List of known Super Mario 64 personalized copies
Copy #1: Believed to be in the possession of Minoru Arakawa, the first president of Nintendo of America. This version wasn't played very much, but he has claimed to see very strange things within the game.
Copy #5: This was sent directly to an official Nintendo 64 play tester. Nobody knows where it is now, as he has passed away. It is said to have messages in-game that speak directly to the player, though they appear sporadically and don't have any real basis.
Copy #7: Mario might constantly be watched in this version by a pair of sinister, glowing, red eyes. They can appear in many places at random, such as outside on the castle, inside the castle, and even in levels. Nobody knows what these eyes represent, and nobody can find a texture for them in the game's files.
Copy #9: A secret hole may appear in the middle of the castle's main room, and Mario can jump into it. It only contains an unusable portrait of Lethal Lava Land in a small, inescapable room. Once inside, there's no way back out, even if one were to utilize the "level select" feature (written in Japanese text). The options will only crash the game if attempted to use. The only known way out of this room without a crash is to reset the game.
Copy #16: The clock on the third floor may rarely stop, as if time itself has stopped. Toads won't speak to Mario, or move, as if they're frozen in time, and paintings cannot be accessed. A slightly purple tinge will encompass the game's screen when time "stops". Resetting the game makes this anomaly vanish.
Copy #25: In this copy, Mario's head can appear without features upon starting a new game, for some reason. Further anomalies include goombas not having faces, and peach missing her eyes. Also, there appears to be unique secret rooms in the castle, but they don't really have anything interesting in them.
Copy #40: The strange "Hell" version of the game. Sometimes, very, very rarely, every texture in the game is replaced by disgusting looking red gore. The HUD can also change to an older-styled one that wasn't used in the final game. Nobody knows who owns this copy, as the last owner sold it and the new one has kept himself anonymous.
Copy #47: A weird version of the game that is rated M for Mature. Nobody believes it to exist, but there are many moments that can sometimes happen that warrant the rating, such as foul language, death, and scary scenes.
Copy #62: A version where the endless staircase can become permanently endless. The music sometimes will stop for no reason, as well. Owned by a man in Michigan who considers himself lucky to get a relatively tame one.
Copy #64: The most sought after, infamous cart of the game. This is the legendary "Wario head" version. Sitting too long near the entrance to Dire, Dire Docks may cause the Wario head apparition to appear. It's not known why or how it happens. Nobody knows the owner, as they've kept it private. There have been videos of the incident uploaded, but nobody knows for sure who actually owns this copy. Strangely enough, it's said that the Wario apparition can appear in later carts, as well.
Copy #71: This copy can sometimes alter the pictures on the castle walls to resemble very uncanny photos of real life people. They come out looking distorted and slightly creepy looking. The Big Boo's Haunt hallway also can lead to nowhere but Mario falling into a deep, deep hole.
Copy #79: In copy #79, when Mario does actions, his voice clips can become deeper, and distorted. Once they become like this, they can never be fixed unless the game is reset. Sometimes Mario will say very strange and unsettling things when in this state, as well. Some of the reported sayings were "Look out, it's behind us!" and "I'm so alone..."
Copy #93: If Mario dies to Bowser during their first battle, there is a chance that Mario will be transported to a small room with a wall that closes on him, with no escape possible. Once Mario dies, the game is over, no matter how many lives are left. The strangest part about this version is that nobody knows where the "closing wall" room is, even when the ROM of the game is hacked.
Copy #100: A bizarre copy that presumably has a secret portrait of Luigi hidden in a secret room in the castle. It's said that the portrait can be entered, but nothing happens, as the game freezes after jumping in. There's only one screenshot of this anomaly, and has yet to be fully explored.
Copy #108: This version adds doors that lead to nowhere, that come and go as they please. Sometimes you might see a door off in the distance that you've never seen before, but upon entering it, it only leads you down a small hallway, and then back out a door that is somewhere completely different. Walking back into the door will only lead you to the normally appropriate area. The doors can even appear during levels, but they can only be accessed during the castle sections.
