Super Mario 64^[a] is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in 1996 and PAL regions in 1997. 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, the primary antagonist of the Super Mario franchise, invades Princess Peach‘s castle and hides the castle’s sources of protection, the Power Stars, in many different worlds inside magical paintings. As Mario, the player collects Power Stars to unlock enough of Princess Peach’s castle to get to 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. The sound effects were recorded by Yoji Inagaki 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 received critical acclaim, with reviewers praising its ambition, visuals, and gameplay, though some criticized its virtual camera system. It is the best-selling Nintendo 64 game, with nearly twelve million copies sold by 2015.

Publication	Score
AllGame	[84]
Computer and Video Games	[85]
EP Daily	10/10[86]
Famitsu	39/40[87]
Game Informer	9.75/10 (1996),[88] 9/10 (2007)[89]
GameFan	400/400[90]
GamePro	5/5[91]
GameRevolution	B+[92]
GameSpot	9.4/10 (N64),[93] 8/10 (Wii)[79]
Hyper	95%[94]
IGN	9.8/10[29]
N64 Magazine	96%[95]
Next Generation	[96]
Nintendo Life	10/10[97]
Official Nintendo Magazine	95%[98]
Total!	100/100[99]
Digitiser	96%[100]
Maximum	[101]