How Mario 64 Slowly Became A Horror Game…

[@PastaMaster115]

I think it would have been really cool if they solved the "emptiness" of the castle by adding toads whenever you collect more stars. Every 10 or 20 stars or so adds a new toad to the castle so you have a sense of progression "saving citizens". The toads walk around and have their own unique dialogue. "Thanks for saving me, Mario! Please rescue the princess!"

[@christopher9727]

Only Jesus Christ blood can cleanse us of are sins come to Jesus Christ today Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Come to Jesus Christ today Jesus Christ is only way to heaven Repent and follow him today seek his heart Jesus Christ can fill the emptiness he can fill the void. The Holy Spirit can lead you guide and confort you through it all Heaven and hell is real cone to the loving savior today Today is the day of salvation tomorrow might be to late come to the loving savior today John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Mark 1.15 15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Hebrews 11:6 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Jesus

[@VenusFeuerFalle]

Like in SM63? (The Flash Game)

[@bencrailer8483]

Eh, its not about the emptiness, its about the motionlessness, that everything seems so......soulless

[@Yoohoo552Gaming]

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[@Yoohoo552Gaming]

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[@Porder]

**PLEASE BE AWARE** of a horrible flashing between 0:25 to 0:28, this was not something i added in at all. It seems like there was an error somewhere along the lines with the upload to youtube. Sorry about that & I've sent an email to youtube to see if there's a way to black that part of the video out.

[@najajabsh9852]

I think it fits👍

[@oopoow]

Oh no

[@AnarchoTak]

add a epilepsy warning at the end of the title IDK. I'm sorry this happened bro. nice video

[@ScratchdHelp]

@@najajabsh9852 people have epilepsy tho....

[@axl256gamesx7]

Oh no The video is personalized

[@dylanzlol7293]

Imagine a non creepy super mario 64 romhack, where, yknow, the areas and music end up being much more cheery than it used to be

[@mrcopper5954]

great idea

[@spiritnova42]

That might actually add fuel to the fire. Despite some of the creepier elements of the game, many of the levels already have cheery music and atmosphere. If something becomes TOO cheery then it starts to feel fake and by extension unnerving, like it's overcompensating because it has something to hide.

[@dylanzlol7293]

@@spiritnova42 most mario games are more cheery than sm64, like, put something like smw athletic in the sm64 soundfont and youll notice how its sounds more happy than most sm64 themes. Yknow, make everything be happy go lucky instead of weird.

[@spiritnova42]

@@dylanzlol7293 Fast tempo doesn't mean happy. The 2D games tended to have a quicker tempo because they're all a race to the finish. If anything, smw athletic should be anxiety inducing because it feels like it's saying "c'mon, hurry up!". Listen to some of the SM64 tracks again, particularly the earlier levels. Bomb-omb Battlefield, Whomp's Fortress, and Cool Cool Mountain have tracks that are plenty chipper. Dire Dire Docks isn't chipper, but it's probably the most relaxing theme in the game. Looking at later levels, seems like the early themes get re-used a fair bit. The only "weird" themes are the ones that are in the intentionally creepy stages like Hazy Maze Cave. The rest are either energetic enough or chill. We may just have different thresholds for what qualifies as "cheery" though.

[@Lugbzurg]

So... Super Mario 64 DS.

[@ninop.r489]

When I was a child I was terrified of the infinite stair case with the creepy music that leads to the last bowser stage. Also for some reason I thought I saw a friend in the mirror room use one of the pillars as a pipe to pop out in the other side of the mirror. But I was such a small kid I can’t tell if it was my imagination or a dream.

[@scintillam_dei]

In Paper Mario there were characters in the mirror who were actually on the other side of the room behind the mirror.

[@gregorydoyouseethesmallven5635]

There is actually a way to glitch behind that mirror, and in the DS version going through it gets you the Wario level if i remember correctly

[@alessiospurio]

Omg so i'm not the only one unsettled with that stairs 😃 How is possible the stairs aren't in the iceberg?

[@Xmarkthings]

32:04 SCARIEST PART (JUMPSCARE WARNING) ⚠️

[@RiverSprite30]

You can pass through one of the mirrors. Yeah

[@curtisleblanc5897]

23:58 Chain Chomp was based on a real life event from Miyamotos childhood when a dog almost bit his hand but was prevented from doing so because it couldn't reach him (due to being chained up) It's safe to say Chain Chomp was meant to scare kids.

[@DexrexxMedia]

Oh true

[@Makebeleaf-ep8ls]

I love chain chomp. It’s my favorite favorite other than moles!

[@Plaegu]

The only “glitch” I ever experienced in SM64 was something that looked like a Mario Silhouette in peaches castle (like you mention) but it phased through the dire dire docks door and I never saw it again. But it stayed with me because it seemed like someone else was playing the game as I was

[@kirstiuk]

the likes on this is 64 super mario (64) thats crazy i dont think its a councidence

[@duckbreakfast5402]

@@kirstiuk now its 164 maybe this always has 64 related o-o

[@blackzero786]

The removal of the Mini-Chill Bullies from Snow Man's Land and the star associated with beating 3 of them "Chilling with the Bullies" is missing.

