I came to Super Mario 64 relatively late, likely giving me a better chance to see it for what it is, as opposed to many other fans that have nostalgic feelings toward it – it was their first taste of 3D gaming and their first recollections of the Nintendo 64 (N64). In 2021, I played it for the first time, after finishing a long day of working at the construction site, and sitting in my basement, with no childhood attachments to the game, just a personal analysis of whether the design really functioned.
And it does — it functions perfectly. What impresses me most isn’t the technical achievements, although they are certainly impressive – it’s how efficiently the design communicates without waste. As someone with a construction background, I understand how systems function, how constraints create elegance, and how you can quickly determine when a product has been developed by individuals who understood the limits of their materials or resources. Super Mario 64 seems to be structured by architects that knew precisely how much they could push the capabilities of the N64 hardware.
What Super Mario 64 Really Did
When the N64 controller initially emerged, it looked silly. Three handles? A single analog stick placed directly in the middle of the controller? This seemed complicated and awkward compared to the directional pads I had grown accustomed to. However, when playing Super Mario 64, everything changed. The analog stick allowed Mario to move in a complete 360 degree circle. You were not walking up, down, left, or right – you were moving in whatever direction you chose to point the analog stick. Alongside a functional camera system, you now had fully-functional 3D movement.
The overall structure of the game is deceptively simple. You’re in Princess Peach’s Castle, and you can enter paintings which serve as portals to various worlds. Each world contains multiple Power Stars hidden in numerous ways (some to reach high locations, some to solve puzzles, some to collect coins, some to defeat challenges or bosses). You must obtain a certain number of stars to unlock new pathways in the castle, which allow you to progress the story. This is easy enough that a young child could comprehend it in mere minutes.
However, it is here where Super Mario 64 truly shines. Each painting transports you to a large, yet self-contained world. The Peach’s Castle Grounds. Bob-omb Battlefield, featuring an expansive open area perfect for learning how to move and jump. Whomp’s Fortress, providing an immediate visual representation of height to help you learn how to consider 3D height. Cool, Cool Mountain, featuring a racing element and sliding challenges. Each world has multiple stars, but they are placed such that you can accomplish some while you are still learning certain skills or obtaining certain power-ups.
What I am most impressed by is how the camera system works in concert once you understand how it operates. You use the analog stick to control Mario, and you use the C buttons to control the camera. At first, this seems clumsy and segmented. Approximately 30 minutes into the game, it will become second-nature. The targeting system – aiming at enemies or objects using Z – will lock the camera in a manner that is logical for that situation. The designers did not fight against the hardware limitations – they created designs based upon those limitations.
How the Game Teaches Without Tutorials
Each Power Star in each level teaches you something. Bob-omb Battlefield is probably the easiest. You are first exposed to the fundamental movements of Mario (moving, jumping, etc.), basic ground combat, and the ability to defeat a boss. There is a star for reaching the top of the mountain in Bob-omb Battlefield which demonstrates knowledge of the level’s geography. There is a star for defeating the boss, demonstrating how the combat system works. There is a star for collecting 8 red coins, demonstrating exploration and observation.
The brilliance lies in the fact that you can obtain between 3 and 4 stars in Bob-omb Battlefield without possessing exceptional skill or observational abilities; however, obtaining all 7 stars necessitates actual mastery. You must locate secret areas. You must realize that some paths will only open if you successfully complete challenges in a specific manner. You must understand the entire level. The game does not explicitly teach this progression – it is shown through the design of each level.
By the time you reach Tick-Tock Clock, you will be dealing with machinery that moves, timed challenges, and vertically-staged spaces that require precise platforming. You will not be receiving instruction in these mechanics – you will have already learned them through gameplay. The level will merely raise the complexity of the challenges knowing you have mastered the basics.
The respect for learning curves that this design philosophy exemplifies is also notable. The first world is safe. You cannot die from falling off anywhere – you simply fall back a short distance. The difficulty increases gradually. By the time you reach the final worlds, you will be performing double-jumps from moving platforms over seemingly endless voids. However, due to your prior experience, you will believe that this is possible, rather than impossible/unfair.
