Super Mario 64

Super Mario 64 is a 1996 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is the first Super Mario game to feature 3D gameplay, combining traditional Super Mario gameplay, visual style, and characters in a large open world. In the game, Bowser invades Princess Peach's castle, kidnaps her, and hides the castle's sources of protection, the Power Stars, in many different worlds inside magical paintings. As Mario, the player traverses levels and collects Power Stars to unlock areas of Princess Peach's castle, to reach Bowser and rescue Princess Peach.

Director Shigeru Miyamoto conceived a 3D Super Mario game during the production of Star Fox (1993). Development lasted nearly three years: about one year on design and twenty months on production, starting with designing the virtual camera system. The team continued with illustrating the 3D character models—at the time, a relatively unattempted task—and refining sprite movements. Yoji Inagaki recorded the sound effects, and the score was composed by Koji Kondo.

Super Mario 64 was highly anticipated by video game journalists and audiences, boosted by advertising campaigns and showings at the 1996 E3 trade show. It was eventually released in Japan and North America in 1996 and PAL regions in 1997. The game received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its ambition, visuals, level design, and gameplay; however, some critics criticized its virtual camera system. It is the best-selling Nintendo 64 game, with nearly twelve million copies sold by 2015.