Some people grew up playing Super Mario 64 so much that they can probably complete some of the levels with their eyes closed. Other people weren’t so lucky, being introduced to the game in the past week as it released on the Switch as part of the 3D All-Stars collection.
For newbie players or those with two left thumbs, there are a few strategies and tips you can take into the many worlds contained within this game and find the missing Power Stars you need. Here are some of those tips and how to employ them to become a pro.
10 Unlock Hats ASAP
There are three different specialty hats that act like powerups contained within this game. The Metal Cap, while affecting his weight, allows Mario to ignore the effects of wind, many enemies, and poison gas as well as walk on the bottom of bodies of water; the Vanish Cap lets him walk through enemies, some types of glass, and fences; finally, the Wing Cap allows Mario to fly through the sky,
None of these caps are explicitly necessary to get most of the way through the game, but unlocking them can make your life a lot easier. Many easy stars require putting on the cap and then grabbing the star almost instantly.
Unlock the Wing Cap by looking up toward the ceiling in the main room of the castle when the light beam comes down; unlock the Metal Cap in a special course found within the Hazy Maze Cave level; and find the Vanish Cap by draining the moat in the basement and completing the unlocked stage outside.
9 Use the Teleporters
There are a few levels that contain a warp point that will transport Mario from one area to another. However, they can be hard to find and there’s next to no indication that they even exist.
Two of the most useful are found early in the game. In Bob-omb Battlefield, an invisible teleport point is found in the small alcove that the cannonballs come out of. It will warp Mario higher up the mountain. On Cool, Cool Mountain, there are warp points located at the end of two broken bridges that will warp you between them. This lets Mario move from the bottom of the level to the top or vice versa.
8 You Don’t Need Every Star
There are quite a few Power Stars to find across the entirety of this classic game — 120 in total. While it’s fun to collect them all, you don’t need to in order to beat the game.
This means that you can entirely skip one if it’s giving you too much trouble. There are usually multiple levels open to you at once, plus several Castle Secret Stars, and more. Turn your attention elsewhere if you want! There’s no need to grab every single star.
7 Camera Preferences
One thing that can make some stars particularly hard to grab is the way the camera moves on hard platforming sections. Sometimes you need to be very careful to walk a narrow strip and the camera is turning while you’re walking, causing you to fall.
You can set the camera to “Lakitu” or “Mario” modes. You can also zoom out on either of these options or switch between them as necessary to help you with the finicky controls. Enter the Start menu for more options, too.
6 Healing Options
Speaking of options, there’s a couple of them when trying to recover your health points. Mario only has eight hit points in this game, and many things will take away two or more at a time.
The small hearts that you can run through are a great option, but they’re few and far between, so many people use coins to recover health. However, another easy option is resurfacing when in a body of water. You can just jump in the water, then resurface to “catch your breath” and your health will be restored. It’s like a free health potion.
5 Go Slow
There’s no rush to beat this game! Take it slow and you might find out that some things are much easier if some patience is applied. There are quite a few hard platforming sections that require Mario to balance pretty well or risk falling off.
Hold ZR or ZL and move the left thumbstick and Mario will crawl very slowly. It’s much easier to make it across these tightrope-like challenges with more control and slower movement.
4 Painting Changes
Some levels in Mario 64 require the player to manipulate the state of the contained world to achieve certain goals. For example, Wet-Dry World requires Mario to shift the water level between a few different options to reach certain areas.
Some of these levels can actually be controlled before you even enter them. For example, the height of the water in Wet-Dry World can be changed by the level at which Mario jumps into the painting. If he enters toward the top, the water will be higher. Entering the Tick Tock Clock level at certain “times” will change the speed of the obstacles in the level, including freezing everything if Mario enters when the minute hand is on the 12.
3 Remember the Secret Stars
If you’re looking to grab a few stars to unlock the next section of the castle but the levels available to you are too hard, seek out some of the Castle Secret Stars.
There are quite a few of them, actually. There are Toads scattered around the castle that will give Mario a free Power Star, there are several contained within different stages, and there’s even a star for collecting 100 coins in each level.
2 Get the Jumps Down
As one of the first 3D games to ever exist, Mario 64 did a great job of making Mario move through 3D space. This was achieved by introducing quite a few different jumps that can be performed with combinations of button presses.
Mastering these jumps is essentially at the core of becoming a pro in this game. The Long Jump is particularly useful, helping you move across larger gaps. However, don’t discount the fact that you can prevent fall damage by ground-pounding near the end of the fall.
1 Have Fun!
At the end of the day, video games are meant to be fun. Mario 64, like many other games, can be frustratingly difficult at times. However, it’s meant to be enjoyable, and it is!
There’s so much to do and discover that you’ll rarely only have one or two things to do. If something is frustrating or not fun, move onto something else. Have fun, and this game can become a great memory for you like it has been for many.
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