Super Mario 64 DS
- This article is about the Nintendo DS remake of Super Mario 64. For the boss microgame in WarioWare: Move It!, see Super Mario 64 DS (microgame).
| Super Mario 64 DS | |||||||||||||||||
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 For alternate art, see the related gallery. | |||||||||||||||||
| Developer | Nintendo EAD | ||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | Nintendo DS, Virtual Console (Wii U) | ||||||||||||||||
| Release dates | Nintendo DS: November 21, 2004[1] December 2, 2004[2] December 2, 2004[3] February 24, 2005[4] March 11, 2005[5] June 21, 2007[6] July 26, 2007[7] April 2009[8]Virtual Console (Wii U): December 24, 2015[5] December 24, 2015[9] January 6, 2016[10] August 25, 2016[11] | ||||||||||||||||
| Languages | English Japanese Chinese (Simplified) French (Europe) German Italian Korean Spanish (Europe) | ||||||||||||||||
| Genres | 3D platformer, action-adventure | ||||||||||||||||
| Ratings | Original release:
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| Modes | Single player, multiplayer (2–4) | ||||||||||||||||
| Format |  Digital download Game Card | ||||||||||||||||
| Input | |||||||||||||||||
| Serial codes | NTR-ASME-USA NTR-ASMJ-JPN NTR-ASMP-EUR NTR-ASME-AUS NTR-ASMK-KOR DS-S-IMR-00[citation needed] | ||||||||||||||||
- Everyone
- All ages
- Three years and older
- All ages
- General audience
- All ages
- Eight years and older
- Twelve years and older
- “Tap into a new world”
- —Game tagline
Super Mario 64 DS is a 3D platform game released for the Nintendo DS initially in 2004, becoming the first 3D Super Mario game for a handheld console. It is an enhanced remake of the Nintendo 64 game Super Mario 64, bearing some new features on its storyline, gameplay, and improved graphics. Although, Mario is not the only playable character (nor is he even available at the start); Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario become playable characters and join the adventure to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser; the player also starts the game as Yoshi instead of Mario. Like the original game, Super Mario 64 DS was released as a launch title for its respective system.
Other new features within the game include a wireless multiplayer VS mode, in which up to four players can play simultaneously on each Nintendo DS connected together locally; mini-games to play; and new additions to the story mode, such as new courses, missions, and bosses.
The game was re-released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in Europe and Australasia on 2015 and in Japan and North America on 2016.
Story
From the instruction booklet:
"Please come to the castle. I've baked a cake for you."
At the invitation of Princess Peach, Mario, accompanied by party crashers Luigi and Wario, enter the Mushroom Castle.
But when the three don't come out of the castle for a long time, Yoshi decides to check up on them.
Upon entering the castle, Yoshi discovers that no one is there. According to Toad, Bowser has stolen the Power Stars guarding the castle and locked Princess Peach into the walls and paintings. Maybe Mario and his friends have been captured in the paintings, too!
Now it's up to Yoshi to rescue Princess Peach, Mario, Luigi, and Wario from the castle's paintings and walls!
Princess Peach writes a letter to Mario, telling him to come to her castle because she baked a cake for him. This letter is assumed to be a clever forgery from Bowser, who guesses that Mario and his friends would come looking and so employs his minions to capture them beforehand.
Mario arrives outside the castle through a Warp Pipe, followed by Luigi and Wario. The three then make their way to the castle entrance. Yoshi is seen asleep on the roof the entire time, only to later be awakened by one of the Lakitu Bros., who reveals that the others have not returned yet; immediately, Yoshi decides to locate them.
Yoshi tries to enter the castle, but the doors are locked. The Lakitu Bro says that he saw a rabbit with the key in his mouth. After Yoshi grabs the rabbit, the rabbit gives up the key to him. When Yoshi finally goes inside, he hears a voice from Bowser telling him, "Welcome. No one's home! Now scram--and don't come back! Gwa ha ha!" A Toad informs Yoshi that Bowser and his army have kidnapped Peach and stolen the Power Stars. He also concludes the last time he saw the heroes is when they jumped into the Bob-omb painting. Yoshi then decides to investigate. Eventually, Yoshi starts collecting Power Stars, rescuing Mario, Luigi, and Wario along the way, and the four continue to collect the Power Stars in order to save Peach from Bowser.
