Super Mario 64

 Nintendo 64
User Score
9.1

Universal acclaim- based on 1818 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,635 out of 1818
  2. Mixed: 117 out of 1818
  3. Negative: 66 out of 1818
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  1. DomyMaio
    Feb 8, 2022
    10
    È LA PERFEZIONE IN PERSONA‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️
  2. AzumaTaki12
    Feb 1, 2022
    10
    I love this masterpiece! :) even though is a old game, the graffics are just so good for the epoch! I am pried of know 'bout this gold. :)
  3. SeniorJack
    Jan 21, 2022
    10
    This game changed my life.and this game changed the 3D platformer.you need to play this game
  4. 2k3rr
    Jan 4, 2022
    8
    Super Mario 64 was a revolution for 3d gaming and one of the first ever 3d platforming sandbox games made and I will be talking about every detail about this game.

    Ill start of by talking about the story, the story is kind of basic, peach sends you a letter to invite you for some cake but when you arrive bowser kidnapped her and hid away stars in different courses, I've definitely seen    Super Mario 64 was a revolution for 3d gaming and one of the first ever 3d platforming sandbox games made and I will be talking about every detail about this game.

    Ill start of by talking about the story, the story is kind of basic, peach sends you a letter to invite you for some cake but when you arrive bowser kidnapped her and hid away stars in different courses, I've definitely seen better stories in other Mario games but I cant blame this game for having a basic story as this was more of an introduction to 3d gaming.

    The controls in this game have a lot of variety and all can be used in there own way and became very useful for tech and you can just mess around with the controls in one area and can have fun just by doing that, in terms for different controls like the flying and swimming controls give me very mixed feelings, the swimming controls are very mediocre a lot of people complained about the swimming as well I didn't find it unbearable but it definitely wasn't the best, the wing cap can get hard to master as you can't get anymore vertical height but flying around after blasting with a cannon can be fun and finally for camera controls are god awful they don't move in 360 degrees and you can only zoom it out and zoom it back in.

    for the soundtrack, it is very good, the Mario 64 main theme which is the one that plays in bob-omb battlefield is super classic and upbeat, the dire dire docks theme is relaxing except no one likes the level it plays in, it was cool they made a track that fits for a lava themed level and a sand themed level which is super cool no other video game has done that and the most over used theme slider and the slider Christmas remix track, snow mountain. The problem is that they reuse a lot of these songs in different levels.

    in terms of difficulty you can definitely feel progression from playing in bob-omb battlefield and then playing in another stage I wont spoil which tests your platforming by a lot and can take long on stars as bob omb battlefield is more peaceful and open-world where you can get stars fairly easy, and the good thing about this game your not forced to play any of the hard levels at all if your not going to 100% the game.

    I'm going to talk about the levels some of them are great with cool mechanics but a lot of them aren't so great and are just poorly designed it'll take to long if I went into detail into every stage and this is spoiler free so ill just talk about some dire dire docks is easily the worst course its so bland you mostly swim and literally everything looks the same and there's no level design, its split into 2 parts the worst thing is, this is the only stage your forced to do 1 star to progress to the end. the best course is bob omb battlefield the first course just because of how free you are and there is so much to explore and you can just fly around freely to.

    now here's the worst part of the game, its the "bosses" the reason i put these "" on bosses is because they don't even feel like bosses you kind of just get them done and move on and you can literally just leave the boss arena any moment you want and some of them you don't even get any backstory on before you fight, there just there and you get rid of them and then grab the star.

    so there's my opinion on Mario 64, it has a lot of fun challenges, while its a platforming game there's so many unique mechanics to give the game so much more variety than it has although the swimming downgrades your controls a lot. this game is very appreciated but it is to me kind of overrated as people don't look into other details.

