While Super Mario 64 has continued to have a shocking amount of popularity modern-day for a game so old, especially among the speed-running community online, the game has been left behind by many fans. While The Super Mario Bros Movie may have reminded many Mario fans of this classic entry, they may prefer looking to newer games than this classic one.
Fortunately, Super Mario 64 inspired many games, both ones that followed it in the Mario franchise and ones that were unrelated to the Italian plumber. Fortunately, in a world filled with great remakes of classic games, there are plenty of games reminiscent of older gaming days with updated, modern graphics and capabilities beyond the much-beloved speed-running classic.
7 Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy
For fans of old-school platformers who want a more modernized gaming experience than the originals can currently provide, the N.Sane Trilogy might be perfect. Crash Bandicoot’s original adventures were a great addition to the platforming genre, and despite the difficulty being higher than many modern gamers will be used to, they remain hugely fun in a simple but engaging way.
The N.Sane Trilogy is notable since the first of the three included games came out in 1996, the very same year as Super Mario 64. While there are definite stylistic differences between the games, they are both hugely reminiscent of the mid-90s platform scene.
6 Yooka-Laylee
Another game series that was hugely loved by fans of games like Super Mario 64 was the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. While this series hasn’t been updated recently, there is a much newer colorful platform that has drawn a huge number of comparisons from fans and critics to the style of Banjo-Kazooie.
Yooka-Laylee is a 3D platform game that expresses itself in similar ways to Super Mario 64, but with a modern style as the game was released in 2017. Originally funded through Kickstarter, this game broke records on the site for reaching the goal within forty minutes. The simple but delightful plot of Yooka-Laylee follows a chameleon and a bat trying to recover a magical book from an evil company. Yooka-Laylee has been hugely praised since its release for the fun, throwback style of platforming, and it even managed to attain a sequel titled Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair.
5 Super Mario Odyssey
One of the best examples of a more modern take on the Super Mario 64 style from the actual Mario franchise itself is surely Super Mario Odyssey. Also released in 2017, this game followed Mario and his new sentient hat companion as they journey through different worlds hunting Bowser, who has stolen Peach and intends to marry her.
With some similar plot points to The Super Mario Bros Movie, which was recently released, fans will surely be excited to try this game out or revisit it if they are missing Super Mario 64. The level design in the explorative format of Super Mario 64 will be a huge part of the appeal of Super Mario Odyssey for fans of the classic game, but with several new mechanics, Odyssey manages to bring something new to the franchise while hearkening back to the Super Mario 64 style.
4 New Super Lucky’s Tale
For fans of the level design style of Super Mario 64, New Super Lucky’s Tale is a great opportunity to explore colorful platform worlds similarly. A remake of Super Lucky’s Tale with a number of improvements over the original, New Super Lucky’s Tale is about a fox named Lucky who moves through various worlds using the Book of Ages.
Lucky has to stop a spurned member of the Guardian Order, of which his sister and parents are members, from taking the Book of Ages for himself. While the original game had some flaws, the remake has been much praised for the level design and platforming style, making it a perfect new game to try for Super Mario 64 fans.
3 Psychonauts 2
For a story that is told in a very different manner than any Mario one, but still contains many of the similar platforming mechanics that players of those games will know. The new Psychonauts sequel is a long-awaited return to the world of the psychic ability task force and the young trainee, Raz, who enters the minds of other characters in an attempt to unravel a mystery.
This intelligent story provides an easy way to send Raz through a wide range of level styles and makes it easy for different mechanics to be introduced in different minds. With huge praise for the level design and platforming, Psychonauts 2 is a great game for Super Mario 64 fans looking for a stylistic shift from the familiar.
2 Bowser’s Fury
Released in 2021, Bowser’s Fury was a new part of the Mario franchise that pits Mario against Bowser while his nemesis was under the control of a black sludge. Mario goes on an adventure to save his enemy from the sludge in a game that has been described by fans as a version of Super Mario Odyssey, which incorporates elements from Super Mario 3D World.
This additional content isn’t the longest new Mario game around, but it is a very fun addition to Super Mario 3D World for fans of the style of both that game and Super Mario 64. Mario fans won’t feel complete without adding a victory over Bowser’s Fury to their repertoire.
1 A Hat In Time
Another platform game that was released in 2017, A Hat In Time is a throwback style of platformer that has been compared by fans and critics to Nintendo 64 platformers, including Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. The game is about Hat Girl, who is trying to collect timepieces to return home.
The adorable style of animation may be more reminiscent for old-school gaming fans of Kirby over Mario, but the gameplay is fun, and the different levels are a delightfully colorful mixture of various gaming styles, which will be hugely pleasing to fans of games like Super Mario 64.