There are alternate endings for Super Mario 64 DS. Depending on which characters the player saves, they may or may not appear during the ending. Mario and Yoshi are always present in the ending. For each alternate ending, a different cake is awarded, featuring the characters that appeared in the ending as the cake figures. If the player does not drain the moat, it does not appear as if it were drained. Also, if the player does not finish "Snowman's Lost His Head" on Cool, Cool Mountain, the Headless Snowman lacks his body and has a sad expression.
Peach's message to Mario. It reads, "Dear Mario:
Please come to the castle. I've baked a cake for you.
Yours truly--
Princess Toadstool
Peach"
A Lakitu Bro telling Yoshi that Mario did not return from the castle yet
Peach thanking Yoshi, Mario, Luigi, and Wario for saving her
The cake in the ending
Gameplay
As in Super Mario 64, the courses are accessed by the different paintings on the castle's walls. While up to 120 Power Stars can be collected in the original, 150 can be collected in Super Mario 64 DS, 30 more than in the original game.
Controls
The game makes use of the Nintendo DS's features by giving the player three different ways to control their character. All three modes are always accessible by pressing the 
button.
- In Standard Mode, the chosen character is controlled with the Control Pad. The stylus can also be used in Standard Mode.
is used for jumping; 
is used for punching, kicking, and sticking out Yoshi's tongue; and 
is used for dashing. The 
button is used for crouching, while 
handles the camera together with the 
Control Pad. Additionally, if the player is playing as Mario and presses while sliding down a wall, Mario wall-kicks. Compared to Mario in Super Mario 64, where he was moving as fast as the player tilted 
of the Nintendo 64 Controller, the characters in Super Mario 64 DS move much more slowly when the run button is not pressed. - In Touch Mode, the character is controlled by having the player move their thumb or the
stylus across the Touch Screen. By using the thumb or stylus, the player can adjust the character's speed and direction in a manner similar to what was possible with the Nintendo 64's control stick. Jumping, crouching, and kicking are still executed with the buttons. - In Dual-Hand Mode, the character is controlled with the stylus, and jumping, kicking, and crouching are done by utilizing either the buttons (for left-handed players) or the Control Pad (for right-handed players). The movement radius is larger with this control option, and all camera adjustments are done with the Touch Screen as well. The and buttons are not used.
On the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U GamePad, however, 
/
makes for a more authentic feel of using the Circle Pad/Joystick, making for better and easier controls. However, the player still needs to press to run, and the game still registers only eight different inputs, not the full range of a circle. In the options, the player can change how audio comes out of the speakers and the settings of the backlight. For sound, the player can choose between stereo, surround, and headphones. The backlight can be toggled on and off.
Character selection
The player can switch between characters in the princess's room, which contains three switching rooms, each symbolized by the character's first letter of his name. To use him, the player must go through the door, and the corresponding character comes out of the door. Reentering the door of the character currently selected switches the player back to playing as Yoshi. There are four doors in total (excluding the two for exiting the princess's room). However, the white-bordered door does not unlock a playable character but instead contains a secret Power Star, which can be unlocked if the player is able to catch the eight glowing rabbits. Once the Power Star is obtained, the player can reenter the door, but there is no effect afterwards (Boo laughs are heard), and the player's character simply exits it and groans.
