Bowser in the Dark World

Bowser in the Dark World is the first Bowser level in Super Mario 64. It is a challenging puzzle-like world with many traps and enemies that are nearly guaranteed to surprise the player. The trapdoor entrance is behind the star door in the main floor. Eight Power Stars (twelve in the DS remake) are needed to open this door. Some fans of the game indicate that this and the other two Bowser levels (Bowser in the Fire Sea and Bowser in the Sky) have their music to give the player fear.

Red Coins are difficult to obtain in this level due to the fact that there are many gaps in the course, but simply getting to the end of the course is particularly easy.

In Super Mario 64 DS, a Switch Star was added to the level.

While fighting Bowser, the idea is to grab him by his tail and twirl him into a mine. Upon doing so, he will admit defeat and disappear, leaving Mario with the key to the castle's basement.