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Do you find Mario 64 creepy?
- Thread starter Uncle at Nintendo
- Start date
When I was a little kid, it was the first 3D game I played. Sometimes when running around parts of the castle with the pitter patter of Mario's feet would be kinda unsettling. Like the echo sounds were weird.
I'm not weirded out by it now but some audio quirks were just...off? It's hard to explain. Idk about that other shit in the OP though lol.
I'm not weirded out by it now but some audio quirks were just...off? It's hard to explain. Idk about that other shit in the OP though lol.
It doesn't quite fit the topic, but there's this bit from the Iwata Asks on Mario Galaxy that sticks with me. I don't know if Nintendo maintains this, but it lends to my thinking that Mario was originally meant to have a harder image that he does now.
I could see how some people find it creepy. Outside of stuff like Bob-Omb Battlefield and Rainbow Ride, the levels don't really have a typically bright, friendly atmosphere. There's a lot of empty areas with (relatively) realistic textures and uncanny enemies with weird faces ...
No, man. It's not some vague inexpressible feeling like "creepy", it's distinctly frightening and unsettling at times by design. Trapped in a magic castle with secrets hidden around every corner, overrun by strange monsters and haunted by ghosts, there are bound to be some dark moments. It's pretty much Resident Evil in the Mario-verse, though there are also moments of great freedom and beauty in the sun that make it an enjoyably varied experience.
There's...
1. literally a haunted house level
9. A piano with teeth that tries to eat you
2. A staircase that magically goes on forever
3. A painting that morphs from the Princess' smiling face into a snarling horned monster as you approach
4. Trapdoor in the floor
5. a cave in the basement filled with giant water-bugs, bats, and poisonous gas
6. A painting of the devil that leads to hell complete with lava and shit
7. giant underwater eels
8. A painting only visible through a mirror
Etc.
There's...
1. literally a haunted house level
9. A piano with teeth that tries to eat you
2. A staircase that magically goes on forever
3. A painting that morphs from the Princess' smiling face into a snarling horned monster as you approach
4. Trapdoor in the floor
5. a cave in the basement filled with giant water-bugs, bats, and poisonous gas
6. A painting of the devil that leads to hell complete with lava and shit
7. giant underwater eels
8. A painting only visible through a mirror
Etc.
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As a kid who was scared of the haunted forest in Paper Mario and needed a friend to get through it for me, no, I was not scared of Mario 64. I always associate 3D Mario games with bright colors and carefree happy atmosphere. Weird take.
(I was also scared of Spy Kids)
(I was also scared of Spy Kids)
Yes, Mario 64 and the first Tomb Raider on PSX were both somewhat erie/off-putting for this exact reason.
But definitely in a good, weird kind of surreal way that is very impactful/memorable when you are a kid.
But definitely in a good, weird kind of surreal way that is very impactful/memorable when you are a kid.
As a kid it was super creepy and as an adult I dream of finding a game again with that kind of vague malice. Like, as a kid playing it I just had no idea how it worked or what was it was not possible + the music + the actual genuinely creepy bits and it was perfect.
Kid me's opinions:
Wee Bit Freaky: Peach's Castle
Wee Bit Freaky: All Hidden Levels
Not Scary: Bob-omb Battlefield
Wee Bit Freaky: Whomp's Fortress
Eerie: Jolly Roger Bay
Not Scary: Cool, Cool Mountain
Scary: Big Boo's Haunt
Scary: Hazy Maze Cave
Not Scary: Lethal Lava Land
Not Scary: Shifting Sand Land
Eerie: Dire Dire Docks
Eerie: Snowman's Land
Scary: Wet-dry World
Not Scary: Tall, Tall Mountain
Meh: Tiny-huge Island
Meh: Tick Tock Clock
Meh: Rainbow Ride
Kid me's opinions:
Wee Bit Freaky: Peach's Castle
Wee Bit Freaky: All Hidden Levels
Not Scary: Bob-omb Battlefield
Wee Bit Freaky: Whomp's Fortress
Eerie: Jolly Roger Bay
Not Scary: Cool, Cool Mountain
Scary: Big Boo's Haunt
Scary: Hazy Maze Cave
Not Scary: Lethal Lava Land
Not Scary: Shifting Sand Land
Eerie: Dire Dire Docks
Eerie: Snowman's Land
Scary: Wet-dry World
Not Scary: Tall, Tall Mountain
Meh: Tiny-huge Island
Meh: Tick Tock Clock
Meh: Rainbow Ride
I did find it kind of "mature" when I played it as a kid. Maybe it was just because of the underwater and haunted levels.
The only thing that jumps out to me as uncomfortable is the courtyard where there's no music and only ambient sounds. I don't know why but it's always bothered me in games. Similarly in Mario Galaxy I felt most uncomfortable in the worlds that just had an eerie ambience to them. I wouldn't consider the lack of NPC characters as creepy though because Mario games in general never really had a lot of them. Super Mario World had Peach and Yoshi, and that was basically it. Most of the dialogue came from the narrator. I can see the general visual style making people feel creeped out though since early 3D wasn't exactly the most pleasing to look at.