[@Flyingboots1]

@@duckbreakfast5402 Well it's 207 likes now so.....EAT A DICK!!!

[@NeveMcGovern-hp3xq]

Maybe they originally coded in a shadow, and sometimes the game glitches and makes it appear, or if Mario already has a shadow in the game it appears out of place sometimes?

[@eeveegirl791]

I've watched an ungodly amount of sm64 videos (despite having never owned the original and never completing the ds version bc i was too busy gambling with Luigi) and i thought i knew all there is to know about the game and its crazy fan theories, yet this video still somehow managed to contain things I'd never heard of. istg this channel never disappoints

[@Porder]

I don’t even wanna know how much time I sunk into those mini games 😭😭 an ungodly amount, but I’m glad you liked the video!!!

[@Lancerious]

I legit never owned, let alone played, the original and only had the DS version too! It's nice to know I'm not the only one who has only ever played the DS version

[@CoolMintMC]

​@@Lancerious Yeah, the same is true for me. I still own it, but it's just been collecting dust. Too bad there's a million other games I still haven't finished yet.😅

[@anonymoususer188]

As someone else who has only ever owned the DS version, I can say with absolute certainty that as a child, I sunk significantly more hours into the Wanted! minigame than the actual game. I don't think I ever even played any of the levels other than Bob-omb Battlefield until over a decade later, and I still never actually finished the game.

[@Idiot1114]

Gambling with Luigi

[@boybossguy]

You know... I really love videos that discuss theories, stories, or other things in the way shown in this video. It's so encapsulating and fun to watch or even just listen to.

[@Clownin-round]

I did actually have the popular creepypasta of the white eyed chain chomp, it spooked alot of my friends (including myself) because it would always be outstretched towards the player without going back into an idle state. I've not been able to recreate it by cartridge tilt, but I know somebody who almost got there by scratching one of the copper access points (I forgot its name), 4th one from the left. Scratching it just enough removed some textures and caused a few of the AI to act bizarrely. We tilted it after that for funsies and it got wildly corrupted so they now have a horribly cursed Mario64 cartridge, and now I want to bring it back out since it's been over a year

[@Porder]

I wish n64 gameplay was easier to record I’d love to see some of the more modern cartridge tilting content

[@anthonybf2]

​@@PorderHey I know this is old, but in the last year or so people have developed internal HDMI kits for the N64, that would help a lot.

[@tylerourada9719]

Let's not forget. In this game Bowser was terrifying and powerful. Almost omnipotent. Now a days Bowser is almost viewed as a joke. But in 64 his presence is felt everywhere. Bowser basically is the castle. He's the one who trapped the toads in the walls and created the portals in the paintings. His voice is heard whenever you reach a locked area. It's his levels that are arguably the hardest. And each time you fight him he gets more powerful with stronger and more unsettling abilities. Bowser is nothing less than a lovecraftian eldritch being who is always present and watching you up until the final boss. And when you finally face Bowser for the final time, after the deeply unsettling endless staircase Not only is Bowser in the sky the toughest level in the game, but when you face Bowser, his face is distorted and his classic theme is replaced with an epic and haunting piano song. And let's not forget, Bowser literally means "Demon King"

[@q_unit2585]

you must admit, he is a little silly. he is just a big turtle with spikes on his shell.

[@Stuffies2022]

Yeah, but you forgot the part when he says “It’s Bowsin’ Time”, and Bowsed all over the place. Truly a gamer moment in history, that was.

[@carlosdasilva2409]

I also find interesting that with each boss fight he changed. Bowser in the Dark was normal Bowser, but Bowser in Lava was grayish, almost like if he were his Drybones version but not quite. Then, the last battle is him looking all rainbowish

[@rovertronic]

​@@carlosdasilva2409Bowser 1 and 2 have the exact same model

[@jg2722]

You’re kidding right ? The final bowser fight was pretty easy and it mostly consists of Mario just throwing him around. That’s the opposite of powerful Bowser for me.

[@lakitubros2024]

I had this nightmare about SM64 once. I was playing the game in a dark room. I put the cartridge in and say the Mario head in the beginning. All seemed normal until the Mario head actually started… saying full sentences. Slowly, the sentences got creepier and Mario’s head started to decapitate. I quickly started the game and spawned outside Peach’s castle. I went inside and the castle was darker and I thought I saw a ghost of Toad with red eyes staring at me from where he usually is, and he said “Hope is lost now, save yourself.” Then I went into Bob-Omb Battlefield. The music was eerie, sounded like something straight out of a horror movie. The clouds were dark red and there was blood everywhere. The Bob-Ombs were dead and when I jumped on a Goomba, blood splattered everywhere instead of a coin. The Chain Chomp seemed to be speaking to me, saying “Leave. Leave. Leave” in a deep voice. I quickly reset the game but when I turned around I heard a noise. I expected it to be my parents or siblings or something, maybe they had gotten a snack or were sleepwalking? I walked out of my room, and I somehow was outside PEACH’S CASTLE. I backed away as the sky got extremely dark and something came down from the sky, it was Princess Peach, and she was dead. I saw Toads and everyone was dead. Yoshi was on the roof, trying to stay away from me, saying “Go away. He’ll find you.” I was confused, and when I turned around, I saw Mario standing there and he jumped on me with a creepy voice. I immediately woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.

