Talk:Secret point

Rename to secret point

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Rename to secret point 6-4-0
Today I'd like to propose a new name for this page, "secret point", but first, I'd like to go over why I don't find the current name acceptable. It is, at this moment, unsourced, so I am led to believe it comes from the missions "Secrets in the Shallows & Sky", "Five Itty Bitty Secrets" and "5 Secrets of the Mountain", but that name has issues. Specifically, it is a generic name that does not always correlate to this subject. The game has Secret Course, which have Secret Stars in them, we have The Princess's Secret Slide and The Secret Aquarium, in Super Mario 64 DS, we have The Secret Under the Moat. If you look at missions specifically, we have "Secret of the Haunted Books" and "Eye to Eye in the Secret Room". Super Mario 64 is an exploration-based game, with a plethora of secrets for the player to discover, and that is conveyed in the mission names. Not every name with "secret" in it has these secret spots, and not every secret spot mission has "secret" in its title.

I also think the name "secret" is confusing and potentially misleading, as such a generic name could apply to many other things, even beyond the context of Super Mario 64, so a more specific name, from the same source, is more fitting as well, even if one believes "secret" is valid.

So I propose we rename the page to "secret point". It is sourced directly from in-game dialogue, specifically, the sign that explicitly instructs the player on how these secret spots work, so we know it is referring to this subject in particular. The sign says:

Sometimes, if you pass through a coin ring or find a secret point in a course, a red number will appear. If you trigger five red numbers, a secret Star will show up.

I am aware the sign also mentions a "coin ring", but in this case it is only relevant to the first secrept point mission, "Mario Wings to the Sky".

EDIT: I've included an option to rename the page to "red number" instead, althou I personally think the subject is the interactible spot, not the number indicating how many were found.

Proposer: LadySophie17 (talk)
Deadline: December 27, 2025, 23:59 GMT

Rename to secret point

1. LadySophie17 (talk) Per proposal.
2. Nintendo101 (talk) Per my comments below. As elaborated on below in the comments, the Nintendo Power player's guide misinterprets what "the thing itself" is, counter to the English in-game text and Japanese material. "Secret point" is what the thing actually is.
3. EvieMaybe (talk) per Nintendo101.
4. Power Flotzo (talk) Per the others.
5. Blinker (talk) Per proposal and Nintendo101's comment.
6. Cadrega86 (talk) Per Nintendo101.

Rename to red number

1. Altendo (1 2 3 4 5) Per my comments below.
2. PrincessPeachFan (talk) Per Altendo.
3. Martendo (talk) Per Altendo.
4. Sorbetti (talk) Per Altendo.

#LadySophie17 (talk) Secondary option, I suppose. Nintendo101's comment convinced me. I prefer the page to stay as Secret rather than Red number.

Comments (It's a secret to everybody)

So, according to Ukikipedia, this sign appears in Bob-omb Battlefield, Dire, Dire Docks, and Wet-Dry World. I might be able to understand the first and third examples (even with the Coin Ring, given how it's simply describing the ring surrounding the secret point), but not Dire, Dire Docks, given how that isn't really a "secret point".

I think a better way to rename this page would be to just rename it "red number", also from the text and the Player's Manual, given how those are described to be the collectable, the "secrets" are just the places where the red numbers are found instead of the collectable, and it would also make every example on this page consistent; currently, two of the "secrets" (both in Dire, Dire Docks) aren't even secrets; they're just rings that give red numbers, and collecting 5 of them either way will create a Star. I recommend adding this as an option; I would support it if added. Altendo 10:01, December 13, 2025 (EST)

Alright, fair enough @Altendo, I've included it. — Lady Sophie ^(T|C) 10:14, December 13, 2025 (EST)

The Japanese publication of the Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia lists this subject within the object inventory for Super Mario 64, under the name「シークレットポイント」(shīkuretto pointo, "secret point"). To me, this indicates the true subject is the an imperviable point in space, and the numbers that materialize are signals to the player that they made contact with it. It is not "the thing itself." I am never one to discount the folks who produced the original Nintendo Power player's guide, as they were within Nintendo of America and were very much responsible for shaping the image and perception of these games as the localizers and original EAD staff. If this guide was the only instance where this subject is named, I too would support "Red Number" as the name. However, in this specific case, the Super Mario 64 Player's Guide is counter to what the English localized text within the game itself asserts is "the thing itself" and is directly in-line with what EAD considers "the thing itself." (As an example, the book states "There are five special coins inside the pyramid that will make the Red Numbers appear when you snag them." on page 73 in the guidebook. Compare it to the quote provided in this proposal.) As attested within the actual in-game English text presented above by LadySophie17, and our own article naming policies are structured in a way that prioritizes the games themselves as that is ultimately what we are seeking to represent in earnest. The "thing itself" is the secret point. The red numbers are only indicators to the player that they made contact with it. The original Japanese release, English localization, and 2015 Japanese encyclopedia substantiates this impression. The Nintendo Power guidebook is mistaken. Renaming this article to "red number" is an innacurate reading of the game and its material. - Nintendo101 (talk) 14:19, December 22, 2025 (EST)