Stonesnake Shatters

Stonesnake Shatters is the second course of the hack SM64: Last Impact, and is one of the two stages that Mario can access from the start of the game. After defeating the initial two Prickly Piranha Plants during the opening cutscene, head towards the pipe surrounded by Easter Island (Moai) heads. Stonesnake Shatters consists of the remains of some Mayan ruins. Mario starts next to a mossy pyramid-like shrine. In the center of the stage is a statue of a snake. The statue is surrounded by many notable objects. There is a blue tent with a pink Bob-Omb archaeologist inside. The statue looks at a temple that Mario can enter. Next to the shrine is a giant snake head, adorned with shiny fangs and a bright red mouth that Mario can go inside and help out the Bob-Omb's buddies. Surrounding the level are debris and remains of buildings.

This level introduces the Spikey Stone enemy, which surround the snake statue. The stones have spikes that come out of their body if Mario happens to be too close to them, but shortly after the spikes will retract into their body. The level also introduces one of the new power-ups in the hack, F.L.U.D.D, along with its hover nozzle. This allows Mario to float in the air for a short amount of time.

Levels[]

Star 1: Spikey Stones[]

Mario must help a Bob-Omb buddy by getting rid of the stones surrounding the snake statue. When Mario enters the stage, head straight towards the blue tent next to the snake statue, if you want to talk to the bomb (It is not required). A pink Bob-Omb will tell Mario that he's trying to study the statue, but can't get close enough because of the stones. He then asks for Mario to get rid of them. Leave the tent, go straight to where the statue is, and stand close to the stones. When the stones come close to Mario, spikes will come out of its body for a short time. When the spikes retreat back inside the stone, go near and punch the stone. After breaking all three of the stones, head back into the tent and talk to the pink Bob-Omb. He will thank Mario with a star.

Star 2: De-Mud for the Deity[]

Mario must make use of the F.L.U.D.D. power-up on top of the shrine to clean up mud stains on the structure. When Mario enters the stage, head up the stairs behind Mario, and climb up to where E. Gadd's box is located (use the convenient crate to reach the roof). Grab the F.L.U.D.D., and go around spraying all six stains on the shrine by jumping and pressing the "L" button. One of them happens to be directly below where F.L.U.D.D. is located, covering up a symbol. The other stains are at the corners of the shrine, at different levels. After cleaning up the stains, a star will appear above the symbol.

Star 3: Travel in the Temple[]

SSS3 — So many random shiny triangles...and the snake.

Mario must scale inside the temple, with help of F.L.U.D.D. and a flying stone snake. Head towards the temple, directly in front of the start, and go inside. Grab the F.L.U.D.D. from the center (if you want) and start climbing the slope. Now Mario needs to wait till a stone snake passes close enough to jump to. This will bring Mario to a higher level where he can continue to scale upwards, using F.L.U.D.D. when necessary. When Mario reaches a dead end, wait for the snake to pass by again and jump on it. Soon, Mario will then come across a Bob-Omb buddy who gives a hint to how to get to the top as well as another hint for a future star. Jump onto the snake's head when it comes by and it will bring Mario to the top where the star is located.

Star 4: Puzzle Panel[]

Mario must travel into the giant snake's mouth and solve a 4x4 puzzle to free the pink Bob-Omb's buddies trapped within. When Mario enters the stage, head up to where F.L.U.D.D was located for Star 2. Jump towards the mouth and use F.L.U.D.D to hover inside. You will find a grate trapping the pink Bob-Omb's buddies, along with a 4x4 puzzle and a code on the wall. When Mario steps on a square, the squares surrounding it will flip from red to blue, and vise versa. A bob-omb buddy in the tent says the first two steps to solve the puzzle, which is to:

Bottom-right Corner
Bottom-left Corner

"Then it got unreadable."

There's only one more step, which is to jump on the tile under the one on the very top left corner.

If done correctly, the grate will then lower to free the pink Bob-Ombs and the star.

Star 5: Red Coins between Relics[]

SSS5 — Looking at the small statue with 3 of the red coins

Mario must go around the stage grabbing the 8 red coins scattered throughout the ruins. They circle around the small snake statue. Their locations are as follows:

On a broken pillar next to the shrine
Next to the entrance of the temple
On a stove next to the Bob-omb Buddy's tent
On a small statue in between the tent and giant snake
The bottom of the ramp that leads to the small statue
On a small pillar next to the small statue
On a small stone fence in some small ruins below the giant snake
On a broken pillar on the other side of the shrine.

When Mario collects all 8, the star appears in some ruins below the giant snake.

Star 6: Calm the Ancient Attacker[]

SSS6 — Please dont eat me...I cleaned your temple!

Mario must defeat the Ancient Attacker threatening the Bob-Ombs. When Mario enters the stage, head up the stairs to the shrine and talk to the pink Bob-Omb. He will tell Mario that they're getting punished and apologizes for dragging him into this. Shortly after, the Ancient Attacker will come out and start spitting fireballs randomly around the grounds. Grab the F.L.U.D.D. and jump on top of the Attacker. Ground pound the segments of the Attacker's body to harm him. When on it, it will spin to shake Mario off. Do this three times to defeat the Ancient Attacker, dropping the star in the Shrine.

Enemies[]

Goomba
Spikey Stones
Prickly Piranha Plant

Trivia[]

The Spikey Stones will only appear in Star 1.
The F.L.U.D.D. first appeared in Super Mario Sunshine, and was one of the defining features of that game.
The stage, snake, and most of the textures are directly inspired/taken from the stage Lost World from the game Sonic Adventure.
- Not only is the stage an ancient ruin, but Sonic must use a giant snake to travel around a certain segment of it.
- The blue panels are also taken directly from that game.
- Even though the music isn't taken from this specific level in Sonic, there is another level in this hack that uses it.
The "Ancient Attacker" is most likely inspired by Quetzalcoatl of Mayan mythology.