[@Gem_dagirlTTV]

Bro that's creepy

[@Idiot1114]

Jesus christ.

[@TheGelatinousOne]

Good god 💀

[@lakitubros2024]

Ikr. I was horrified

[@theawesomemario-bh2hi]

Oooooooh very scary

[@DonkeyFilms]

I felt that strangeness back when the game was relatively new. It just has a lucid dream quality and the loneliness in the world.

[@FriskyD.]

The bit about a game that picks up on you struggling and making those areas easier actually sounds great to me, I'd love for something like that to exist. Imagine an ai specifically trained to keep you in the flow state, making what's too easy to you harder and what's too hard for you easier

[@Sluppie]

Resident Evil 4 kinda does that. If you fail a few times then it'll remove some enemies from the room.

[@zedelstein2826]

The game Hades gives you God Mode which slowly increases your strength every time you lose. (It’s toggled in the menu)

[@ligiaamaral768]

Plants vs zombies 2 also did that, although it was only on the old versions.

[@FirstNameLastName-mn9sz]

Several games do this

[@FriskyD.]

@@FirstNameLastName-mn9sz such as?

[@TheBrazilRules]

To me the correct word for the feeling in Wet Dry world is melancholy. Like you pointed out, aside from the very top of the level the only enemies are insects, and the level itself is very static, giving the feeling of being trapped by yourself in this empty space

[@TheGelatinousOne]

I’ve heard that it’s built like the human brain

[@benamisai-kham5892]

The scariest thing that ever happened to me was while jump kicking walls I heard Boo's laugh (I was in whomp's fortress room) but about a year ago or so I heard someone mention it was something coded in by developers but didn't have proof but just that it was something known was comforting to me because I was traumatized from playing the game for weeks, and when I did I avoided the hallway towards the garden every. Single. Time.

[@samichukwins2696]

😊😊😊##

[@killertofu586]

I remember this happening to me as well, and I don't have any idea where, but it was me just wall-jumping and hearing that. I also have seen someone mention in a video claims of a lower pitched, slowed down Boo laugh sometimes coming from a Boo instead of their normal laugh... which I've also had happen ONCE. It scared the crap out of me and I just left Big Boo's Haunt immediately when it happened lol

[@banny-y1c]

@@killertofu586the lower pitched boo laugh probably was bowser’s laugh. They share the same sounds, but differently pitched.

[@realJoeMavro]

The 5th generation was one of the biggest game-changers in gaming history. Not just in terms of graphics or gameplay, but in the way gamers viewed video games. These were no mere games anymore, they were like alien worlds we could only see through our TV screens. There was nightmare fuel in games now, there was uncanny valley, and liminal spaces, experience all of that at an age when your mind doesn't always perfectly know fantasy from reality and of course your imagination is going to run wild. Is it any wonder so many bizarre theories and urban legends spawned from this era?

[@Manghao]

I'm amazed by the quality of the editing, as well as the script of the video itself. Looking at your channel feels like looking at a 1M+ subscribers one, so imagine my surprise when I saw you only had 30k+. Keep up the great work, I'm sure you're gonna blow up soon man

[@Porder]

I appreciate you saying that 🥲

[@beanringading3430]

The boo leading to the courtyard always scared me as a kid, now I find boos adorable.

[@notlazxy]

It’s a crime that you don’t have more views. I’m literally watching all these videos right as they come out. Kudos to the editing 🎉

[@Porder]

Glad you're liking them!!

[@ilovecats743]

no its not these edits are horrible

[@KaijuEdits875]

​@@ilovecats743 cuz ur jealous and cant make any yourself

[@EditTime32]

​@@ilovecats743 you have no idea the amount of time these edits would take

[@requiemdragon8620]

Chain Chomp was DEFINITELY made to be at least somewhat scary. It's based off of a childhood story of Shigeru Miamoto, where he was chased by a dog only for it to be stopped by it's leash. Also, this is the first I've ever heard of the Birthday Toad, so I guess I learned more about this rabbit hole today.

[@Tenshii_Artii]

This is actually such an interesting fact for me, as I never knew this! Now it makes perfect sense to me why Chomps bark like Dogs!

[@grabdorofficial8377]

The best part about the "all super mario 64 copies are personalized" creepypasta is that for me has been a real thing. I played mario 64 during my childhood thanks to my aunt giving me a nintendo 64 as a gift with a copy of the game, but I already knew it from a friend from my school that let me play it when I went to his house. Except every time I played the game I could literally use Luigi as a playable character, and there were so many extra levels that weren't in my copy of the game. I also invited my friend to my house many times to show him the discrepancy between our games and we couldn't understand why. Obviously my friend had a mario 64 ds copy of the game which is very different from the original, but we didn't know the difference between a N64 game and a ds game at the time and we were so confused by it. I spent so much time looking for the luigi portrait in big boo's mansion without finding it and i find it hilarious now.

