Play Super Mario 64 DS Online
Release year: 2004 | Players: 1 player – multiplayer | Developed by Nintendo EAD
Here, at My Emulator Online, you can play Super Mario 64 DS for the NDS console online, directly in your browser, for free. We offer more Mario, Nintendo and Platform games so you can enjoy playing similar titles on our website. Why don’t you try?
Game Review
When it first came out Super Mario 64 changed the face of gaming. 3D games had been around before, but this iconic Nintendo 64 launch title nearly perfected the formula from a running start. Everything from its explorative level design to its tight controls to its sublime presentation resonated with an entire generation of gamers and shifted the industry forward forever.
For such an iconic milestone of gaming, remaking Super Mario 64 was never going to be an easy feat. When Nintendo finally got around to attempting this great feat eight years after the launch of the original game, perhaps what surprised people the most was what system it appeared on. Instead of remaking the game for Nintendo’s then home console – the GameCube – they decided to release it as a launch title for their brand-new handheld system: the Nintendo DS emulator.
Aptly titled Super Mario 64 DS, this remake serves as both a proof of concept for what the system’s new technology was capable of, and as a celebration of the original landmark game. But after nearly 20 years, did Nintendo make a wise choice to dip back into the Super Mario 64 basket or did they bite off more of Princess Peach’s cake than they could chew.
The most obvious question mark that surrounded Super Mario 64 DS prior to release was how would Mario’s three-dimensional gameplay translate to a system that is absent of the all-important analogue stick? Nintendo’s answer was to give players’ options. In Super Mario 64 you can choose to control Mario’s movement with the D-pad or the DS’s bottom touch screen. Both are perfectly workable, but neither are particularly elegant solutions. The D-pad limits Mario’s agility by locking him into only 8-directions, while the touch screen provides more accurate controls at the expense of a cramped hand with only 20 minutes of playing.
Once you get over the slightly awkward controls, there is a lot to really love about Super Mario 64 DS. One of the other biggest changes is evident from the game’s very beginning. Instead of Mario jumping out of the pipe in front of Princess Peach’s castle, players take control of Yoshi who must save his moustachioed friend. In fact, this game has four playable characters – with the other two being Luigi and Wario. Each character controls slightly differently and has their own unique abilities, but I found that after I unlocked Mario online, I used him most of the time.
Another fun new feature is the addition of mini-games which can be unlocked with the stars collected in the main campaign. Each of these are character specific and utilise the DS’s unique features in inventive ways. They certainly make for a fun diversion in-between playing through the main game.
And then there’s the graphical improvement, which has begun to show its age in 2022, but is certainly still a step up from the blocky polygons of the Nintendo 64 games. Textures are now more detailed, and the character models have been smoothed out, but the timeless art style and emotionally charged soundtrack have been kept in tack.
Overall, the best part about Super Mario 64 DS is that it’s still got everything that made Super Mario 64 so memorable. Only now, you can play it wherever you go. There are also new levels – none of which can reach the heights of the original selection, but are all enjoyable, nonetheless.
While perhaps not as iconic as the original, Super Mario 64 DS is still a worthy remake that modernises the 3D Mario formula in key areas and allows a brand-new generation of gamers to experience this timeless classic. And on MyEmulator.Online, you can play it for free on your browser right now!
