Lug's Delightful Dioramas is a Super Mario 64 ROM hack created by Lugmillord. Released in November 2020, it features 7 main levels, 7 special levels and 74 stars. This is basically a legacy towards Super Mario 74 by the same creator as he made references throughout the game and henceforth the total number of Stars. The major difference is that the hack focuses solely on fun exploration in condensed, miniature levels. The difficulty curve starts out very easy to aid the player completing every goal, although other levels ramp up a little harder on specific challenges.
What changes in comparison to Super Mario 74 is the overall story, visuals and music. The overworlds have signs and layouts to represent the stages. NPCs like Toads, Bob-ombs, Bill Boards, or even the creator's inner thoughts, however, set a very humoristic tone when talking to them as well as other jokes subject to taunt the player up until the end of the game. Items appear on certain spots for specific Stars once the current act is completed, just to let them know when it is possible to do so.
The latest update also has a bonus achievement consisting of finding 20 hidden Pixel Luigis throughout the hack.
Plot[]
There is no actual story as the game implies that the Mushroom Kingdom is having peaceful days: Bowser and Princess Peach are each on vacation to have some alone time and Mario is getting a homemade cake filled with love. Meanwhile, Mario finds himself in multiple tiny worlds which are the size of ants. And thus begins yet another adventure of fun Star collecting.
Levels[]
| Name | Stars | Coins | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chilly Pillars | 7 | 110 | ||
| Luminary Towers | 87 | |||
| Shifty Show Floor | 76 | This level gradually changes depending of the act chosen by the player. | ||
| Organ Oasis | 87 | 8 | The level takes place inside of an unknown large beast and features organs and health conditions. | |
| Remnants of a Town | 103 | |||
| Scorching Jaws | 101 | 30 | The shape of the level is a large Bowser head. | |
| Spectral Spectacle | 1 | 40 | 50 | This is the final trial consisting of 8 small sections, each having a red coin for the star. |
| Levora-Sphere | 7 | 157 | 64 | This is the special stage available post-game. It's the newest rendition of the sphere levels as a throwback to Super Mario 74.(it contains the levitation Kubus responsible for all the floating platforms in games) |
Secret Levels[]
The level, Quantum Qube, is a plethora of little sections rotated in 6 directions which can be found in the main levels via a secret warp pipe. Every side contains 3 stars in total. The black sections on the sides should NOT be touched as they cost the player a life. Getting a star, dying or falling off the Quantum Qube will indefinitely respawn the player back in the level.
| Name | Coins | 1-Ups | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantum Qube - Yellow Side | 54 | 3 | This area combines all but the cage section. It is located in Chilly Pillars via a warp pipe behind the vines requiring the Vanish Cap (only available on star 6). |
| Quantum Qube - Green Side | 17 | This area combines the forest, cage, and canyon sections, and also homes the Metal Cap Switch. It is located in Luminary Towers via a warp pipe hidden down the tallest tower. | |
| Quantum Qube - Blue Side | 57 | 2 | This area combines the cage, desert and poison sections, and also homes the Vanish Cap Switch. It is located in Shifty Show Floor via a warp pipe inside one of the checkered pillars. |
| Quantum Qube - Red Side | 29 | 8 | This area combines the tower, forest and poison sections, and also homes the Wing Cap Switch. It is located in Organ Oasis via a warp pipe inbetween the ribs. |
| Quantum Qube - Orange Side | 36 | 10 | This area combines the canyon, tower and desert sections. It is located in Remnants of a Town via a warp pipe near spawn with the pile of cardboard boxes. |
| Quantum Qube - Purple Side | 37 | 7 | This area combines the poison and desert sections. It is located in at the highest point of Scorching Jaws. |
| Quantum Qube - Tilted Side | 57 | 3 | As this area is all slippery slants, the coin trails lead the way to the stars. It is located in Levora-Sphere via a warp pipe at the bottom section (only can be reached with timed boxes). |
Miscellaneous[]
| Area | Notes |
|---|---|
| Overworld | A secret Toad will appear on a numbered plate in the overworld sections (Toad 1 = 12 stars; Toad 2 = 25 stars; Toad 3 = 35 stars). There is a secret door in the third section that grants access to the ending area without recompleting Spectral Spectacle (requiring 64 stars). |
| A Sweet Delight | This is the ending area after completing Spectral Spectacle. A Peach cardboard acts as her giving thanks to the player. Stepping on the stool takes to the end cake screen. There is a secret door requiring 64 stars to access the special stage from this area. |
Music[]
| Track | Song | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Title Screen | Greenwood Village | Diddy Kong Racing |
| File Select | ||
| Quantum Cube - Tilted Side | ||
| Overworld | Fungi Forest (Day) | Donkey Kong 64 |
| Chilly Pillars | Snowdin Town | Undertale |
| Luminary Towers | Waterfall | |
| Shifty Show Floor | Death By Glamour | |
| Organ Oasis | Clanker's Cavern | Banjo-Kazooie |
| Remnants of a Town | Buoy Base Galaxy | Super Mario Galaxy |
| Scorching Jaws | Melty Molten Galaxy | |
| Levora Sphere | Stone Tower Temple | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask |
| Quantum Qube - Yellow Side | Molgera | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker |
| Quantum Qube - Green Side (Metal Cap) | Kokiri Forest | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time |
| Quantum Qube - Red Side (Wing Cap) | ||
| Quantum Qube - Blue Side (Vanish Cap) | Crystal Caves | Donkey Kong 64 |
| Quantum Qube - Orange Side | Choco Mountain | Mario Kart 64 |
| Quantum Qube - Purple Side | Bowser's Castle | |
| Spectral Spectacle | X-Naut Fortress | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door |
| A Sweet Delight | Jump Up, Super Star! | Super Mario Odyssey |
| Wing Cap | Secret Course (Sky + Sea Levels) | Super Mario Sunshine |
| Vanish Cap | ||
| Shell Ride | ||
| Metal Cap | Flat Zone | Super Smash Bros. Melee |
| Boss Fight | Song That Might Play When You Fight Sans | Undertale |
Trivia[]
- By collecting 74 coins for secret stars to appear, a textbox from the creator will admittedly proclaim 74 is an odd (but still even) number, as a reference to his hacks.
- Both King Bob-omb and King Whomp have swapped their appearance to look like each other and are now called King Bomb Guy and King Brick Guy.
- Coincidental or not, Chilly Pillars is a direct inspiration of Ice-Crystal Tower from Super Mario 74.
- The level name Organ Oasis is almost a joke reference to Overheating Oasis and Overgrown Oasis as they are being desert levels. The only element taken from the joke is the oasis itself.
- The name of the level Remnants of a Town is a subtle reference to System of a Town although both levels does not look apart and alike.
- Bullies in Scorching Jaws are now referred as Pill Bullies as reference to the puzzle game Dr. Mario. Since this course resembles Bowser's head, throwing the bullies into lava can be seen as giving Bowser his medicine. Also the lower section of the level has a layout similar to the inner sections of Deepred Depths from Super Mario 74 Extreme Edition.
- Levora Sphere, as part of the Spheres, is slightly rotated sideways in the same manner as Veneno Sphere and Crudelo Sphere. In contrast of the two, all "wall" surfaces and a large pole in the center can be climbed to ease the navigation of the level. It also plays the Stone Tower Temple song (different arrangement) like in the regular sphere levels.
- Quantum Qube is the inspirational successor of the Spheres, as all 6 sides start and rotate on a different section.
- The List of Achievements makes a comeback as per the Medal Challenges in Super Mario 74, except they don't total points.