[@daboss640]

The negative emotional aura one is the one I most believe. Music can be a powerful influence, and that track has a pretty unsettling second half (the first part has some pretty sick slap bass that I didn't remember at all). Couple that with an unexpectedly eerie and mysterious environment, in what was likely the most immersive game of it's time, and it's no wonder it had that effect on some people.

[@777Rowen]

I never got to beat the game as a kid, so I played it as an adult and finally beat it. So all the stages were quite literally new to me. None of them made me feel these negative emotions other than anger due to the difficulty in getting all 120 stars. Oh God Tick Tock Clock… Great video and discussion.

[@SpiceyNachoz]

The original Spyro trilogy had a similar experience of liminal spaces and loneliness. Especially in the first Spyro game. When you 100% a level, the leve is completely empty and you're all alone.

[@Seal739]

I think thats why games respawn enemies

[@joewilliams-un8vu]

I knew the personalisation AI isn’t real but I still pretended it was real because it is so fun and exciting.

[@Porder]

Agreed, I think that’s why it was so popular. Even though it’s watered down now it’s definitely still one of my favourite of all time

[@MarioKartSuperCircuit]

I think the Personalised AI thing could actually mean something else if you think about it long enough... It was unfinished, gave people massive headaches, implemented in 1995, Wario... If you think about it long enough you'll start to realize that this might mean something a bit different than just "Personalised AI" I think the Personalised AI is referring to the Virtual Boy, and if you think about it, they were trying to give you a "Personalised" experience with it, but I think in the end the guilt of rushing it got to the higher ups heads and they wanted to forget it so they would never see it again

[@panthekirb7561]

Reads like a comment a 10 year old would post

[@joewilliams-un8vu]

@@panthekirb7561 You think so? I’m sorry if I give off that impression

[@WahooMarioIsBack]

Ima laugh when my copy has a mustache-less mario cause I like memes

[@labyriinthiine750]

this is FANTASTIC, and im honestly baffled that you dont have more views - amazing stuff man, love it

[@Porder]

Yoo thank you!! Glad you enjoyed it 😅

[@kingstonmclean4205]

This game is like a very great old friend you may not see them for years but they always stop by and it seems like no time has passed at all, very beautiful and amazing game

[@Sunowaddle]

Just as I was starting to write my own video on SM64, one of my favorite creators suddenly uploads a video on the game too?? Really impeccable timing, can't wait to watch it! 😄

[@Porder]

I'm so glad i'm not the only one that's somehow become fully engulfed by m64 content in the last little while hahaha

[@Godzilla-zc8ec]

It's Gonna Be Mario X Smg4

[@Твибстед]

@@Godzilla-zc8ec Used to watch SMG4 lol

[@spiritnova42]

19:00 I experienced the "Mario in the ground" glitch once. I had left the game going while I went and had dinner, and came back to Mario sleeping, as you'd expect, except he was halfway in the ground. I played around with it, jumping around and such, and found that his arms and legs seemed to be gone, like one of those blow up clowns. It was honestly kind of hilarious seeing blow up clown Mario just sort of go from being halfway in the ground to up in the air with no animation inbetween, but still making his jumping sounds. I should note that this was like 2008ish and I only had the game on because I was using it as part of a high school physics project, so my reaction was more "neat" than being unnerved. Didn't learn that cartridge tilt was a thing until later, so I didn't know why it had happened beyond "something glitched".

[@jno7]

6:02 btw for those who don't know: this was the first iceberg. This started everything.

[@tylerghg6]

I've actually had two of these ''personalised'' Moments. I don't remember if it was a dream or something, but I remember two pirana-plants and a bowser-painting on top of the staircase. The other one was, and I think many other people know this too, when you get all 120 stars, you can shoot youself through the Peach-Picture outside of the Castle. There would be a secret Level with many toads and Peach herself Walking around, and if you spoke to Peach, you would receive a secret star.

[@dasgrauel]

Wet-Dry world actually never made me feel any negative feelings ironically, only an odd sense of serenity. I used to just stare off at the odd distant skybox and the strange buildings and wonder 'what's out there?' in the most happiest way possible. Probably why I started also getting into watching out of bounds stuff and secrets in games later in life tbh.

[@alanm6o9]

To anyone who played sm64 when they were 4-6 yrs old they know this was always a horror game. Single handedly developed my anxiety from this game

[@maximumrisk2004]

Yeah, those Spider enemies and that freaking piano always got me.

[@MoonlarkSpirits]

God, I need to burn my copy now

[@CyberDucke]

@@MoonlarkSpirits don’t do it Melt it with lava and sprinkle holy water on it

[@Pharoah510]

I played this game in elementary school way back in the 90s and…i never viewed this game as a horror game and i still don’t . Wtf is wrong with yall 🤨

[@overthegardenwall7143]

I really felt that wet-dry wold one, it always seemed like a mystery as to the historys of the paintings and who, or what they were made for.

[@comicrandomness3289]

I never thought it was bad but the town. When you swim to the town it's flooded. Anyone who lived there probably drowned in their house. Even as a kid I knew this.

[@RashataanVuul]

I thought this trend started because of Mario 64 fever dreams that people had that were quite unsettling. I've personally only had a couple of dreams of play Mario 64 and exploring the castle but things were very different and way more rooms than the actual game has. It felt ominous because it was dark and I'm there all by myself feeling like something is following or watching me

[@acsound]

It was always a horror game. Between the way Mario would drown believably to the damned PIANO, that's some real spooky crap.

