The Mystery of Wet Dry World’s Negative Emotional Aura in Super Mario 64

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Super Mario 64's mystery iceberg has a lot of perplexing things on it. But we're going to take a step away from some of the absurdity to talk about the possible lore implications that the negative emotional aura in Wet-Dry World could be sourced from. From an abandoned underwater town to a strange outer skybox... There's a lot of weird things to cover in this odd Super Mario 64 level.
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#mario #supermario64 #supermario64hacks #mario64 #swankybox #gamingmystery #outofbounds
Credits and sources:
Written and researched by SwankyBox.
Filmed and edited by SwankyBox and Stowgee.
Music credits:
Songs from various Super Mario OST's:
"Space Athletic" - Super Mario Galaxy
"Title Screen" - Luigi's Mansion 3
"Bit Shift" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

[@SwankyBox]

Our last stop of the Super Mario 64 mystery train for a while! I hope you enjoyed it! I definitely want to swap back to covering some other games since the iceberg and gigaleak kept me busy with back to back SM64 uploads for over a month. Given that, what Nintendo games would you like to see me cover? Let me know, as I have some neat videos in the works!

[@BluTheHHH]

Ok

[@luksmuk]

Your videos are awesome man, keep up the good work!

[@mariomaster101official]

Do new super mario bros games and new super luigi u.

[@Cliffordlonghead]

Awesome Video

[@Cliffordlonghead]

Oh now you Starting pinned comment

[@KorporalKReephdmkiytrecv69]

The reason why: This is the only water level where dire dire docks does not play

[@Cliffordlonghead]

Ok

[@CrodoLibro]

Ok

[@angelitatavaresspindola813]

Ok

[@childoftheauthor]

Ok

[@danieldunkum8394]

Ok

[@fiaschiix9743]

Its just.. colorless and depressing, really flat and monotone, its so weird.

[@caracalcontinuum3118]

Also a lot of random placement of items (it seems to me...)

[@luisjogos821]

just boring

[@sn0wgaIaxy]

Town

[@fiaschiix9743]

@@caracalcontinuum3118 i mean i suppose so. all of the objects placed in that world with the skybox, it just doesn't fit..

[@luckyinky7849]

The colors used are cold including the water color

[@bmbproductions2801]

Tbh it would be even creepier if Wet Dry World had no music playing in the background at all, because the feeling of no people around by the locked buildings and all of it is underwater would give even more of the unsettling vibe that something bad really did happen there and with no music, no people and mario just wandering around in the water gives the sign that everybody drowned, and it gives more of the abandoned vibe.

[@rafaelsantana6096]

Actually, if you stop to think, everywhere feels creepy without music in this game

[@rafaelsantana6096]

@@bmbproductions2801 i meant everywhere in super mario 64

[@shlokwaghela9560]

No shit

[@ALLMETAL1970]

If you think its bad in the game, you have no idea what's going on in the country it's based off today.

[@DoctorWigglerLovesBeheeyem]

I disagree, I feel like it's even more mysterious with the music.

[@cameronmoore7675]

I've only recently started hearing that everyone hates Wet-Dry World, and that's really surprising to me. It's always been one of my favorite levels in SM64! "Raising and lowering water levels" wasn't even a trope back when the game came out, save one dungeon in Zelda ALttP and one level in Super Mario World; so it felt like a very fresh and novel mechanic at the time. I always liked that mechanic, and then I discovered that your height jumping into the painting determines the starting water level, that was an amazing mindblow. Not to mention playing the level and thinking you know the whole thing, only to discover the secret town! I don't know what's wrong with y'all. Wet-Dry World rocks. If we wanna talk sub-par water levels in SM64, my vote always goes to Dire Dire Docks. It just doesn't have much going on, and makes you swim through that tunnel way too many times.

[@19Szabolcs91]

I gotta agree, especially about Dire Dire Docks. The part where you start the level with the whirlpool and manta ray is cool, but the submarine area is just as dull, if not more so, than Wet-Dry World visually, and it's kinda tedious. The 100-coin mission in particular is my least favorite star in the game. It's soooo boring, annoying, it's easy to miss coins in the water, and the damn level exit can suck you in (worse, there is a line of coins luring you there).

[@mateololero4091]

The reason i hate it is because starting the level, the music just makes me sick, do you ever feel cloyed from playing games? That's what i felt the few times i went there

[@cameronmoore7675]

@@mateololero4091 Interesting take. I've never thought of the music that way, but I kinda get it. Does Hazy Maze Cave give you the same feeling? It uses the same music track.

[@mateololero4091]

@@cameronmoore7675 hazy maze cave feels different, i think it's because wet dry world goes up wich makes it look hard to get there because of the high jumps, hazy maze cave on the other hand is more open, there's two paths to go through so it makes you feel like you can acess the rest of the level easily

[@Dilopho]

Which SMW level is that?

[@Noremac95]

Honestly...the fact that this world gives off a mysterious and depressing aura makes it one of my favorites in the game. It makes you wanna analyze what the hell this world is all about and what are the origins of it. I love it when video games do stuff like this, especially the more 'cheery' games like SM64 because it creates a perplexing yet interesting balance.

[@modernmind5872]

Wet dry world is a claustrophobic enclosed space. If it were a real place any person forced to live there would go insane.

[@Wockes]

I actually loved this level as a kid. Mostly because of the satisfaction of finding the hidden village

[@landenindustries]

Fair

[@landenindustries]

.

[@mworld2611]

Same! But in Super Mario 64 DS

[@corpsebrood6669]

Same

[@itsamiianastasis5786]

I hated as a kid. But i love it now. It's my favourite level

[@brumbogetbrum2714]

I’ve never felt the “negative emotional aura” of Wet-Dry World. It’s always been one of my favorite locations in the game. I didn’t even know until recently people felt that way about it.

