Nintendo101

Casual Nintendo historian. Otherwise an artist and a field ecologist. Bio degree. I've had an account here since 2012.

I wrote the character sections for Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Mario Odyssey. I contributed much of the article for Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Sunshine.

I have been a fan of Nintendo since a very young age. My first Mario games (and three of the first video games I ever owned) were Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, Super Mario 64 DS, and Mario Kart DS. These games were good company for a young kid who moved around a lot and had difficulty keeping long-lasting friends.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I sequentially played some of my favorite games in the Super Mario series to 100% completion. This includes, in order, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and Super Mario Odyssey. It's been really fun! These are great games, and I always wanted to marathon a series like this before but never had the time. It has been interesting to see where the series began and where it has ended up. The design philosophies, the characters, the art directions, world building, level design, narrative, etc. All good stuff. It might be fun to write something about it some day.

My favorite video game character is Yoshi.

Sandbox for current project

Courses

Courses
First Floor and Mezzanine
01. Bob-omb Battlefield ×7 ×1				Missions		02. Whomp's Fortress ×7 ×1				Missions
				Big Bob-omb on the Summit	Footrace with Koopa the Quick					Chip Off Whomp's Block	To the Top of the Fortress
				Shoot to the Island in the Sky	Find the 8 Red Coins					Shoot into the Wild Blue	Red Coins on the Floating Isle
				Mario Wings to the Sky	Behind Chain Chomp's Gate					Fall onto the Caged Island	Blast Away the Wall
				Treasure in the Sky						Whomps and Flowers
Grassy fields surrounding a spiraled mountain. A battle is waged here between the peaceful Bob-omb Buddies and the enemy Bob-ombs. Once the battle is over, the Bob-omb Buddies allow Mario to access their cannons. There is a floating island in the east, and a barred cave towards the center with a Chain Chomp leashed in front of it.						A fortress in the sky. It is ruled by a Big Whomp who sits at the top of the fortress. The path leading to him has falling platforms and stone enemies. Once defeated, a climbable spire appears at the top. A chain of floating islands are in the northeast. They can we reached with the help of Hoot, a sleepy owl found in the course's single tree.
Unlock criterion: enter Mushroom Castle						Unlock criterion: collect a Power Star
03. Jolly Roger Bay ×7				Missions		04. Cool, Cool Mountain ×7				Missions
				Plunder in the Sunken Ship	Can the Eel Come Out to Play?					Slip Slidin' Away	Li'l Penguin Lost
				Treasure of the Ocean Cave	Red Coins on the Ship Afloat					Big Penguin Race	Frosty Slide for 8 Red Coins
				Blast to the Stone Pillar	Through the Jet Stream					Snowman's Lost His Head	Wall Kicks Will Work
				Pirates' Plunder						Dough in the Snow
A cove containing the wreck of a sunken ship. A giant moray eel nests in the ship and stirs when approached. An underwater corridor in the northwest leads to a cave that holds treasure chests. Solving the puzzle of the chests reveals a Power Star.						A snow-covered mountain inhabited by penguins and snowpeople. Wooden bridges and moving gondolas are built into the side of the mountain. A cabin is near its peak. This cabin contains the Snow Slide, where Mario is challenged by a big belly-sliding penguin.
Unlock criterion: collect 3 Power Stars						Unlock criterion: collect 3 Power Stars
Bowser in the Dark World ×1 ×1				Missions		The Princess's Secret Slide ×2				Missions
				First battle with Bowser	8 Red Coins					The Princess's Secret Slide	Second Star
TBW. Unlock criterion: collect 8 Power Stars						TBW. Unlock criterion: collect a Power Star
The Secret Aquarium ×1				Missions		Tower of the Wing Cap ×1				Missions
				The Secret Aquarium						Flying for Coins
TBW. Unlock criterion: collect 3 Power Stars						TBW. Unlock criterion: collect 10 Power Stars
The Castle Basement and Courtyard
05. Big Boo's Haunt ×7 ×4				Missions		06. Hazy Maze Cave ×7				Missions
				Go on a Ghost Hunt	Ride Big Boo's Merry-Go-Round					Swimming Beast in the Cavern	Elevate for 8 Red Coins
				Secret of the Haunted Books	Seek the 8 Red Coins					Metal-Head Mario Can Move!	Navigating the Toxic Maze
				Big Boo's Balcony	Eye to Eye in the Secret Room					A-Maze-Ing Emergency Exit	Watch for Rolling Rocks
				Beat the Boos!						Blue Coins in the Haze
The haunted house hidden in Princess Peach's courtyard. The rooms of the house contain ghosts and animated furniture that try to strike Mario. Navigation requires solving puzzles and memorizing patterns in the halls. Failing to do so often brings Mario to the house's flooded basement, where a spinning carousel filled with Boos can be found.						An underground labyrinth filled with dead ends, traps, and bottomless pits. There are two floors. The first one has a large chamber in the southeast with a controllable elevator, hallways with rolling Boulders in the the northwest, and a maze with toxic clouds in the northeast. The lower floor leads to a pool that holds a friendly sea dragon.
Unlock criteria: clear Bowser in the Dark World, collect 12 Power Stars, and defeat the Big Boo that holds the small carousel in the courtyard						Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Dark World
07. Lethal Lava Land ×7 ×2				Missions		08. Shifting Sand Land ×7 ×1				Missions
				Boil the Big Bully	Bully the Bullies					In the Talons of the Big Bird	Shining Atop the Pyramid
				8-Coin Puzzle with 15 Pieces	Red-Hot Log Rolling					Inside the Ancient Pyramid	Stand Tall on the Four Pillars