[@smortboi21]

Mario drowned because of a piano? Damn.

[@waluigi9080]

When alone in a calmer game it isn't hard to feel uneasy to feel like you're being watched

[@Znae629]

Well, you would certainly know about being alone, wouldn’t you Waluigi?

[@Blocknet7]

I remember jumping somehow in the painting of peach on the outside of the Castle but when i bought the game for the Switch i couldn‘t Jump in. I remember things that probably were dreams because I actually had dreams about or in the Style of the Game

[@GamerOrmer]

Only just found your videos for the first time, this editing has already made me extremely drawn to your content. count me in! Great work :)

[@Porder]

Glad to have you on board friend 🫡

[@SammEater]

Never felt any of the "uneasy" parts on the water level, it is so weird to see how such a cute game got reduced to a "oooh spooky" type of thing on the internet.

[@aaronrivera2511]

I've delved deep into the theory of personalization in SM64, and this is only the first time that I've heard of the birthday toad.

[@HereticYoshi]

One of my favorite pieces of media that came out of this... trend? Resurgence? Was the romhack, B3313. It felt like a bit of a homage to some of the big creators at the time (like Greenio) while wrapping it all in a nice box of "this looks like it could have been". And I can't forget about how they made the castle. Truly, a delightfully confusing and maze-like interior that plays on the whole internal plexus thing well. Frankly, there's a lot more I could go on about, but I'd like to keep this comment from being too long.

[@dambotg89]

Have you ever hear of/ played the rom hack called B3313? It goes into many aspects of things you covered in this video starting out as a beta version of the game but as you progress you end up exploring the castle plexus and finding anomalies on the iceberg. It's a really neat experience and I would recommend it to anyone into this kinda thing, even if you don't go for all 144 stars or even find the true ending of the game. Just wandering around and trying to wrap your ahead around it and discovering bizarre worlds. Also this was an incredibly well made video and you definitely deserve more views, hope the algorithm does it's thing in your favor. PS I like your profile picture of the yeti from Spyro my other favorite 3d platformers

[@AKW91]

By now this hack has over 450 stars and over 300 areas. It's like they're trying to get every point on the ice berg into it, although the Wario apparition is still missing

[@thereturnofpax]

@@AKW91 sadly both the unabandoned and official (now complete) versions' devs have stated they are not planning on the wario apparition

[@MK-dr7dx]

I played this game a lot when I was a kid, and while I saw it mostly as a lighthearted bit of fun, there were certain things that scared me. Mainly everything in Big Boo's Haunt, but also the Hazy Maze with the toxic yellow vapor. Also the path across the quicksand in Shifting Sand Land with those metal box things that would crush you if you stood in the wrong spot. For some reason the eel never scared me.

[@Albino_Basilisk]

My personal favorite kind of horror is when on the surface, it appears to be childish, but with creepy undertones

[@jamonsommer6510]

I have OCD, and as someone doing my best to get my bachelor's in philosophy, getting sucked into rabbit holes is a weakness of mine. I think it's really prevalent in my case that growing up means that sometimes it feels almost comforting to think of things that I grew up WITH in new ways, but I also think that's where the horror aspect comes in for some people. I agree that early 2020 was a fittingly uncertain time for ideas like these to take root. I mean, that uncertainty in relation to one's childhood is kind of the selling point for analog horror as far as I can tell. The idea of Mario being a cautionary tale against consumerism and drug use (which I have actually heard people say), is an amusing one, but I think it does connect in a way to how people can fall down a rabbit hole capitalizing off of these ideas. I've heard everything from urban legends about a darker side to Mario's character and the like, to theorization of the games being about a kind of purgatory. I think the almost mysterious surrealism of the series is actually part of its charm. Different characters, like Bowser seem simplistic at first, but we see how in some titles there's almost a sense of longing for a childhood he never had, and in a way that could almost be seen as a message linking to the importance of experiencing that childhood and sense of exploration. And I think that's very fitting in a cultural push for identity. So, in a way, that feeling of liminality that comes from the innovation of Nintendo experimenting with a more open world to explore is not only the same thing fueling the sense of fear, but the sense of mystery that has kept Super Mario 64 beloved and alive for so long. And I think the game IS a personal experience in that way. Also, I think Nintendo probably knows that leaving some questions unanswered helps create that kind of lasting intrigue. The fact that people can almost endlessly find something new that way means that Mario, as an idea, can grow as we do. 🙂

[@daniele7989]

The DS version of the game definitely gave me my share of nightmares: Usually stumbling into levels that weren't real: A grassy hillside with a giant half-buried koopa shell leading to some dungeon, peach's castle stained black and ochre with a formidable maze surrounded with arching walls and brambles, a watery basement like the crystal palace haunted by Boos. Everything close but nothing was right. I remember once I was playing as Peach herself, she was crawling in a large corridor quietly. I think the idea was that sudden movements would trigger a trap in the area and she needed to retrieve an item. Tension was mounting, and just before she succeeded, the glass doors slammed shut in her face. The death screen was just zoomed in on her pixelated face frozen in the broken glass, as if she was consumed by the castle.