[@ianfinrir8724]

There is no "negative aura". It's creepypasta bull$hit that everyone fell for

[@quilavafactorynotreallybut5429]

@@ianfinrir8724 I think you're oversimplifying it. Sure, the creepypasta angle is less believable, but everything else explained in the video checks out. The Gameplay: A lot of backtracking and doing the same thing over and over gets monotonous. It's like Tick Tock Clock, although at least the clock doesn't have as much backtracking. This is pretty much 80% why I don't like Wet-Dry World. The Design: Like Swanky went over, Wet-Dry World has one of, if not the most out of place skyboxes in SM64. Most, if not all the other skyboxes in the game are more connected and less jarring to look at. Plus, the level funnels you into a fairly small area. It feels more cramped than the other levels in the game. And yeah, the hidden town. Unlike every other level where you can go back and forth between the areas as needed, the hidden town is completely cut off from the rest of Wet-Dry World, so you can't just go to it to explore a bit and then just go back to the elevator mission. That's where the other 20% of my dislike goes to.

[@Random-zy7pl]

@@ianfinrir8724 how would you fall for that? What.

[@racoonwhocannotbekilled9999]

Same! This negative aura is faker than Badabun's fake Super Mario Bros. speedrun!

[@Random-zy7pl]

@@racoonwhocannotbekilled9999 its not though

[@nintendozilla9843]

Ever since I was a kid, I did have that strange and uncomfortable feeling playing that level simply because of how eerie and mysterious it is. There are so many questions we had, but none of them are explained, like the submerged city and the purpose of that small town you swim to. The way Wet-Dry World is designed makes you feel trapped. You get that feeling that this was the home for millions of people, only for them to....disappear. Not to mention that when you swim to the abandoned town, you cannot go back. Combine all of that with the haunting music and you get a level that makes you feel lonely, isolated and trapped in another world with so many things that you questioned, but never answered, making the eerie and abandoned world that you are in even more haunting and mysterious. This is a world where nothing is explained, nothing makes sense and you are trapped there with creatures that can harm you. This is a world where nobody wants to be in because of everything that I just said. That is my explanation on why Wet-Dry World gives me that negative emotional aura. But despite all that, this is still one of my favorite levels from Super Mario 64.

[@healmore8716]

Honestly the whole level is really weird The city in the background The city underground in the water The whole level just feels bizarre for a Mario game

[@right_hand_power7960]

I love SM64, but the levels, and everything contained in them were not as Super Mario Bros. universe, as it could have been. (Granted, I felt this issue was even moreso true for Sunshine, which contributes to my lower preference for Sunshine, compared to other 3D Marios.) This somewhat lacking of SMB universe elements helps contribute to the overall odd tone of certain levels like this (Wet Dry World). As an added note: I also believe that this somewhat lacking of SMB universe elements, as I call it, was in part, because Nintendo was experimenting, and learning how to transition those elements from 2d gameplay to 3d gameplay.

[@19Szabolcs91]

With SM64 they didn't really try to recreate the SMB world, but rather build something from scratch that is fun to explore. It's true for all 3D Mario games (except 3D Land and World), even Galaxy, but definitely Odyssey as well. Mario used to constantly evolve and try new things, it was only since Miyamoto took back control of the franchise since it reverted back to the most basic SMB aesthetics. Except for Odyssey which was somehow free of Miyamoto's interference. I guess the higher ups at Nintendo basically told that "look man, we MUST make a system seller for the Switch you this time you will step aside and allow the new devs to experiment".

[@right_hand_power7960]

@@19Szabolcs91 I absolutely love Galaxy, and Odyssey.

[@flmadegabee]

The city in the background is a place in Spain lol

[@metalgeartommgt5607]

No it’s been revealed that recently it’s a city in Yemen

[@Dracoboss98]

Mario 64 is just a little creepy overall, probably by nature of it being one of the earliest 3D platformers. The textures only serve a utilitarian purpose, as devs hadn’t really figured out how to make full 3D games look *good* yet. There’s just something a little off-putting about SM64’s environment. It’s like watching Mario explore a sparse, limbo-like dream dimension, which is probably why fans have latched on to inventing so much creepy lore about the game.

[@314rft]

About the dream part, it doesn't help that everyone has probably had at least one dream about finding a vast new unexplored area in the game.

[@yunhyy]

I hate the outside of the castle. Whenever I die, I try to get to the castle as soon as possible

[@jacobcordero8569]

@@314rft I definitely had dreams like that when I was a kid

[@hichaelhighers]

Plus, the game's design actually IS pretty surreal and psychedelic.

[@lilcreeper2635]

“Dream dimension” Heh, mario’s totally never done _THAT_ before…

[@NotSoLegendaryGreen]

I more so grew up with the DS remake, but I actually loved this level. Finding the flooded town was like exploring Atlantis. Maybe an Atlantis vibe is what they were going for?

[@robbie5899]

To me, the first part of wet-dry world, the part you start off in, feels like a test level made by developers to test physics or something

[@valletas]

It probably was

[@64ios]

Everything about this stage just creeped me out in a depressing lonely way, especially the sky box.

[@cyanideA]

Very Extreme

[@willtheoreminer5527]

EEEEE E EEEE E EEEEE

[@fabiantalton6888]

All these companies knows what’s really going on deep down in the world. It’s crazy how this relates to real life.. all the signs we missed growing up with these games to find out, people in power control us to some degree and have to power to swipe us out if they really wanted to. Even our own govt have the power to do the same or more. I just know these billion dollars companies knows whats up in the real world 👁

[@OdaSwifteye]

@@fabiantalton6888 What in god's name are you blathering about?

[@fabiantalton6888]

Oda Swifteye if you can’t innerstand on a deeper level no need to explain. Only for people that can realize this world is not what it seems. Don’t be a sheep bro..

