Super Mario 64 is a platform video game that completely changed how 3D games were made. It was released in 1996 as one of the launch games for the Nintendo 64 console.
The game was developed and published by Nintendo. The main producer and director was Shigeru Miyamoto, one of the most influential game designers ever. He also created the original Mario games, as well as The Legend of Zelda series.
In the game, Mario is invited to Princess Peach’s castle for cake. When he arrives, he discovers that Bowser has taken over the castle, trapped Peach, and hidden powerful magical Stars inside paintings. Mario jumps into these paintings to enter different worlds where he explores, solves puzzles, defeats enemies, and collects Power Stars. As he gathers more Stars, he unlocks new areas of the castle until he is finally able to face Bowser and rescue Peach.
What made Super Mario 64 so important was its gameplay. Earlier Mario games were mostly side scrolling, meaning you could only move left and right. Super Mario 64 let players move freely in every direction inside large 3D worlds. It introduced a camera system that players could control, smooth analog movement with the Nintendo 64 controller, and a huge variety of moves like long jumps, wall kicks, backflips, and dives. These ideas became the foundation for many later 3D platform games.
The game has 15 main worlds, each with different themes such as snowy mountains, underwater areas, haunted houses, lava stages, and floating islands. Instead of completing levels in a fixed order, players can often choose which Stars to collect and which worlds to visit next, giving the game a greater sense of freedom.
Super Mario 64 received outstanding reviews when it launched and is still considered one of the greatest video games ever made. Critics praised its controls, level design, music, and creativity. Many modern 3D games, even outside the platform genre, were influenced by the ideas it introduced.
Today, the game remains popular not only with casual players but also with speedrunners who compete to finish it as quickly as possible. Its community is still active decades after its release, discovering new tricks, glitches, and ways to complete the game faster.
