Super Mario 64's Wing Cap allows Mario to fly, and indeed it it the key to obtaining a number of the Stars that are found in the game. That said, the Wing Cap is not something that players can immediately access upon starting Super Mario 64, and instead they will need to unlock the item. Fortunately, it is fairly simply to unlock the Wing Cap, and this guide has all of the details that fans need.
The first step to getting the Wing Cap is to earn any 10 Stars in Super Mario 64, and that can easily be done in the game's earliest levels. With the 10 Stars collected, players should head back to the lobby of the castle, and there they will find that a beam of light is now shining down upon the floor near the entrance. Fans should then stand in this light and direct their cameras upward toward the sun on the ceiling to be transported to the Tower of the Wing Cap.
In this secret level fans are tasked with collecting eight red coins, and a Star will appear on the top of the nearby tower when that is done. Before Super Mario 64 players collect this Star, though, they should make sure to hit the red switch that is located directly next to it in order to unlock the Wing Cap. Fans will know that they have successfully unlocked the item if a red block appears next to the switch, and they can grab the Star and exit the level when that occurs.
Now fans can be on the lookout for the aforementioned red blocks in other Super Mario 64 levels, and hitting them will immediately allow Mario to take flight. However, this is not a permanent Mario power-up, and the iconic plumber will lose his wings after 60 seconds. As such, players should try to have a plan for exactly how they will use the Wing Cap before they trigger a block and the countdown begins.
While the Wing Cap is very likely to be the first cap that players earn in Super Mario 64, it is certainly not the only one in the game. Indeed, as fans make further progress in this classic 3D platformer they will have the chance to unlock a Metal Cap and a Vanish Cap, both of which grant Mario with special abilities. As with the Wing Cap, these caps are required for picking up certain Stars, and players that want to collect all 120 should certainly be on the lookout for them.
Super Mario 64 is now available as part of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.