario-kun

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  Super Mario-kun

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  Super Mario-kun

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  Super Mario-kun

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  Super Mario-kun

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  Super Mario-kun (Pikkapika Comics)

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  The Headless Snowman

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  Super Mario (Kodansha manga)

• 

  Super Mario (Kodansha manga)

• 

  Super Mario (Kodansha manga)

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  Super Mario (Kodansha manga)

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  4-koma Gag Battle

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  4-koma Gag Battle

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  Ganbare Mario

Official descriptions

Wii U eShop description

North American version: On a bright, sunny day in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario goes to visit the princess but finds her castle eerily empty. Leaping through pictures hanging from the walls, he enters 15 magical worlds in a quest to collect the 120 Power Stars pilfered by evil Bowser and save the day. The game's vast worlds teem with daunting obstacle courses, hidden items, puzzles and more than 30 types of enemies. Take advantage of Mario's large selection of moves, including running, jumping, swimming, stomping, punching, and even backward somersaulting! Special caps give him short-lived powers, including the ability to fly. Super Mario 64 features unmatched camera control that makes adventuring in its 3D world a snap, even for newcomers.

European and Oceanian version: Invited to Princess Peach's castle, Mario discovers that she has once again been kidnapped by Bowser and his minions. However, something has changed... This time the adventure is in 3D!

Leaping through pictures hanging from the walls, Mario searches for 120 Power Stars stashed away in vast, magical worlds teeming with daunting obstacle courses, hidden items, puzzles and an army of enemies! Mario has a huge repertoire of moves, including running, jumping, swimming, stomping and punching, and performing a backward somersault that can help him reach even the highest platforms. Special caps give him short-lived powers, including the ability to fly - and if troublemakers swipe Mario's cap, he'll have to grab it back!

Mario runs freely in a grassy meadow, tiptoes through a gloomy dungeon, climbs to the top of a snow-covered mountain, hot-foots it over lava lakes and swims in the castle moat. He can explore an ancient pyramid and even race Koopas for fabulous prizes. And, of course, he must fight his arch-nemesis Bowser, King of the Koopas - not once, but three times!

Please note: Super Mario 64 on Wii U Virtual Console is the US version of the game.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars description

Princess Peach has invited Mario to her castle to enjoy some cake! On his arrival, he's greeted by an eerie silence...until Bowser's laughter echoes through the halls. Thus begins an adventure to rescue the princess by exploring the magical worlds within the castle's many enchanted paintings. This first 3D action game in the Super Mario series launched alongside the Nintendo 64 system. The introduction of the analog Control Stick set a new standard for later games in the series.

Nintendo 64 - Nintendo Switch Online description

Retrieve the Power Stars and confront the ruthless Bowser!

On a bright, sunny day in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario goes to visit the princess but finds her castle eerily empty. Leaping through pictures hanging from the walls, he enters 15 magical worlds in a quest to collect the 120 Power Stars pilfered by evil Bowser and save the day. The game's vast worlds teem with daunting obstacle courses, hidden items, puzzles, and more than 30 types of enemies. Take advantage of Mario's large selection of moves, including running, jumping, swimming, stomping, punching, and even backward somersaulting! Special caps give him short-lived powers, including the ability to fly.

Super Mario 64 features revolutionary camera controls that make adventuring in its 3D world a snap, even for newcomers.

Glitches

Main article: List of Super Mario 64 glitches

A notable glitch is the Backwards Long Jump, which lets Mario slide upward on any staircase, including the endless stairs. Another notable glitch is the Black Room of Death, which traps Mario behind the boundaries of the castle walls. It can be achieved using several ways, including using the Backwards Long Jump glitch. Another rather known glitch is the cloning glitch, often used to collect more coins than the actual number of coins in the game.

As in many other N64 titles, the cartridge can be tilted in the console to achieve messed up results; for example, Mario's body will flip horizontally, but he can still be controlled. Also, the music will be heavily corrupted.

In multiple areas of the game in the Japanese version, there are unintended invisible walls that Mario can bump into. An example is the one in Tall, Tall Mountain just above the wooden log.

Using a well-timed Triple Jump on the slope near the castle, Mario can climb the castle without the cannon. Also, when Mario reaches a corner, he can fall down slightly and grab onto a ledge. Mario can then pull himself back up onto the roof, at which point he will lose a life. For unknown reasons, he also loses his hat. This occurs because when Mario grabs the ledge, he is out of bounds, but the game waits until Mario pulls himself back up before causing him to lose a life. Something similar can happen if a door leads out of bounds or into a wall, but that can only happen through modding or glitches.