As a kid SM64 did scare the crap out of me but it was due to the more strange and weird stuff that felt unsafe
like, I hated jolly rodger due to EVERYTHING, eel, clams, you name it, never got any stars there until I was 14
Tiny Huge Island had that fucking fish which made me scream so hard that my mom saw the tv, and screamed as well being horrified by it too, I literally only got stars on that world starting *last September*, meaning that yes, I ignored it for 22 years due to how much I hate that fish (sadly my plan to revenge kill it didn't work)
nowadays though SM64 is pretty fine for me and it's more funny than anything else
like, I hated jolly rodger due to EVERYTHING, eel, clams, you name it, never got any stars there until I was 14
Tiny Huge Island had that fucking fish which made me scream so hard that my mom saw the tv, and screamed as well being horrified by it too, I literally only got stars on that world starting *last September*, meaning that yes, I ignored it for 22 years due to how much I hate that fish (sadly my plan to revenge kill it didn't work)
nowadays though SM64 is pretty fine for me and it's more funny than anything else
It is kind of weird Glover and his counterpart are conscious lifeforms that the wizard in the intro just wore as gloves. Like how'd he put them on? Just jam his hands inside their skin? wtf?
They were just gloves and the freak accident in the intro made them sentient, at least I'm pretty sure that's what it was.
I was ~9 when it came out, and yeah, it did creep me out a little bit. Not any of the levels, though; just the castle. Even the dark or spooky stages all just felt like normal game levels, but something about the emptiness of the "this space is clearly meant to be occupied by people" castle hub did actually spook me out.
The last couple years of Mario 64 creepypastas don't quite hit that exact feeling for me, but they're fun.
This legit makes me remember my friend's creepy basement, always filled with friends and pizza boxes, but also some startlingly dark corners that were hard to ignore during sleepovers.
The last couple years of Mario 64 creepypastas don't quite hit that exact feeling for me, but they're fun.
This legit makes me remember my friend's creepy basement, always filled with friends and pizza boxes, but also some startlingly dark corners that were hard to ignore during sleepovers.
I think about that quoted Iwata Asks excerpt a lot when thinking about the Mario games and similar... It's true; Mario isn't a game that ever strived to come across as "cute", and IMO that's one of its main strengths.
In the context of Mario 64, it means that everything comes across with more atmosphere, whether it's Jolly Roger Bay's calm, Hazy Maze Cave's darkness, or Big Boo Mansion's general creepiness. Those characteristics aren't mixed with / watered down with a whole lot of cuteness.
(That's actually my main problem with later Yoshi games, to me they come across as overly "cute" and therefore have a completely different feeling from the more atmospheric and intense characteristics of the original Yoshi's Island.)
As a kid I thought it was creepy. Unagi is obviously creepy for kids, but other than that I was very creeped out by the entire Jolly Roger Bay world, and underwater levels in general. I enjoyed them too, but they were always a little unsettling. I was also creeped out by those water skating spiders in one of the levels, yeah Mario 64 wasn't a game that made me scared per se, but as a child I thought a lot of things about the game were eerie.
Edit to add that I still find 3d platformers creepy sometimes. A floating stage or obstacle course in the middle of nowhere or floating above a blue sky of nothingness just tickles my brain in a way that feels a little odd. I even felt that way playing Bowser's Fury. I enjoy it and I don't want it to go away, but I can't explain the feeling.
Edit to add that I still find 3d platformers creepy sometimes. A floating stage or obstacle course in the middle of nowhere or floating above a blue sky of nothingness just tickles my brain in a way that feels a little odd. I even felt that way playing Bowser's Fury. I enjoy it and I don't want it to go away, but I can't explain the feeling.
Yes. Even as a kid it had a weird feeling to it. I remember seeing the bunny in the basement and being creeped out by it suddenly being there. Also the hidden boo in the wall. It always made me think that something else was lurking in the distance but I couldn't see it
Yes. There's something hollow and dysphoric about the atmosphere of the game.
It's just Mario....mostly alone....running around a strangely desolate world.
Kinda creepy.
It's just Mario....mostly alone....running around a strangely desolate world.
Kinda creepy.
I mean...Odyssey has a T-rex completely outside the art style. Is it really standardized? Mario 64 feels more in line with the original Mario Bros. games as far as how the levels play out and the mix of biomes. The hub-world is just super unique and filled with lots of cool mysteries.
All of the mentions of Mario being completely alone...uh there is Toad who you frequently encounter around the castle and who gives you stars. I don't recall the 2d Mario games having a plethora of NPCs aside from Mario RPG?
I would argue the T-rex and
the dragon
I was 16 when it launched and I got my N64 so I wasn't scared by any of it at the time. I loved that game and played it so much. I had a second tv in my room that sat on top of my main tv and I would leave SM64 running almost nonstop on that bottom tv (while watching television on the top one) for months. But going back to it now I can absolutely see how someone who may have been younger might have been scared of parts. I can also see how people who came up on more robust later 3D games may find the isolation of that game creepy.
Okay, come on now people, Super Mario 64 is not desolate. The castle hub world is filled with hidden secrets, weird monsters, trapdoors, ghosts, and all sorts of scary shit, but it's not desolate. There are plenty of lush, beautiful areas, and wacky NPCs to meet along the way. Like, come on now.
Sorry - I just meant there aren't a lot of other humans running around - in particular, running around the inside of the castle by your lonesome....
...and the living creatures, while they certainly exist, still aren't necessarily in abundance.
Though that's still common nowadays, there's something about the low-poly, occasionally 2D assets that turn it into creepyville.
It's a great game, definitely not trying to diminish it.
Lol no worries, it just seemed like the hyperbole in the thread was tending to snowball. Mario 64's my jam and even the hub world always seemed decently populated to me with the birds chirping and butterflies fluttering around the courtyard, Toad with his hints and secret stars around the castle, the rabbit in the basement, etc. Obviously there is some dark, mysterious shit hidden around the castle but I never found it unintentional.
Like...how many human NPCs were in the og Super Mario Bros. or Super Mario World?