Copy #112: Nothing happens whatsoever when you try to play this version. According to the owner (who's mom bought her the game brand new in the 90s) it has never worked, even on other Nintendo 64 systems. This copy refuses to boot up, no matter what. Who knows what secrets it hides?
Copy #134: The infamous "mirror room" copy. It's said that if you stay in the mirror room long enough, Mario's reflection will get a mind of its own and begin to try and break out of the mirror, and when he succeeds, he runs away and can never be found again, leaving Mario's reflection gone permanently. Walking up to the mirror where the reflection broke away will let you into the alternate world, where everything is flipped around. Alas, it is a one way trip. Once you travel through the mirror, you cannot get back out. Another Mario will take your place in the real world, leaving YOU as the reflection. Erasing the save can fix this.
Copy #138: This copy can "accidentally" spawn enemies in the castle, some of them grotesque and glitchy, like they don't belong in the game at all. They cannot be killed, and if they swarm Mario too much, his health starts to go down rapidly. When Mario dies, Bowser's laugh isn't heard. Instead, it plays a long, slow death note over Mario's body. In addition to the latter anomalies, the legendary White-eyed Chomp will be seen in Bob-omb Battlefield during the session.
Copy #209: Some people say that this is the fabled "Luigi" version, where you can unlock him in the castle's back courtyard. Extremely rarely, while going back to that area, the message could change on the star statue, and a faint voice can be heard that sounds like Luigi calling for help under the statue. It should be mentioned that this copy of the game was perhaps among the first ones made into ROM files and is currently the most common Super Mario 64 ROM available. Most people have played this version on an emulator.
Copy #224: Sometimes, a Toad will be standing outside of the castle doors. When talked to, he only says one message: "これは邪悪な場所です。できる限り実行します。". When the castle is entered after he says this, the music is changed to something depressing and unnerving, and all of the doors are locked. Resetting the game helps avoid this.
Copy #241: In this copy, the yellow fog that permeates the Hazy Maze Cave may fill the castle and cause Mario's eventual death. In addition, a Japanese voice will start playing when the fog appears, though it's only saying one word repeatedly: "Keikoku!" "Keikoku!"
Copy #277: When entering the Princess's Secret Slide on the second floor, there's a chance you may end up in a strange, dark blue slide that goes down for eternity. Nobody ever has reached the bottom yet when this random anomaly occurs. The person to get this copy of the game let it sit for hours and Mario never reached a "bottom" of the slide. Strange images and unused textures will appear on the wall of the slide, but they cannot be seen in the game's files. Perhaps they're hidden from the public?
Copy #296: Jolly Roger Bay's "secret aquarium" could trap Mario permanently in the water filled room. Resetting the game only proves fruitless, as when an already saved game is loaded, Mario is still stuck. The only way to get Mario out is to erase the save and start a new game.
Copy #300: When Mario falls asleep in this copy, there's a very slim possibility that the sound of entering a level will appear and the screen will fade to white. A level select that says "Course ???" will appear, which also says "Mario's Nightmare" underneath it. When entering the first level (called "Wake Up, Mario!") Mario will be in a dark, strange corridor of what appears to be the Princess's castle. After walking around, the darkness will begin to engulf Mario as you try to escape it down the hallway. Mario will be occasionally stopped by message boxes that appear above him, that say "Wake up, Mario. Wake up, Mario!" and when Mario dies, Bowser's laugh is heard, but it's much deeper, more sinister, and more distorted than usual. The screen will go black after this and won't do anything. Resetting the game fixes this.
Copy #315: This is among one of the stranger copies. Mario's voice can become high pitched and sounds nothing like Charles Martinet. The lights in the castle may flicker off and on at random, and strangely, when the lights are off, the portraits on the wall will become very disturbing, and the walls look very sinister and dirty. During the blackouts, the music will stop and Mario's footsteps will be the only noises. Sometimes, the lights may not come back on, and Mario will randomly die. Some of the doors will lead to other areas in the darkened castle, such as long creepy hallways. There are many things to unravel in this version, but not everything has been found yet.
