Why Super Mario 64 Has Been Haunting Me for Years

Question of the Video: Are there any scary moments from this game that stick out in YOUR mind? (Answer by replying to this comment!) 😎👍

I totally agree with everything you said here, especially the outside sections of Peach's castle. They always felt so lonely to me, like someone was out there watching me in the silence. Super Mario 64 always made me feel so uneasy, and this video sums up the game's truly unsettling phenomena so perfectly. We may never know why Super Mario 64 is like that, but at least I know I'm not alone in being extremely creeped out by it.

Your channel seems super underrated. Liked and subbed <3

I honestly never played the game, but I do enjoy learning about liminal spaces. This game is basically one giant liminal space, which is so cool to me, but even though I never played it, I still feel similarly to how you do about the game.

The evolution of your videos is amazing. Great work. I think the scariest moment is when you are little, and you get to bowser for the first time 🤣🤣

There are some scary moments in Super Mario 64 DS as well, because most of the audio and music in that Nintendo DS game is the same audio and music from the original Nintendo 64 game, as well as the moment where after you beat Super Mario 64 DS 100%, you are still trapped in Peach's castle in Super Mario 64 DS. Some of the enemies in Super Mario 64 DS are creepy and scary too.

I never really had the opportunity to own or play as much of Super Mario 64 when I was a kid. But after playing other Mario games like Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, Mario Kart, Mario Party, and so much more, I think it's safe to say that even though I didn't play the game as much, I feel exactly the way you do about it. It's just weird that I feel so confident about these feelings for this game. I got to play it because my older cousin had the game, but it's true. This game feels oddly different from all the other Mario games out there. Even watching gameplay footage of it on YouTube makes me feel the same way, just like you said. And I think "dream-like" is the perfect way to describe Super Mario 64. The game feels like a dream. It feels so nostalgic.

You said what I was feeling before I watched this video

One more thing worth mentioning about Super Mario 64. Completing the game 100% causes you to instinctively go back outside Peach's castle, for some reason. There, you suddenly realize you're actually in a prison. This feeling of intense claustrophobia kicks in as you realize there's nowhere else to go, the sky is false, and no one you ever met was really alive. I think you're right about the outside sections of Peach's castle stemming from the lack of soundtrack, the loud footsteps, and the bird chirps (minus actual birds). Oh, and Yoshi doesn't help, either. For one, he speaks on behalf of the people who made the game. This gives him a somewhat god-like quality. He's an emissary from the outside and isn't doomed to remain as you are. It also doesn't help the way Yoshi jumps off the castle's roof and just vanishes without a trace after delivering his message to you. He isn't your friend. He's a devil. A wraith. The chosen form of the architect. It feels like he's saying: "Here, kid. Take these 100 lives and go back inside the castle's walls to live eternally." For what purpose, exactly? To collect all the meaningless grayed-out stars? When the game is over, the TRUE horror is the realization that you were alone in a prison the whole time. All you want now is to find a painting that will take you home. But there is none. Maybe you should just go find a Wing Cap and a cannon, and fly around for a little while.

You aren't the only one who feels this way about Super Mario 64.  Wet Dry World, in particular, is very disturbing in so many aspects. It's a flooded city with zero explanation as to what happened, and the entire skybox is a city from Spain being underwater, which also enhances the flood theory. It feels as if I was drowning. Big Boo's Haunt also creeps me out because of its dark atmosphere. Also, how did Peach even allow this in her castle? And why are there a bunch of Boos floating around in the courtyard? You're not alone. There exists a whole community upon dark secrets in this game. It's called "Every Copy of Super Mario 64 is Personalized".

I think one of the biggest reasons why some people feel this way about Super Mario 64 being like a dream is because so much of it isn't within the realm of possibility in the mind. Super Mario Bros: Running through the Mushroom Kingdom while saving a princess within a consistent universe? Sure! Super Mario Galaxy: Flying through the cosmos while visiting unexplored worlds and planets? Why not! Super Mario 64: Going into unexplored territories by jumping through walls, paintings, and even tiny bird cages? That just seems so impossible, if you know what I mean. When you have an atmosphere of an enclosed castle with a somewhat confusing and unnecessary layout, it just feels so peculiar. While I personally don't get any of the feelings you're describing, I can still see where all these feelings could come from.