Articles by Alex Donaldson

Super Mario 64 sure loves a small stage with a whole lot of vertical space – and Tall, Tall Mountain is the embodiment of that? Tall, Tall Mountain is the 12th course in Super Mario 64 – and in many ways it feels similar to past courses like Cool, Cool Mountain, Whomp’s Fortress and Bob-omb […]

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The 11th course in Super Mario 64 is Wet-Dry World, and for my money, this is where this game really hits its stride. While many of the levels in Mario 64 so far have been good, this level is the first of a back-half streak that shows a real confidence with this Mario team working […]

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As well as the stars in every level in Super Mario 64, there’s a handful of stars hidden elsewhere. These stars appear in a few different ways, but all come under the general heading in the menu of Castle Secret Stars, which is quite different to the other levels in the game. In addition, there […]

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We’re now into double digits, and course 10 of Super Mario 64 is another snow one – found on the upper levels of the castle. To reach Snowman’s Land you’ll have to unlock the door on the upper level of the lobby with the key obtained for beating Bowser a second time – which you […]

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Course 9 of Super Mario 64 is another water level – the Dire, Dire Docks, which takes Mario into a dock that seems to have been taken over by Bowser. To reach Dire Dire Docks and begin searching for its power stars, you’ll need to pass through the large star door in the castle basement […]

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The eighth course in Super Mario 64 tackles another classic from across the series – the desert level: Shifting Sand Land. This sort of level first really made its Mario debut in Mario 3 – though if you’re counting side games you could make a case for the sublime Super Mario Land on Game Boy. […]

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Course seven of Super Mario 64 is Lethal Lava Land, and brings another classic Mario staple level into 3D: the dark lava stage. We mostly saw caves in Super Mario World, and this is now Bowser’s Castle – but the whole stage is blanketed in Lava that, in a couple of hits, can kill you.Keep […]

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Down into the basement of the Super Mario 64 castle you’ll find the next four stages – including course six, Hazy Maze Cave. This one isn’t entered through a painting – down in the basement, you’ll see a fire picture which goes to Lethal Lava Land – instead of entering that, hook a right to […]

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Course five in Super Mario 64 adds another classic Mario trope to the game – a great big ghost house in the finest Super Mario World tradition. To access this course, you don’t just jump through a painting: you’ll need to go through the first set of wooden doors in the castle lobby, then follow […]

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The fourth course of Super Mario 64 follows another classic level theme – this time the Snow level. Cool, Cool Mountain has penguins, snowmen, and a frustrating icy slide. It’s found on the main castle lobby on the left hand side, behind a 3-star door. It’s a strangely challenging stage despite being early in the […]

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