[@ominimonzwartalterb5526]

This really does say a lot about society, that the game of our childhood went from fond memories to horrifying trauma

[@ominimonzwartalterb5526]

Either way, nice video

[@marquisdesade3025]

I think it says more about the N64 and limitations of early 3D game programming. There are just empty spots and like… if you look at the background, you see that it’s just a flat color or an endless abyss. And I think we internalized that as kids, and can only explain it now. Go watch a video of an empty game map, you’ll get the liminal feeling.

[@truebino]

I got an R4 card for my ds when I was 5. It had SM64DS in it and I always remember talking about stuff like floating castles and secret rooms with a friend at school. These theories take me back, man.

[@defacube]

Honestly, mario 64 isnt scary at all. WDW doesn't seem incomplete or empty, it's perfectly fine. Luigi missing makes sense due to the limitations of the N64.

[@comicrandomness3289]

Anyone living in the wet dry town would have drowned. It's too deep underwater.

[@annonion2612]

All things aside, that's some real nice editing.

[@jontheartist5918]

This content is amazing! Especially the editing, oh my god, the editing. Everything is animated, has pictures, it’s clear you put in so much effort! Keep up the great work 👍

[@jonrobinson6851]

I was never a big fan of this game back in the day and hadn’t played it since 2002 maybe. Something about it gave me the creeps back then, so imagine my surprise all these years later when I discover that so many other people felt the same way.

[@Uppercut_VR]

What if Mario is actually DEAD,and the empty castle to show his loneliness,and jumping in and out in the paintings is showing the memories of his adventures and when Mario finds peach it’s to show his final peace😳

[@khiddgamer]

Thats actually a crazy theory

[@Uppercut_VR]

@@khiddgamer Yeah😳😳

[@joelbolduc3354]

He's dead, but he remembers dying many time (one for every time the player loses a life).

[@username065]

this editing style is like game theory, i like it

[@Reefer-Rampage69]

Why’d you stop uploading man??

[@Felandian]

I remember plating Super Mario 64 for the DS as a child ALL THE TIME. I would play the game just to explore a little and have fun doing random things in random maps. My favourite map was the underground cave with the pond and loch ness monster you can ride on and steer. I also really liked playing in the igloo in the secret snow map in the mirror room. I don't remember feeling lonely in the game, but now that you mention it, I guess it would make sense if other people do in the lonely year of 2020, with the game not having multiplayer. EDIT: Also, wet dry world was another one of my favourites! I can see why others feel weird about it based on what you said about it, but for me it was a very cool and peaceful world. I loved exploring the city half of the map.

[@AnTi90d]

No, the floating head entered the Zeitgeist from Walmart N64 demo stations. Back in the mid 90s, Walmart had a square, walled off electronics section in the center of their store. It was a big deal and a huge draw for children. The Mario 64 demo started with a huge Mario face that you could click a button and pull his face around. Kids loved playing with Mario's face more than being able to run around in-game for 5 minutes before the unit was force-rebooted.

[@NoobHammer]

I was not expecting the amazing editing

[@EditTime32]

I'm on my brother's account but I just had to comment. This script is genuinely brilliant, S tier. And this editing looks like it took an ungodly amount of time, every second is packed with visual detail. You are so thorough and thoughtful with your analysis as well, and managed to make me a little emotional at points with just how much you encapsulated my love for this game. I think you should do more of this kind of analysis/video game essay content. I can tell you were genuinely passionate in making this video, and you just released a video last month I noticed, like how? I'll throw you a sub on this account, (sorry to my bro) and also a sub on my own account when I can get on it lol. Stay imaginative!

[@kilo.byt3]

I just got out of the movie theater, I get to enjoy another great thing today! Can't wait to watch the video.

[@Crazy56U]

None of the games in 3D All Stars are remakes.

[@swordman128]

In my opinion, 09.02.97 is still the most chilling Mario 64 video ever

[@FNFBetadciu]

It’s not horror it’s a fun game and the DS version of it.

[@unclegarf7366]

I have a distinct memory as a kid playing mario ds when you go to unlock mario there is a stage that’s filled with poison when i died there the game deleted its self

[@Redsnowman04]

😂 Of course this started in 2020. That’s the year where everyone over thought literally everything because we were forced to stay inside and when that happens we are so limited in our space and socializing that our mentality gains negative characteristics. At the same time I still love watching these videos as I love the uncanny and unknown.

[@ThatWeirdGuy1001]

28:00 I was not expecting that image of Luigi to appear. Geez. Now I'm all spooked.