Copy #329: Yoshi, for some reason, will never appear in this copy. The owner of this version had complained to a Nintendo forum for years of Yoshi's absence and has heard nothing back from a representative, almost as if they were trying to deliberately ignore him for fear of something sinister going on.
Copy #333: In floor 2 of the castle, the painting next to the third floor (where the clock is located) can sometimes be entered. Strangely, this painting behaves differently when jumped into. Instead of the generic sound of entering a level and the painting rippling, Mario will just jump into it and a zoom sound will be heard as if he entered a secret place. The level is abnormal, to say the least. It looks like a dark blue cave with not much in it. It has its own unique track that cannot be found in the game files. Many people wished they could explore this "level" in their version, but it seems to be downright unfinished.
Copy #337: In extremely rare cases, Dorrie can turn evil in this version of the game. Sharp teeth will appear when Dorrie opens her mouth, and can swallow Mario in one bite. She's also noticeably faster, and targets Mario as if he's a threat. There's only one image from this version overall, so not much is known about it.
Copy #350: This is one of the many copies that's known as a "fourth floor" version of Super Mario 64. In some of these copies, there will be a fourth floor that can be accessed from many different ways. Some of the ways to the fourth floor can be found behind the walls in the clock room. Other ways include secret passages, holes, and crawlspaces that lead into the fourth floor from other areas. In this version, the fourth floor is a very strange hallway full of doors that won't open. At the end of the hall is a large star door, but upon opening it, the game will freeze. Whatever is beyond the star door is a mystery.
Copy #362: Mario's head in the opening of the game might say disturbing things that aren't in Charles Martinet's voice, such as "They're hidden under the tree" and "There is nothing out there". This version is believed to be a fake, but it can happen, according to the owner of the cartridge.
Copy #388: Outside the castle there may be a rusty green pipe that will rarely appear. Once you jump inside, it leads to instant death and a game over. The frustration doesn't stop here, as it will erase your game, forcing you to start all over if it had been a previously saved one. It would be wise not to jump into the pipe.
Copy #404: This copy of the game can potentially flood the first floor of the castle with gray water that makes Mario's health deteriorate. Though it can fill most of the first floor, it does not reach the second floor past the railing. Sometimes, the water will drain away, and upon entering the Jolly Roger Bay room, the painting may be seen leaking over with a strange moving texture.
Copy #410: Oddly, this version of the game cannot be beaten. During the final battle with Bowser, there is a high chance that the game will freeze for unknown reasons, and show a black error screen with numbers and Japanese text explaining that the game may be damaged.
Copy #423: This copy might enable many unused assets back into the game, such as the dancing flowers. These flowers are an unused effect that, when enabled, causes a bunch of small happy bouncing flowers to spawn around Mario and follow him around.
There's no information about what these flowers were used for. Sometimes, Mario may start to show signs of fatigue if the flowers stay on him too long.
Copy #444: This version is called "the possessed copy" by the owner of it, who keeps it locked in a safe, never to be played. In some instances, Mario may stop and disallow movement at any time, for no apparent reason. His head will quickly spin around to look at the player, and quickly return to normal again. Mario has also been reported to lay on the ground and stutter slightly, and float into the air briefly with his legs missing, and then immediately return to the ground. The owner of this copy says it's nearly unplayable due to these interruptions.
Copy #451: On very rare instances, Mario may become trapped in the basement of the castle in an infinite maze that seems to generate at complete random. The walls and floor sometimes will come to a dead stop, and backtracking only takes you to a completely different segment of the maze. Resetting the game can get you out.
Copy #10347601: Sometimes, when entering the front doors of the castle, Mario may enter a "void room". The carpet sinks downward, and there's a deep black pit near the entrance door. If Mario falls in, he never hits the bottom and falls forever until the player turns their game off. Thankfully, resetting seems to fix this weird anomaly.
Copy #11910000: The very last copy of the game officially sold by any retailer. This version of the game works perfectly, with no anomalies yet found. Isn't that nice?
Written by Meaty
Content is available under CC BY-SA
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