Overview

Super Mario 64 was a launch title for the Nintendo 64 in Japan and North America, and the very first time Mario had ever appeared in a fully three-dimensional world. While Sega and Sony were still figuring out what 3D platforming should look like, Nintendo EAD shipped a game with analog control, a free-roaming camera operated by an in-universe cameraman Lakitu, and movement options no platformer had ever offered: triple jumps, long jumps, wall kicks, backflips, side somersaults, ground pounds, dives, swimming, climbing, even a punch-punch-kick combo.

The structure was just as bold. Instead of linear stages, Mario explores Princess Peach’s castle as a hub world. Paintings hanging on the walls are portals to fifteen sprawling courses, each containing six unique missions plus a 100-coin Star challenge. Three confrontations with Bowser, three hidden Cap stages, and a handful of secret rooms round out the 120 Stars total. There’s no rigid order to chase them in — if you can find a Star, you can take it.

What was new for Mario in 1996

Story

A letter arrives at Mario’s door from the Mushroom Kingdom. Princess Peach has invited him to the castle — she has baked a cake for him. Of course he sets off straight away. But when Mario reaches the castle gate everything is wrong: it’s silent, deserted, no one greets him at the door. A gruff voice he half-recognises booms through the empty halls.

It’s Bowser, of course. While Mario has been away, the Koopa King has invaded Peach’s castle, stolen the 120 Power Stars that fuel its magic, and used them to corrupt the great paintings hanging on the walls. The Stars have been hidden inside those paintings — turning each one into a “painting world” twisted to Bowser’s design. The castle’s inhabitants have been sealed away with them.

The full official opening, told through the instruction booklet, is reproduced below.

The plot is delivered with almost no cutscenes after that opening. Just three Bowser confrontations, a kiss at the end, and a cake. Everything else is conveyed through the world itself — the Bob-omb Buddies giving you cannons once their war is over, Toads scattered through the halls explaining what’s happened, a Hoot owl asleep in a tree above the courtyard. It’s environmental storytelling Nintendo built before the term existed.

Setting & Castle

The whole game takes place inside, on, and underneath Princess Peach’s Mushroom Castle. The castle’s painting-filled rooms are the doorways to fifteen main courses, three secret Bowser arenas, and another seven hidden mini-stages. As you collect more Stars, more of the castle becomes accessible — new wings unlock, new doors open, the moat drains, a basement appears, a stairway to the sky finally lets you up to the rooftop.

The castle is laid out across three floors plus a basement, with locked Star Doors that need 1, 3, 8, 30, 50, or 70 Stars to pass through. Behind the rainbow-coloured Endless Staircase — which only stops looping when you’ve collected 70 Stars — lies the final Bowser fight on the rooftop in the sky. Miyamoto and his team built the castle as a hakoniwa-style miniature world: a self-contained box garden you wander around, occasionally peering into the strange dioramas hanging on its walls.

Diving into a painting at the castle to enter one of the 15 main courses.

Gameplay & Controls

Mario’s moveset in 1996 was, frankly, ridiculous for a console launch title. Where 2D Mario games had run, jump and maybe spin, the 3D Mario could chain dozens of different actions together — and most of them came out cleanly first try. This was the foundation Nintendo would re-use for Sunshine, the Galaxy games, 3D World and Odyssey.

The game runs on an internal Power Meter shown in the HUD — Mario starts each course with eight wedges of health. Wedges are restored by picking up Yellow Coins (one wedge each), Red Coins (two wedges) or Blue Coins (five wedges), or by diving into a Spinning Heart or under a waterfall. Lose all wedges and Mario is sent back to the castle. Lose three lives and it’s Game Over — with full progress saved.

Characters

Super Mario 64 has a small roster, but every face matters — and famously, no Luigi. Luigi was prototyped during development but cut from the final game; he wouldn’t make his 3D debut until Super Mario 64 DS in 2004. Data structures in the code still reference where his object slot used to be.

Playable & Story Characters

Mario

Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Invited to the castle by Peach — arrives to find her missing and the castle taken. Gets a full new 3D moveset including triple jumps, wall kicks and the punch-punch-kick combo.

Princess Peach

Ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. Kidnapped by Bowser and sealed inside the castle walls. Her letter starts the whole adventure; she bakes Mario a cake at the end as thanks.

