-Shigeru Miyamoto
What can I say about Super Mario 64 that hasn’t already been said? It’s one of those gaming masterpieces packed full of nostalgia. It’s influenced almost every platformer that’s followed it, and it continues to lend its foundations to newer Mario games, such as Odyssey, creating new generations of video game enthusiasts.
With the release of Super Mario 3D All Stars, which includes Super Mario 64, a whole new audience are able to experience this gem, and the varying levels that lay within. This blog is a celebration of those levels and, out of the 15 fantastic offerings, the 10 that are my favourite.
Let me long jump you into a world of platforming perfection, crazy caps, and a Princess that’s baked you a sweet sweet cake.
Did You Know?
- Released: 1996 (US & JP), 1997 (Europe/Aus)
- Sold 11 million copies
- Voice introduction of Charles Martinet as Mario
10) Hazy Maze Cave
Starting off our list, and beating the 5 levels we won’t mention (mainly because no one likes water levels), is Hazy Maze Cave. Yes, there is some water in this level, but I’m not here to discuss my hypocrisy! Set underground, with more twists than an M. Night Shyamalan film, Hazy Maze Cave is a great effort at rekindling those underground segments that made the 2d Super Mario Bros. games, so great. The colour scheme may be a dull mixture of browns and greens, and I’ll skip over the frustrations of “Elevate for 8 Red Coins”, but the music – oh boy – talk about immersive! The reverberating sounds that amplify the hollowed-out space of the cave do make you feel alone as you guide Mario through the fog, and traverse the depths of this first, 3d underground effort from Nintendo.
9) Cool Cool Mountain
The only ice level you’ll see in this list, Cool Cool Mountain comes in at number 9. One of the earlier levels in Super Mario 64, there are some really nice platforming moments here, especially in “Wall Kicks Will Work”. This Star has Mario long jumping over gaps and wall jumping off vertical surfaces to reach higher levels, a mechanic that would be honed and mastered in later games such as Super Mario Sunshine and Galaxy. However, with the slide missions feeling like repetitive filler, and “Snowman’s Lost His Head” feeling quite similar, this level doesn’t make it any higher on my list.
8) Tall-Tall Mountain
Next, because it rhymes with Cool Cool Mountain (kind of) is Tall Tall Mountain. Annoying Monkeys and Monty Moles aside, there are some lovely touches in Tall Tall Mountain that still make me smile. In particular, “Mysterious Mountainside” stands out, not because it’s a slide level (I realise what I said for Cool Cool Mountain) but because of the way you have to find the secret side. Hidden behind a jump-through wall, it’s the “dream within a dream” Inception touch of this particular star that reinvigorates the feeling of surprise! With this level being around the halfway point of the game, it secures that feeling that Super Mario 64 will keep you guessing until the end.
7) Lethal Lava Land
There are particular environments that have become a staple of the Mario series. Water levels (again skipping over these), Sand levels, and those delectable Fire levels. Speaking of which, number 7 on my list is Lethal Lava Land. Hot-molten floor? Check! Lava-spewing volcano? Check! Moving jigsaw of Bowser? Er….forget about it. Yes Lethal Lava land is as lethal as it is fun. With a focus on platforming and avoiding cooking Mario to a burnt crisp, the first few Stars see you jumping, punching and surfing your way across scolding temperatures before luring you into the depths of the volcano in the centre of this hellish map. If the level didn’t feel so disconnected, almost like shapes and land masses had been placed at random in the open space, this one would be much hotter, and higher on my list!
6) Bob-omb Battlefield
Falling just short of the top 5 is the first level that you’re introduced to in this glorious game. I am of course talking about Bob-omb Battlefield. There was a lot riding on this level’s shoulders – the first 3D Mario level you’ll experience – but oh boy, does it deliver. Setting the bar high for the rest of Super Mario 64, Bob-omb Battlefield is a colourful, immersive and wholesome level that ticks all the boxes. I especially like the 5th “blocker” star, “Mario Wings to the Sky”. You cannot complete this particular star without the Wing Cap, unlocked at 10 stars. The star shortage means you’re forced to explore the castle further, giving an almost metroidvania feel to the level. Bob-omb Battflied summons that opening Mario level ‘feeling’, translates it to 3D, and creates an iconic map that represents the entire game. That feeling never goes away, and every time I boot up Super Mario 64, I look forward to diving headfirst into the Bob-omb portrait, through the door on the left.
5) Shifting Sand Land
As an individual who proactively tries to steer clear of beaches to avoid sandy digits, I surprised myself when Shifting Sand Land hit spot number 5. It’s your typical desert theme complete with an Egyptian pyramid, hat stealing vulture, and quicksand – and I love it. Shifting Sand Land’s starting position is especially great; you start on a narrow path with quicksand off to the right, and tall sand dunes to the left giving you a sense of being enclosed. Walking forwards, you’re exposed to this vast open desert full of hazards and enemies, and an imminent sense of doom, which Shifting Sand Land provides by the bucket (and spade) load. The real gem of this level is the star “Stand Tall on the Four Pillars” which culminates in a boss fight with Eyerok inside the pyramid. This star uses the entire map, the Wing Cap, and is one of the more interesting boss fights of the game – a star you might see on my Top 10 Mario Mission post…when I get to it.