				Hot-Foot-It into the Volcano	Elevator Tour in the Volcano					Free Flying for 8 Red Coins	Pyramid Puzzle
				Surf the Lava						Once More into the Pyramid
Platforms in a lava sea. Some of them shift back and forth or can be manually rolled. They surround a small volcano that can be physically entered. Bullies appear in this course and will knock Mario into lava on contact. Sparkies and other fiery obstacles also appear that burn him when touched.						Desert sands surrounding a pyramid. A condor flies through the sky here. Much of the course is covered in quicksand and steep dunes. Little tornados can be used to avoid obstacles. Narrow walkways are found in the northeast and a small oasis in the northwest. The pyramid can be entered, where a labyrinth leads to the boss Eyerok.
Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Dark World						Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Dark World
09. Dire, Dire Docks ×7				Missions		Bowser in the Fire Sea ×1 ×1				Missions
				Board Bowser's Sub	Chests in the Current					Second battle with Bowser	8 Red Coins
				Pole-Jumping for Red Coins	Through the Jet Stream
				The Manta Ray's Reward	Collect the Caps...
				Above the Submarine Pen
Deep water. A whirlpool is at the center of the seabed and is circled by sharks and a manta ray. A corridor in the east leads to an wider area where Bowser has hidden a submarine.						TBW.
Unlock criterion: collect 30 Power Stars						Unlock criterion: complete "Board Bowser's Sub"
Cavern of the Metal Cap ×1				Missions		Vanish Cap Under the Moat ×1				Missions
				Grab 8 Red Coins						8 Red Coins
TBW. Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Dark World						TBW. Unlock criteria: clear Bowser in the Dark World and drain the castle's moat
Upper Floors and Tower
10. Snowman's Land ×7 ×1				Missions		11. Wet-Dry World ×7				Missions
				Snowman's Big Head	Chill with the Bully					Shocking Arrow Lifts!	Top o' the Town
				In the Deep Freeze	Whirl from the Freezing Pond					Secrets in the Shallows & Sky	Express Elevator--Hurry Up!
				Shell Shreddin' for Red Coins	Into the Igloo					Go to Town for Red Coins	Quick Race Through Downtown!
				Coin Cold Storage						Blue Coin Collecting
A chilly land surrounding a giant Snowman. Slippery ice and freezing ponds occur in this course. Chill Bully occurs on a floating island of ice in the east. Narrow paths allow Mario to ascend the Snowman, but he will begin to blow gusts of air when he nears his head. An enterable igloo is near the base of the Snowman.						A flooded, empty town. There are colorful switches at several locations in the town that cause the water level to rise or fall. There is a hidden Downtown area that can only be accessed through the cage in the southeast.
Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Fire Sea						Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Fire Sea
12. Tall, Tall Mountain ×7				Missions		13. Tiny-Huge Island ×7				Missions
				Scale the Mountain	Mystery of the Monkey Cage					Pluck the Piranha Flower	The Tip Top of the Huge Island
				Scary 'Shrooms, Red Coins	Mysterious Mountainside					Rematch with Koopa the Quick	Five Itty Bitty Secrets
				Breathtaking View from Bridge	Blast to the Lonely Mushroom					Wiggler's Red Coins	Make Wiggler Squirm
				Challenge the Slide!						Stomp the Giants
A tall mountain surrounded by mushrooms high above the sea. Gusts of wind and the Fwoosh enemy make ascending the mountain challenging. The entrance to a secret slide can be found near the summit. Ukkikis live in this course, one of which attempts to steal Mario's cap.						An island that presents itself in two different ways depending on which painting it is accessed from in the castle. One is large with vast areas and giant versions of normal enemies. Mario can easily access the interior of this version of the island, which is home to Wiggler. The other is tiny with small enemies. Changing the terrain in one version of the island affects the other two and doing so is required to obtain all of its Power Stars.
Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Fire Sea						Unlock criterion: clear Bowser in the Fire Sea
14. Tick Tock Clock ×1 ×1				Missions		15. Rainbow Ride ×2				Missions
				Roll into the Cage	The Pit and the Pendulums					Cruiser Crossing the Rainbow	The Big House in the Sky
				Get a Hand	Stomp on the Thwomp					Coins Amassed in a Maze	Swingin' in the Breeze
				Timed Jumps on Moving Bars	Stop Time for Red Coins					Tricky Triangles!	Somewhere Over the Rainbow
				Multi-Coin Blocks						Blue Coins Atop the Maze
A vertical obstacle course within the tower's clock. Moving platforms are found throughout the clockwork that can help Mario reach hidden alcoves or throw him back towards the bottom. The speed of these platforms (and whether they move at all) is determined by where the clock's hands are positioned when he enters the course.						Floating islands and moving platforms high in the sky. Magic Carpets travel along rainbows at certain portions of the course, one of which feeds through a floating palace. The Rainbow Cruiser can be found in the northeast.
Unlock criterion: collect 50 Power Stars						Unlock criterion: collect 50 Power Stars
Bowser in the Sky ×1				Missions		Wing Mario Over the Rainbow ×1				Mission
				Final battle with Bowser	8 Red Coins					Cloud Hopping for Coins
TBW. Unlock criterion: collect 70 Power Stars						TBW. Unlock criterion: collect 50 Power Stars
Other
Mushroom Castle ×6				Missions
				A Gift from Toad (basement)		A Gift from Toad (second floor)
				A Gift from Toad (third floor)		That Wascally Wabbit! (after collecting 15 Power Stars)
				That Wascally Wabbit! (after collecting 50 Power Stars)
Princess Peach's castle in the Mushroom Kingdom. Unlock criterion: begin a new save file