Bowser

King of the Koopas. Has stolen 120 Power Stars and used them to corrupt the castle’s paintings. Fought three times — grab his tail, spin him round and chuck him at the bombs.

Toad

One of Peach’s attendants. Several Toads are dotted around the castle — some have been sealed into the walls and reward Mario with a Star when he frees them.

NPCs & Friendly Characters

Yoshi

Appears on the castle roof once Mario collects all 120 Stars. Gives Mario 100 extra lives and a parting “It has been so long since our last adventure!”

Lakitu Bros.

Cloud-riding camera operator filming Mario’s adventure for the Kingdom News Network. The in-universe excuse for the game’s free camera. Watch for his reflection in the second-floor mirror.

Bob-omb Buddies

Friendly pink Bob-ombs. After the war on Bob-omb Battlefield ends, they man cannons across other courses — just talk to one to open the cannon you need.

Koopa the Quick

A self-styled fastest Koopa in the kingdom. Races Mario across Bob-omb Battlefield and Tiny-Huge Island for Power Stars. Beat him to the flag for the reward.

Penguins

Inhabit Cool, Cool Mountain and Snowman’s Land. One mama penguin asks Mario to find her lost baby; the Big Penguin challenges him to a downhill race for a Star.

Ukiki

Mischievous monkeys on Tall, Tall Mountain. One of them swipes Mario’s cap and runs — catch and headbutt him to win it (and a Star) back.

Koopa Troopa

Classic green-shelled Koopa. Knock it out of its shell, hop on top and surf across lava, ice or water at high speed.

Hoot

A sleepy owl in a tree above the castle courtyard and Tall, Tall Mountain. Wake him up and grab his feet for a flying ride to hard-to-reach platforms.

MIPS

A yellow rabbit that scurries through the castle basement. Catch him once for a Star at 15 Power Stars, and a second time at 50 Stars. Named after the N64’s MIPS R4300i CPU.

Dorrie

A friendly long-necked sea serpent who lives in the underground lake in Hazy Maze Cave. Ride on her back across the dark water to reach the door to Bowser in the Fire Sea.

Princess Peach (in person)

After defeating Bowser in the Sky, Peach floats down from the stained-glass window, kisses Mario on the nose and bakes him a cake. The only time you see her outside the letter.

The Sealed Castle Toads

Five Toads are stuck inside the castle walls, sealed away with the Stars. Each one rewards Mario with a Power Star once enough Stars are collected to free them.

Mario’s Power Caps

Power Caps are Super Mario 64’s answer to the Fire Flower. Each one is hidden inside a special Cap Block in the main courses, but the blocks are invisible until you’ve hit the matching Cap Switch in its hidden secret stage. Each Cap lasts just 60 seconds — long enough to get the Star and not a moment longer.

Each Cap Switch is hidden in its own secret stage and must be ground-pounded to activate. From that moment on, the matching coloured Cap Blocks pop into existence across every main course — until Mario completes a mission, when the cap effect ends.

Wing Cap (red)

Unlocked in the Tower of the Wing Cap. Triple-jump or fire from a cannon to take flight. Press up on the stick to dive, down to climb — just like a glider. The freedom of it is one of the game’s most magical moments.

Metal Cap (green)

Unlocked in the Cavern of the Metal Cap. Mario turns invincible, sinks underwater, ignores wind, walks through fire and noxious gas, and shatters enemies on contact.

Vanish Cap (blue)

Unlocked in Vanish Cap Under the Moat. Mario goes semi-transparent and can pass straight through metal mesh and certain walls. Stack with the Metal Cap in Dire, Dire Docks for the only double-cap moment in the game.

Items & Objects

You’re not building an inventory in Super Mario 64 — everything you pick up is either spent immediately, counted towards a Star, or restoring your health. Here’s the full lineup, straight from the game’s 3D model files.

Collectibles

Power Star

The primary objective. Collect 120 across the game; specific totals unlock new wings of the castle and the Bowser stages. A Jumbo Star appears after the final fight to free Peach.

Key

Earned after the first and second Bowser fights. Each one permanently unlocks a Key Door in the castle — first the basement, then the second floor.

