Base Gameplay/Objectives

This article is intended to help aspiring hack creators come up with content for their hacks, and to break down the content in Super Mario 64.

In Super Mario 64, Mario is required to fulfill a certain set of conditions or complete an objective in order to obtain any of the Power Stars. These objectives may require the player to visit certain specific areas of a level, or to travel around a certain area- often the entire level.

Traditionally, levels in Super Mario games are very linear, and nearly always have the objective be to reach the end of the level. Super Mario 64 is unique in the sense that it uses a very openworld style to its levels and does not impose linear limitations on its levels (except for the three Bowser levels).

A level's objectives and how their implemented is an integral aspect of Super Mario 64 and its ROM hacks, and could be considered to the most important aspect to the game.

See also:

Base Gameplay/Acts Power Star

Please note- this article isn't yet complete!

Red Coin Missions

Red coin missions are the most common objective used for obtaining a Star. All fifteen of the main courses have one red coin mission each, and there are a further nine red coin missions in the game's secret courses.

Show all missions in this category:

• Bob-omb Battlefield:
  • Find The 8 Red Coins
• Whomp's Fortress:
  • Red Coins On The Floating Isle
• Jolly Roger Bay:
  • Red Coins On The Ship Afloat
• Cool, Cool Mountain:
  • Frosty Slide For 8 Red Coins
• Big Boo's Haunt:
  • Seek The 8 Red Coins
• Hazy Maze Cave:
  • Elevate For 8 Red Coins
• Lethal Lava Land:
  • 8-Coin Puzzle With 15 Pieces
• Shifting Sand Land:
  • Free Flying For 8 Red Coins
• Dire, Dire Docks:
  • Pole-Jumping For Red Coins
• Snowman's Land:
  • Shell Shreddin' For Red Coins
• Wet-dry World:
  • Go To Town For Red Coins
• Tall, Tall Mountain:
  • Scary 'Shrooms, Red Coins
• Tiny-Huge Island:
  • Wiggler's Red Coins
• Tick Tock Clock:
  • Stop Time For Red Coins
• SC: Rainbow Ride:
  • Coins Amassed In A Maze
• SC: Secret Aquarium
• SC: Wing Mario Over the Rainbow
• MC: Cavern of the Metal Cap
• VC: Vanish Cap Under the Moat
• WC: Tower of the Wing Cap
• B1: Bowser in the Dark World
• B2: Bowser in the Fire Sea
• B3: Bowser in the Sky

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100 Coin Stars

In Super Mario 64, all of the fifteen main courses contain a Star which spawns upon Mario's coin counter reaching 100. Coin Stars are not typically considered to be the most enjoyable objective, although there remains to be a wide amount of variation in coin Stars, due to the many ways in which Mario can collect coins, and the ability to spawn a Star at any given point in a level. Furthermore, 100 coin Stars are the only Stars in SM64's main levels that will not warp Mario out of the level upon collection; this encourages the player to work towards collecting 100 coins while attempting another objective.

Common ways in which coins are included in levels:

• Blue coin switches provide a short timed challenge to the player and allow for a lot of coins to be collected very quickly, given that each blue coin is worth 5 gold coins.
• Red coins, while mainly existing for their own missions, are worth 2 gold coins each, making it convenient to work towards at the same time.
• Coin formations:
  • Ring (made up of 8 gold coins in a circle, typically horizontal and on the ground)
  • Line (made up of 5 gold coins, typically either vertical or horizontal on the ground)
• Enemy drops:
  • Drop 10 coins each:
    • Thwomp's (will drop one coin each time Mario lands on their back, will stop dropping singular coins after 5 have been released. Drops a further 5 coins upon groundpounding its back)
  • Drop 5 gold coins each:
    • Lakitus
    • Chuckyas
    • Moneybags
    • Thwomp's (if only harmed with a groundpound)
  • Drop 1 blue coin (worth 5 gold coins) each:
    • Piranha Plants
    • Mr. I's
    • Pokeys
    • Bookends
    • Koopa Troopa's
    • Small Koopa Troopa's
    • Giant Goomba's (if defeated with a groundpound)
    • Boo's (only those belonging to Big Boo)
  • Drop 3 gold coins each:
    • Skeeters
    • Scuttlebugs
    • Fly Guy's
    • Spindrift's
  • Drop two coins each:
    • Giant Piranha Plants
    • Snifit's
  • Drop one coin each:
    • Goomba's
    • Giant Goomba's (if defeated without a groundpound)
    • Swoops

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Secrets

The earliest example of a Secrets Star is in Bob-omb Battlefield; it is called Mario Wings To The Sky.

There are only five Secrets missions in Super Mario 64.

