Mushroom Castle (Super Mario 64)
| Mushroom Castle | |
|---|---|
 Super Mario 64 | |
| How to unlock | Available from the start |
| Boss | None |
| Mission | None (see § Secret Stars) |
| Stars | Super Mario 64: Super Mario 64 DS: 
|
The Mushroom Castle[1][2] is the main hub in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS. It established the main appearance of Peach's Castle, and it contains many rooms with paintings (some of which can be jumped into to access courses) and furniture. Around the castle are the Castle Grounds, which are surrounded by hills that prevent the player from escaping. After the player defeats Bowser, Princess Peach emerges from the stained glass window on the front of the castle.
Layout[edit]
Castle Grounds[edit]
- Main article: Castle Grounds
The player begins the game in the Castle Grounds. A moat surrounds the castle, and it can be drained during gameplay if the player ground-pounds the two brick pillars in the basement. After the moat is drained, the player can enter Vanish Cap Under the Moat (named The Secret Under the Moat in the remake). There is also a waterfall, which acts as the exit of the Cavern of the Metal Cap (renamed Behind the Waterfall in the remake). To the right of the player's starting area is a lake, where a sealed cannon can also be found nearby. In the DS remake, a hedge maze can also be found to the left of the player's starting point. This is where Yoshi catches the first rabbit in the game, which is needed to get the key to unlock the entrance to the castle.
After the player obtains all 120 Power Stars (150 in the remake), the cannon by the lake opens and the player is able to launch themselves to the top of the castle roof, where the player finds Yoshi, who gives Mario 100 lives and an enhanced Triple Jump. Also up there is a red block holding a Wing Cap, in addition to three 1UP Mushrooms. In the remake, as Yoshi is a playable character, Luigi's final rabbit instead resides on the roof, where Yoshi would have been, and the red block now gives a Power Flower (Wings if the player plays as Mario).
It is possible to get to the top of the castle by climbing down the tree when the moat is not drained, or by using a special technique that all of the player characters, except Yoshi, have to get to the roof without even using the cannon.
- Notable locations
Castle Grounds
The cannon, unlockable after the player collects 120 Stars
The castle moat, after being drained
Garden maze (Super Mario 64 DS only)
Castle rooftop
First floor[edit]
After entering the castle, the player finds a Toad, who says to go to the portrait of the Bob-omb Battlefield, the only course that has not been sealed by Bowser at the time. There is also a locked door that leads to the second floor. There are also two wooden doors, which both lead to the Boo-infested hallway, the courtyard, and the stairs to the basement. The stairs are located between two pillars, each with two coins on it.
A 1-★ door leads to a room containing the painting to Whomp's Fortress. Two 3-★ doors are also present. The left one takes the player to a room containing three snowy landscape paintings, with the middle one serving as the entrance to Cool, Cool Mountain. The other door leads into the castle's aquarium room, which contains a painting leading to Jolly Roger Bay. Said room has two square-shaped holes in the wall: The left one rewards a 1UP Mushroom, and the right one leads to The Secret Aquarium.
The Big Star Door to the left of the mezzanine is where Bowser resides in the level Bowser in the Dark World. A portrait of Princess Peach is found at the end of the corridor. However, the deceiving portrait turns into an image of Bowser as the player walks down the corridor. In the middle of the main room, a sun in the form of a rug sends the player to the Tower of the Wing Cap (named ? Switch in the remake) when they look at the sun shining from the ceiling.
The door to the right of the mezzanine leads to the Princess's room, which features stained glass windows depicting Peach; one of these windows is a secret entrance leading to The Princess's Secret Slide. In the DS version, this room is repurposed to have switching rooms, and a door within leads to the castle's Rec Room.