[@arcticdino1650]

Wet Dry World isn't the only world in Mario 64 that has a real world place as the sky box. Shifting Sand Land has the Pyramids of Giza in the background

[@memeguin]

yeah but at least that was fitting, here its just random especially since its underwater

[@lepetitmort1150]

oh wow i didnt know that

[@ezehogan]

Hypotheses: I’ve never heard about Super Mario 64 being considered “creepy” until very recently. I was 13 when I first picked up the game in 1997 and I thought it was incredible. The only parts of the game I considered creepy were the sections that were intended to be, such as Big Boo’s Haunt and some of the Bowser levels…. Also the Nessie portion of Hazy Maze Cave. I would wager that the people that consider the game creepy were single digit aged when they first played it. It’s probably the same way I feel about the NES game Fester’s Quest, which I was 6 when I first played.

[@igorstark9514]

I'm under the same impression.

[@nonamelegend_vapor]

I played Fester’s Quest at about that age haha. Never did beat it, but always had a lot of fun trying. I do agree that the jumping spiders and the boss buildings where you had to navigate hallways first-person were creepy as fuck though

[@kennyaustin429]

I feel that people grossly exaggerate the "creepiness" of Mario 64. Other than Big Boo's Haunt which is supposed to be creepy I found the game pretty endearing and lighthearted. I think a lot of this comes from people reading too many creepypastas, or being spooked by some of the early 3D and admittedly barren and uncanny valley aspects of the landscape and aesthetics. My fear is that people will start to develop an unfair negative outlook of the game over time based on this.

[@blackzero786]

Still wondering why they removed the Mini Ice Bully from Snow Man's Land.

[@Natef89]

Gotta be single digits or zoomers who are frankly shaken way too easily. Like seriously it's a kids game, grow a pair.

[@ElectricVocals0000]

When I was a kid I actually loved this level, everything about it. I think it was actually one of my favorites. There’s so much to do and a lot of elements to touch on. I think the kind of weird atmospheric mysteriousness and busy platforms made it really enjoyable for me. I loved playing this level when I was 7 just to get lost and navigate.

[@devonkahananui9939]

The Super Mario 64 iceberg perfectly shows how art teachers want you interpret paintings

[@Hi-lq7xx]

This is so, so true. Especially with literature arts teachers...

[@ianfinrir8724]

Sometimes, a statue of Abe Lincoln holding a samurai sword is just a statue of Abe Lincoln holding a samurai sword.

[@justin9202]

@@ianfinrir8724 but why is he holding a katana?

[@ianfinrir8724]

@@justin9202 Why not?

[@justin9202]

@@ianfinrir8724 because generally in art everything has a reason

[@luigidapro9871]

It's interesting that Swanky is the first but to be honest : Wet-Dry World is like a happy nightmare,I don't know.

[@RandomishToons]

True

[@samuelhein8090]

That's the best way to describe it

[@Blackbird357]

maybe even a happy heart attack

[@FloRiLLAZ]

For me when i played sm64 in my childhood, the whole castle of the Princess was creepy. The emptyness and lack of other characters(i dont count the toads and the rabbits) made this building so bizarre. But i also loved it for this atmosphere.

[@paranoialp6426]

I like this stage solely because it’s so unique. The water level mechanic, and just the weird design always stood out to me. It’s not much of a reason but I do like how it is as it’s mostly a stage of secrets, like the secret town, the secrets you find for a star. It’s just interesting And as a person who loves the creepy and unknown, I really enjoy what the level leaves to the mind. We don’t know for sure what this town is all about, and we don’t know if there’s a darker story behind it. The mystery itself is what I live for

[@Jess-I-Guess]

The fact the entrance to the town is first covered by a cage, then by multiple layers of bars, seems very prison-like, almost as though they were trying to keep something in... Or out? The Express Elevator - Hurry Up! star mirrors the star in the corner of the town, being in a cage high above everything, so perhaps the residents tried to recreate it.

[@MichaelA.Love_]

Watching this on my personalized copy of the KZbin app

[@mworld2611]

That's funny because each "copy" of the KZbin app is actually personalized

[@SunbunSunny]

Michael C. You don’t say

[@bangerbangerbro]

@@SunbunSunny he means every copy. Not just some copies.

[@sfmaub234]

Oh shoot here we go again...

[@KittyKatty999]

Replying to this on my personalised phone, on my personalised Internet connection, in my personalised house, in this personalised world. Every copy of Life is personalised.

[@Supertaldo916]

SM64 as a whole give me a feeling of unease. It feels claustrophobically empty, but I guess it's a product of it's time. I remember feeling the same way with Star Wars: Jedi Knight and Tenchu. Early 3D games where off putting to me, maybe it had to do with the textures and soundtrack. I feel like cartoonish/unrealistic sprites and 8 bit music is far away enough from reality to be something new and exciting, but early 3D games tried to be realistic, just too far to feel comfortable. The music is distinct enough to not sound "cartoonish", but is too compressed and makes it sound bland and void. The textures are unintelligeble smudges of a real image, so I guess your brain kind of wants to decode them to feel realistic, but just can't. It's like your trapped just in the middle of descirnable reality and fiction. Oooor maybe I was just a lonely kid growing up and I transfered the feeling to videogames because I played them alone most of the time. Idk.

[@jiqci]

Congratulations, you have discovered the uncanny valley

[@sahre0]

i feel u soo much. as a kid sm64 really made me so uneasy..

[@Emily-vp9xe]

As a kid I felt creeped out playing this level, I still have that feeling today.

[@joaquinlopez7199]

:3

[@daskampffredchen9242]

The German name of Wet Dry World is Atlantis Aquaria

[@cloudheaven8156]

@D. Well obviously it's build from the name Atlantis and the plural version of aquarium even so aquaria isn't used in the German language and I even had to Google it.