Spinning Heart

Walk through to restore Mario’s Power Meter to full. Usually found in the castle and a few outdoor courses, often tucked behind trees.

Mario's Cap

Mario’s iconic red cap. Lose it to Klepto, Ukikis or Snufits and your damage taken doubles until you punch it back off them.

Switches & Coins

Cap Switch

Three of these are hidden in their own stages — red, green and blue. Ground-pound to permanently activate the corresponding Cap Blocks across the whole game.

Yellow Coin

Restores one wedge of health. Collect 100 in a single course for a Power Star. 50+ at mission end grants extra lives.

Red Coin

Worth two coins each. Each course hides 8 — collect all 8 in a mission for a Red Coin Star.

Blue Coin

Worth five coins. Spawns from a Blue Coin Block or ground-pound switch — grab them fast, they vanish.

World Objects

Cannon

Spread across most courses, unlocked by talking to a Bob-omb Buddy. Aim with the C-buttons and fire Mario in an arc — sometimes the only way to reach distant Stars.

Treasure Chest

Underwater chests in Jolly Roger Bay and the Cavern of the Metal Cap. Open them in the correct numbered sequence to reveal a Power Star.

Bubble Ring

Bubble rings rise from the Manta Ray as she swims circles in Dire, Dire Docks. Swim through five in a row to earn the ray a Power Star.

Warp Pipe

Connect parts of the castle and a few courses. Step on top to be flung between rooms instantly — classic Mario plumbing in 3D form.

The 15 Main Courses

Each main course holds seven Power Stars: six story missions plus a 100-coin Star. The order below follows the Super Mario 64 Player’s Guide. Tap any screenshot to see the full-size MarioWiki original.

01. Bob-omb Battlefield

Default · 7 Stars
Grassy fields surrounding a spiral mountain. A peaceful Bob-omb Buddy faction is at war with Bowser’s rebel Bob-ombs. King Bob-omb sits at the summit with the first Power Star.

02. Whomp’s Fortress

1 Star · 7 Stars
A stone fortress in the sky ruled by the giant Whomp King. Falling platforms, rolling Thwomps, and a tower that rises only after you topple the king.

03. Jolly Roger Bay

3 Stars · 7 Stars
A pirate cove with a wrecked galleon, a moray eel called Unagi sleeping in its hold, and an underwater cave guarded by clams holding treasure.

04. Cool, Cool Mountain

3 Stars · 7 Stars
A snow-capped mountain dotted with penguins, a log cabin, and the game’s wildest natural slide. Help a mama penguin find her lost baby for a Star.

05. Big Boo’s Haunt

1st Bowser + cage · 7 Stars
A haunted mansion tucked away in the castle’s courtyard. Books fly off shelves, pianos lunge at you, and the towering Big Boo guards a Star three times over.

06. Hazy Maze Cave

Basement: drain moat · 7 Stars
A pitch-black underground labyrinth of toxic gas, rolling rocks, and an underwater chamber where you can ride Dorrie the dinosaur across an inky lake.

07. Lethal Lava Land

Castle basement · 7 Stars
Floating volcanic platforms over an ocean of lava. The Big Bully rules a shifting puzzle island, and the volcano itself is its own enterable course-within-a-course.

08. Shifting Sand Land

Castle basement · 7 Stars
A desert with a hollow pyramid at its heart. Klepto the buzzard circles overhead nicking Mario’s cap; quicksand pulls him under in seconds. The pyramid hides Eyerok.

09. Dire, Dire Docks

30 Stars · 7 Stars
A deep undersea passage where Bowser hides his submarine. Pole-jumping, jet streams, and the only place in the game where you can wear two Caps at once.

10. Snowman’s Land

Castle 2nd floor · 7 Stars
A frozen kingdom around a giant snowman. The Chill Bully waits on a floating ice rink; the snowman himself blows you off narrow paths if you’re too slow.

11. Wet-Dry World

Castle 2nd floor · 7 Stars
A flooded ghost town with Crystal Taps that raise or lower the water level. Jump into the painting at different heights to start at different water levels.

12. Tall, Tall Mountain

Castle 2nd floor · 7 Stars
A towering mushroom-platform mountain. Ukikis nick Mario’s cap, wind gusts knock him off ledges, and there’s a slide stuffed inside for good measure.