Characters
In order to fully complete the game, the player needs to unlock Mario, Luigi, and Wario, who were trapped behind doors by Bowser. The following table below shows how good each character is in a certain stat. Each has his own special abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. The instruction booklet shows each character's stats and indicates his abilities with stars. However, it omits the rating for swimming speed and does not account for differences in physics that affect the stats. Mario, for example, has a higher top running speed than Luigi. Additionally, each character has different air speeds; Mario's jumps are higher than Yoshi's (most particularly his triple jump), and Mario also moves farther forward, tied with Luigi.
| Image | Name | Description | How to unlock | Stats | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | Speed | Jump | ||||
|
Yoshi | As the first and default character of the game, Yoshi must find and free Mario, Luigi, and Wario, who have been imprisoned from the clutches of Bowser and his minions. Yoshi has average running speed but quite slow swimming speed. His jumping ability is generally worse than both Mario's and Luigi's, though better than Wario's, as Yoshi is able to flutter-kick (when is held) to reach higher places that the others cannot reach. However, he cannot punch or kick (unless he uses a mushroom), nor can he grab large objects or enemies. His Pound the Ground attack is also not strong enough to break any Bricks or defeat Boos. Instead of normal attacks, he has the ability to swallow most enemies (when is pressed) and either spit them back out or turn them into eggs (when is pressed) that he can throw, making him the only character with a projectile attack. Yoshi can have only one egg at a time. His thrown eggs home in on enemies and defeat multiple enemies nearby in a sequence. Yoshi can also swallow fire and then spit it out as a stream of flame. Some enemies, such as Bullies, cannot be swallowed. Yoshi's Power Flower ability is Fire Power, which fills his mouth with a flame he can use as much as he wants for a limited time. This flame can melt blocks of Ice and damage enemies. Yoshi is also the tallest character.
|
Available from the start | ☆☆☆ | ★★☆ | ★★★ |
|
Mario | Mario's stats in every category are average, and he plays similarly to his Super Mario 64 self. He has the fastest running speed of the four heroes, and he is tied with Luigi for the highest jump height, making him preferred on certain timed segments. Mario is the only character who can perform the wall kick. His Power Flower ability is Balloon Mario, which lets him float to normally unreachable distances. Mario is also the only character who can access the item called "Wings", turning him into Wing Mario, which also allows him to reach greater heights by flying. | Mario is trapped behind a door by Goomboss and is required to complete the game without the use of glitches, since he is the only one who can enter the final Bowser level, Bowser in the Sky. Using Yoshi from the starting point in the castle, the player should go up the stairs to the right 1-★ door. The player should go straight to the next door, go through the 8-★ door, and hop into the Mario painting. The player has to locate Goomboss by jumping into a hollow tree stump at the highest point of the level into a spot marked "X" on the map, and fight him by spitting Goombas at him for Mario's Key. The player then has to go back to the princess's room and unlock the "M" switching room to free Mario. | ★★☆ | ★★☆ | ★★☆ |
|
Luigi | Mario's younger twin brother, Luigi, is optional to find but is required to obtain certain Power Stars that the others cannot retrieve. Luigi is slightly weaker than Mario; Luigi's attacks do the same damage, but he moves more slowly when carrying objects or enemies. He is the fastest swimmer of the four heroes. Luigi is tied with Mario for the highest jumps. Luigi, however, is more maneuverable in the air than his comrades. After a normal jump or double jump, he can scuttle (which is similar to Yoshi's flutter kick) to briefly slow down his descent. After performing a backward somersault, he spins as if he jumped on a Fly Guy and descends slowly. Luigi can also briefly run on water, which is especially useful after a charged dash. Luigi is about as tall as Wario. Luigi's Power Flower ability is Vanish Luigi, which functions identically to Vanish Mario from the original game and allows Luigi to pass through certain walls for a short time. | The player has to jump into a painting on the top floor of Big Boo's Haunt as Mario. There, Mario must go through the door where he hears King Boo's laugh, although some of the doors return the player to the entrance of the sub-level. When Mario reaches the end, he has to defeat King Boo himself to obtain the Luigi Key, which is used to open the door to obtain Luigi. | ★☆☆ | ★★☆ | ★★★ |