[@elnkianni3466]

I always thought it was strange that there is Atlantis in the german translation but not anywhere else. When I was a child I loved this place just beause the Atlantis name

[@pencerism]

Tbh i like that, it sounds more interesting than Wet Dry World.

[@cameronmoore7675]

That's a _way_ better name!

[@willtheoreminer5527]

Ooooooo coool

[@denontown]

When I was little, Wet Dry World felt like the coolest level to me. Just felt like some sort of ancient Atlantic drowned town, a great discovery. The music fits it too!

[@Miniya]

In the German version this stage is actually even called „Atlantis Aquaria“, so I always thought of the drowned village as reference to Atlantis

[@aeroblu2002]

This is actually my favorite level... I love the overall looks and design of the place, how it feels more like a tech demo, or a sandbox area. I love hanging out on top of the main structure, and I loved finding the hidden flooded village. I personally didn't find the water raising all that difficult, as it was a lot easier to just swim and run to it, unlike in Ocarina of Time where you'd have to go from room to room to obstacle, to waiting through a song to raise the level. Even the overall tone and supposed "negative aura" feel more like a special kind of aura to me, rather than something negative. The water was also one aspect I liked, as I just love water in general. To me, this level pretty much represented my own mind to me, being a strange and mysterious sandbox, submerged in the depths.

[@ashaman8567]

Gotta say, this was one of my favorite levels... and the hidden village part blew me away. I actually liked being able to change the water level, the flipper enemies were fun to mess with, and alway a new strange thing to interact with like the floating platforms and how the water level change would make basically a new stage to explore. Didn’t creep me out at all...

[@Friggazee]

I never had a reason to dislike this level except for the "Express Elevator" star. As a kid, I just couldn't get it.

[@alisiaale565]

All you had to do was drop the elevator, fall straight down, break the wooden box, jump in the cage and ride the elevator back up. But yes, I never got scared or dissapointed from this course either.

[@user-rk3qp7xl3w]

I have NO idea why I considered this star so hard to get when I was a kid.

[@Omar_E11]

I like this level. Maybe it's a little unsettling, but I still like it.

[@MetaKaios]

@@user-rk3qp7xl3w Probably because there's no indication of what you're supposed to do. It's just a wooden platform; it looks nothing like an elevator.

[@racoonwhocannotbekilled9999]

@@Omar_E11 Thank goodness I am not the only person who has sense

[@Void_Echoes]

“Wet Dry World is basically backtrack city” Well you just summed up why it gives me negative feelings in one sentence. I just find Wet Dry World so tedious.

[@yniekac8851]

yup tedious and ugly. the worst things you can have in a videogame

[@CGFillertext]

Tedious, ugly, and sticks out like a sore thumb next to the rest of Mario 64

[@yniekac8851]

CG Fillertext yup. Every level has detail. Even the bowser levels. Simple but still great

[@fabiantalton6888]

Tedious but it’s more than that on a deeper level. What about real life and how people in power can do the same to us.. look at the world now, things can change within a blink of an eye. If the people in power(elites) really wanted to take us all out..

[@greenteawizard8720]

I never had an negative association with the level. I actually thought it was very serene and peaceful like Jolly Roger bay. It was like another world in an already huge game (at the time). The last star was mind blowing to go and get and thought it was so cool. Definitely eerie but if anything I felt like it was wasted potential.

[@vinnycochrane5139]

Yes, there’s something unsettling about that level. Very hard to define - it feels so ominous and claustrophobic. It’s like Nintendo had Franz Kafka in the office for the day and asked him to design a level based on anxiety. Anyone agree?

[@4ntwi]

Yes. I’m only 13, so I have never actually played sm64 as a child. However, my first play through was on an emulator, and I gotta say, wet dry world was so god damn claustrophobic and crammed into one singular **box**. This is makes the level so eerie and anxious that I literally closed out of the game the first time I played it.

[@psychopompous3207]

No.

[@sxywyka]

Growing up my dad was a construction worker so I always imagined the stage as an under water construction site, and not random, weirdly places structures. I loved it, and I loved finding the hidden city too. Idk no negative energy here.

[@danger4682]

The game already feels kinda lonely but Wet Dry World ramps up the loneliness by A LOT. With both the abandoned buildings in the world and the abandoned buildings in the backdrop

[@shotguntornado]

I think that's it for me. The fact that all of the living creatures in the game have been replaced with a handful of unkillable robots and some spiders really feels like a stark contrast to the otherwise thriving world

[@burritowyrm6530]

its new londo lol

[@DokterRoetker]

I really like this level, it really oozes the 90's 3D tech-demo vibe.

[@CaciqueVanGuard]

This was my favorite level solely because I thought swimming through the long tunnel to the hidden city was the coolest thing I'd ever seen in a game up until that point. In my young mind there nothing cooler than giant underwater city.

[@garrettgarner438]

The whole level setup of wet dry world looks like some sort of training grounds for soldiers. Perhaps it’s where Bowser trains his minions.

[@erroscovubasto2272]

and the secret town maybe the barracks for the troops

[@garrettgarner438]

Erros Covu Basto makes sense. Secret town: barracks Water tunnel and the water switches: for bloopers and cheep cheeps High up platforms: for avian enemies like paratroopas and shyguys Dustpans, Mario chucker, and water skeeters: course hazards General platforming: for the basic enemies like goombas, koopas etc.

[@viscountrainbows6452]

"Alright maggots; when you see that pesky plumber, what do you do?" Run at him as fast as we can, sir! "Excellent work, ladies. Now move out!"

[@ModMax69]

good call

[@birdlegscass]

...the idea that there have been drowned people inside those buildings this entire time gives me major chills...