Angled Dive

When Mario enters the water, the angle Mario was facing before entering is preserved in a datum; therefore, when Mario jumps and lands on dry land, the next dive Mario performs starts with this angle. A few frames afterward, the angle fixes itself and the dive is completed correctly. Several things "reset" the angle, including grabbing a ledge, shooting from a cannon, changing areas and jumping while facing a slope. This glitch does not affect the dive itself, just the animation.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Super Mario 64.

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  Mario

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  Mario and Bowser

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  Metal Mario in Hazy Maze Cave

• Goomba SM64 art.jpg

  Goomba

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  Power Star

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  1UP Mushroom

Soundtrack

Main article: Super Mario 64 Original Soundtrack

Super Mario 64's soundtrack comprises thirty-four music cues composed by veteran composer Koji Kondo. The majority of the cues are new material, with some being interpretations of familiar melodies from earlier media. It also includes hundreds of sound effects; sound designer Yoji Inagaki felt that sound effects were equally as important as music.

An album tying in with the game was published by Pony Canyon under license from Nintendo as the first of ten soundtracks in the Nintendo 64 Sound Series. In addition to all of the game's music cues, the album includes Mario's opening voiceover and a piano arrangement of the Piranha Plant's lullaby.

The music for Super Mario 64 was scored using Best Service's Voice Spectral, Brüse & Brüse AudioProduction's Acoustic Drums, Digidesign's SampleCell II CD-ROM Library #1, the E-mu Proteus/1, ILIO's Synclavier World & Orchestral, the Korg Wavestation, Optical Media International's Universe of Sounds: Sonic Images Vol. 1, Q-Up Arts' The Denny Jaeger Private Collection Vol. 1, Rarefaction's A Poke in the Ear With a Sharp Stick, Roland's JD-990 synthesizer and Sound Canvas SC-88 module, Spectrasonics' Bass Legends and Supreme Beats, and the Yamaha VL1. Many of the sound effects in the game were sourced from Sound Ideas' General Series 6000 and Series 1000 sound effects libraries and the sound effects libraries of American film studios Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures.

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Super Mario 64 media.

Bob-omb Battlefield - Big Bob-omb on the Summit star speed run

File infoMedia:SM64 Bob-omb Battlefield Gameplay.ogv 1:12

Super Mario 64 - Title Theme

File infoMedia:SM64-Title Theme.oga 0:29

Super Mario 64 - Super Mario 64 Main Theme

File infoMedia:SM64-Main Theme.oga 0:30

Super Mario 64 - Inside the Castle Walls

File infoMedia:SM64- Inside the Castle Walls.oga 0:29

Super Mario 64 - Piranha Plant's Lullaby

File infoMedia:SM64-Lullaby.oga 0:29

Super Mario 64 - Powerful Mario

File infoMedia:SM64-Wing Cap.oga 0:28

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

References to other games

The carving

• Super Mario Bros. - Carvings of Mario and Bowser from this game appear on several pillars in Bowser in the Sky. An arrangement of the overworld theme plays on the title screen, and the underground theme can be heard in the music for Hazy Maze Cave and Wet-Dry World. There is also a small jingle used at the Power Star select screen which sounds identical to the first few notes of the overworld theme in this game.
• Super Mario World - The idea of Switch Palaces is, in a way, brought back. Also, when Yoshi is met, he says to Mario "It has been so long since our last adventure!", possibly referring to this game. Also, the soundtrack follows the same composition technique used in Super Mario World in a similar way where there's a signature melody in the game that's heard across different levels in several variations ("Super Mario 64 Main Theme", "Snow Mountain", "Slider").
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island - The theme used for invincibility in this game, specifically the string instruments playing in the background, is reworked into Wing/Vanish Mario's theme for Super Mario 64. The idea of collecting Red Coins first appeared in this title as well. Fly Guys appear as enemies. Ukikis also appear as non-playable characters.
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - This game was created using a modified version of Super Mario 64's engine, and was developed alongside it. Additionally, the notes for the Song of Storms are displayed as stars in the night paintings of the second floor in the Mushroom Castle.