    8.5/10    … Expand
  5. Goodnewsjonny
    Dec 23, 2021
    8
    This is a good, though flawed and overrated game. The camera is a just bad; gameplay is dated, based on the 2D '1 wrong move and you die!' style of play. Hazy Maze Cave is an awful level and Dire Dire Docks is dull as dishwater. Mario is unnecessarily slippy and slidy, a poor decision for a platform heavy platformer. Most of the rest kf the game is excellent.
  6. NotJordi
    Dec 20, 2021
    6
    This game peaks in speedruning, and in my opinion, it's the best speedrun game of all time.

    Also Mario's movement is great, and is satisfying to master, but there are some cons.

    for one the map design is horrible, and hard to be enjoyable to play casually.

    As I said this game peaks in speedrunning, but lacks in it's casual play.
  7. Kermito_San
    Dec 18, 2021
    10
    Super Mario 64 did not invent the 3D in the videogame, but sure was the first to do it right, it did it so well that even today it's still engaging, precise, and very fun.
    Being one of the first 3D games the developer made the right choice of starting the game in an open area with no music. This way the player can experience not only the movement controls but also the camera, which is    Super Mario 64 did not invent the 3D in the videogame, but sure was the first to do it right, it did it so well that even today it's still engaging, precise, and very fun.
    Being one of the first 3D games the developer made the right choice of starting the game in an open area with no music. This way the player can experience not only the movement controls but also the camera, which is very important to master from the begging since a jump usually fails because of our miscalculations based on the camera angle.
    To further demonstrate how this is not the traditional game, Mario has been given different jumps and moves, while also having the ability to punch enemies.
    After entering Peach castle, the player can choose which level he wants to play, in which order, and how many of them; as Mario 64 does not need you to complete all the levels in an area to advance to the next one.
    Every level is unique and fun in its own way. When you think that the game can't possibly get better it strikes you with a new idea and it does get better.
    I will talk about the music very briefly: it's just great! every single track fits perfectly, sounds great, and gives you different feels that go toe to toe with the level vibe.
    The amount of work to make this game is huge and you can really see it when you finally complete it, understanding how this gem shaped the way for all other 3D games to come

    10 / 10 Kermito San    … Expand
  8. superlakitu64
    Dec 4, 2021
    10
    Super Mario 64 legte den Grundstein für die Ära der modernen 3D-Platformer. Auf diesem Spiel bauen alle folgenden Teile auf. Super Mario 64 nutzte die ihm durch das Nintendo64-System gegebene Limitation sehr gut aus und gab ein Musterbeispiel, wie sich Mario in 3D anzufühlen hat. Und das Internet zeigt eindrucksvoll, dass sich das Konzept "Super Mario 64" bewährt hat. Super Mario 64 istSuper Mario 64 legte den Grundstein für die Ära der modernen 3D-Platformer. Auf diesem Spiel bauen alle folgenden Teile auf. Super Mario 64 nutzte die ihm durch das Nintendo64-System gegebene Limitation sehr gut aus und gab ein Musterbeispiel, wie sich Mario in 3D anzufühlen hat. Und das Internet zeigt eindrucksvoll, dass sich das Konzept "Super Mario 64" bewährt hat. Super Mario 64 ist heutzutage in den Augen vieler ein goldener Klassiker, welcher immer gerne für den ein oder anderen Speedrun hergenommen wird. Auch aus heutiger Sicht ist dieses Spiel also gut gealtert.… Expand
  9. EtaYorius
    Dec 2, 2021
    10
    The perfect mario game! the one that redefined gaming as a whole! Mario games are not very good at telling stories, but damn they're fun! the gameplay is amazing and still the best mario game ever! you can jump, crawl, slide, jump from wall to wall, stomp enemies with his butt, punch, kick and even hang out from ledges. Love this game even to this day!
  10. B00tador
    Nov 28, 2021
    8
    Showing it's age a little now, but still an all-time classic. I'd say approx. 50% of the wolrds are fantastic, the rest are pretty bad.
  11. BeeSting1
    Nov 26, 2021
    9
    Good

    - controls are smooth - Mario has various animations that makes him feel alive. Idle sleep animation, getting squished when falling from high up, or getting squashed by enemies. - cap power-ups are fun - going into paintings to enter levels is cool. The levels themselves are also diverse in visuals and environment. - when I played this as a kid, I never read the    Good

    - controls are smooth

    - Mario has various animations that makes him feel alive. Idle sleep animation, getting squished when falling from high up, or getting squashed by enemies.