- Notable locations
Main area of the castle
The room containing the painting to the Bob-omb Battlefield
Castle aquarium, with the Jolly Roger Bay painting
The Princess's room, with the window leading to The Princess's Secret Slide
The room beyond the Big Star Door that has a trapdoor leading to Bowser in the Dark World
Rec Room (Super Mario 64 DS only)
The room behind the Rec Room, containing an entrance to Goomboss Battle (Super Mario 64 DS only)
Second floor[edit]
After the player unlocks the door on the first floor, ascending a set of spiral stairs leads the player to the second floor of the castle. It is a round room with portraits adorning all areas of the wall, some leading to Tall, Tall Mountain and Wet-Dry World. A set of stairs leads to yet another Big Star Door and ultimately the third floor.
There are two doors found opposite each other on the outside wall. The first door leads to a room that contains several portraits leading to Tiny-Huge Island. The other door contains a mirror that runs through the center of the room, as well as a fake "wall" leading to Snowman's Land (its location is telegraphed by a painting that is reflected on the mirror). The player can become Vanish Luigi to pass through the mirror in the DS remake, allowing them to access Wario's painting and enter Chief Chilly Challenge, as well as locate a secret Power Star behind a door, which leads to a white void.
- Notable locations
Mario exploring the gallery
Painting leading to Wet-Dry World in the gallery
![The Mirror Room[3]](https://mario.wiki.gallery/images/thumb/1/16/SM64_Mirror_Room.png/120px-SM64_Mirror_Room.png)
The Mirror Room[3]
Small and giant paintings leading to Tiny-Huge Island
The white void behind the door inside the mirror (Super Mario 64 DS only)
The entrance to Chief Chilly Challenge (Super Mario 64 DS only)
![The Mirror Room[3]](/File:SM64_Mirror_Room.png)
Third floor[edit]
The third floor consists of a small round room with a clock seen directly opposite the door. There are two small niches in both sides of the wall, each leading to a different course: The one to the left warps the player to Wing Mario Over the Rainbow (named Over the Rainbows in the remake), and the one to the right warps the player to Rainbow Ride. Above the door of the third floor is yet another Big Star Door, where a staircase leads to the final battle (Bowser in the Sky). However, 70 Power Stars (80 in the remake) are needed to break the spell of the endless stairs.
- Notable locations
Main area of the third floor
Entrance to Tick Tock Clock
The chute that leads to Rainbow Ride
The endless stairs
The entrance to Bowser in the Sky, accessible after the player gets 70/80 Stars
Basement[edit]
The basement is the lowest area of the Mushroom Castle, as it is just below ground level. It can be entered through the set of stairs that descend near the first floor. The basement consists of many areas all linked together by doors. One of the lower areas of the basement is a small labyrinth of hallways that have been filled with shallow water, and the area contains a painting leading to Lethal Lava Land as well as a fake wall leading to Shifting Sand Land. In said area, a wooden door leads to a large room with a dark, rippling portal that serves as the entrance to the Hazy Maze Cave. The hallways are lit by torches with stationary fireballs that can inflict burn damage should the player come into contact with one. This same area is also where MIPS can be caught two times in the original version of the game.
The locked Big Star Door in the basement requires 30 Stars to open, and the door leads into a long hallway. The entrance hole to Bowser in the Fire Sea is within this room; however, it is initially blocked off by a rippling blue portal that instead leads to Dire, Dire Docks. Completion of the mission "Board Bowser's Sub" in the latter moves the portal farther back, thus allowing the player to make entry into Bowser in the Fire Sea proper.
An area found at the front of the castle basement is initially completely flooded with water from the castle moat. However, the moat can be drained by ground-pounding two pillars. After the player has done so, the water drains and a door that was previously inaccessible leads to the Castle Grounds.
After the water is drained, a 1UP Mushroom can be spawned by touching the four corners of the tunnel area.