[@BlastKetchup]

didn't feel like that untill you said it... *shiver*

[@SEELE-ONE]

Big Boo’s Haunt: dude!

[@calico.5588]

that means the actual water in the level isnt really water, otherwise mario would be swimming the entire time. its like the lagoon in spongebob, the water in WDW is probably something loads more dense than water considering the WDW brain diagram theory, what if the liquid used in the level was some weird spinal fluid or some shit?? this level gives me da fuckin creeps

[@q.h.s5051]

This level and Hazy Maze Cave have always been my two favorite levels! He Erie atmosphere and music always made fine with being stuck trying to get stars at a young age. Anytime someone gets to these levels in Speedruns, challenges, or normal runs I am always happy to see them and hear the music. (Also the Pyramid and ice cave)

[@boredkid1235]

I specifically remember skipping this level when I was playing this ~10 years old. I went into it like twice, I've never even seen that "church town" area before. I guess I never liked the vibe.

[@Jx_-]

So what part of the brain is the town? If it's depression and loneliness, then Nintendo was a bit TOO accurate with their brain simulation

[@calico.5588]

i have a few speculations if we're talking about a brain PHYSICALLY, then the electric ball thingies and the platforms that move back and forth from each other could represent neurons or something, but its unlikely if we look at it from a more abstract view, perhaps the level is supposed to replicate dreams and distant memories? its a very aimless level and it feels incredibly vague from a visual perspective, it feels like recalling a dream you only barely remember the underground village could represent trauma and repressed memories/experiences, as its the most visually clear location in the level, you can clearly tell its a town. this could reference how traumatic experiences are so vivid when you have flashbacks to them.

[@spartankongcountry6799]

I always liked this world because its like a giant swimming pool, which was a concept I really liked as a kid.

[@SuperSam12345]

This is not creepy, its my favorite level, theres no annoying Toads

[@maplario4366]

Wet-dry world makes me claustrophobic, and few things make me feel that. I felt the loss of continuing the game, and the town in the background looks like an abandoned town. The textures look kind of scary, too, and so far this is the level that I can’t turn the camera the most, which makes it not being able to turn. I feel like something is going to happen.

[@jgwinnel]

Those houses look like the beta Zelda 64 houses from old screenshots back in the day. I would assume it was asset sharing long ago between projects.

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

The combination of the background being a modified picture of a real city and the in-game town being underground and flooded gives off a somewhat depressing and mysterious vibe.

[@kazumakanjifreak3010]

*therapy in Wet Dry World* Therapist: So how does that make you feel? Mario: yes

[@paragon2563]

I just love staying up all night and my body finally forcing my eyes to close and my muscles collapse, drifting off into the grey area while listening to the theories, stories, and creepy things in my favorite video games from SwankyBox. Thank you SwankyBox, for being better than Murder Mystery stories that middle aged wives listen to and keeping the Gaming Entertainment on KZbin fresh, enjoyable, and interesting.

[@lordroy88]

Wet-Dry World is amazing, especially the town

[@NeonLeonNoel]

This was one of my most played levels, I felt like a genius at 9-years-old when I jumped into the portal differently and noticed it correlated to the water level. I love it because it looks like some weird modern art using 90s cgi, kind of like that simpsons halloween episode with homer going into another dimension.

[@vaporcranberries]

Wet-Dry World is my favorite level because the skybox is beautiful, it's music slaps and it's gimmick is cool. And also the got milk commercial did indeed take place here.

[@4kidcod]

IDK why but I always love this level because of it’s mysterious nature and it always resonated with me since I was a kid. It’s just so soothing in a weird way. I can’t explain it properly.

[@andrewlivingston1590]

You’re not. I feel the same.

[@glizzmanman]

The dislikes are the developers who wanted this to be kept a secret.

[@samjames6714]

I had a pre-owned copy of Super Mario 64 DS, where it was already completed apart from the final boss. I always came to Wet-Dry World just to walk around the town at the bottom, and honestly it was one of my favourite places.

[@Red-jt6uu]

Wet Dry world gives liminal space vibes. When you think of a liminal space, you don’t think of a rundown building that obviously nobody has lived in for years, but places where you should expect to see people like playgrounds, office spaces, etc. that look like they have been in use and maintained, yet nobody is there. As you said in this video, the town was clearly was occupied until fairly recently, so your mind is left to wonder what the hell happened to everyone. Also, I think the doors not opening might be simply due to the developers running out of time implement everything they wanted in the level.

[@DeathnoteBB]

Technically a liminal space is any place that people occupy but only for a brief time, like truck rest stops. Creepypasta has kind of co-opted the meaning

[@zackc5973]

I find it odd everyone dislikes this level, I loved it as a kid. I thought the concept of changing the water levels to solve puzzels was unique and a nice switch up. Plus the level in general feels fun to explore. Also I loved the soundtrack. Now that I'm older, i appreciate the level even more for standing out so much in a game that can feel very monotonous to play through at times.

[@BlackCatMagik]

I loved it as a kid too. This negative aura thing seems to be zoomer feelings... it seems older gamers who grew up with this generally don’t subscribe to the negative-aura opinion here.

[@zackc5973]

@@BlackCatMagik I was wondering about that. Never related to a "negative aura" I felt a sense of mystery and wonder exploring the area like hazy maze cave. (But the mellowness of the soundtrack probably had something to do with that)

[@panconqueso53]

Me too

[@vexphoenix]

Jokes aside, I genuinely always enjoyed this level, it was always one of my favorites. I loved the background music so much, the backdrop was so cool, I loved the unique sound and colour of the crystals that change the water levels, I always liked the way so many puzzles were just open and easily accessible as long as you had the right water level, and I loved how entering the painting at different heights changed the levels of the water. Looking back it was pretty oddly designed and weirdly grey and prisonlike... Great video btw!