The camera system I discussed functions properly because the developers realized one very important concept: they did not need the camera to be perfect in every situation. The developers designed the levels such that the camera will generally stay out of your way. Whenever the camera is difficult to manage, it will typically occur in optional sections of the game. The critical path to completing the game will rarely be plagued by camera issues. This is not a limitation – this is intelligent design.
The Power-Up Progression That Appears to Have Been Earned
Mario begins with his standard set of movements (jumping, kicking, punching, etc.). He then gains access to power-ups that enable him to perform additional movements. The Wing Cap enables Mario to fly, drastically changing how you navigate vertical spaces. The Metal Cap renders Mario heavy and causes him to sink in water; however, it also provides immunity to knock-back. The Vanish Cap allows Mario to traverse through certain walls. With each new power-up, you will gain access to new areas and new opportunities.
What I admire is that the design of the levels adjusts to the power-ups that are currently accessible. You will unlock a Wing Cap late in the game and suddenly levels you believed you understood entirely will change dramatically as you will be able to access previously inaccessible areas. You will not be retracing the same steps – you will be discovering new aspects of pre-existing areas.
This is exactly how innovative design works in construction. You have constraints, you operate under those constraints, and then once you acquire new tools, you will be able to address the problem in new ways. The developers did not include power-ups solely for the sake of adding power-ups – they included power-ups to create new opportunities through the design of the levels. This is a beautiful example of integrated design versus the addition of tacked-on features.
Why the Camera Matters
Let’s face it – talking about cameras is not exciting. However, the camera system in Super Mario 64 established the standard for third-person action games. This was not an accident. This is an example of elegant problem-solving. You are controlling Mario and the camera independently, which may seem confusing. However, since the game introduces you to this system gradually and the level design is forgiving enough that poor camera positioning will rarely cause you to fail, it works flawlessly.
By the time you reach the final level, Bowser’s Castle, you will be engaging in complex platforming that includes moving platforms, enemies attempting to knock you off, and camera positions that would be nightmarish in a poorly-designed game. However, this works because the foundation is strong.
Does Super Mario 64 Still Function Properly?
Yes, playing it fresh in 2021, Super Mario 64 still functions beautifully. While the graphics are old-fashioned and charming, the controls are still responsive and intuitive. The level design is still magnificent. The pace never drags. There is always something new to explore. Optional content does not feel like filler – it feels like an authentic extension of the world.
A few quality-of-life features that would be welcome today – perhaps a quick travel option for the latter parts of the game, or perhaps a method of tracking objectives for side quests. These feel like trivial adjustments to an otherwise solid experience. The core of the game needs no modifications.
The Technical Achievements
Purely from a construction standpoint, what Super Mario 64 accomplished on the N64 hardware is unbelievable. The cartridge needed to instantly load worlds without the need for loading screens. The amount of texture memory was extremely limited. The processing power was severely restricted. The developers had to ruthlessly optimize the development process. Every texture counted. Every polygon counted. Every animation frame counted.
As a result, the game appears clean and easy to read. Nothing is wasted. The art direction is clever in terms of how it utilizes technical limitations – bright colors, simple shapes, outstanding animation. The technical limitations of the game are largely invisible due to the confidence of the design.
Verdict
Super Mario 64 is not simply the best 3D platformer on the N64 – it is among the greatest platformers of all time. The design is elegant. The controls are responsive. The levels are expertly crafted. The pacing is perfect. The progressive teaching of gameplay, rather than lectures through tutorials, is exceptional.
Play this if you’ve never played it before. Play this if you want to learn how to make game design function – how constraints drive creativity, how teaching through gameplay is far superior to tutorials, and how systems must be integrated as opposed to appearing to be bolted on.
This is what happens when developers understand their hardware, appreciate their player’s time, and design with purpose rather than fluff.
Rating: 10/10 – Blueprint for how 3D platforming should function
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Timothy discovered retro gaming at forty and never looked back. A construction foreman by day and collector by night, he writes from a fresh, nostalgia-free angle—exploring classic games with adult curiosity, honest takes, and zero childhood bias.
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