SM64: Stars of the Beast is a ROM hack made by Milgram355, 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, etc.
It is known for using 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 level which replacing the End Cake Picture.
- Get all 145 stars savestateless.
Levels[]
| Name | Stars | Requirement | Coins | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob-omb's Sand Battlefield | 7 | 141 | ||
| Rainbow Castle | 118 | Wing Cap Rubik's Sky is located in this level. | ||
| Toxic Waste Canyon | 10 Stars | 116 | ||
| Dante's Inferno | 20 Stars | 128 | Metal Cap Lava Maze is located in this level. | |
| Colorful Board | Metal Cap | 100 | This level takes references from the Mario Party franchise, such as the colored spaces and minigames.
Entering this level 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 level, but is only accessible after clearing Stars 1 and 2. | |
| Toxic Twin Towers | 50 Stars | 155 | ||
| 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. | ||
| Marshy Roman Ruins | 80 Stars | 108 | ||
| Bad Luck Cauldron | 90 Stars | 115 | ||
| Ancient Lake Town | 100 Stars | 126 | This level is one of the hardest stages due to its slippery terrain conditions and repeated linearity. | |
| Rainbow of the Damned | 110 Stars | 125 | This level is considered the hardest stage ever made for its misuse of wind and other hazards, as well as repeated linearity. It is also a parody based on Rainbow Drugs from Star Revenge 2: Night of Doom. |
Side Levels[]
| 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 level 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 level until the last life will not result in a game over, but grants instead minus lives. | |
| Metal Cap Lava Maze | |||
| Vanish Cap Switch Palace | Stars 1-2 (Course 7) |
A sign notes that at the end of the level, it has the puzzle from the Egyptian Temple stage from GoldenEye 007. | |
| Secret Swamp | 5 | Wing Cap | Entering this level without activating the Wing Cap will result in a instant death trap. |
| Kids' Playground Slide | 6 | 50 Stars | |
| Ice Cream Vault | 4 | This level 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 level without activating the Vanish Cap will result in a instant death trap. |
Music[]
| Used in | Track | Source |
|---|---|---|
| File Select | Treasure Trove Cove | Banjo-Kazooie |
| 1st Overworld | Jinjo Village | Banjo-Tooie |
| 2nd Overworld | Ganon's Tower | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time |
| 3rd Overworld | 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 | Crystal Caves | 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 1-3 | Pokémon Stadium |
| Snufit Caves | Floro Sapien Caverns | Super Paper Mario |
| Ice Cream Vault | VS. Trainer Battle | Pokémon Uranium |
| Boss Battle | Come On, Again! | Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga |
| Wing Cap Vanish Cap Shell |
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 in the Infernal Sky tells a story about heaven and hell, those are references linked to that book.
- In Course 5, as this references Mario Party, it 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 with the 6th star based on the latter.
- Course 9's design is based on the concept of Pokémon's Ninetales, which ever since the 7th generation started, has a fire and ice form.
- Powerslave and Up the Irons are references to Iron Maiden, in which the 1st and 4th star in Course 10 are named after.
- The 4th star in Course 12 refers to a Slayer song, titled Raining Blood.
- In Course 13, the 5th star 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 in the Infernal Sky, refers to Bowser as "The evil that men do", named after Iron Maiden's song. This goes the same with the 6th star in Course 14, Aces High, named after another of their songs, which is a reference to a war plane looming over the city.