|
Wario | Like Luigi, Wario is optional to find but is needed to obtain Power Stars that the others cannot retrieve. Wario has the worst speed stats and jumping capabilities of the four heroes, but he is by far the heaviest and strongest, being able to move faster when carrying objects and enemies and smash through Black Bricks and other heavy objects. Wario's strength allows his punches to deal double damage to Eyerok, defeating each hand in only two hits instead of three. In the VS mode, Wario has the unique ability to pick up stunned opponents, spin them, and throw them, in a similar fashion to throwing Bowser. Wario can also ground-pound objects with twice the strength of the other characters. His height is about the same as Luigi's. Wario's Power Flower ability is Metal Wario, which functions identically to Metal Mario in the original game. This form gives Wario invulnerability to enemy attacks, lava, and freezing water, as well as the ability to walk underwater with his normal speed and without needing to resurface to breathe. Wario still takes falling damage, however. | Once the Key Door right at the head of the stairs in the main lobby is unlocked, Luigi has to go inside, then get past another door leading to Snowman's Land. There are two Power Flowers, so the player has to use Luigi to go transparent into the mirror by the Snowman's Land wall (certain glitches allow Yoshi and Mario to unlock Wario, but only Luigi can be used without glitches), and he has to fight Chief Chilly by pushing him into the freezing water three times for the Wario Key, which is used to open the door to find Wario. | ★★★ | ★☆☆ | ★☆☆ |
Colored caps
In the painting worlds and some secret courses, power-ups resembling the caps worn by Mario, Luigi, and Wario can be found and are visible on the Touch Screen. When one of these caps is put on, the player's character turns into the corresponding owner of the cap. He gains access to all moves of the character who owns the cap, including the Power Flower and Wings power-ups, but keeps his original voice. The caps are usually found on the heads of Goombas, Boos, or Dorrie or found on land or underwater.
When the player is hit by an enemy, the cap topples off, and the character needs to retrieve it within a limited time. When the cap disappears, it reappears on a different, set location in the course. If Mario, Luigi, or Wario loses his original cap, he cannot pick up any other characters' caps or use Power Flowers until he retrieves his own. All of them also take double damage when hurt.
With Yoshi, a player can select the cap when selecting a Star right after jumping into a painting. If a cap is selected, Yoshi puts it on after entering the course.
| Cap | Description |
|---|---|
 Red cap |
A cap that turns the character into Mario when obtained. |
 Green cap |
A cap that turns the character into Luigi when obtained. |
 Yellow cap |
A cap that turns the character into Wario when obtained. |
Coins
Coins can be collected by every character. In every course, there are a little over 100 coins, and collecting 100 in each gives the player 15 extra Stars for the 15 courses. After successfully completing a mission by grabbing a Star, the player gets an extra life for every 50 coins collected (this, however, does not work if the player exits the course via the menu). The highest number of coins that the player can collect is 255. They can be found on land, in the sea, in enemies, etc. They also refill the player's Power Meter by one wedge for each coin collected.
There are three types of coins:
- Yellow Coins are worth one coin and are found in most enemies.
- Red Coins are worth two coins and have to be collected in groups of eight during one mission in each regular course and in some secret courses for a Power Star to appear.
- Blue Coins are worth five coins and are often temporary. They are found in tougher enemies or on slides, or they do not appear until the player hits a blue Switch.
Power Flower powers
Each of the four player characters has a special power from the Power Flower found inside red ? Blocks, replacing the three caps from Super Mario 64. Only Mario can get something other than a Power Flower from a ? Block, which is the "Wings" (a white feather) to transform him into Wing Mario for 60 seconds. A player character can use his power only temporarily. If anyone other than Yoshi hits a ? Block without his cap, a Bob-omb comes out instead. In some ? Blocks (such as the ones in Whomp's Fortress and Snowman's Land), a Bob-omb is always spawned if the blocks are broken by Mario, even with his cap on. The three powers that Mario can use in Super Mario 64, namely the Wing, Invisibility, and Metal powers, can now exclusively be used by Mario, Luigi, and Wario, respectively. However, Luigi's and Wario's powers last shorter compared to Mario's equivalent forms in Super Mario 64.
