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Wednesday 31 January, 2007
The flying system in this game is crotch-punchingly frustrating. Mario swoops up and down almost out of the player's control, and trying to actually get anywhere quickly is an exercise in futility. Banjo-Kazooie (released less than two years later) showed how 3D platformer flying needs to be done. I have no idea what they were trying to accomplish with Mario 64 flying, so I can only assume the designer in question was dropped on his head as a child. Repeatedly.
The other two cap powerups are the Vanishing Cap (allows Mario to pass through some walls) and the Metal Cap (makes Mario metal and really heavy.) They each have their own uses in specific puzzles, but everything feels fairly obvious. Either you have the required cap unlocked and the puzzle is easy, or you don't and the puzzle is impossible. Unlocking the caps is difficult and fun, but the reward is a bunch of easy stars that don't really feel rewarding.
Most levels feature some hidden locations which will teleport Mario if he stands still for a few seconds. Unfortunately, there is no marker for these locations, so unless you feel like wandering around the level you'll only find them randomly. The teleporters are never necessary for level completion, but they avoid a lot of pointless wandering and I often wish they were more obvious. Most later platformers included Warp Pads throughout the levels that allow you to cover ground easily, and that feature worked out much better.
Apologies for the stream of consciousness writing on this one.
Peace,
-Squidget
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