Super Mario 64

Super Mario 64 is a 3D platformer released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996. The game was developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo. Super Mario 64 was a Nintendo 64 launch title, alongside Pilotwings, and came bundled with new consoles. This was the first Mario game that utilized 3D and allowed the player more freedom to explore than previous Mario titles which were set on 2D or 2.5D linear side-scrolling levels. Super Mario 64 was re-released on the Wii and Wii U virtual consoles, the Nintendo Switch's Nintendo 64 Expansion Pass, and as one of the main titles featured in Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

In 2004, a remake titled Super Mario 64 DS was released for the Nintendo DS. It offered many new features including the ability to play as Yoshi, Luigi and Wario, and it added a large collection of minigames.

Plot
Mario receives an invitation from Princess Peach (referred to as Toadstool), asking him to come to the castle to share a cake she made. As he approaches the castle, Mario is greeted by a Lakitu cameraman, who "films" everything he does and acts as the player's camera. As Mario enters the castle, he is greeted by an ominous message from Bowser, saying he captured Peach and hid all the power stars within paintings behind the castle walls. After collecting a certain amount of power stars, Mario confronts Bowser in three different locations, and ultimately rescues the princess from within the walls of the castle. Peach thanks Mario for rescuing her and kisses him on the nose, before directing everyone inside the castle to eat cake.

Gameplay
Due to the large scale of worlds and emphasis on exploration, Mario has received a large number of abilities and skills that weren't seen in previous games, such as the ability to triple jumping, wall kick, and long jump. Princess Peach's castle acts as the main hub, with all of the courses being accessed by somewhere within the castle grounds. There are 15 main courses, each with six "missions" that award the player with a power star and typically follow similar formats (collect 8 coins, beat a miniboss, discover secrets, access a high area, etc). In addition, if the player collects 100 coins they receive another power star. Exploring the castle and finding "secret" courses also awards a star for successful completion. There are a total of 120 power stars to collect in the game, although only 70 are required to beat the game. The player fights Bowser a total of three times: the first two times Bowser drops a key upon defeat, which allows access to other parts of the castle.

The player can unlock three different caps for Mario: the wing cap, which allows Mario to fly in the sky; the metal cap, which allows Mario to become invincible and sink in water; and the invisible cap, which allows Mario to turn invisible and pass through some solid barriers.