1996 | Nintendo 64 | The 3D Revolution
Super Mario 64 (1996) changed everything. First true 3D platformer. Analog stick control perfected. 120 Power Stars. Peach's Castle as hub world. Camera system revolutionary. Triple jump, long jump, wall kick - 3D movement vocabulary created here.
At 15 years old, this felt like the future. Jumping into paintings. Bob-omb Battlefield, Dire Dire Docks, Rainbow Ride. Every level a 3D playground. Industry changed overnight. Every 3D platformer since owes debt to Mario 64.
Yoshi changed everything. Eat enemies, spit fireballs, flutter jump. Cape Feather gave flight. Spin jump broke blocks. P-Switch transformed coins into blocks. Every level had secrets worth finding.
96 exits total - many levels had secret exits leading to new paths. Star Road shortcuts. Special World with remixed levels. Chocolate Island, Vanilla Dome, Forest of Illusion. Perfect controls. Zero frustration. Pure joy.
Defined 2D platforming for 16-bit era. Game Boy Advance port in 2001. Virtual Console releases on Wii, Wii U, Nintendo Switch. Every 2D Mario since measured against this standard.
"At 15, Mario 64 taught me about paradigm shifts. 2D to 3D wasn't just graphics - entire design language rebuilt. Camera, controls, level design. Nintendo didn't port 2D Mario to 3D. They reinvented everything. That's true innovation. In cloud architecture now, same approach - don't migrate, reimagine."