Super Mario 64 DS

Description

Super Mario 64 DS was a cornerstone title for the Nintendo DS launch, serving as both a showcase for the handheld’s 3D capabilities and a familiar, trusted brand to entice early adopters. As a remake of the groundbreaking 1996 Super Mario 64, it was a statement of intent from Nintendo: the DS could handle ambitious, console‑style 3D platforming on a portable system. It was also one of the first DS games to experiment with the use of the system’s dual screens and touch controls, with the lower screen often used for maps, menus, and minigames. Its presence at launch gave the DS an instant prestige title, reassuring players that Nintendo’s flagship series would thrive on the new hardware.

Compared to the original, Super Mario 64 DS expanded the experience significantly. While the core story of exploring Princess Peach’s castle, leaping into paintings, and collecting Power Stars remained intact, the DS version added three new playable characters (Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario) alongside Mario, each with unique abilities that opened up alternate routes and solutions. The total number of Power Stars increased from 120 to 150, with new stages, bosses, and challenges. It also introduced a suite of touchscreen‑driven minigames and a local wireless multiplayer mode, though the latter was more of a novelty tech demo than a core feature. Visually, the game benefited from updated character models and textures, though the lack of an analog stick on the DS meant movement was less precise than on the Nintendo 64, a common point of criticism.

Reception was generally positive, with praise for the expanded content, portability, and the novelty of playing a full 3D Mario adventure on a handheld. However, some reviewers noted that the DS’s D‑pad and touch controls couldn’t fully replicate the fluid analog movement of the original, making certain platforming sections trickier. Even so, Super Mario 64 DS became one of the DS’s best‑selling titles, moving over 11 million copies, and played a key role in establishing the DS popularity enough to replace, not just supplement the Game Boy Advance.