Super Mario 64: Every Level Ranked From Worst To Best
8. Tiny Huge Island
The design of this level isn’t anything too exciting. It’s a return to the green grass of the first few worlds, and in the main features the usual cadre of enemies - goombahs, piranha plants. The strength of Tiny, Huge Island, though, is found in the title. Depending on which painting you use to gain entrance, you’ll control either a tiny Mario on a massive island, or a gigantic plumber on a teensy playing field.
Switching between the two modes is the key to progressing through the world. Giant Mario is used to navigate the world, whereupon small Mario has to overcome some foes in a David and Goliath battle, or the big guy’s heft can be employed to open up paths for further exploration by his smaller self.
The boss battle against perennial foe Wiggler might be the game’s best, and it requires the player to navigate the full island and control both sizes of the protagonist. There’s also another race with Koopa the Quick, this time far more tricky.
Its success does hinge entirely on the size-shifting, but that gimmick remains cool to this day.