    - cap power-ups are fun

    - going into paintings to enter levels is cool. The levels themselves are also diverse in visuals and environment.

    - when I played this as a kid, I never read the dialogue, but it’s actually not bad.

    - so much movement and attack options making the platforming very versatile.

    Bad

    - a button that automatically put the camera behind Mario would have been great. But completely forgive-able given this was the first foray into 3D camera controls.

    - I felt like they could have used a more appealing font. The text font used is a little hard to read and ugly.

    - rotating the camera in fixed lengths messes up with the movement

    Reflection

    - This game felt so difficult when I played it as a kid. The worlds felt so massive and detailed. It’s crazy to see how much bigger games have grown since. The worlds we see in Mario games now are so much more detailed.    … Expand
  12. Ray82z
    Nov 14, 2021
    10
    im here to rate it a 64 because its funny. comedy at its finest please nintendo make a good n64 emulator im sorry
  13. ND-Bringer
    Jun 13, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. YOU WILL DIE...SO MANY TIMES! Super Mario's transition to 3-D was a bit of a mixed bag. This time, Mario has to explore the magic realms within Bowser's art gallery in order to save the Princess. While Peach's Castle may be well known as a splendid hub area, it feels pretty empty to me. While it may have fun, hidden levels to explore, there's also a lot of extra space full of nothing outside in the garden. At the time it may have been revolutionary, but what's so revolutionary about a green & blue void? Sure, the concept art may be magical, I still remember sketching 64 themed art back in the day. But the game itself isn't all that great. It has an audience, I understand that. But it's not really replaying at the end of the day. The majority of the levels are infuriating hard & while its important for a game to have a necessary level of difficulty...many of these are full of a ton of cheap deaths! Whether it's falling into the void below, getting eaten by a fish, or being subjected to instant death sand...64 really knows how to be ruthless with its challenges. And while a nice challenge is important for personal growth, 64 fails to execute that with its gimmicky levels. Take a look back at some big open-world games. While each level's line of challenges are all tied together, the moment you get a Star, your then immediately taken out of it. How irritating is it to collect the damn red coins over & over again? VERY! The challenges themselves aren't all that wondrous. With every course being littered with tiny platforms & slippery terrain, Mario will end up falling to his doom over & over & over again. Close your eyes after play through, you can still hear Mario's groaning sound effects. I ask myself why did they put so much effort into the death animations? I mean, they're really well done, but maybe some that focus could put into designing some more bearable levels. Each level feels like a chore to explore with the constant backtracking players are forced o suffer through. Game overs are a bit meaningless because the you're just sent back to the start of the hub area like many other levels. I get It that the realm of adventure you get to explore can leave an impact on you, but there's no reason what's so ever to replay levels after completion. You can earn high scores, but good luck finding anyone who's going to compete for the best time on those death trap slide levels. And let's not forget the million dollar question, why aren't there check points in the levels? It would save a lot of time if I didn't have to climb the mountain every minute of my life, hoping that dopey penguin shields me properly in Snow Man's Land. Seriously, this is the world’s very first mission & its atrocity of an obstacle., especially since the platform is slippery to begin with! The level loses its charm with cheap obstacles like this. It becomes a big mental challenge when the player thinks too one's self if the game is even worth playing if there's no real reward to go with it. Square Eyed Jak, taught me a lot about how a game is worth playing, if the experience fails to feel energizing. I can't get a rush through dashing through the level since I'm constantly safety jumping & stopping with every turn, because I DO NOT want to spend the rest of my life falling in to the nightmare-like voids of hell. As for things I did enjoy, it feels good to get the Metal Cap. You can get a lot of new stars this way, & it feel nice to run through a level that was previously a string of deadly traps. I really think the DS version is better. Sure, Galaxy walks all over it on the WII, but its a decent improvement over the original. You can play as multiple characters, there's a few new levels are available, & you can even play a nice spread of mini & multiplayer games. While in the original 64, you'll be asking yourself if the Winged Cap is trying to kill you all day. Theres just a ton of irritating mechanics that make this game take longer than usual to even complete. Sometimes that stalker Lakitu's camera can work against you & there more than enough ways to get your hat stolen. Seriously, if Mario's hat is so powerful, why is it so easy to die anyway in this game? I like the theme, I respect the fans, I just hate the game. It's not the worst, but it's pretty painful to even simply complete. I was originally going to attempt to 100% this game, at the moment though, I don't feel like it. What's the point of 100 percenting game if there's no nice reward to go with it? Yoshi gives you a hundred 1-ups, but who in there right mind wants to play through death trap levels over & over again. Not that it matters, since all players have probably gone through the Bowser in the Sky levels 20 times minimum already. But this game was a start, if we didn't have 64 we wouldn't have Galaxy. This game is like a crazy elder with a lot of wild tales to tell. It may be crazy to listen to him, but if you're lucky, you may have a good time. You just need motivation… Expand
  14. UnturnedAntics
    Oct 7, 2021
    10
    This is the third-best Mario game ever it's an amazing classic with nonstop fun and amazing levels I love all of the places you can explore it's almost as perfect as you can get for a game. 10/10 would game again
  15. calvinbrine
    Oct 1, 2021
    7
    great game for it's time(the first 3d platformer) but it aged horribly. I have mad respect for it and wish I could love it, but it's not good enough for today's standards, so I have to give it a bad review.
    Also odyssey does the concept of open world mario way better structurally speaking.