[@FishyAshB]

Couple of interesting points about this: First an update about the skybox, which turns out is not Casares, Spain but Shibam, Yemen. Someone found an image that matched perfectly. The other thing is about the Flooded City. In Japanese (and several other languages) the course is actually named some variation of "Flooded City".

[@paulineblozzom]

In the German version it's called "Atlantis Aquaria"

[@PeeperSnail]

Don’t buy Raycons unless you’re super into bass overpowering everything else. Look up reviews here on KZbin.

[@yoshikagekira1719]

I use them, and I haven't had that issue

[@Nikapocalypse]

Agreed. Both pairs I got the left side went bad too (one was a replacement pair). And yes, I tried the left side in both ears to make sure I wasn't just going deaf in one ear. Definitely not for me. Quick update: I returned these months ago. Due to being busy, I never realized that I didn't get the money back. Got an email a couple days ago. Apparently they were just now processed and I'm getting refunded. I know covid is going on and all, but that is pretty ridiculous...

[@nuclearbiologist]

I think most of us know but raycons pay for you tubers to eat so we tolerate it

[@Zerio105]

Maybe this was never a town meant for people to live in at all. I like to imagine some sort of artifact was dropped into the ocean, and once it settled, it began altering the natural landscape around it. Starting with the church formed around it to shield itself, then forming a town with no purpose or conscious design choices, only based upon what the artifact has previously sensed around it before falling into the ocean. The cave around the city was formed as a second layer of protection, and everything beyond that is just endlessly procedurally generated construction which only gets more nonsensical the further out from the source it gets. Eventually, it's going to reach the shore. Who knows what happens then.

[@wolfetteplays8894]

That could be true tbh. Sounds accurate

[@Zerio105]

@@johnathansmith9405 One of my favorites! Yeah pretty much like that, just without the sub-dimension thing going on, and altering exteriors too.

[@therinlucas1931]

And what if that creation had something to do with the power stars? If the painting worlds take place in other time-periods (or timelines) or dimensions, what if Bowser's introduction of the power stars lead to this in the 'present' or some other later point in time for the painting world?

[@jacobhake342]

Just call it SCP-SM64 and we can call it a day! 😄

[@Sonickuforever]

Another odd thing of the town, there happens to be those black balls that spit out flame, but due to the water, they are useless. It seems like this was some sort of prison hell that have very strict rules. The only freedom they had was to be at the chapel and pray.. but that was it...

[@NecrosVideos]

Your videos always bring me joy lad. Another good one!

[@notoriousyolkhound4600]

He says in a video about drowning a town

[@Firezok]

N E C R O S?

[@crisismoon880]

Verified user = free likes

[@Firezok]

@@crisismoon880 true, true.

[@Firezok]

@@crisismoon880 he is still my favorite KZbinr.

[@franzwolf8082]

Ok, i'll contribute to the Wet-dry world negative aura legend with this theory: There's a sign in wet-dry world that says: "The mystery is of wet or dry. And where does the solution lie? The city welcomes visitors with the depth they bring as they enter.". The phrase "The city welcomes visitors with the depth they bring as they enter" is hinting that the initial water level of wet-dry world depends on how high Mario jumps on the painting to enter the level, but if you consider the possibility of the "negative aura" myth being true, then it could also mean that wet-dry world welcomes visitors with the emotional depth they bring. This means that if someone enters the level with negative feelings, like sadness or anger, then the game would detect this feelings and put them in the atmosphere of the level, and the player would feel as if the level has some kind of negative aura. On the other hand, if the player enters the level with positive feelings, they would feel like the level has a positive aura. I hope that this made at least a little sense, if not, i'm sorry, i have too much creepypasta in my head!

[@andyghkfilm2287]

Whoa, are you saying Wet-Dry World used to set the water level when you entered the stage at different heights depending on how high you jump when you enter the painting? Like, how the speed of Tick Tock Clock changes depending on the position of the clock's hands when you jump in? That's a much cooler level design idea than putting stupid buttons all over the place that you have to find!

[@franzwolf8082]

@@andyghkfilm2287 this isn't a cut feature, it's in the game! If you jump at the bottom of the painting, the stage will start with the lowest water level, if you jump high, the stage will start with a high water level. The buttons are for the puzzles and for the case you need to lower or raise the water level during the stage. There's also 2 stars in the level that are located in the hidden underwater town that can only be accessed by jumping very high at the painting to flood the level so you can jump over the cage that's blocking the way.

[@WilleydGaming]

@@franzwolf8082 Actually, that's not the only way to get the stars. I didn't know about the painting height till I was a teenager. When I was a kid I discovered a glitch (Which I thought was a feature at the time) where you can force mario to get stuck on the world border, and do a penguin slide into the cage around the hidden town. For most of my childhood I believed that was the only way to get those stars, and I always wondered why nintendo would design something so tedious.

[@franzwolf8082]

@@WilleydGaming that's cool! How did you do that glitch?

[@WilleydGaming]

@@franzwolf8082 It's been a long time, but I think it has to do with longjumping (Z+A) into the ramp at the edge of the world. If you do it in just the right spot mario will get stuck for a minute and slide into the cage.

