(Originally posted on February, 2017)
(1996, Nintendo 64)
The astonishment and sense of possibility instantly felt from playing Super Mario Brothers is what got me into video games. After that, I tried everything I could get my hands on. Plenty of games were more addictive, cooler or simply more fun...but nothing completely floored me quite like that first day with a NES controller. Nearly a decade later, Super Mario 64 came along and managed to finally do it. I previously read about "Ultra Mario" in Nintendo Power and saw brief TV clips of a polygonal Mario running around inside the castle. Not fully aware of what the game was attempting, it was only upon personally jumping into the first stage that I understood the scope of what '3D' now meant. This wasn't another tiny, flat area like a Virtua Fighter ring or an awkward Doom corridor...for the first time it was REALLY like being in another world! Engaging even in the simplest of movements, Mario was once again weighty and momentum based like in his first adventure rescuing the Mushroom Kingdom. As he tip toed or dashed in whichever direction you pleased, the rendering of the massive world was in a constant state of flux, the perspective changing with the tiniest of movements. This feeling of a tangible, alternate reality was far more believable than anything attempted before! From then on, I was obsessed with Mario 64 to the point of dreaming about it, as the most important game since my first had finally arrived...
Like walking through a masterfully designed garden, Stage 1: Bomb-Omb Battlefield is packed just right in both terrain and tricks. You start from a relatively safe corner where friendly pink bomb-ombs offer clues. From there, previously unimaginable scenes unfold depending on the direction you choose. To the left, the vicious black bomb-ombs found late in previous games are already waiting to be agitated as they wander a red rock field, beautifully humbled and contrasted by a long and steep white marble slope...which then goes on to be dominated by an impossibly high mountain waiting to be scaled. There's not too much to do here yet, as a gate blocks your way. Peeking through its bars, the big purple button on the other side must certainly mean something. Back to the start, if you instead took the path going straight ahead, you're immediately offered a ramp and platform elevator to play with. Once you've made your way up, a grassy, hilly area provides chaos as water 'cannon balls' rain down while goombas and koopa troopas give chase. Just a few steps further, a dumpster-sized Chain-Chomp wows and scares to even greater effect then that huge Bullet Bill in Super Mario World. Summoning the courage to walk Mario along the path just beyond its reach, even more scenarios open up. This is just a tiny fraction of the activity in the first of fifteen major worlds!
Still leaving much of Bomb-Omb Battle Field unexplored, within the Castle's Foyer I was once again blown away by the far more perilous and equally impressive Whomp's Fortress. Tiny gardens, pools and familiar enemies are a refreshing sight as you're suddenly tasked with negotiating pits, jumping between spinning mid-air islands and keeping cool under the more stringent pace. The decrepit and isolated Jolly Roger Bay is one of the most unlikely beautiful areas that can be found in a game thanks to a stunning track that one could play in a yoga studio without batting an eye. Its' seamless lullaby provides a much needed soothing after accidentally touching that big, slimy, creepy Eel. Jumping head first down Cool-Cool Mountain's lengthy slope is still so much fun even on the 1000th time...and that's just a warm up for the 'grown-up' slide inside the log cabin. After picking up 8 stars, your fight with Bowser awaits if you can pass all the way through the "Dark World". Mirroring my experience with Super Mario Brothers in the 80s, I initially believed the game ended at Bowser's defeat and was perfectly content with that. Having already had the most fun with a game in years and ready to restart...I was shocked to witness the first of several more floors of the Princess' Castle gradually open up, revealing even more paintings, one-off levels and secrets!
Completely different in design from 2D Mario, at the start of each world, you're given a clue on the next 'mission' that awaits. Replacing the standard A to B (or C) structure, tasks range from mildly tense boss fights, helping someone out, cleverly reaching an out of the way spot and good old fashioned toughing things out. Most of these 2-10 minute challenges are worthy of experiencing multiple times, but a fragment are a bit rough and frustrating, particularly in the Boo House, Grandfather Clock, and growing/shrinking Mario Island. The more complicated design of these levels slightly exceed the limits of the game's already grand ambition. No matter the stage, the lengthy 100 coin collecting errands are rather redundant and extremely frustrating, especially when you die going after those last few. Even if bothersome, these missions are worth going through just once, both to fully appreciate the levels and see the game's "secret". Perhaps more so than any other game in the series, the fun's not nearly over after rescuing Princess Peach and finding all the Stars. Mario's wall kicking, triple jumping, reverse aerial cartwheeling, long jumping, backflipping arsenal is still being used to discover bugs, secrets and shortcuts to this day.
The castle's front where you can safely jump off trees, slide down hills and swim in the moat is a magical place of respite. As is the tranquil, slightly spooky back courtyard. Like the house layouts of your favorite sitcoms, so much of the castle and it's secrets have etched a permanent, nostalgic familiarity in my brain. If the levels weren't already huge enough at first glance, deserts have pyramids to raid, snowlands contain massive igloos, lava oceans let you dive into volcanoes and the Loch Ness Monster might even be swimming somewhere underground. For a 1996 open-world console game, the stable framerate, decent camera system and emphasis on color has allowed it to age remarkably. Going much further than required to wow one's eyes, you have snow blowing all along the ice stages, both refreshing clarity or uneasy murkiness when diving the waters, goopy magma, blinding winds and crude yet impressive recreations of the special effects from Terminator 2: the measuring stick of computer generated graphics back in the mid-90s. The music and sound design is easily overlooked but some of the series' best. I can remember being quite impressed by Mario's footsteps sounding different when running on grass/dirt, stone and metal. When going to the select screen and hearing the music: a short, magical sounding track containing what feels like the flourishing of life itself inside a wood flute...without words the music has a way of telling you that this is perhaps the most important game ever. The credits music isn't particularly sad, but so brilliantly brings a sense of closure to a magical experience. You'll be fighting tears near the end as it sounds like Koji Kondo comes and sits right next to you to play the last section of hand drums.
The act of finding fault in the game is a matter of discovering tiny flaws which get quickly whisked away by ground breaking splendor. In a world already amazing to walk in, Wing Cape Mario's touchy flight controls are a small inconvenience during a minute of ecstasy. When the pop-up and blurry textures get to your eyes, pause the game to marvel at a real-time zoom-out that displays an impressive solidness and integrity for such an early 3D world. The camera isn't always perfect, but it can be rationalized that you had poor Lakitu working overtime...and on and on. Not to be rushed though, like so many other N64 classics, leisurely exploring the world is as fun as making your way through the actual quest. Having seen the 'secret' for getting 120 stars back when the game's instruction booklet still had that "new car" odor to it, this time I retired fulfilled at 111 stars. Mario 64 was the most amazing thing ever in 1996. Equally amazing is that so much fun, solidity of design and certainly some 'magic' remains to this day. When I hear all these "kids" in their 20s say their first game was Super Mario 64, I can tell them I had it just as good on the NES, but not a bit better.
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