13. Tiny-Huge Island

Castle 2nd floor · 7 Stars
One island, two scales. Two paintings on opposite walls warp you in at different sizes — tiny Mario in a giant world, or giant Mario in a tiny one. Wiggler is the boss.

14. Tick Tock Clock

Castle 3rd floor · 7 Stars
A vertical clockwork tower. The speed of every gear, pendulum, and platform depends on where the minute hand is pointing when you jump in.

15. Rainbow Ride

Castle 3rd floor · 7 Stars
The final main course — floating islands high in the clouds, traversed by Magic Carpets riding along rainbow rails. Time your jumps or fall forever.

The 3 Bowser Stages

Three confrontations with Bowser are spread across the castle’s three floors. Each one is its own self-contained mini-course leading to an arena; defeat Bowser by grabbing his tail, swinging him in a circle, and chucking him at the floating spike bombs at the edge.

Bowser in the Dark World

8 Stars · 7 Stars
Castle basement. Winding bridges through a void. Bowser must be thrown once. Drops the first key, which unlocks the basement door.

Bowser in the Fire Sea

30 Stars · 7 Stars
Sinking platforms in lava. Bowser thrown twice. Drops the second key — access to the upper floors.

Bowser in the Sky

70 Stars · 7 Stars
Atop the rainbow stairs. The arena tilts and shrinks. Bowser must be thrown three times. Drops the Jumbo Star and frees Peach.

Secret & Cap Stages

Tucked away in the castle are seven more mini-courses worth a Star or two each. They include the three Cap Switch stages, two hidden rooms, a slide and a flying gauntlet. Easy to miss, but the Wing, Metal and Vanish caps don’t work in main courses until you’ve found these.

Princess’s Secret Slide

Mezzanine. 2 Stars — one for reaching the bottom, one for doing it under 21 seconds.

The Secret Aquarium

Hidden alcove by Jolly Roger Bay. Collect 8 Red Coins in a fish tank.

Tower of the Wing Cap

10 Stars unlocked. Activate the red Cap Switch — Wing Cap available in all main courses.

Cavern of the Metal Cap

Underwater entrance in Hazy Maze Cave. Activate the green Cap Switch.

Vanish Cap Under the Moat

Drained castle moat. Activate the blue Cap Switch.

Wing Mario Over the Rainbow

Third-floor cannon stage. 8 Red Coins. 120-Star unlocks a cannon to Yoshi.

Enemies & Bosses

Over 30 different enemy types appear across the courses, ranging from classic Goombas and Koopas to brand-new 3D-only foes like Bullies, Whomps and Klepto the cap-stealing buzzard. Most can be defeated by jumping on them, ground-pounding them or simply punching them off a ledge. Bosses, on the other hand, demand specific tactics.

Common Enemies

Goomba

Squat mushroom enemies that chase Mario on sight. Includes Micro and Grand variants on Tiny-Huge Island.

Boo

Shy ghosts that vanish when Mario looks at them. Punch them from behind to defeat them. Big Boo’s Haunt and the castle courtyard.

Chain Chomp

Lunges from a chain on Bob-omb Battlefield. Ground-pound its post three times to free it and grab a Power Star.

Piranha Plant

Sleeping plants that lunge when approached. Tiptoe past or punch them while they sleep.

Bullet Bill

Fired from cannon turrets on Whomp’s Fortress and Tall, Tall Mountain. Duck or jump — or ride one to reach distant ledges.

Mr. Blizzard

Snowman enemy in Cool, Cool Mountain and Snowman’s Land. Throws snowballs from a fixed spot. Punch his head off to defeat him.

Monty Mole

Pops out of holes to chuck rocks at Mario on Hazy Maze Cave and Tall, Tall Mountain. Hit him while he’s surfaced.

Lava Bubble (Podoboo)

Jumping flame enemies in Lethal Lava Land and Bowser in the Fire Sea. Walk around them — or use the Metal Cap and stroll right through.

Whomp

Stone slab enemies that fall flat to crush Mario. Wait for the slam, then ground-pound the weak spot on their back.

Klepto

A buzzard who steals Mario’s cap on Shifting Sand Land. Punch him to recover it — he sometimes carries a Power Star instead.