4) Rainbow Ride
Just missing out on the top 3 is the final level of Super Mario 64, Rainbow Ride. As the name suggests, this level takes place up in the clouds, amongst Airships, floating mansions, and magic, rainbow riding carpets – Miyamoto was on a (creative) high with this one for sure! The double rainbow guy’s got nothing on this level, as you can’t move without seeing the multi-coloured weather phenomena everywhere. As the penultimate stage before your final showdown with Bowser, this level exceeds in testing all the platforming prowess you’ve obtained up to this point – put a toe wrong, and you’ll plunge Mario back to the castle grounds, and watch those lives slowly creep towards zero. “Swinging in the Breeze” and “Tricky Triangles” are two particular stars that require platforming perfection, but the pay off of nailing that final jump leaves you feeling like you could accomplish anything, and gears you up, for that final King Koopa showdown!
3) Whomp’s Fortress
Grabbing the bronze podium spot is the fantastic Whomp’s Fortress. This stronghold level can be found early in the game and packs in some classic Mario enemies. Bullet Bills, Pirahna Plants, Thwomps and Whomps (say that 10 times faster after a few drinks). The level itself doesn’t stick to a particular theme, there’s the industrial concrete top, the watery middle and lower grasslands that gives the level a sporadic nature, without feeling confusing or ‘too-much’. The star missions have a nice mixture of a boss enemy in the form of “Chip Off Whomp’s Block”, puzzle solving with “Blast Away the Wall”, and exploration in “To The Top of the Fortress”. Its well-rounded nature, focus on fun, and overall joy is what lands Whomp’s Fortress on my number 3 spot.
2) Tick Tock Clock
Just missing out on the top spot, and by the smallest of margins, is Tick Tock Clock. Yes, it breaks my heart to not put this at number one, but TIME is a great healer…Accessed through the face of a Grandfather clock, this level comes with a quirky mechanic – the speed of the platforms, enemies and moving parts are all dependant on the position of the dials when you enter this level. At 12 o’clock, everything is stationary, whilst at 9 o’clock, the speed is ramped up to the maximum, and determining what speed would be best for the current Star mission, is just the tip of the difficulty iceberg. Like Rainbow Ride, there’s no bottom to the level, and that doesn’t leave your mind whilst you’ve got Mario on a treadmill, and he’s being hurled towards a body-crushing Thwomp. The level always keeps you guessing too as each star mission forces you higher up the clock. Just when you think you’ve reached the top, the next star mission takes you further, and brands you a fool for thinking you’d conquered the mechanical giant. It’s one of the few Super Mario 64 levels to inspire a Mario Kart track and, being towards the end of the game, keeps me ticking through, wanting to reach this platforming beaut.
1) Tiny, Huge Island
Taking the top spot, and my all-time favourite Super Mario 64 level is Tiny, Huge Island. I tell ya, this one does absolutely everything right for me – playing this level kicks up the dopamine, and floods my body with nostalgia. As the name suggests, this level is both Tiny and Huge and has Mario traversing between the two through the iconic green pipes which – shockingly – only appear on this map. The layout is the same across both worlds, however the Tiny version creates a gigantic Mario, that increases the difficulty of navigating ledges and platforms. Whilst in the Huge version, Mario is a mere ant, cowering in the shade of massive Goombas as they waddle towards you with earthquaking steps. My favourite star is “Wiggler’s Red Coins” which torturously forces you between Tiny and Huge Island to access the canon, then challenges you to make a pixel-perfect shot towards a single tree, (unless you skip this with the Shell “cheat”), before testing your joystick skills as you guide Mario over a very narrow, sheer drops on both sides ledge, into a hillside cavern – and that’s just the start! Once inside, you’re then EXPECTED to platform around a dank, dangerous cavern for 8 red coins, all whilst dealing with some less than flattering camera angles. Tiny, Huge Island is everything I love about Super Mario 64, it’s Huge on fun, and reminds me of when I was Tiny, playing Super Mario 64 as a small, dumbfounded, and starstruck 8 year old boy.
There you have it – there are my Top 10 Super Mario 64 levels. I hope you’ve had as much fun reading this, as I did writing it up. This game truly was a big milestone for me as a Nintendo fan. At this time, I was already sold by Nintendo’s ability, but this game let me know my investment into Nintendo would never need a refund. I’ve never looked back, and everytime I play a platformer to date, the 8 year old boy inside me is asking “is it going to be as good, as Super Mario 64?”