    there's still some fun to be had though
  16. monkeyjumbo
    Sep 30, 2021
    9
    This game rules. Like one of my favorites ever. Sure, there are some areas that have aged REALLY poorly, but its still freaking rules. It's Super Mario 64 and I wouldn't have it any other way. A must play for basically anyone.
  17. ThisReview2000
    Sep 26, 2021
    9
    This is a light hearted great explorative video game it has you collect scattered power stars and has great worlds no offense but not to creative of worlds but for most part the controls are pretty ok it's just pretty basic and get's kind of bland after at least 4 levels. The presentation can be pretty slow with running a round worlds and finding talking characters but the controlsThis is a light hearted great explorative video game it has you collect scattered power stars and has great worlds no offense but not to creative of worlds but for most part the controls are pretty ok it's just pretty basic and get's kind of bland after at least 4 levels. The presentation can be pretty slow with running a round worlds and finding talking characters but the controls gameplay and music defined a generations of 3D platformers.… Expand
  18. Luigination
    Sep 21, 2021
    9
    What can I say that hasn't been said already? Besides the camera controls and the graphics not aging well, with 15 iconic levels & fun, challenging gameplay, I still consider this one of the greatest video games ever made! I will say, after replaying Super Mario Odyssey and realizing that it wasn't as great as I thought it was, when I replayed this I really appreciated the varied moveset,What can I say that hasn't been said already? Besides the camera controls and the graphics not aging well, with 15 iconic levels & fun, challenging gameplay, I still consider this one of the greatest video games ever made! I will say, after replaying Super Mario Odyssey and realizing that it wasn't as great as I thought it was, when I replayed this I really appreciated the varied moveset, cool boss ideas and whilst you can find the Power Stars pretty easily after a few playthroughs, I prefer their placement in this game more than I do the Moons in Odyssey, most likely because of the environmental design!… Expand
  19. oofas
    Sep 6, 2021
    8
    Set a standard for 3D Open-world games. The soundtrack is beautiful, but the graphics didn't age well, maybe the gameplay was a bit bad as well. It can get confusing sometimes, especially in Wet-Dry World, and sometimes it's way too easy (e.g. Bob-Omb Battlefield/Dire, Dire Docks). Gets a 8.9 out of 10.
  20. grimreapersims
    Aug 31, 2021
    10
    ....................................................................................................................................................................................................blank
  21. XxMicManxX
    Aug 24, 2021
    9
    While it has aged poorly in many aspects such as the camera control, it is impossible to ignore how much of a positive impact this game has had on gaming from 1996 onwards, and is definitely worth going back to today.
  22. Bazdmeg
    Aug 24, 2021
    3
    Fcking hard game. Very annoying, not for casual players, not for kids. Fking annoying.
  23. Sanix20
    Aug 21, 2021
    10
    Mi videojuego favorito una música genial, los gráficos retro y la jugabilidad son geniales.Se lo recomiendo a todos
  24. AGuy27
    Aug 19, 2021
    6
    The game has a terrible camera and bad controls, but it did innovate the 3D Mario genre and allowed for much better games. Not much use playing it nowadays, unfortunately. Some levels have great design, some... uh... don't.
