Super Mario 64: Every Level Ranked From Worst To Best
9. Jolly Roger Bay
Super Mario 64’s first water level is a lot more enjoyable than the second, not least because of the ways the player can alter their surroundings. Your first task is to explore a sunken ship, which you can only access after coaxing an eel out. Once you’ve done this, the galleon rises to the surface for further investigation, and the eel retreats elsewhere for another star of its own.
This kind of cause and effect was pioneered by Super Mario 64, and the game cleverly teaches the players to remember what they’ve done and to return to earlier locations, later on, to see what might have changed.
The stars are a bit of a mixed bag, with two involving opening treasure chests in the correct order and one requiring the player to chase the aforementioned eel, who has the gold stuck to its tail, which can be a pain thanks to the swimming controls.
That aside, this is a neat, early level that continues to illustrate just how many different elements and mechanics this incredible game is able to encompass.