Show all missions in this category:

• Bob-omb Battlefield:
  • Mario Wings To The Sky
• Shifting Sand Land:
  • Pyramid Puzzle
• Dire, Dire Docks:
  • The Manta Ray's Reward - note that the Secrets are now impermanent objects in the centre of the water rings, and must be discovered consecutively without Mario missing any in between
  • Through The Jetstream - note that the Secrets are now impermanent objects in the centre of the water rings, and must be discovered consecutively without Mario missing any in between
• Wet-dry World:
  • Secrets In The Shallows & Sky

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Exploration Missions

These are Stars that can be found already present in a course, and are not blocked off by an object requiring another objective completed to remove it or change its behaviour. Stars that require the use a cannon to reach a certain area, or the Cap Switches, are still eligible for this category of missions. To no longer be an exploration mission, the Star must be made inaccessible due to an object's behaviour. Of course, Super Mario 64 is known for having more than a few shortcuts, but this is within the realm of what the game developers intended.

An example of a mission that meets this criteria is Cool, Cool Mountain's final mission, Wall Kicks Will Work, as there are no objects preventing Mario from physically reaching it, and the Star is already spawned into the course. An example of a mission that doesn't meet this criteria is Whomp's Fortress's final Star, Blast Away The Wall, as Mario needs too perform a certain action to change the behaviour of an object in order to reach the Star.

Show all missions in this category:

• Bob-omb Battlefield:
  • Shoot To The Island In The Sky - requires cannon
• Whomp's Fortress:
  • To The Top Of The Fortress
  • Shoot Into The Wild Blue - is supposed to require the cannon
  • Fall Onto The Caged Island
• Jolly Roger Bay:
  • Blast To The Stone Pillar - requires cannon
  • Through The Jet Stream
• Cool, Cool Mountain:
  • Wall Kicks Will Work
• Big Boo's Haunt:
  • Lorem
• Hazy Maze Cave:
  • Swimming Beast In The Cavern
  • Navigating The Toxic Maze
  • A-Maze-Ing Emergency Exit
  • Watch For Rolling Rocks
• Lethal Lava Land:
  • Hot-Foot-It Into The Volcano
  • Elevator Tour In The Volcano - is supposed to require the elevator, but is arguably easier without
• Shifting Sand Land:
  • Shining Atop The Pyramid
  • Inside The Ancient Pyramid
• Dire, Dire Docks:
  • Board Bowser's Sub
  • Through The Jet Stream
  • Collect The Caps...
• Snowman's Land:
  • Snowman's Big Head
  • In The Deep Freeze
  • Whirl From The Freezing Pond
  • Into The Igloo
• Wet-dry World:
  • Top O' The Town
  • Quick Race Through Downtown!
• Tall, Tall Mountain:
  • Scale The Mountain
  • Mysterious Mountainside
  • Breathtaking View From Bridge
  • Blast To The Lonely Mushroom - requires cannon
• Tiny-Huge Island:
  • The Tip Top Of The Huge Island
• Tick Tock Clock:
  • Roll Into The Cage
  • The Pit And The Pendulums
  • Stomp On The Thwomp
  • Timed Jumps On Moving Bars
• Rainbow Ride:
  • Lorem

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Obstacled Stars

These are Stars that are already present in the level, but have a condition that needs to be fulfilled (such as an object blocking the way) before they can be obtained. Obstacles that are not objects with behaviour, such as terrain, do not qualify for this category. Similarly, Stars that are contained in ! boxes do not automatically qualify for this category; there should be another obstacle preventing Mario from breaking the box, such as the box being underwater.

Course	Star Name	Obstacle/Condition
Bob-omb Battlefield	Behind Chain Chomp's Gate	Chain Chomp's gate; requires Mario groundpound the post to free the Chain Chomp.
Whomp's Fortress	Blast Away The Wall	Blocked by the corner of the wall, which is actually a unique object that can be broken.
Hazy Maze Cave	Metal-Head Mario Can Move!	Openable metal grill blocking the Star.
Wet-dry World	Shocking Arrow Lifts!	Use the arrow platforms to reach the Star's box while the water level is low enough.
	Express Elevator--Hurry Up!	Blocked by the "elevator" object, which needs to be activated and moved past within certain timeframe.
Tick Tock Clock	Get A Hand	Star can only be reached by riding the clock hand; only functional if the level's clock is in motion.

Puzzle Missions

These are Stars that require Mario to change the behaviour of at least one unique object in that level, that subsequently causes a Star to spawn.

Puzzle missions in Super Mario 64:

Course	Star Name	Puzzle(s)
Jolly Roger Bay	Plunder In The Sunken Ship	Make Unagi swim out of the ship; open the treasure chests in the correct order.
	Can The Eel Come Out To Play?	Coax Unagi out of his tunnel and touch the Star-like object on his tail to spawn the Star
	Treasure Of The Ocean Cave	Find the ocean cave and open the treasure chests in the correct order.
Cool, Cool Mountain	Slip Slidin' Away	Star will only spawn if Mario enters the main area of the course using the slide's exit warp.
	Li'l Penguin Lost	Find the correct baby penguin and deliver it to its mother.
	Snowman's Lost His Head	Succesfully guide the Snowman head down the mountain and have him land on the shoulders of the Snowman body.
Shifting Sand Land	In The Talons Of The Big Bird	Touch the Star-like object being held by the vulture, Klepto, to make the Star spawn.
Dire, Dire Docks	Chests In The Current	Open the treasure chests in the correct order.