  25. deycd
    Aug 13, 2021
    9
    LA historia stiene algunos huecos argumentativos. Ese es el único defecto. La música es genial, a la altura de la de Mario Sunshine. LA jugabilidad es de las mejores. La batalla final no es tan buena como la de Galaxy o Mario 3dLand, pero es aceptable. Posiblemente, de haber tenido que catalogarlo en su día le habría puesto más de un 9, pero hpy en día, se queda con el 9, que también estáLA historia stiene algunos huecos argumentativos. Ese es el único defecto. La música es genial, a la altura de la de Mario Sunshine. LA jugabilidad es de las mejores. La batalla final no es tan buena como la de Galaxy o Mario 3dLand, pero es aceptable. Posiblemente, de haber tenido que catalogarlo en su día le habría puesto más de un 9, pero hpy en día, se queda con el 9, que también está muy bien.… Expand
  26. DarCbrGr
    Jun 26, 2021
    9
    While the controls might not be the greatest, this thing is a blast to play casually or even speedrun if that's your thing.
  27. 2bitplayss
    Jun 1, 2021
    4
    this is an iconic game but replaying it i didn´t really enjoy it the controls are bad and the camera sucks.
    but i even think most levels arent really that fun to play
    rainbow ride tik toc clock wet dry world tiny huge island hazy maze cave shifting sand land and dire dire docks these levels are just badly designd and not so mutch fun to play. im not saying this is a bad game they did    this is an iconic game but replaying it i didn´t really enjoy it the controls are bad and the camera sucks.
    but i even think most levels arent really that fun to play
    rainbow ride tik toc clock wet dry world tiny huge island hazy maze cave shifting sand land and dire dire docks these levels are just badly designd and not so mutch fun to play.
    im not saying this is a bad game they did everything they could with the n64 i understand there are some limitations but in order for me to really enjoy it again it would need e compleet remaster with better controls and camera controls that would improve the game for me    … Expand
  28. Coolx5556
    May 28, 2021
    9
    All I have to say is that this game is fun and always encourages multiple playthroughs with different challenges. Nice game Nintendo!
  29. Botboy
    May 25, 2021
    10
    It’s one of the best games ever made. One of the first 3D games were actually pretty good.
  30. PsychoJoona
    May 9, 2021
    8
    Controls are not that good but it doesn't ruin the game for me but collecting stars and defeating stages is super fun. Might be my favourite Mario game next to SMG2!
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best N64 Game of 1996
1
#1 Most Discussed N64 Game of 1996
1
#1 Most Shared N64 Game of 1996

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Nintendorks
    80
    The distribution of power stars in the levels is horrendous. I think 7 stars in one level is more than enough, don't you think? I understand that there are memory constraints, but there either could have been less stars overall, or 1 (maybe 2) more level(s). Definately a problem.
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  2. Electric Playground
    100
    It has quickly grown to become the standard by which almost all other games are measured.
    Read full review
  3. Gaming Maxx
    99
    This is definitely a game no game collection should be without...Seriously!
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