| Form | Description | Controls |
|---|---|---|
 Fire Power |
Yoshi's fiery breath can melt blocks of Ice and roast enemies with fire blasts. The ability is accessible either from a bonfire on Cool, Cool Mountain and in Snowman's Land or by swallowing certain enemies such as a Fly Guy. Yoshi can spit fire only once, but he can carry the fire within his mouth for an unlimited time. | – Breathe fire (replaces tongue move)
|
 Balloon Power |
With an inflated balloon-like body, Balloon Mario can travel to high-up areas that he is otherwise unable to reach. Mario descends when no buttons are pressed. |
|
 Invisibility Power |
Luigi becomes invisible, giving him the ability to pass through certain walls, such as grates and paintings. Vanish Luigi is unaffected by enemies, like Metal Wario, but he passes through them. Vanish Luigi is unaffected by lava or quicksand. | – |
 Metal Power |
Wario's body becomes metallic and invincible, and he can defeat enemies instantly from touching them. When Metal Wario enters water, he sinks to the bottom. | – |
Rabbits
- Main article: Rabbit
In addition, there are many rabbits to catch. They replace MIPS from the original game and have the same name internally and in the Shogakukan guide. The rabbits give up keys to unlock mini-game drawers in the Rec Room when caught. Seven rabbits spawn around the castle as each character, and any rabbits not meant for a certain character do not spawn unless that character is selected. Wario catches orange ones, Luigi catches green ones, Mario catches pink ones, and Yoshi catches yellow ones, for a total of 28 rabbits. To make the rabbits appear, the player must talk to the Toad in the Rec Room. Upon the player talking to the Lakitu Bro at the start of the game, an extra yellow rabbit appears near the hedge maze, and it provides the key to the front doors of the castle. Though intended to be caught as Yoshi, if unlocking the front doors is avoided using glitches, the rabbit still spawns when accessed as any other character, despite appearing yellow. Once caught, this rabbit never reappears and can never be a glowing rabbit.
Rabbit locations
The following table displays information pertaining to the whereabouts of each rabbit, which mini-game its related key unlocks, and the number of Power Stars that are required to access the rabbit. For more information regarding the mini-games unlocked, view the section about the Rec Room.
 Yoshi's rabbits, colored yellow | ||
|---|---|---|
| Location | Mini-game unlocked | Power Stars required |
| Outside the castle, at the end of the bridge, to the left. | Puzzle Panel | 1 Star |
| Outside the castle, at the end of the bridge, in the middle. | Hide and Boo Seek | 1 Star |
| Outside the castle, at the end of the bridge, to the right. | Boom Box | 1 Star |
| Outside the castle, in a patch of flowers to the right. | Tox Box Shuffle | 1 Star |
| Outside the castle, at the bottom of the drained moat. | Puzzle Panic | 12 Stars |
| Outside the castle, in the garden, near the small hedge maze. | Which Wiggler? | 1 Star |
| In the basement, in front of the entrance to Lethal Lava Land. | Mix-a-Mug | 12 Stars |
 Mario's rabbits, colored pink | ||
| Location | Mini-game unlocked | Power Stars required |
| Outside the castle, left of the bridge, near the waterfall. | Sort or 'Splode | 8 Stars |
| Outside the castle, at the bottom of the moat (but only after it has been drained). | Shell Smash | 12 Stars |
| Inside the room with the entrance to Jolly Roger Bay. | Trampoline Time | 8 Stars |
| In the basement, in front of the entrance to Lethal Lava Land, to the left. | Connect the Characters | 12 Stars |
| In the basement, in front of the entrance to Lethal Lava Land, to the right. | Bounce and Trounce | 12 Stars |
| On the second floor of the castle, at the very top of the stairs. | Trampoline Terror | 31 Stars |
| On the second floor of the castle, in the room with the entrance to Snowman's Land and with the large mirror wall. | Shuffle Shell | 31 Stars |
 Luigi's rabbits, colored green | ||
| Location | Mini-game unlocked | Power Stars required |
| Outside the castle, on the left of the small hedge. | Pair-a-Gone and On | 15 Stars |
| On the second floor, on the right side of the doorway, with the entrance to Wet-Dry World. | Memory Master | 31 Stars |
| Behind the castle, in the courtyard. Found by backward-somersaulting right outside the doorway. | Picture Poker | 15 Stars |