Bub

Aggressive yellow fish in Hazy Maze Cave’s underground lake. They swim in tight schools and lunge at Mario when he passes.

Heave-Ho

Wind-up catapult enemies on Whomp’s Fortress and Tick Tock Clock. Stand on their arm and let them fling Mario towards Stars.

Tox Box

Rolling stone cubes in Shifting Sand Land that crush anything in their fixed path. Memorise the pattern, dodge the timing.

Mr. I

Big eyeball enemies in Big Boo’s Haunt and Tiny-Huge Island. Run circles around them until they spin themselves dizzy and vanish.

Haunted Chair

Piece of furniture that flings itself at Mario in Big Boo’s Haunt. Stay alert — the whole mansion’s trying to murder you.

Bob-omb

Walking bombs. Pick them up and throw them as projectiles to destroy stone blocks — or just dodge them till they self-detonate.

Bosses

Big Bob-omb

“Baron of all blasting matter”. First boss, summit of Bob-omb Battlefield. Grab from behind, throw three times.

Whomp King

Top of Whomp’s Fortress. Bait his slam, ground-pound his back. Three hits and a tower rises from the ruin.

Big Bully & Chill Bully

Shove them off the platform into the lava or icy pond. The Big Bully on Lethal Lava Land also summons three smaller Bullies for a rematch.

Wiggler

Lives at the top of Tiny-Huge Island. Drain his pool of water, ground-pound his head three times — he speeds up with every hit.

Other bosses include Big Boo (three appearances across Big Boo’s Haunt), Eyerok (a pair of giant stone hands awakened inside the Shifting Sand Land pyramid), King Boo’s haunted piano in the music room, and the moray eel Unagi in Jolly Roger Bay’s sunken ship. The big one is of course Bowser himself, fought three times.

Reissues

Super Mario 64 has been re-released and remade more times than almost any other Mario game. Here’s the full lineage.

The Japanese Rumble Pak edition — bundled with the Rumble Pak peripheral. Never released in EU or US markets.

Regional & Version Differences

The original 1996 Japanese release, the North American release, and the PAL European/Australian release all have small but cumulative differences. Most got cleaned up further in the Shindou Rumble Pak version. A quick highlight reel:

Shindou (Rumble Pak) title screen

European/Australian title screen

• Jolly Roger Bay painting: the Japanese original is a frame of bubbles in blue; Western releases changed it to a sunken ship in gold.
• Peach’s letter: signed with a pink “Peach” in the West, normal black text in Japan.
• Multi-language support: the European/Australian release added English, German and French via an Options menu.
• “So long-a, Bowser!”: Charles Martinet’s voice clip is changed to “Buh-bye!” in the Shindou Rumble Pak version.
• Backwards Long Jump glitch: patched out in the Shindou and PAL versions — speedrunners still prefer the original NTSC-J/U.
• The Japanese version has a key-dance animation; Western versions changed it to a new dance with the key itself.

Reception & Legacy

Super Mario 64 is regularly listed among the most influential video games ever made. It launched the Nintendo 64, taught the entire industry how a 3D platformer should feel, and went on to be the system’s best-selling game: 11.62 million copies shipped worldwide as of the end of 2009. Reviewers at the time were essentially unanimous — the camera was occasionally awkward, but everything else was 10/10 perfect.

Super Mario 64 was one of the games featured at The Art of Video Games, a 2012 exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, where it won the action category for the Nintendo 64 — beating out Banjo-Kazooie and Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.

