"Super Mario 64" - A Matter of Courses Quiz

A grassy battlefield notable for its rather large hilltop, Bob-omb Battlefield is the first painting Mario will jump into in the game, giving an introduction to the 3D courses that he'll encounter throughout Princess Toadstool's/Peach's Castle. Although the typical Mario staples like Goombas, Koopas, and Chain Chomps can be found in this volatile stage, the main foes you'll find here are Bob-Ombs.

The black ones are your foes, but there are pink ones throughout the level who might be able to give you a hand at getting some early stars.

The game's second course and the first one to be found behind a locked star door on the main entry level of Peach's Castle (though only one star is needed to get in), Whomp's Fortress is a structure in the sky that pushes Mario onward and upward, generally, to collect stars all the way up to the top. Throughout the stage, Mario will encounter Whomps and Thwomps, the former of which can be defeated by Ground Pounding their backs. Mario will also, likely, meet his first Piranha Plants on this stage.

Depicted in its artwork as a sunken ship under the waves, Jolly Roger Bay is discovered to be a dark and wet place that's unlike the first couple of course Mario encounters in the castle. Accessible with three stars, Mario can hop inside and get use to the idea of holding his breath, especially since staying underwater will diminish his health until he drowns.

He can, however, prolong his time under the waves with coins or bubbles. The course is home to the ship, of course, but also a massive eel that makes its home there.

Its name is Unagi.

A massive course with a lot of ways to get around, Cool, Cool Mountain is the fourth course for Mario to engage with and one of the ones he can access the soonest, needing only three stars to enter that room in the lobby of the castle (the same amount as Jolly Roger Bay).

The map here is a colossal mountain which Mario starts at the top of, and he can take the slide around the outside, the slide through the interior, or any other means to achieve his goals. The catch is friction; the map has less of it since it's snow-covered.

But it shouldn't stop you from making deliveries and holding reunions with the local denizens.

A unique course for Mario in that there's nothing quite like it anywhere else in the game, Big Boo's Haunt is accessible when you've accumulated twelve Power Stars from elsewhere in the castle (likely the main entry levels), and you'll know this because when you start heading towards the basement, one of the corridors will be filled with a giant Boo. To get inside, you need to locate a Book in the courtyard containing a cage, and freeing this from inside of it will grant you access to a haunted mansion course, Mario's fifth.

The sixth course in line, Hazy Maze Cave, is one of several new worlds that unlocks when Mario is able to make his way into the castle basement. Found in a portal in the floor of an unmarked room, this course is a dangerous underground labyrinth filled with waterlogged caves, poisonous tunnels, and even some hidden secrets, one of which will be the only opportunity wherein Mario can collect the Metal Cap and unlock it for the rest of the game.

Marking the midway point of the courses in the game, Lethal Lava Land is found in the basement of the Castle and is the only full fledged painting to hang on the walls in the flooded chambers there (the others are a bit trickier as portals). Here, Mario can surf the lava field, fight off angry Bullies, and even dive into a volcano on the hunt for Power Stars.

Interestingly, in terms of its footprint, Lethal Lava Land might be one of the smallest courses in the game.

If Mario finds himself in the basement of Peach's castle he may be surprised to find hallways that lead to (seemingly) dead ends, but jumping directly into one of these empty walls will take him to a desert course-- Shifting Sand Land. Here, in addition to combing the desert for Power Stars, Mario can head into a massive pyramid to face off against a mummified mini-boss and continue his adventure in a completely new environment.

Another underwater stage for Mario, Dire, Dire Docks actually has less solid ground than Jolly Roger Bay before it, forcing Mario to use his swimming techniques and deep breaths to make it through the different tasks set before him. Dire, Dire Docks, unlike some courses, is mandatory for Mario to visit as you must complete the Board Bowser's Sub star before you can face off against Bowser in the Fire Sea.

If you thought Cool, Cool Mountain was the last time you'd need to frolic in the cold, you were incorrect. Course 10, Snowman's Land, puts Mario back into the freezer with a relatively less high-altitude adventure (no need to take the slide!). Although a play on 'No Man's Land', the stage is actually teeming with interesting foes and is characterized by a massive snowman that sits in the middle of the area, ready to blow frosty air at anyone who might get too close.

Found dead ahead of you when you enter the upper reaches of Peach's Castle, Wet-Dry World is the first instance where you'll encounter a painting that will change the course depending on how you jump into it. If you're able to get into the painting near the top, the water level inside the course will be higher, allowing you to access an otherwise difficult-to-reach part of the world.

Otherwise, this is the final water-centric stage of the game.

Do you like precarious heights? The game's twelfth stage, Tall, Tall Mountain, won't be be anything but precarious because although it has a number of interesting setpieces, all of them are situated on the cliff edges of a thick mountain setting, meaning most of your time will be spent maneuvering around foes and avoiding falling off the slippery slopes of the stage.

Not all is bad though; Mario can encounter the Ukkiki monkeys here, and most of them are there to help.

Accessible from two different portraits in the same room of Peach's upper floors, Tiny-Huge Island may seem like a daunting place to navigate, but it's not too difficult to get the hang of understanding what's accessible and what's not when you're massive or small.

Inside the course, Mario can hop into pipes that will change his size, and in doing this he'll be able to find his way to all manner of locations lending themselves to Power Star retrieval.

An entire course set within the central shaft of a large, operational clock, Tick Tock Clock is the penultimate area that Mario will visit and one of the most unique, being set in an environment unlike any other he encounters in the game. Uniquely, Mario has the ability to affect the course as he heads into the clock face in Peach's Castle; if the minute hand is close to 12, 3, 6, or 9, then there will be different speeds at which the course's mechanisms will function.

Some Power Stars require certain times.

The last of Mario's courses in this adventure, Rainbow Ride is perhaps the most dangerous for anyone who doesn't have a good grasp on the controls of the game since the entire stage is a series of floating and moving platforms high in the sky. Any poor move could be Mario's last.

In addition to riding magic carpets, Mario needs to jump around in vertical mazes, avoid slipping into the great blue yonder, and have exacting timing to avoid chaotic obstacles.