[@cecillewolters1995]

Weird, for me this level always was a very magical place. Kid me thought the skybox might be Atlantis. And I always assumed water people lived here. Yes, the closed doors and the garden made me think, but then I shrugged it off with 'magic'. I also didn't know for years that you can enter the level more flooded, when you jump higher in the painting. That discovering was very magical and nostalgic for early 20 me xD Besides that, I have always enjoyed this level to either swim through or practising sick parkour moves with Mario. Mario Sunshine's its underwater level made me almost tear-up the first time, with a lot of nostalgia from this place and Jolly Roger Bay. It was always a positive experience for me. (Also kid me wanted to play hide and seek with Luigi in the village under)

[@niwi7642]

"Very Magical place" youre right, Fun Fackt: the German ver is called "Atlantis Aquaria" wich makes it more magical

[@cecillewolters1995]

@@niwi7642 Awesome, never knew. Awesome my neighbours also made the Atlantis connection :)

[@twelve4462]

Unlike some comments on here, I did feel the negative aura of wet dry world growing up. I feel so seen with this video because I felt like I didn’t know anyone who knew of this specific feeling from that specific level. The abandoned underwater town freaked me out a lot. I always wondered why there was no trace of people in the levels.

[@MisterGimmick]

What I love about this level it's his weird graphics and themes, the underwater city, it got a charming ambience who is really unique

[@spikemoody1757]

I always liked this level, since the water rising up to different levels was pretty cool.

[@mostlysure1077]

Ok but you're a Mudkip so of course you like this backwater garbage.

[@RYAN64DS]

I really like WET DRY WORLD it is one of my favorite levels in SM64.

[@SwankyBox]

What do you like about it? I'm curious!

[@ps4pro668]

Yeah I like it too. The fact that the height you enter the level at changes the water level is cool

[@MrCarrot-tj2ge]

SwankyBox it was weird for me

[@SirSling]

Hello fellow wet dry world enthusiast

[@RYAN64DS]

@@SwankyBox I actually don't know why I like wet-dry world its probably because when all the water is gone I like to challenge myself to make tricky jumps to get a star. for me, it's like a cool area to do things in.

[@JC02official]

I love how this game has so many mysteries but it never tells you the answers. You are left with your imagination to try and figure out what could have happened or what something could mean. It's like how you read a book and you can only picture a description of something in your head.

[@jondickinson6830]

This was my favorite level as a kid. I loved going to the "hidden city" below and wandering around aimlessly.

[@MorbiusStrongestSoldier]

Even for me on the ds version, its just depressing. The atmosphere is dull and the music is annoying. Everytime i enter the level my mood drops

[@woofexe4050]

Feelings Wet Dry World gives me: -*emptiness* -*depression* -*anxiety*

[@loopyleo]

Amber Rayne me too I’m glad I’m not the only one that felt weirdly anxious and stuff

[@lordecramox7394]

So normal feelings

[@crabking3525]

*Submerged Castle would like to know your location*

[@RealSonGokuDBZ]

Me too, i think that is because i feel im so alone in a city without colors and is so depressive, when i am in that level i just dont want to play more i hate that freaking level

[@aVerysmallMoth]

When I was little and couldn’t sleep at night, I would boot up my DS and just wander around this level. I’ve always found it oddly soothing.

[@immortalcake5972]

This was actually one of my favourite levels. There was something about the raising and lowering water mechanic that I found so fun and satisfying, probably because it changed the navigation mechanics to my choosing. Most of the time I wasn't at all bothered about progression (I was one of those who used Mario Kart time trials to explore instead of set times :P)

[@SoccerballAnim]

Every Wet Dry World Level copy is personalized.

[@inim6210]

What does that mean

[@catbatrat1760]

@@inim6210 It's a reference to a meme and/or creepypasta that claims that every copy of Super Mario 64 is personalized.

[@duffman18]

@@inim6210 it's a dumb myth that people think every copy of the game is different in some way. It's not.

[@drsnoes6337]

It looks mysterious beause there is a city on the background and it is not a fun level to play it is really weird because there is a little town i don’t know it is not so happy

[@sfmaub234]

Don't judge me but... I had no idea there was a town in Wet Dry World, I found the level so lifeless and boring I didn't bother to explore it much... Fortunately the game is still amazing ¦:]

[@sadie_cat]

I just realized What if the reason Wet Dry World feels so awful is precisely bc the main area + the town are built to be more city-like, but are completely desolate. Think about it, all other levels are either some fantasy mario layout or something more like just a mountain or a desert full of enemies. But wdw's layout looks like it was built with concrete, bricks, and metal like a city. In other mario worlds, we're not necessarily sure what to expect bc it's a fantasy world, but in a city layout, we'd naturally expect it to be bustling with people. But it's completely empty like a destroyed (drowned?) town

[@amp1990]

I never noticed the city on the background... this is so strange!

[@Hollowolfjas4014]

It's just a weird level altogether. I'd like to hear a developer's diary on this place, just because it seems to be such a dog's breakfast of ideas. Lead Dev: "So... How bout a water level. The other ones are all pirate coves so..." Dev 2: "How about an Atlantis?" Dev 3: "I've got all these photos of our trip to Spain, we could do some kind of ancient ruins thing." Lead Dev: "How about all of those. With adjustable water levels, and -" Dev 4, late from lunch: "I made a cute high-quality town we can put next to the Castle or something" Dev 1: "Yeah that too that's great but the men busy are talking Phyllis" *and so everything gets thrown together with some random grey blocks and bricks on top* Players: .... Wtf.

[@whickervision742]

And I have this wind up flipper robot that goes off like a mouse trap. Let's have it stop to wind itself constantly. Oh, let's put a spinning electric ball here. And here. Hey we need to do a timed elevator puzzle go down then up. And haha, worse than death you have to trudge back up if you fail. Hey let's have the player touch 5 random places to get a star. Don't worry just pick wherever.

[@reillywalker195]

I actually enjoy Wet-Dry World. It's one of the smaller stages in the game, so I don't usually get lost, and I don't find it as tiresome as Tick-Tock Clock or Rainbow Ride. I also quite enjoy the water puzzles, the town, and the music which I think fits the grim mood the stage invokes.

[@FilthyWeeb1]

I actually love that level because its so easy. You can also collect the max amount of 140 coins on the DS version. It is also great for getting extra lives.