| In the basement, in the room where the water can be drained from the moat (after the player does so). | Mushroom Roulette | 15 Stars |
| In the room with the entrance to the Bob-omb Battlefield. | Lucky Stars | 15 Stars |
| In the room with the entrance to Mario's painting, Goomboss Battle, behind the Rec Room/Sunshine Isles. | Mario Slot | 15 Stars |
| Outside the castle, on top of the roof. | Super Mario Slot | 150 Stars |
 Wario's rabbits, colored orange | ||
| Location | Mini-game unlocked | Power Stars required |
| Outside the castle, over the wooden bridge, to the far right. | Bingo Ball | 31 Stars |
| In the room with the entrance to Whomp's Fortress. | Coincentration | 31 Stars |
| Behind the castle, in the courtyard, behind the Star Fountain,[14] near the two signs. | Slots Shot | 31 Stars |
| In the basement, in the dead end, near the Toad. | Psyche Out! | 31 Stars |
| On the second floor of the castle, in the halls with the entrances to Tiny-Huge Island. | Lakitu Launch | 31 Stars |
| On the third floor of the castle, near the entrances to Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride, Over the Rainbows, and Bowser in the Sky. | Intense Coincentration | 50 Stars |
| On the third floor of the castle, in the upper alcove to the left, near the entrance to Over the Rainbows. | Giant Snowball Slalom | 50 Stars |
To unlock the white-bordered door within the princess's room, the player must catch eight glowing rabbits. Once the player has collected at least 50 Stars and the given rabbit has already been caught, there is a 1/32 chance for the rabbit to be glowing white each time the area the rabbit is in is loaded. This chance increases to 1/16 once at least 80 Stars have been collected. Upon catching a glowing rabbit, the player is informed of how many glowing rabbits are left to be caught or, on the final rabbit, is given the key to the white-bordered door. Once the key to the white-bordered door has been collected, rabbits no longer have any chance to be glowing.
Keys
Three keys are used to unlock Mario, Luigi, and Wario. They are obtained after boss battles. Mario's Key is obtained once Goomboss is defeated, Luigi's key is obtained once King Boo is defeated, and Wario's key is obtained once Chief Chilly is defeated.
Upon catching all of the eight glowing rabbits, the player receives a key that unlocks the white-bordered door in the princess's room. The first time the player opens it and enters, they find a Power Star. However, if they come back after taking it, Boos' laughs can be heard, and the player character comes out of the door, startled.
At the beginning of the game, after catching a rabbit near the small hedge on the left of the castle, Yoshi gets the key to unlock the castle's front doors.
After clearing the first two Bowser levels, the player receives Big Keys to access the basement and second floor, respectively.
Courses and missions
The following table displays information regarding each course, the Power Stars found within each course, and what character is required to obtain the Stars. During some missions, the player can find a cap of another character that transforms them into the character that owns the respective cap. The number of caps in a course varies and is based on which characters have been rescued, with few exceptions. Yoshi does not have a cap but is able to choose from the rescued characters' before selecting a mission. When the player's coin meter reaches 100 for the first time in a particular course, a bonus Power Star appears, making a total of eight Power Stars available in each course. If one of the characters receives a Power Star and redoes the mission, the Power Star appears as blue and does not add to the total. Bowser is fought in three courses, each of which is behind a Big Star Door, and a certain number of Power Stars is required to open the doors. Big Star Doors can be opened only with Mario, though once one is opened, any character can enter the door. The only exception to this is the Big Star Door leading to the final Bowser course; if any character other than Mario enters it, that character is brought to the endless stairs instead.
| Courses | ||
|---|---|---|
.png){kind=small} First Floor and Mezzanine
| ||
  ×8  ×6  ×2
|
Missions | |
|
 Big Bob-omb on the Summit    
|
Footrace with Koopa the Quick
|
| 5 Silver Stars![a]
|
Big Bob-omb's Revenge[b]
| |