Official Descriptions

Trivia & Easter Eggs

• Luigi was prototyped during development for a two-player co-op mode and cut before release. His unused object slots remained in the code — rumours of unlocking him kept gaming magazines busy for years. He finally got his 3D debut in Super Mario 64 DS (2004).
• Shigeru Miyamoto took up swimming during development. Mario’s underwater breaststroke is a direct reference to the stroke Miyamoto was learning at the time.
• Lakitu is the cameraman. Just as in the Mario Kart games, Lakitu films the action from his cloud — the in-universe excuse for the game’s free 3D camera.
• Some Bob-ombs are friendly! The pink Bob-omb Buddies man cannons across the castle and the various courses, once the Bob-omb war on Bob-omb Battlefield is over.
• MIPS the rabbit in the castle basement is named after MIPS Technologies, the company that designed the N64’s R4300i processor.
• MIPS is also an Alice in Wonderland nod — like the White Rabbit, he scurries about and is always running late.
• Mario can wear different power caps (Wing Cap, Metal Cap, Vanish Cap — and Wario’s Cap in Super Mario 64 DS).
• The title screen lets you stretch and squish Mario’s face into different shapes using the C-buttons. Miyamoto suggested the team “play with Mario’s model like a programmer”.
• Charles Martinet provided Mario’s voice in Super Mario 64. It wasn’t his first time — he had also voiced Mario in Mario’s FUNdamentals, a puzzle game collection from 1995.
• Player 2 controls the camera during the ending. When a second controller is plugged in, the second player can pan and zoom the camera throughout the ending sequence and the closing credits.
• Super Mario 64 was the best-selling game on the Nintendo 64, shifting over 11.62 million copies by the start of 2010.
• According to the January 2005 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Super Mario 64 is the game that made 3-D games popular.
• A sequel was planned for the unreleased Super Nintendo Disc Drive. The SNES-CD addon (developed in partnership with Sony) never made it to market, but a follow-up to SM64 was once destined for it.
• A two-player simultaneous mode was in early development. Developers ultimately scrapped it, deciding two players would never agree on where to go or what to do.
• You have to fight Bowser three times in this game — in the Dark World, in the Fire Sea, and finally in the Sky.
• In the Japanese version of the title screen, the prompt reads Press Start. In the US and EU versions it simply says Start.
• Japan got a Rumble Pak edition. In Japan, the Rumble Pak was released alongside Super Mario 64 as part of a special bundle. The Rumble Pak edition never made it to EU or US markets.
• Wizard of Oz reference: the sixth star in Rainbow Ride is called “Somewhere over the Rainbow” — after the Judy Garland song from The Wizard of Oz.
• Edgar Allan Poe reference: the second star in Tick Tock Clock is named “The Pit and the Pendulums” — a nod to Poe’s short story The Pit and the Pendulum.
• Tick Tock Clock returns as a race track in Mario Kart DS.
• Metal Mario returns as a playable racer in Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS — a callback to the Metal Cap power-up here.
• Royal Raceway on Mario Kart 64 features Peach’s Castle, recreated identically from Super Mario 64. You can drive your kart up to the castle and around its grounds.
• Paper Mario opens the same way: Mario receives a letter from Peach, arrives at the castle, and the main room is almost identical to SM64’s — though the doors then lead to different rooms.
• SM64 DS opens with a callback: at the start of the DS remake, Yoshi jumps down from the castle roof — the exact spot he appears in at the end of the original game.
• The “It that really you???” line when Mario meets Yoshi on the castle rooftop is a typo — it should read “Is that really you???”. The line was carried through the Virtual Console releases and only got patched in Super Mario 3D All-Stars.
• If you collect all 120 Stars, Yoshi appears on the castle roof, gives Mario 100 extra lives, and unlocks a new flailing triple-jump animation. Cannons across the castle also open up.
• Plural-form typo: if Mario tries to enter a level needing one more star, the game still pluralises the message — “You need 1 more stars” instead of “You need one more star”.
• The Backwards Long Jump is the most famous SM64 glitch — performed correctly, it lets Mario climb any flight of stairs, including the Endless Stairs.
• The Black Room of Death: using the Backwards Long Jump you can clip into a section the developers never finished — Mario gets stuck inside the castle walls.
• Invisible walls and objects hide throughout the levels — one of the most famous is on Tall, Tall Mountain.
• You can reach the castle rooftop without 120 Stars. A perfectly-timed Triple Jump on the slope adjacent to the castle gets you up there. It takes a few attempts but it’s reproducible.
• Falling off the castle roof sees Mario cling to the corner of the building — but he still loses a life, and his cap comes off in the process.

Videos

From original 1996 commercials to long-form gameplay walkthroughs — here are some of the best Super Mario 64 videos floating around.

Nintendo Power Archive

Super Mario 64 dominated the pages of Nintendo Power across 1996-1998. We’ve collected every issue’s SM64 coverage here — the original previews, the strategy guide special, the Game Faces competition, and the running Questions & Answers feature where readers wrote in with their toughest sticking points.

More Super Mario 64