References in later media

The recreation of the Mushroom Castle's courtyard in Super Mario Odyssey

• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! - A possible theme for Wrinkly's Save Cave is similar to "Inside the Castle Walls," the music for the Mushroom Castle, suggesting that Wrinkly Kong is playing this game.
• Mario Kart 64 - The Mushroom Castle is hidden on Royal Raceway, and its appearance is identical to its design in Super Mario 64. The castle grounds are also there and unchanged between the two games. As a drawback, the castle is inaccessible. Penguins in Sherbet Land have an identical appearance and come in various sizes.
• Mario Party - The board Mario's Rainbow Castle is similar to the secret course Tower of the Wing Cap. Mario's title screen (if he is the most recent winner of a board game) depicts him with the Wing Cap flying with the other playable characters.
• Super Smash Bros. - Most of Mario's moves, animations and voice clips in this game are derived from the ones in Super Mario 64. Metal Mario appears as a boss. Two levels based on places here are also accessible, namely Peach's Castle and Metal Mario's stage. Although Luigi didn't appear in the game, his moves, animations and voice clips are identical to Mario's in Super Mario 64, except his voice clips are higher-pitched versions of Mario's.
• Paper Mario - This game starts the same way, with a letter being sent from Peach. Peach's Castle design in this game is similar to that used in the box art of Super Mario 64. Also, the main room is near identical (however, the doors lead to different rooms).
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit - Peach's Castle reappears in the background of Peach Circuit, Mario Circuit 1, and Mario Circuit 4. The music for the Bowser Castle courses is a sped-up arrangement of Bowser's battle theme from this game.
• Super Smash Bros. Melee - Two stages based on areas from Super Mario 64 appear: Princess Peach's Castle (which also appears as a trophy) and Rainbow Ride. Metal Mario reappears as a boss and a trophy. Additionally, the Metal Box returns in this game as an item and a trophy. Mario still has his voice clips, moves, and animations, and Luigi still has Mario-like voice clips, moves, and animations. One of Kirby's Stone forms is based on the Thwomp's design first used in this game.
• Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 - A section of the music played inside Peach's Castle plays on the status screen.
• Super Mario Sunshine - A brief clip of Mario's fight with Bowser is seen when F.L.U.D.D. scans Mario. A few of Mario’s voice clips are reused in this game.
• Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga - In Woohoo Hooniversity, a room with four blocks can be seen in it; one of them is a block from Super Mario 64. The name of the game is even mentioned in the description of the blocks, and the professors are trying to figure out why it vanishes when struck.
• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - The game starts in the same way, Peach sends Mario another letter.
• Mario Power Tennis - The music that plays during the minigame Artist On the Court is an arrangement of "Inside the Castle Walls."
• Mario Kart DS - Tick Tock Clock appears as a race track in this game. Several bosses found here also reappear in this game.
• Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - The theme for Peach's Castle is a cover version of this game's castle theme.
• New Super Mario Bros. - This game uses many things that originated in Super Mario 64, such as Dorrie, and a Bowser head closes in on the screen when Mario dies. Also, the Wing/Vanish Cap theme is present for invincibility in this game. This is largely due to many assets in this game were reused from Super Mario 64 DS.
• Mario Strikers Charged - A cover of the music that plays in Big Boo's Merry-Go-Round is featured in this game, as the theme associated with Boo sidekicks.
• Super Mario Galaxy - The game starts in the same way, with Peach sending Mario another letter. Also, "Bowser's Road" is covered for Bowser's Star Reactor and Bowser's Dark Matter Plant. Also, the falling asleep idle animation returns.
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl - The music from Bob-omb Battlefield is unlockable, and the Rainbow Ride stage and Metal Box from the previous game return as well. Mario retains the moves and animations that originated in Super Mario 64.
• Mario Super Sluggers - Both songs that play when playing in Peach Ice Garden and going into said place in Challenge mode are arrangements of the music for Peach's Castle from this game.
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - The music for when the Mario Bros. first enter Peach's Castle and when everyone is removed from Bowser's Belly is a cover of the Peach's Castle theme. Also, both games end in a view of a cake with Mario and Peach figures on it.
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games - In the Wii version, an arrangement of Cool, Cool Mountain's and Snowman's Land's music is used in Dream Snowball Fight. The main theme and the Bowser stage theme are also used. In the Nintendo DS version, the Cool, Cool Mountain theme is also rearranged as the second part of the Mario & Sonic Download Medley in Ultimate Figure Skating.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Peach's Castle reappears in the game. Winning a Toad House minigame plays the jingle heard after exiting a course with a Power Star, and when revealing a pair of Bowser or Bowser Jr. icons in the Power-up Panels minigame, the short tune that plays when trying to enter a locked door is heard.