[@CaptRalsei]

I mostly remember this as "the level that blew my mind when I got high and played Super Mario 64 when I was in high school" personally. Something about that changing water level, the winding pathway, the hidden city, the weird background...

[@ianfinrir8724]

The whole "negative aura" thing is a lame creepypasta that a lot of people fell for. Me, I always loved this level, was fascinated by how you could change the water level and the downtown area.

[@CaptRalsei]

@@ianfinrir8724 the only negative thing about it for me was that I didn't want to drain the castle moat since that's irreversible and (in my opinion) it looks better with it and it was more fun to just play around outside the castle with the water there, but this level had one of the only few stars in the game you can't get without draining the moat.

[@ianfinrir8724]

@@CaptRalsei You can get to the upstairs area without draining the moat.

[@CaptRalsei]

@@ianfinrir8724 yeah, but you can't get the star in the hidden city that's in the hidden city behind the fenced in area without the vanish cap, which you can't get without draining the moat

[@ianfinrir8724]

@@CaptRalsei There's a glitch you can use to get it, but it's really hard to pull off.

[@auxilirious]

Wet dry world, is like my favorite... but it’s ok that everyone hates it

[@PelemusMcSoy]

It's my favorite too. =)

[@fredspofford]

Yeah, I never once imagined anyone could dislike this level. I love things like under water cities and such. And that you have to swim there through a tunnel to gain entrance kinda like a beaver has to when entering their lodge in the middle of a pond. It's like you found a good hiding spot.

[@blazicgd]

Not my favorite tbh, but i always found it to be weird in a cool way, i especially like the city and skybox

[@Ketchup64]

I like wet dry world, but it feels something bad like someome is lost and you cant find, crazy

[@Zerio105]

Same, I actually like the fact it's depressing and creepy.

[@aarongreenfield9038]

At least you learned a valuable lesson about walking away and losing your turn. Which is probably what the other kid had done when you first walked up.

[@zenalevay2541]

This sounds weird but i find a sort of beauty in the miserable atmosphere i think it creates a dark mood in a cool way, through the gray and the walls and the mystery behind it. I think its abstract and interesting.

[@thorkillthered6595]

I loved the atmosphere of this level as a kid. So mysterious!

[@BlueBonzi99]

I- actually like this level- pls no bully me :(

[@KittyKatty999]

I will not bully you. Eveyone is entitled to their opinion. Maybe it's because your copy of the game was personalised to be fun to you? :P

[@BlueBonzi99]

@@KittyKatty999 I tend to like stuff that other people generally don't like lol

[@StunnedEmu]

Lol I haven’t even played the game why would I bully you if I haven’t even experienced it

[@Star_Mans_Legacy]

Wet Dry world’s mysterious underwater town really satisfies me and I really enjoy it, being in a small abandoned town just satisfies me a ton and I really like it

[@Lunamine]

As a kid, the abandoned town creeped me out and somehow also made me very melancholic and curious. Why is it here ? Why is it abandoned ? What happened ? Who were the town dwellers ?

[@alanm6o9]

Saaaame

[@upsettispaghettivulture]

I like this level a lot, it has a very surreal feeling to it for sure, to me it looks like a flooded construction site or something, which i think is a pretty unique turn from the grassy hills and caves we're used to from mario games

[@JPOfAwesomeness]

Ok that’s interesting but did you know, Bungee gum has the properties of both rubber and gum

[@DoctorMario606]

Bungee gum has the properties of both rubber and gum

[@hellonokay1925]

bungee gum does not belong hetr,leave i will take you to the brazil version of wet dry world

[@JPOfAwesomeness]

Chian li thwbword aura is in thetitle

[@hellonokay1925]

@@JPOfAwesomeness yeah i know but its the brazil version of it

[@evanduckworth9681]

“Wet dry world is a level many people don’t enjoy” WHO? I love wet dry world. The first time I ever saw my cousins playing Mario 64 it was wet dry world.

[@whickervision742]

Of course this water level would be enjoyable if you were a duck.

[@evanduckworth9681]

I don’t appreciate your accusation sir. :*D

[@ianfinrir8724]

It's just more creepypasta bull$hit

[@sailrod2341]

@@ianfinrir8724 it really isn’t, many people have this aura, including me

[@destroyerkitty9434]

It’s not the best horror games ever made that will truly chill us. It’s those subtle, creeping feelings that truly make you feel off. It’s the fears you can’t explain or identify that gets you.

[@alanm6o9]

Thank you. This is sooo true dude

[@Joh447]

I've always loved wet dry world. when I first encountered it way back, I was just blown away with how the water level changes based on the height you jump into the painting. i also loved discovering the hidden city.

[@sluigi]

I'm being honest here I was one of the people who played SM64DS and I HATED IT even before the iceberg thing. I think because its so...empty

[@LugiatheOceanGuardian]

You played it too?

[@mrkrabs2585]

i wasn't the only one who hated it in sm64ds

[@UltraAryan10]

I did not hate it but I quit SM64DS around here, I did eventually beat it in later but WDW is discouraging lol

[@PhriekshoTV]

It's always been one of my favorite stages. Never understood the hate. It was always mysterious, strange, and challenging.

[@ianrideout6180]

I love Wet Dry World. One of my favourite stages in any Mario game. The place has such an unusual and eerie, yet fascinating atmosphere. Especially the underwater city background; there's just something hypnotically alluring about it.

[@william.tomassetti]

I kind of enjoy it, to me it feels like I'm exploring an ancient abandoned city full of mysteries

[@UltraHylia]

I've always *hated* this level, even more than I usually hate water levels. I don't believe there's any kind of supernatural "negative emotional aura" though... I think it's just a bad level. Both in being poorly designed and having a creepy atmosphere.