SM64: Stars of the Beast is a ROM hack made by Milgram355 and released on May 2018. It contains 145 Stars and is one of the hardest hacks of the year. It is notoriously qualified as a hard hack, but not as difficult as other hacks like King Boo's Revenge, Super Mario Treasure World, SM64 Masters Challenge, to name a few.
Since its early release, it is known for its questionable design choices such as abusing slippery terrain and wind in certain levels, hidden Star boxes in random locations and tight coin collecting, turning it into a peculiar and annoying game. The difficulty mounts up from the mid-game all the way to the final courses and ultimately the last Bowser course. Also it has one of the highest amount of Stars required to enter the final fight against Bowser (referred to as The Beast).
The important thing to note, is, this hack has subtle references to the music genre, most notably, song titles of rock/metal band Iron Maiden, and there are featured level designs referencing to other games such as Mario Party or Pokémon.
The sequel, Stars of the Beast 2, was released the following year.
Extras[]
According to the Readme file from the hack, the creator challenges the players to do the following:
- Get the 100-coin Star in Course 11 (Windy Vanilla Dome) without savestates.
- Get both the red coin Star and the 100-coin Star in Course 14 and Course 15 without savestates.
- Find the hidden secret course which replaces the End Cake Picture.
- Get all 145 Stars savestateless.
Main Courses[]
| Name | Stars | Requirement | Coins | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob-omb's Sand Battlefield | 7 | 141 | ||
| Rainbow Castle | 118 | Wing Cap Rubik's Sky is located in this course. | ||
| Toxic Waste Canyon | 7 | 10 Stars | 116 | |
| Dante's Inferno | 20 Stars | 128 | Metal Cap Lava Maze is located in this course. | |
| Colorful Board | Metal Cap | 100 | This course takes references from the Mario Party franchise, such as the colored spaces and minigames. Entering this course without activating the Metal Cap will result in a instant death trap. | |
| Siberian Village | 7 | Key 1 | 122 | |
| Haunted Viridian Forest | 40 Stars | 115 | Vanish Cap Switch Palace is located in this course, but is only accessible after clearing Stars 1 and 2. | |
| Toxic Twin Towers | 50 Stars | 155 | Ice Cream Vault is located in this course. | |
| Ice-Fire Islands | 60 Stars | 100 | This course has the tightest coin collecting, making the Star near impossible to collect. | |
| The Lost World | 7 | Key 2 | 114 | |
| Windy Vanilla Dome | 104 | This course is second hardest in terms of tight coin collecting, making the Star near impossible to collect. And most parts of the course trigger the wind current, especially when crossing bridges. | ||
| Marshy Roman Ruins | 80 Stars | 108 | ||
| Bad Luck Cauldron | 7 | 90 Stars | 115 | |
| Ancient Lake Town | 100 Stars | 126 | This course is one of the hardest stages due to its slippery terrain conditions and repeated linearity. | |
| Rainbow of the Damned | 110 Stars | 125 | This course is a parody of Rainbow Drugs from Star Revenge 2: Night of Doom. It is considered the most hardest course ever made for its misuse of wind currents and other hazards, as well as repeated linearity. |
Side Courses[]
| Name | Stars | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowser's Volcano Fortress | 3 | 30 Stars | |
| Bowser's Sewer Ruins | 71 Stars | The red coin Star is among the hardest Stars of the game. | |
| Bowser in the Infernal Sky | 5 | 120 Stars | This course is the most hardest of the game, due to its incohesive level design, slippery terrain, wind, and tight jump precision combined. |
| Wing Cap Rubik's Sky | 2 | Falling off the course until the life counter reaches zero will not result in a game over, but instead grants minus lives. | |
| Metal Cap Lava Maze | |||
| Vanish Cap Switch Palace | Stars 1-2 (Course 7) |
A sign notes that at the end of the course, it has the Golden Gun puzzle from the Egyptian (el-Saghira Temple) stage from GoldenEye 007. | |