[@ducky19991]

b i r t h d a y t o a d a w a i t s

[@Porder]

🕯🎂🕯

[@michaelfalcone7110]

Plot twist: The game truly IS personalized and that this video and others like it are propaganda to convince you it’s not! Am I going crazy? Probably. I’ve gone too far down the rabbit hole. Save yourself. Don’t try to save me. I’ve lost it. Ahahahahahahaha

[@Porder]

Oh no you’ve seen right through my plan

[@Guardian-of-Light137]

Iiiii never played the original. But I had very fond memories of playing the ds version with my friend back when it came out. I remember 1 night we were taking turns playing. Neither of us had come anywhere CLOSE to beating the game. And we were just exploring around the castle when all of the sudden. We found the boo. We were startled. We didn't know this game had ghosts. (He may have but he had played it more than me it was his DS and copy of the game after all. But I certainly didn't. I barely knew ANYTHING about mario at the time.) We chased it to the back area only to find more boos. And we kept trying to fight them, but were scared we were gonna get surrounded or something. And every time we "killed" one. We'd get a message. Ghosts can't actually die. At the time this was terrifying. Then one of us noticed something in one. The cage. GOOD GOD. The stage was set PERFECTLY! We were like maybe 12 years old or younger. He was spending the night at my place. My mom and dad where gone for the night doing work or something and wouldn't be back till late. It was getting dark. I was afraid of the dark so I didn't dare venture out of my room to the rest of the house. So we got snacks and stuff before mom left so i'd feel comfortable. And then we were getting spooked by ghosts. Only to find this strange object NEITHER of us had seen. He didn't. I of course didn't know what it was. And eventually we figured out. You could go in. We were shocked that there was another level we hadn't found and immediately hopped in ready to explore. Only to be greeted with that mansion. And oh my God was it ever terrifying. I can't recall everything that happened. But we spent MANY hours exploring that place. Theorizing about it before coming to the conclusion the whole mansion was alive! Or a ghost so ... unalive? You know what I mean. No matter where we went we just kept finding creepy things and figuring out how to deal with them. ... And then it happened. THE PIANO! .... It freaked us BOTH the heck out. We didn't see it coming and it left me traumatized to go in that room for YEARS. All of this came to a head when we fought the big boo at the top. And then later King boo since he was in this version as the guardian of Luigi. Trying to work out his dastardly puzzle rooms and fight off enemies while that haunting laugh played over the merry go round music in the starting room of his area. And we of course kept dying meaning we had to keep doing it all. And finally we had to go to bed. But we never shut up about that experience. And of course the next morning we were right back at it. Freaking each other out even more. Like talking about how it looked like the mansion had eyes with the windows or the fires or something. We finally beat king boo and got all the stars and we tried our best to not go back there ever again. A few years later I got my own copy of the game. But I was on my own this time. It felt like ... honestly it felt like coming back to an old friend. And at the same time. It was a hauntingly solo experience, as I had to prepare myself to face all that came before. But alone this time. All of this before I even learned the original game even EXISTED. But it was fun despite it all. And created lasting memories I always think about whenever the game is mentioned. Lastly I wanna say something unrelated. That feeling of lonliness in the original game? It's surprising how many games I feel this in. But the one I think of most is Spyro the dragon. (Fitting perhaps given your profile pic) Just the first one. I remember thinking when I nearly had all the dragons freed. A sense of isolation. Like freeing them had made them leave this world. And I could never talk to them agian. Like all my friends just up and left leaving me alone with no one to talk to. It was sad and scary. Friendly npc's really do make the world feel alive in some games. So now i'm wondering. ... Where else have I felt this? I may be taking a deep dive into some of my older games soon. Of course there's garry's mod but like ... there's way to many videos about THAT particular isolation feeling.

[@thejonbrownshow8470]

*see thumbnail* I'd love if there was a cancelled Majora's mask style sequel for Mario 64 lol. I'm just more so curious what these "horror 64 fans" as I'm now calling em think of 64 ds as I don't remember anyone caring about it despite the fact the mirror room with Luigi in the castle creep me out as outside of the white void secret star, your "mirrored" self entered the "real world" in the castle. Just... Seem like some type of horror fuel there, yet no one cares 😂

[@Porder]

The DS game for me was “Mario 64” I didn’t play the n64 version until much later so when the horror shift started I would always find myself wondering how scary a DS game could be 😭😭 I think something about playing on a CRT vs a tiny little handheld devices adds to the overall ambience of horror

[@thejonbrownshow8470]

@@Porder fair point, I'm just surprised I played the hell out of the game as a kid, and the only real scary to me was the eyeball monster (felt more fitting for Zelda in retrospect to me 😂), and the piano, everything else was nothing (well maybe the carnival music on that spinning wheel thing in that level along it's bgm overs is unsettling, but it's not creepypasta levels of bad lol)

[@ResidentWiseacre]

I always loved the “Big House in the Sky”. Something just so strange about a lonely house floating in the air. Weird.

[@willybbuckets]

the actual horror is the way you pronounce “pasta”

[@LeahEniscio]

He’s not even saying pasta, hes saying “pasa”

[@GelatinIsCool1]

@@LeahEnisciono one asked

[@LeahEniscio]

@@GelatinIsCool1 Ik bruh we are the only replies here

[@GelatinIsCool1]

@@LeahEniscio u edited ur comment.

[@LeahEniscio]

@@GelatinIsCool1 why? Can't edit typos?

[@rat_magician]

Your editing style reminds me a lot of game theory

[@bmeht]

why do you say pasta like a brit and every other word like an american

[@Porder]

I’m Canadian idk, I also say aboot instead of about I can’t really help it

[@fabianajoseph3411]

I say google like a Brit and I’m American

[@indigoguy12]

15:42 Gave me lots of butterflies bro, The video on the top right was my old channels most viewed video!

