System: Nintendo 64
Release date: 1996

Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 didn’t just launch a console, it rewrote the rulebook for what 3D gaming could even be.

This Super Mario 64 title took everything we loved about 2D Mario and chucked it into a fully explorable 3D world without losing a shred of the magic. Princess Peach is missing, Bowser’s nicked all the Power Stars, and it’s down to a plucky plumber to leap through paintings and sort the whole mess out. In 2025, does this Super Mario 64 Nintendo 64 launch title still control like a dream, or has the camera finally caught up and ruined the party?

Gameplay: A Playground Built From Pure Imagination

Super Mario 64 puts you in Princess Peach’s castle, which doubles up as a glorious hub world. From here you leap through magic paintings into 15 separate courses, each one a self-contained playground stuffed with secrets, enemies and platforming puzzles.

Mario’s moveset is the real star here. Triple jumps, long jumps, wall kicks, backward somersaults, ground pounds – the man moves like he’s been doing 3D platforming his entire life rather than discovering it for the first time. Power Stars are scattered throughout each course, with multiple objectives per level meaning you’ll be revisiting familiar worlds again and again, each time chasing something new.

The analogue stick control was an absolute revelation in 1996 and honestly still holds up remarkably well. Subtle movements let you creep along narrow ledges or tiptoe up on a sleeping enemy, while full sprints send Mario hurtling across open fields with genuine momentum.

The Lakitu’s Camera? Here’s where Super Mario 64 shows its age. The camera, controlled by a Lakitu bloke flying around with a camera crew, was groundbreaking for its time but is a proper faff by modern standards. Tight corridors and awkward angles will have you wrestling with the C buttons more than you’d like, and there’s no dedicated camera stick to bail you out. It’s rarely game-breaking, but it’s the one genuine wrinkle in an otherwise flawless formula, and newcomers raised on modern 3D platformers will feel it immediately.

Graphics: Blocky, Bold and Bursting With Charm

Visually, Super Mario 64 was an absolute showcase for the Nintendo 64’s capabilities back in 1996. Wide open courses, smoothly rendered water, and a colour palette so bright and cheerful it practically radiates joy from the screen.

Yes, the polygon count is low by today’s standards and Mario’s hands look like he’s wearing oven gloves, but there’s a charm to the chunky, low-poly aesthetic that’s aged into something genuinely lovable. Each world has a distinct visual identity, from the snowy slopes of Cool, Cool Mountain to the eerie shadows of Big Boo’s Haunt, and the game never once feels visually repetitive across its fifteen courses.

Sound: Koji Kondo Doing What Koji Kondo Does Best

Super Mario 64’s soundtrack, composed by the legendary Koji Kondo, is an absolute belter from start to finish. The main castle theme alone is enough to send most 90s kids into an immediate nostalgia spiral, and each course gets its own distinct musical identity that perfectly matches the mood, whether that’s the jaunty Bob-omb Battlefield tune or the unsettling creep of Big Boo’s Haunt.

Sound effects are crisp, punchy and instantly recognisable – that “wahoo!” the moment you grab a Power Star never gets old no matter how many times you hear it. Everything from coin collects to enemy stomps feels satisfying in a way that few games managed at the time, and honestly, few have managed since.

Replayability: 120 Stars and Counting

Replayability in Super Mario 64 is genuinely exceptional. With 120 Power Stars to collect across the full game, multiple objectives per course, hidden caps, secret areas and a handful of cheeky glitches the speedrunning community still exploits to this day, there’s an absolutely staggering amount to do here.

Completionists will sink dozens of hours into hunting down every last star, while casual players can simply enjoy bouncing between worlds at their own pace. Few games from this era have aged into such an enduring speedrunning and challenge-run favourite, and that says everything about how well the foundations were built.

The Retro Looney Verdict

Super Mario 64 is the gold standard against which every single 3D platformer since has been measured, and frankly, most still come up short. Nintendo took a genuine leap into the unknown with this one and somehow nailed practically every element on the first attempt.

Yes, the camera is a bit of a relic now. But that’s the only real blemish on what remains a masterclass in level design, movement, and pure unfiltered gaming joy. This Super Mario 64 Nintendo 64 launch title didn’t just define a console generation, it built the foundations that Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro and countless others would later stand on. An absolute essential for any serious N64 collection. Grab those paintings, mind the Lakitu, and go bag yourself some stars.

Don’t forget to check out my other N64 Reviews!