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 - In both Tall Trunk Galaxy (during the mission "Tall Trunk's Big Slide") and Rolling Coaster Galaxy, an arrangement of "Slider" plays at a moment. Also, the Whomp's Fortress reappears as the Throwback Galaxy, alongside Bob-omb Buddies and the Whomp King. Both games start with Peach sending a letter to Mario. Also, an orchestral cover of "Bowser's Road" plays in Bowser's Lava Lair and Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet.
• Super Mario 3D Land - The sound effect of Mario falling from a high place is reused, plus the platforming style is mixed together with Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario Galaxy. Also, when Mario waits outside a purple Mystery Box on the map screen, the endless stairs music from Super Mario 64 can be heard.
• Mario Kart 7 - Metal Mario appears as a playable character.
• Mario Tennis Open - A cover of the music for Peach's Castle is used for Peach's Palace. On the Bowser's Castle court, a cover of the Bowser battle music is played.
• New Super Mario Bros. 2 - The first few notes of the theme for Peach's Castle are played during the intro.
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star - The "Slider" theme is covered during the minecart part of Bowser's Snow Fort.
• Super Mario 3D World - A cover of the "Slider" theme plays when riding Plessie. In Shifty Boo Mansion, a level in Super Mario 3D World, there is a Green Star hidden behind a portrait of a Boo that can be entered like the pictures in Peach's Castle.
• Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - The merry-go-round music from Big Boo's Haunt can be heard near the Aqua Cups ride in Water Park.
  As part of their promotion of Wave 2 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, several official Mario Kart Facebook pages localized for European audiences posted a screenshot showing Tanooki Mario driving near a penguin in GBA Snow Land, with descriptions that translate to "Penguins never forget." or "A penguin never forgets."; the descriptions, together with the picture, likely reference a popular gameplay act in Super Mario 64 wherein players would intentionally drop the Baby Penguin off-bounds in the course Cool, Cool Mountain, implying that Mario is culpable for this act and that penguins hold a grudge against him as a result.
• Mario Party: Island Tour - A cover of "Koopa's Road" plays in Bowser's Peculiar Peak.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U - Peach's Castle (64) appears as a DLC stage, which returns from the original Super Smash Bros. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the original version of the main theme returns, and an arranged version of the theme is featured in the DLC stage in both games.
• Super Mario Maker - The victory theme and the Game Over theme are used when the Mario, Silver Mario, and Gold Mario costumes complete a level or lose a life, respectively. Additionally, when a Super Star is obtained, the Wing Cap theme is played for the Mario costume and the Metal Cap theme is played for the Silver Mario and Gold Mario costumes.
• Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam - King Bob-omb reappears as a boss in this game.
• Super Mario Odyssey - The game marks a return to the non-linear, open-ended style of gameplay for 3D Super Mario platformers established by this game. An arrangement of Bowser's theme can be heard in the song "Break Free (Lead the Way)". The Mushroom Kingdom is filled with many references to Mario's past, mostly Super Mario 64. Its regional currency are based on design of the coins from Super Mario 64. Additionally, Mario can dress up as the original Super Mario 64 model of himself by buying the hat and costume separately at the Mushroom Kingdom Crazy Cap shop. Also, the Metal outfit is just the Super Mario 64 suit, but with a metal coat. The jingle that plays when collecting a Power Moon is an arrangement of the course jingle from Super Mario 64. Also, the brochure held by Hint Toad and in the Odyssey depicts Bob-omb Battlefield.
• Mario Tennis Aces - An arrangement of Bowser's level and battle themes is played during the final battle against Bowcien in Adventure Mode.
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - The Peach's Castle stage returns in this game, along with Princess Peach's Castle and Rainbow Cruise.
• Super Mario Maker 2 - The original "Slider" theme is featured as a sound effect under the "Musical" category, represented by the Nintendo 64 logo.
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie: A cannon from Super Mario 64 appears. The Main Theme and "Inside the Castle Walls" are arranged into the film's score. Bob-omb Battlefield appears in the film when Mario, Princess Peach and Toad are journeying to the Jungle Kingdom.The sun floor pattern surrounding the map is similar to the floor pattern in the first floor of Peach's Castle. King Bob-omb appears at Bowser and Peach's wedding. A Maw-Ray appears. Bowser's laugh is used in "Press Start". One of the attacks used by the Mario Bros. against Bowser in the final battle involves grabbing him by his tail, spinning him, and tossing him upwards, similar to the attack used to defeat Bowser from Super Mario 64.
• Pikmin 4: The "Mechanical Harp (Lullabies)" treasure found in the second sublevel of the Cavern for a King plays the Piranha Plant's Lullaby when being carried by Pikmin or interacted in the Treasure Catalog.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	スーパーマリオ６４[?] Sūpā Mario Rokujūyon	Super Mario 64
Chinese (simplified)	神游马力欧 (iQue Player) Shényóu Mǎlì'ōu 超级马力欧64 (Super Mario 3D All-Stars) Chāojí Mǎlì'ōu Liùshísì	iQue Mario Super Mario 64
Chinese (traditional)	超級瑪利歐64 Chāojí Mǎlì'ōu Liùshísì	Super Mario 64
Korean	Super Mario 64[?]	-

External links

• Official Super Mario 64 Japanese website
• Official Super Mario 64: Shindō Pak Taiō Version Japanese website
• Super Mario 64 Chinese website