[@CatBlack0226]

y'all are thinking too much. enjoy the game as it is like i do

[@HedgeFlounder]

I do enjoy the game. I also enjoy hearing theories about it. I don’t believe any of them but I there’s nothing wrong with enjoying them.

[@redeemablefuture779]

i remember playing mario 64 as a kid, i think i was a bit younger than the intended age range and it was always too hard for me XD my brothers were the ones doing all the progress but i loved hopping on and visiting the penguins. but i remember dying soooo many times in the wet world. it always felt so lonely. but i was determined to figure out what the heck i was supposed to do there. but i just kept dying in new and original ways lol. also. those fish that ate you? THE BOOS??? this game scared the crap out of me as a child! XD whenever i got too spooked out or too mad about dying for the hundredth time id just go back to happy paper mario. the beautiful colorful safe paper mario where even the enemies were cute and wore smiles ><

[@werdzy11]

I liked my own comment

[@depenalty-123]

No you didn't 👹👹👹

[@violettacoleafsheep4922]

That’s sad

[@Super-Animation]

the areas and music end up being much more cheery than it used to be

[@Cchvixc]

personally when I played it, some levels (especially outside the castle) It felt empty, and even haunting at times.

[@shimon4383]

Amazing quality as always!! I am so happy that I've find your videos in my recommendations a couple of months ago!

[@Porder]

I’m glad they showed up there too 🥲

[@KirbyTheDerby]

I happened to look and HOW DOES THIS VIDEO ONLY HAVE 6k VIEW you deserve a lot more than that rant aside keep up the amazing videos

[@Porder]

Thank you!! Views are definitely nice when they come in but these are so fun to make I’m not usually too upset if they underperform sometimes 😭

[@marvelstarwarsfan8410]

Weird how a creepy pasta from only 3 years ago is nostalgic and also how I feel nostalgic for the release of Mario 3d all stars.

[@WolfmanArt]

I loved the DS remake!! Getting to play Wario was fun!!

[@Edgeyboy]

As a ace attorney fan. The fact he used Edgeworths objection for phoenix causes me mental harm 😂

[@plussyplatinum]

this is my first video ive seen by you and wow the editing is so good, you deserve more subscribers

[@jbed6]

the closest thing i’ve had to “shadow mario” is when my game bugged out & the textures on mario & other entities were gone. no gameplay changes just inconvenient & unsightly

[@wadeyhyena1657]

The entire game feels quite enclosing in a way. Whether you're outside the castle, running around in Hazy Maze Cave, going door to door in the castle or traversing areas like Wet Dry World and Big Boo's Haunt, there's an eerieness to it. Throughout the game, you're being followed around by a Latiku, Bowser is constantly watching your every move, and in most worlds, there tends to be very long drawn-out halls, where very few enemies appear, which can make certain places, like WDW and BBH unsettling. Let's not forget the giant eel in Jolly Roger Bay, the Chain Chomp in Bob-Omb Battlefield, the Wind-Up toys who flip you around, the Piano in BBH, the living stone warrior and Tox Boxes in Shifting Sand Land, and even the Portrait of Lethal Lava Land.

[@Invalid-user13k]

Super Mario 64 is quite a game that has nostalgia and eerie feelings

[@SteffyCush]

being in those OG threads in 2020 and bringing this to YT have been some of my favourite memories in recent years :')

[@joelbolduc3354]

The castle was listed in a video on liminal spaces, a feeling this game definitely conveys !

[@AugustTheNinjaGR360]

33:49 I grew up with SM64 DS, too. It was certainly a nice experience, and I really hope it gets the same massive cult-following as it's N64 counterpart.

[@braven_iss]

It's so refreshing to see a video mention the old Waluigi rumours. As a kid, I was obsessed with them.

[@KZ-kl8fx]

1:40 I literally tried to catch my phone cuz I thought it was falling

[@thechugg4372]

So much insane editing, underrated

[@plarfee]

You really love professor layton and phoinix wright

[@ellisp276]

Good job you made a great video and I watched the whole thing without realising it was 30 minutes 😮

[@Un_sane]

The personalization is the friends we made along the way

[@BoostKingEVO10]

I love this game. But i do remember a lot of weird stuff happening when I was a kid. I do remember a black star that followed you like some of the lives in the game and if you touched it, it kicked you back to the start menu and your file would be gone. I also remember if you kept trying to go through a locked door without a key, like the 10th time bowsers laugh got super loud. As far as the dreams go, I had MULTIPLE dreams where if the player went through the door where cool cool mountain was, it was a endless hallway with the endless staircase music playing and there were double locked doors on both sides. I had another dream where I was playing as mario, flying around in the courtyard and there were 2 castles. Like the regular version and a shadow version. When I flew into the shadow version, a rainbow star started chasing me and eventually caught me and the screen had rainbow stripes with a corruption code. That one was really freaky because I was so young that I didn’t know what a error or corruption code screen looked like. Also had many dreams where bowser would be out in the open and chase you throughout the castle and the levels