- Notable locations
Entrance to the basement
Portal leading to the Hazy Maze Cave
A "wall" leading to Shifting Sand Land
The painting to Lethal Lava Land
The entrance to Bowser in the Fire Sea, after Dire, Dire Docks has been cleared
The moat dam
Door to the flood room
An underwater tunnel
Courtyard[edit]
- Main article: Courtyard (Peach's Castle)
The courtyard is a small symmetrical area that is accessed by taking the narrow hallway beyond the wooden door on the first floor. The courtyard is mostly empty except for four signs, the Star Fountain,[4] and a few trees planted around. The courtyard is later populated by Boos if the player has at least 12 Stars in the original version; a Big Boo also residing in the courtyard also holds the cage leading to Big Boo's Haunt.
In the DS remake, an additional Secret Star is added. Once at least three Stars are collected, eight Boos populate the courtyard, and each of them contains a Red Coin when defeated. An entrance to Battle Fort was also added, hidden behind several Bricks.
- Notable locations
The hallway leading to the courtyard, from the first floor
Exploring the courtyard
The cage leading to Big Boo's Haunt
The entrance to Battle Fort (Super Mario 64 DS only)
Secret Stars[edit]
While no regular missions are available in the Mushroom Castle, some of the game's secret Power Stars are obtained in the main hub itself, with five obtainable in the original version and six obtainable in Super Mario 64 DS. Unless stated otherwise, some of these Stars go unnamed, so conjectural names are used instead.
| Name | Appears in | Summary |
|---|---|---|
 A Gift from Toad[5] |
Super Mario 64 Super Mario 64 DS |
There are three Toads within the Mushroom Castle that each give a Power Star to the player when spoken to. The locations of these Toads are:
|
 Catch the Yellow Rabbit[6] |
Super Mario 64 | MIPS appears in the basement for the first time after Mario collects 15 Stars, and MIPS appears a second time after Mario collects 50 Stars. Mario simply needs to catch MIPS, and doing so each time grants the former a Power Star. |
 Rabbit Challenge[conjectural] |
Super Mario 64 DS | In the DS remake, MIPS is replaced by many catchable rabbits in the game, some of which include glowing rabbits that appear after at least 50 Stars have been collected. Catching eight glowing rabbits rewards the player with a key that unlocks the white-bordered door in the character room, which leads to an empty room containing a secret Power Star. |
 8 Red Coins[conjectural] |
Super Mario 64 DS | In the DS remake, once the player has obtained at least three Power Stars, eight Boos appear in the courtyard, each containing a Red Coin when defeated. Either Mario, Luigi, or Wario is needed for this Star as Yoshi is unable to defeat any Boos. After the objective is done, the Power Star appears behind the Star Fountain, and if the player collects the Star and returns to the courtyard afterward, the Red Coins are replaced with regular coins. |
 Through the Looking Glass[citation needed] |
Super Mario 64 DS | In the DS remake, Luigi needs to head to the second floor's Mirror Room and become Vanish Luigi with the Power Flower inside. Then, Luigi must pass through the mirror (which normally leads to a painting to Chief Chilly Challenge) and enter the door, which grants him access to a Power Star. The name of this Star is derived from the title of the novel Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. |
Enemies[edit]
The only enemies in the Mushroom Castle are found in the courtyard, and they are Boos, which start appearing when at least 12 Stars (three in the DS remake) have been collected by the player. A Big Boo also appears in the courtyard when at least 12 Stars (15 in the remake) are collected, and the Big Boo holds the birdcage that leads to Big Boo's Haunt.
Statistics from Super Mario 64[edit]
- Total Number of Coins: 15
- Caps Found: Wing Cap (1)
- Spinning Heart: (none)
- Cannons: 1
- 1UP Mushrooms (7):
- Static Mushrooms: #1, #2, & #3 Found on top of the castle roof.
- Triggered Mushrooms: #4 Appears when Mario climbs a specific tree near the waterfall in the Castle Grounds. #5 Appears after Mario collects the two coins under the bridge over the moat. #6 Appears when Mario gets into the leftward square hole in the aquarium room with the Jolly Roger Bay painting. #7 Appears after Mario touches the four corners of the basement's tunnel area, after the water has been drained.
