Many gamers play Super Mario 64 at some point. Players control Mario as he tries to save Princess Peach from the infamous Bowser. To do this, he must search throughout her castle for secret portals that Bowser puts in. Each of these portals allows Mario to access various worlds where is collects Power Stars. Players must collect a total of 120 Power Stars and defeat Bowser to save Peach.
Mario faces classic obstacles and dangers throughout this journey. He scrambles to collect coins, defeat enemies, gain power-ups, and more. Along Mario's journey, players might experience some glitches that they can use to their advantage. However, some players might not know about these glitches altogether. Let's take a look at what some of these glitches are.
10 No Power? No Problem!
Like any other Mario game, he dies when he loses lives or power. There's a silly glitch in the eighth world that allows Mario to remain in the game with no power. Players can open one of the cannons using a pink Bob-Omb. Mario can climb into the cannon and players then have to aim it right at the sun. Mario lands in quicksand and dies if players do this, however.
Therefore, doing this multiple times causes Mario's power to run out while still flying through the air from the cannon. He dies when he hits the ground either way. Still, he technically remains in the game with no power for a hot second.
9 Play Outside Of The Game
When players collect all of the 120 Power Stars, they must launch Mario from the cannon onto the castle roof. When players reach the roof, they can head towards the very right side of it. Then, they can walk off the roof's edge so Mario has to hang off the edge.
Mario then has to climb back up while players hold down the "A" button on the Nintendo 64. They also must hold down the up arrow and right arrows. Mario loses his hat and Bowser appears which causes Mario to lose a life. Essentially, this glitch lets players access an area outside of the game.
8 Goodbye, Hat
Mario cannot feel like himself without his famous red hat with the "M" on it, right? Well, there's a glitch that causes Mario to lose his precious hat.
Occasionally, snowmen blow Mario's hat off of his head and it lands on the ice where a Power Star is. When Mario gets the Star, he also gets his hat back. However, players can reset their consoles and save the game where it is. After doing this, Mario cannot get his hat back. Don't ask why.
7 Gain A Life By Dying
Mushrooms are usually Mario's saving grace in the games. However, there is a complex glitch in Super Mario 64 where mushrooms can harm Mario. In the Dark World, players must dodge Bowser's fire the best they can. Consequently, they must run around and collect up to 1,000 coins.
This is where the glitch gets weird. Players can then kill Mario to get another life instead of losing one. Plus, if Mario grabs a Mushroom, he loses a life instead of powering up. It's as if death reverses with this glitch.
6 Discover An Spaceship Underwater
Mario travels underwater in the third world. Players can control Mario to the bottom of the world where he opens the treasure chests. Mario then swims towards the old boat where he will see an eel swim out of it. When the eel disappears, Mario can swim through the hole. Then, open more treasure chests to drain the water.
Once the water drains, players can walk towards the exit of the boat. There, they will see some sort of spaceship. Getting too close to it results in the spaceship zooming away. Very random.
5 Find The Invisible Ledge
There is a glitch within the castle that allows players to cheat their way to another portal. To do this, simply head towards the main twisty staircase. Mario must continue on the wall's ledge right before he turns left. Then, Mario will be able to latch onto another invisible ledge and continue moving. Mario can then go right through the wall and end up at the Wet-Dry-World portal.
Players are not actually at the world when Mario goes through the wall but he lands at its entrance. This saves a lot of time when trying to search for portals around the castle.
4 Beat The Game Without All The Power Stars
In order to beat the game, players have to collect 120 Power Stars. However, there's a glitch that allows them to beat the game without all the Stars.
At the main staircase, players can do a long jump back towards the right side. To do this, players must long jump normally but move the stick backward. Then, they must hold the "Z" and "A" buttons down. This will allow Mario to either continue climbing the nonexistent staircase or enter the Star Door. Here, Mario can beat the game in the easiest way possible. Why fight Bowser when this glitch exists?
3 Die Instantly
This glitch is not the most beneficial glitch in the game, but it's fun to watch. Players have to go from the castle bridge to the door leading to the basement. Once Mario is in the basement, his power drops. Then, players can lead Mario through the doors where the fire is. He loses even more power after burning in the fire.
By this point, Mario is at the Lava Land portal where is can begin the world. Players can burn Mario one more time with the nearby fire as they are jumping into the world. Mario instantly dies at the start of the level because he has no power.
2 Punch The Strange Doors
Mario can accomplish many remarkable tasks. However, this glitch takes the cake. In Boo's world, there are a bunch of random doors that always trick players. Players can lead Mario through a door but then sprint back through it the other way. Next, they must immediately punch and the glitch becomes active.
Mario comes back through the other side of the door, or he can walk right through the closed door. He might even attach himself to the door! Maybe Boo is playing tricks of players, or maybe Mario becomes superhuman in this world.
1 Give Mario A Jump Scare
When people wake up out of a dead sleep, sometimes they startle themselves. There is a glitch in Super Mario 64 that is similar to this. On the second floor of the castle, Mario sometimes sleeps on the main staircase. Who can blame him? He's a busy man.
Regardless, when he is sleeping, players can make him jump and he will suddenly be midway up the staircase. This probably happens because Mario has the biggest jumpscare of his life.