Mario 64 invented 3D adventure gaming. Analog stick, orbital camera, painting-portal worlds full of stars and Mario's movement precision rest jaw-dropping. Thirty years on, the thing remains foundational, joyful, miraculous. Probably the most influential game in all of video-game history, without hyperbole.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player3+
Description
The first revolutionary 3D platformer in gaming history, with Mario exploring the paintings and worlds of Peach's Castle to rescue the princess and recover the Power Stars from Bowser. Published by Nintendo, released in 1996. Free C-stick camera, one hundred and twenty stars to collect, and foundational open gameplay.
Super Mario 64 review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Mario's first great leap into three dimensions, vivid colours and open, light-bathed levels: the game invented the 3D platformer with an intact freshness. The joyful roundness of the shapes and the readability of the space overflow with charm. This visual direction, pioneering and luminous, laid the foundations of an entire genre.
Signed by Koji Kondo, the music fuses luminous jazz and bouncing melodies to accompany Mario's first steps in 3D with an unforgettable lightness. From the joyful Bob-omb Battlefield theme to the soothing pads of Dire Dire Docks, every track enchants. This foundational sonic freshness stays etched in everyone's memory.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Moving Mario is still a delight: momentum, triple jump, dive and wall kick respond with a suppleness that defined the entire 3D platformer. The freedom to explore the toy-box levels keeps a surprising freshness. The camera, pioneering but temperamental, shows its limits; the control of the hero, however, remains a lesson in playability, ever exhilarating to revisit.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Taking your first steps in a three-dimensional world where jumping, gliding and climbing becomes a pure joy of movement: this revolution has lost none of its magic. Every castle holds stars, secrets and challenges that reward curiosity. Free, joyful and with brilliant handling, the founding 3D platformer, still dazzling.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Diving into a painting to grab a star, spotting the next one and feeling the sheer joy of movement with every jump turns exploration into an irresistible gathering. The freedom of 3D and the hidden secrets invite you to comb every nook. The camera shows its age, but this foundational playability stays so fresh it still holds you.
Nintendo European March 1997 pressing, which inherits the US code and adapts display to 50 Hz with a noticeable framerate reduction compared to NTSC. The PAL cartridge keeps the same base but includes a particularly dense multilingual manual, regarded as an editorial reference for Nintendo documentation. Its relative scarcity rests on a later European rollout than in the US and Japan, which makes it an important target for PAL Nintendo enthusiasts.
A cult cover
Mario's beaming face in mid-flight, winged cap on and a frank blue sky behind him, lands like a manifesto: 3D is here, and it's smiling. The character's joyful roundness and the radiant light convey the title's unprecedented freedom of movement. Sunny and iconic, it embodies the mascot's triumphant entry into the third dimension.
Is Super Mario 64 still worth playing in 2026?
Super Mario 64 quite simply invented the 3D adventure game. Analog stick, orbital camera, painting worlds full of stars, Mario's movements still astonish in their precision. Thirty years later, the object remains foundational, joyful and miraculous. Every jump, every triple jump, every long slide was thought through and tested into obviousness. The camera asks for a little practice at times, but Mario's suppleness and the intelligence of the level design have no equivalent. Probably the most influential game ever made.