- Warps: (none)
Gallery[edit]
Super Mario 64[edit]
Artwork of the stained glass window depicting Princess Peach
The Mushroom Castle as seen on the globe in key artwork for Super Mario 64
Ditto but without Wing Mario
Clay-model artwork of the Mushroom Castle
Floor layout diagram of the Mushroom Castle
Artwork from a Japanese Super Mario 64 jigsaw puzzle
The door to the room with the Hazy Maze Cave
Super Mario 64 DS[edit]
The castle's appearance on the Touch Screen portion of the Title Screen
The door to the flood room
The underwater tunnel
Multimedia[edit]
- Main article: Peach's Castle (theme)
The music that plays within the interior of the Mushroom Castle is "Peach's Castle," originally known as "Inside the Castle Walls" prior to Nintendo Music. When the player attempts to ascend the endless stairs with fewer than 70 Stars (80 in the remake), the castle's music temporarily fades out as "Looping Steps" plays.
 Inside the Castle Walls - Inside the Mushroom Castle | File info 0:30 |
| Looping Steps - Mushroom Castle (endless stairs) | File info 0:30 |
Names in other languages[edit]
This section is a stub. Please consider expanding it to include any missing information. Specifics: Could use some more foreign names, if mentioned in any material related to Super Mario 64 or its DS remake
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | キノコ Kinoko Jō |
Mushroom Castle | Super Mario 64, Super Mario 64 DS |
| ピーチの おしろ[9] Pīchi no Oshiro |
Peach's Castle | Super Mario 64 | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 蘑菇城堡[10] Mógu Chéngbǎo |
Mushroom Castle | |
| German | Das Schloss[12] | The Castle | |
| Italian | Castello Mushroom[11] | Mushroom castle | Super Mario 64 |
| Korean | 버섯 성[13] Beoseot Seong |
Mushroom Castle | Super Mario 64 DS |
| Portuguese (NOA) | Castelo dos Cogumelos[14] | Mushrooms Castle | Super Mario 64 |
References[edit]
- ^ 1996. Super Mario 64 instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 4.
- ^ 2004. Super Mario 64 DS instruction booklet. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 4.
- ^ Course 10: Snowman's Land. Nintendo: Super Mario 64 Strategy (American English). Archived June 10, 1998, 06:49:13 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ Course 5: Big Boo's Haunt. Nintendo: Super Mario 64 Strategy (American English). Archived June 10, 1998, 06:45:02 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ Pelland, Scott, and Dan Owsen (1996). Super Mario 64 Player's Guide. Redmond: Nintendo of America (American English). Page 82.
- ^ Nintendo of America (1998). Bonus Stars - Super Mario 64 Strategy. Nintendo Official Site. Archived June 10, 1998, 03:54:13 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine.
- ^ 1996. スーパーマリオ６４ (Sūpā Mario 64) instruction booklet. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 4.
- ^ 2004. スーパーマリオ６４ＤＳ (Sūpā Mario 64 DS) instruction booklet. Nintendo (Japanese). Page 5.
- ^ 「ワープどかんをくぐりぬけ、ピーチの おしろにつきました」– in-game opening. Super Mario 64. Nintendo (Japanese). Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ 故事. iQue (Simplified Chinese). Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ 1997. Super Mario 64 European manual. Nintendo of Europe (Italian). Page 27.
- ^ Kraft, John D., Thomas Görg, and Marko Hein, editors (1997). Der offizielle Nintendo 64 Spieleberater "Super Mario 64". Großostheim: Nintendo of Europe GmbH (German). Page 2–5.
- ^ 슈퍼 마리오 64 DS. Nintendo of Korea (Korean). Archived September 15, 2008, 01:45:36 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ 1996. Super Mario 64 Manual de Instruções. Nintendo of America (distributed via Playtronic). Page 4.
