Several high-quality images of vintage dedicated Super Mario 64 speedrunners and mega-fans have memorized over the years.
Super Mario 64, in the opinion of many gamers, revolutionized the video gaming world by popularizing what would become the industry standard: 3D gaming with a fully controllable camera. Adding this third dimension to the experience opened the door to a new type of exploration, one that allowed players to traverse various areas with a higher degree of scrutiny and attention. This applied to the iconic hub world of Princess Peach's castle, but also to the multiple varied environments presented through the game's portal paintings. The diverse nature of these multitudinous levels, along with their simple-yet-effective art style, cemented them as essential parts of gaming history, with a recent Super Mario 64 LEGO collaboration highlighting this fact.
As noticed by Polygon, Comfort Food Video Games on Twitter shared some images of classic Super Mario 64 memorabilia centering on the game's various levels. The images are from the Super Mario 64 Complete Clear Guide Book, a strategy guide for the popular game that was released back in 1996. The pictures shared by Comfort Food Video Games focus on the dioramas featured in the guide, presenting locations like the castle's exterior, Bomb Omb Battlefield, and Cool Mountain as their subjects. The dioramas, which are made from real-world materials and not computer-generated, include helpful labels marking the starting point of each level, along with other important spots.
There may be some Super Mario 64 levels that fans like more than others, but as a whole, they are arguably one of the most memorable and central parts of the game. Seeing the levels from a bird's eye view through these dioramas will surely make at least some players see them in a new light, as their geography and structure can be understood in a more complete and comprehensive way. These images might even help some players uncover new secrets in these levels.
The craftsmanship on display in these dioramas is also very impressive, and it's clear that it must have taken several hours of painstaking work to realize these highly detailed creations. These charming pieces of art are enough to make fans wish that modern Mario games had similar levels. While there will never be another Super Mario 64, there could always be another collection of dioramas themed after a new game in the series, so fans will have to wait and see.
Source: Comfort Food Video Games/Twitter (via Polygon)
