So this is the first time I played Mario 64 or any N64 game in that matter, and I have to say, I really loved it. It accomplishes two things any good 3D platformer should do.

It feels really nice to control Mario in this game; his moveset is very fleshed out with all sorts of jumps you can do. I really like that you can just run automatically instead of holding down on a button. The thing is, it’s just fun to run around and do tricks in the stages, which I think is the important part of any good 3D platformer in general. 

The stars are definitely a smart idea to get players to replay the same stage; in concept there are only 15 stages, but with each star being different, I never really got stale replaying the stage. There are just so many creative star ideas, and I like how the 100-coin stars are basically a final test for the player to see if they can master the stage.

The music is also really good, especially the ending theme. While I like a lot of the tracks, I’m a fan that they repeat in different stages but that’s not a big deal, but all the music is pretty catchy and fits the stages (sometimes).

Is Super Mario 64 the perfect game like everyone says? I think it’s a really great game, but there are some flaws, but they don’t really affect my opinion much, since this is Nintendo’s first attempt at a 3D Mario, so I’m willing to soften at flaws since I do expect things to be janky, and the core game is really fun, so I don’t really mind.

* I don’t like the camera in this game; it just doesn’t feel like it works all the time. Like, I know you can adjust it, but that requires you to stop. That’s like an actual problem, like when you just want to perform a precise jump but the camera screws you over.
* This doesn’t matter as much, but this might be controversial, but I think this game is ugly. While I really like how colourful it is and the 3D models are fine, I think it’s just the textures being so blurry and the high use of 2D sprites.

I think it should just be acknowledged that this game still has a lot of jank.

I may soften these complaints as I play more N64 games, and I’m expecting a lot of bad ones. Mario 64 is still a great game; any retro gamer should just try it once.

  


My Super Mario 64 Review