| Secret Swamp | 5 | Wing Cap | Entering this course without activating the Wing Cap will result in a instant death trap. |
| Kids' Playground Slide | 6 | 50 Stars | |
| Ice Cream Vault | 4 | This course is also called "Secret Stars" in the pause menu. This level is widely known for its design which will be used in the sequel. | |
| Snufit Caves | 5 | Vanish Cap | Entering this course without activating the Vanish Cap will result in a instant death trap. |
Music[]
| Used in | Track | Source |
|---|---|---|
| File Select | Treasure Trove Cove | Banjo-Kazooie |
| Overworld 1 | Jinjo Village | Banjo-Tooie |
| Overworld 2 | Inside Ganon's Castle | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time |
| Overworld 3 | Lost Woods | |
| Bob-omb's Sand Battlefield | Gobi's Valley | Banjo-Kazooie |
| Rainbow Castle | Rainbow Castle | Mario Party |
| Toxic Waste Canyon | Bunker 2 | GoldenEye 007 |
| Dante's Inferno | Temple | Zelda II: The Adventure of Link |
| Colorful Board | Underground | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island |
| Siberian Village | Freezeezy Peak | Banjo-Kazooie |
| Haunted Viridian Forest | Creepy Castle | Donkey Kong 64 |
| Toxic Twin Towers | Krook's March | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest |
| Ice-Fire Islands | Never Gonna Give You Up | Rick Astley |
| The Lost World | Main Theme [Metal Cap Mix] | Super Mario 64 |
| Windy Vanilla Dome | Grasslands, All the Way | Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story |
| Marshy Roman Ruins | Crocodile Cacophony | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest |
| Bad Luck Cauldron | Hot-Head Bop | |
| Ancient Lake Town | Lavender Town | Pokémon Red / Blue |
| Rainbow of the Damned | Rainbow Road | Mario Kart 64 |
| Bowser's Volcano Fortress Bowser's Sewer Ruins |
Koopa's Road | Super Mario 64 |
| Bowser's Volcano Fortress (Boss) Bowser's Sewer Ruins (Boss) |
Inside the Church | Banjo-Kazooie |
| Bowser in the Infernal Sky Final Bowser Battle |
Ultimate Koopa | Super Mario 64 |
| Wing Cap Rubik's Sky | Stone Tower Temple | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask |
| Metal Cap Lava Maze | King Dodongo / Volvagia | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time |
| Vanish Cap Switch Palace | Welcome to Booster Tower | Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars |
| Secret Swamp | Lockjaw's Saga | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest |
| Kids' Playground Slide | Pika Cup Battles 1-3 | Pokémon Stadium |
| Snufit Caves | Floro Sapien Caverns | Super Paper Mario |
| Ice Cream Vault | Battle! VS. Trainer | Pokémon Uranium |
| Boss Battle | Come On, Again! | Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga |
| Power Up | Going Somewhere | Mario Party 2 |
| Metal Cap | Metallic Mario | Super Mario 64 |
Trivia[]
- There is only one cannon present in the entire game (which is in Windy Vanilla Dome).
- Pokey did not appear once in the desert stages.
- Course 4's name, Dante's Inferno, is a reference to a book called Divine Comedy; the sign in Bowser 3 tells a story about heaven and hell, those are references linked to that book.
- Course 5, as it references Mario Party, has elements based on mini-games such as Mushroom Mix-Up and Sky Pilots. Coincidentally, the wing cap theme is from Mario Party 2 playing along during Star 6 based on the latter.
- Course 9's design is based on the concept of Pokémon's Ninetales, which ever since Gen 7 Started, has a fire and ice form.
- Powerslave and Up the Irons are references to Iron Maiden, in which Stars 1 and 4 in Course 10 are named after.
- Star 4 in Course 12 refers to a Slayer song, titled Raining Blood.
- In Course 13, Star 5 refers to Deep Purple's song, Burn, which is relatable within the whole mission.
- Rainbow of the Damned is inspired by Children of the Damned. Another sign within Bowser 3, refers to Bowser as "The evil that men do", named after Iron Maiden's song. The same can be said with Star 6 in Course 14, Aces High, named after another of their song, which is a reference to a war plane looming over the city.