Super Mario 64 Remake Suggestions (Part 1)

[Alolan_Apples]

Super Mario 64, one of the Nintendo 64 classics, is classified to be one of the best video games of all time. It may even be the best Mario game, and that's when Super Mario Bros and Super Mario World are both included. If we're counting 3D titles from the Super Mario series, SM64 on the Nintendo 64 would be the best Mario game. It's the highest selling N64 game and the game that started this trend of 3D platformers.

However, even if it's still a timeless classic, the game did not age well. Back then, the graphics were like ahead of its time. Now it looks very bad if you compare it to Mario Kart 8. Back then, worlds were like big and spacious as it took a long time to get to the star. Now they are small by today's standards. Super Mario Sunshine had more size, Donkey Kong 64 had more size, and we're able to build 3D platformers with large levels. Back then, missions were difficult and well done. Now they seem simple and easy. And it's the same game all along. It's kinda depressing to see a good game not being as good by today's standards.

Now let's talk about which game needs an HD remake. Out of the three (Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy), I felt that Super Mario Galaxy is the game that needs an HD remake the least. I'm not saying that because of how disappointed I was, but it's because of the other two games. Super Mario Sunshine is the only Mario game to not be re-released digitally or have a remake. So it needs a remake. However, I feel that Super Mario 64 needs a remake the most. I'm not requesting Nintendo to remake the game. I'm suggesting that Nintendo should remaster the game and expand it. If you like to read my opinions, you can view my blog and see what I want in an SM64 remake.

I know it already had a remake on the DS, but it didn't improve it as much as I'm saying here.

Today, I'll cover the general information of what SM64 needs tweaking of if they remastered the game. On the next few blog entries, I can go over specific details on each level.

General:

1. Fix the game's graphics - this wouldn't surprise you at all to see this at the top. If Nintendo just wants to make only one edit, this is the most important one. The Mario we know in SM64 looks like an improved version of Mario from Super Mario RPG, but the Mario we know today looks a lot better than he did in this game. Here, he's too short, pudgy, and has a more saturated color scheme. The rest of the game also needs graphics fixing. This means making characters and objects in the playfield and background less blocky, adding more detail in coloring, fixing shadows, adding more props in the backgrounds (like making Peach's castle take place in Toad Town), altering patterns on surfaces, and making the power stars more beautiful. I'm okay with a framerate of 15 FPS, but 60 FPS is a lot smoother.
2. Change the level locks - in the past few days, I was talking about how collecting power stars have no meaning anymore. It's only because more than one level is unlocked at a time. To change this, they'll have to make all doors accessible at all times except for some of them. But there's a trade-off. Paintings you can jump through can have an indicator that tells wether or not you can jump through. Maybe the paintings are all pitch-black when they are locked and glowing with a picture when they are unlocked, to avoid confusion. I would also prefer to avoid making them out of order. That means re-locating the paintings to some other room. Bob-omb Battlefield, Big Boo's Haunt, Dire Dire Docks, Tiny-Huge Island, Tick-Tock Clock, and Rainbow Ride are the only levels that don't need relocating in Peach's Castle. But the course order stays the same.
3. Expand the levels - this is exactly what I want to see in an SM64 remaster. All 15 levels do need some expanding. That means making them wider in all horizontal dimensions and taller in height. In the Bowser Stages, as well as Rainbow Ride, they can make them bigger by adding more obstacles and contraptions. In the other levels, when expansion is made, I'm not meaning total dilation. This also includes adding more obstacles and contraptions. So in the great pyramid, you'll have more obstacles to get through when you're climbing on the inside. Tick-Tock Clock may have flip tiles like in one of Sunshine's FLUDD-less stages. The level with the blue switch has more contraptions to cross.
4. Make missions more complicated - by expanding the levels, nearly all missions are more complicated. But there are some that only need a little more than expansion.
5. Make bosses more complicated - this is important as well. We want to see more of their attacks and have Mario attack better.
6. Wing Mario over the Rainbow - if you fall, let's not land in front of Peach's Castle, okay?
7. Power Meter - just like Super Mario Galaxy, there should be a separation between health meter and water meter. The coins can help recover the health meter underwater while bubbles can recover the air meter.
8. Life reset - this needs to be fixed too. So if you load up your game after stopping, you will have just as many lives as you had before. I don't want only four lives left when I load up.
9. Camera - the camera was fine for its time, but compare it to Sunshine's, it seems weird. I prefer to have a smoother camera in the remake.
10. End Credits - when the credits are over, you should be able to return to main menu. And when you load up your game again, Princess Peach should already appear in the castle, whether or not you have collected all of the stars.

Stuff that don't have to be changed:

I suggest editing everything that doesn't appear on this list if Super Mario 64 got a remake:

• Music - the music is fine in the game. There's no need to fix it, even outside the castle when no background music is playing.
• Sounds - although I prefer to change the jingle after collecting a star, the sound effects don't need any change.
• Mission Addition/Removal - I'm okay with getting just 120 stars.
• Enemies that appear - even though the enemies could go under redesigns, they don't need to change the enemy selection. Though I prefer to add more enemies if the levels are going to be bigger.
• Colored Caps - and how to get them.
• Items to collect - nuff said.
• The level names and order - I prefer if they didn't change this.
• Controls and Moves - other than the camera, the controls don't need any editing. But if Mario is taller and so are the levels, then he should jump a bit higher.
• Plot and Characters - even if the game is no better than Sunshine or Galaxy when it comes to either field, gameplay should be the focus and not the plot.
• Other Features - this includes the cannon, slide, gust, racing, and the dialogue.