City in the Sky 64 is a single level ROM hack created by Ginson.
Gameplay[]
This hack has one course called City in the Sky, which contains five Stars in total, including a 100 coin Star, and a red coin Star. This hack uses a large amount of custom mechanics in it, primarily in the form of interactable objects that either provide a challenge to Mario, or provide the surfaces for him to platform on.
Hoot the Owl[]
Hoot the Owl is pivotal in obtaining the 8 red coins, but the control for him are a bit different:
- Hoot will now always turn and fly in the same direction the control stick is pointing.
- Hoot's speed is variable depending on the tilt of the control stick, and he is now capable of flying much faster than before.
- The flight time limit has been removed.
- Holding Z will make Hoot descend much quicker- although there is no way to regain that altitude.
Stars[]
To get more out of a playthrough of this hack, here's a route recommendation: follow the path described to reach the blue coin switch while collecting coins along the way, and once there, start making your way towards the windmill. The Bob-omb Buddy who opens the cannon is in front of the windmill, and this can be used to take an immediate shortcut straight up to the windmill's island from Mario's starting position. Then, start following the path for Act 1.
By the time Mario is nearing the final island where the storm is, he should have enough coins to spawn the coin Star. Collect it, then collect Act 1's Star, and then when re-entering the level to play Act 2, use the cannon as a shortcut up to the windmill. By doing this, Mario can get the coin Star alongside the first course's Star, and set up a quick and easy route for the next Star.
Act 1: Eye Of The Storm[]
Head up the path to the left from Mario's starting point. Triple-jump up to the cloud, then keep the control stick pressed forwards- dive forwards if Mario is going to be a little bit short on one of the jumps, to avoid missing the cloud after it.
Up ahead is a series of Bullet Bill cannons. These cannons have devious timing and speed, and will absolutely wreck Mario, so climb over them instead. After that, longjump to the cloud and keep A pressed to jump to the next platform. Do the same again, but use a triple-jump instead of a longjump, then sideflip up to the upper platform nearby.
Line Mario up with the upcoming clouds, but make sure he is standing a bit further to the right rather than the middle. Longjump to the next cloud (keeping A pressed and the control stick forwards), and use a dive to reach the second cloud, before bouncing and diving to the next island. Climb up to the Sling Star and press A to make Mario start spinning in it, then press A again. This will send Mario flying to a predetermined spot on the final island he needs to traverse, without any inputs from the player.
On this final island, Mario needs to run up the spiral pathway while a tornado attempts to blow him off. Keep in mind that the windy effect works differently in this hack- in vanilla SM64, the wind took effect depending on what surface Mario was standing on. This hack will keep the wind in effect even when Mario is not standing directly on the pathway. Run up the pathway to the top, and grab the Star.
Act 2: Tricky Windmill Jumps[]
The area for this Star is located directly above Mario's starting point. If the cannon has already been opened, use it to shoot upwards towards the chain hanging down under the island, and climb up. If not, here's your route:
From Mario's starting point, take the right path. Leap down to the cloud below and bounce up to the island. The circular stone platform will start carrying Mario upward once stepped on. Once ascended, carefully navigate the moving platforms ahead- bear in mind that Mario will not maintain inertia if he jumps off of a moving platform. Eventually, once at the island with a fountain in the middle, head up to the left, and leap over to the giant fan. This will blow Mario up very high, where you can safely move him onto solid ground. Head towards the windmill, and take care traversing the moving platforms to reach it.
Once up on the windmill's island, stand over the recovery heart to be warped to the exact spot Mario needs to be in. Jump up the clouds and land on the platform above. Use carefully timed longjumps to jump onto one of the windmill's blades as it points upwards, and another immediate longjump (without pausing) to longjump towards the Star.
Act 3: Wing With The Reds[]
Make your way to the base of the tower. This can be done by making your way towards the large tree with coins on its branches. Once there, stand on the highest branch pointing towards the right, and look forward.
Ahead of Mario is a narrow rail heading down diagonally. This may look like a ridiculous kaizo-esque platforming challenge, but the rail is actually another one of the custom objects in the hack. Once Mario lands on it (or close enough to "on it"), he will begin riding it. Once at the bottom of the first rail, you can either try to wallkick off of the first wall and jump to the second rail, or stop and land on the platform between the first and second rails. This can be a good opportunity to realign the camera, or just take a breather. Use the D-Pad to make sure Mario has the right angle, then triple-jump up to the second rail.
The second rail has a gap in the middle that Mario needs to jump over, before repeating the same methods of jumping/wallkicking to the next rail. At the end of the last one, keep the A button pressed and aim to land on the cloud below, which will bounce Mario to the lowest platform on the tower itself.
Welcome to the tower in the city in the sky, Wallkick upwards, and keep going until Mario reaches the tunnel. Welcome to the tunnel in the tower in the city in the sky. Ahead of Mario is a switch in the floor- pressing it will trigger a booby trap that aims to flatten him. Try to keep Mario un-squished, and carry on. Start wallkicking upwards at the other end of the tunnel, and you'll eventually reach the top of the tower. Once up there, jump into the large stone chalice to unlock the checkpoint. This lasts until Mario collects a Star.
On top of the tower is a tree shedding a suspicious amount of leaves- climb the tree and wake up Hoot. A sign behind the stone chalice's columns will tell Mario all about the changes that have been made to Hoot's controls.
Act 4: The Hidden Alcove[]
From Mario's starting point, head up to th right to the island will Bullet Bill cannons. Jump up onto the wall, and head over to the sign. Jump down to the alcove below the sign. Bear in mind that reading the sign will end with Mario getting blown off by a gust of wind.
Coin Star[]
To reach the blue coin switch, follow the right path at Mario's starting point. Be sure to keep an eye out along the way, too, was there are plenty of coins along this route. Leap down to the cloud below and bounce up to the island. The circular stone platform will start carrying Mario upward once stepped on. Once ascended, carefully navigate the moving platforms ahead- bear in mind that Mario will not maintain inertia if he jumps off of a moving platform. Eventually, once at the island with a fountain in the middle, wallkick up between the two stone pillars to the right to reach the blue coin switch.
The blue coin switch will spawn 4 blue coins nearby. To get them all, make sure Mario's jump for the second is higher than a normal (i.e, use a double jump or a sideflip, for example). The last blue coin is in an awkward spot up high; recommend using a triple jump to reach it.
Gallery[]
