10 Huge Unresolved Mysteries In Mario Games
7. What Does The 'L Is Real' Message In Mario 64 Mean?
Officially listed in the index as being the fifth level in Super Mario 64, though it is easily much harder to get through than Lethal Lava Land and Dire Dire Docks, Big Boo's Haunt is the game's obligatory ghost house and can be found in the castle's garden. Players must head down towards the basement, follow the Boo outside and begin ground pounding/punching the ghosts before one of them drops a cage.
It is the only level found in the garden, however the area still contains one of the biggest mysteries in gaming history. The subject of countless hearsay, rumours, speculation and myth, if players go up to the star fountain in the garden they will find an engraving on the stone. Though it is hard to make out, the engraving either says 'Eternal Star' (makes much more sense, but is far more boring), or 'L is real 2401'.
Given how Luigi was supposed to be a character in Mario 64 but was scrapped due to technical capabilities of the Nintendo 64, gamers around the world were instantly convinced there had to have been a way of interpreting these numbers and bringing Luigi to the castle. Though this turned out to be little more than an inside developer joke, the impact this mystery had on the Mario community was nothing short of legendary.