Super Mario 64 terms
Terms used in Super Mario 64 (particularly speedrunning). These are notes
from watching too many
GSA races on YouTube.
Game
- JP
-
Japanese version of the game. Unlike the English version, the Japanese
version does not feature voice acting for Peach's letter during the
intro cutscene; text boxes scroll slightly slower; MIPS moves slightly
faster; and some stars that are located inside boxes in the English
version are out in the open.
Categories
- 120 Star
-
A 100 % completion of the game. Starts when the console is powered on,
and ends when the Grand Star is touched after defeating BitS.
- 70 Star
-
The minimum number of stars required to beat the game without exploting
glitches during Castle Movement. Starts when the console is powered on,
and ends when the Grand Star is touched after defeating BitS.
- 16 Star
-
Any% without SBLJ. LBLJ is used to bypass the 8 Star Door. 15 stars are
required to spawn MIPS, which is used to clip through the 30 Star Door
(see MIPS Clip). The first star in DDD is required to unlock Fire Sea.
After defeating Fire Sea, BLJs are used to bypass the 50 Star Door and
the Infinite Staircase. Starts when the console is powered on, and ends
when the Grand Star is touched after defeating BitS.
- 0 Star, 1 Star
-
Any%. The shortest RTA (real-time action) category. LBLJ is used to
bypass the 8 Star Door. SBLJ is used to bypass the 30 Star Door, which
(given enough speed) can bypass DDD and send the player to Fire Sea
without unlocking it (0 star), or (given too little speed) can send the
player into DDD, forcing them to collect the first star to unlock Fire
Sea (1 star). BLJ is used to bypass the 50 Star Door and the Infinite
Staircase. Starts when the console is powered on, and ends when the
Grand Star is touched after defeating BitS.
- 1 key
-
Any%. TAS (Tool-Assisted Speedrun) only, as it makes use of extremely
precise input to enter Basement without defeating Dark World.
- 30 Star
-
Collect any 3 stars from every stage, plus keys from the Bowser Stages.
The 50 Star Door and Infinite Staircase are bypassed with BLJs. Starts
when the console is powered on, and ends when the Grand Star is touched
after defeating BitS.
- Nonstop
-
A version of the game where Mario is not ejected from the painting after
collecting each star. Starts when the console is powered on, and ends
when the Grand Star is touched after defeating BitS.
- Randomizer
-
A version of the game where almost every object's position is random
(within its original Loading Zone), and each painting leads to a
different Stage. Starts when selecting the new save file, and ends when
the Grand Star is touched after defeating BitS.
Movement
An overview of movement techniques in the game.
General
- Castle Movement
- The (time consumed by) movement navigating around the castle.
- Single Jump
- A single A button press while standing, moving, or swimming.
- Bonk
-
Knock-back off a wall caused by running or jumping into a wall, most
commonly by accident. Falling off a ledge during this knock-back
prevents Mario from getting up, and may lead to multiple falls.
- Wall Kick
-
A jump (A button press) within a 5-frame window after Bonking into a
wall.
- Double Jump
-
A jump off the ground immediately following a Single Jump or Wall Kick.
Has higher velocity and reaches higher than a Single Jump.
- Triple Jump
-
A jump off the ground at speed immediately following a Double Jump. Has
higher velocity and reaches higher than a Double Jump.
- Dive
-
A dive (B button press) while running with enough velocity.
- Jump Dive
- A Dive while airborne instead of running.
- Rollout, Roll Out
-
A jump while sliding on the ground following a Dive. Mario cannot take
fall damage after a rollout.
- Dust, Dusty Rollout
-
The ground slide after a Dive eventually starts whirling up dust around
Mario. Each dust frame reduces Mario's speed. A Rollout on a dust frame
is known as a Dusty Rollout.
- Speed Kick
-
A kick during a jump (B button press while airborne with too low
velocity for a Dive), which preserves the forward momentum which would
have otherwise been reduced by jumping.
- Long Jump
-
A low, long jump (A button press while holding the Z button with enough
velocity).
- BLJ
-
Backwards Long Jump, a technique to build up backwards momentum, to
which there is no limit. Used to clip through doors and walls.
- LBLJ
-
Lobby BLJ, a BLJ performed from inside the column in the Lobby, reached
by grabbing a ledge through the ceiling above the stairs between Lobby
and Basement. Used in all categories.
- SBLJ
- Side BLJ, a BLJ utilising Glitchy Wall Kick.
- Firsty
-
First-frame wallkick. Mario has 5 frames to perform a wallkick when
bonking on a wall. Pressing A on the first of those 5 frames gains
speed, rather than reduce it.
Skips, clips, and strats
Specific movements, glitches, and strategies used to reach a location or
obtain a star.
- Lakitu Skip
-
Jumping on the very edge of the bridge over the castle moat to avoid
triggering Lakitu's camera tutorial. Saves
? seconds.
- Island Hop
-
The fastest way to reach the floating island in BoB without Wing Cap or
opening the Cannons. Scale part of the mountain, Wall Kick off of the
mountainside, and perform a Jump Dive onto the island. Used in 16 and 70
star routes.
- MIPS Clip
-
A way to get through the 30 Star Door leading to DDD and Fire Sea.
Capture MIPS, drop it so that it clips you through the wooden door
leading to the room with the 30 Star Door, pick it backup, and drop it
again to be pushed through the 30 Star Door. Used in 16 star routes.
- Lakitu Bounce
-
A technique involving bouncing on a Lakitu used to reach a higher part
of RR.
- Glitchy Wall Kick
-
An exploit of a property of corners, where only one wall can register as
the one Mario is pushing against, allowing a sideways Wall Kick.
- Side Hop
-
A Triple Jump Wall Kick off of the fence in LLL, used to reach the
Red-Hot Log Rolling star. Sometimes ambiguously referred to as
"Capless".
- Lava Boost
-
A boost from the lava "waterfall" onto the thin bridge inside the
volcano in LLL.
- Pro Lava Boost
- A slightly faster and more precise version of Lava Boost.
- Elevator Tour
-
A boost from the lava onto the elevator inside the volcano in LLL.
Locations
- Outside
-
The starting point of the game, providing access to the castle and
Vanish Cap.
- Lobby
-
The first part of the castle, providing access to BoB, WF, CCM, JRB,
PSS, Dark World, Wing Cap, Outside, Basement, and Upstairs.
- Basement
-
The second part of the castle, providing access to DDD, Fire Sea, SSL,
LLL, and HMC. Spawn place for MIPS. The entrance to HMC contains a Toad
Star which spawns at 12 stars.
- Upstairs
-
The third part of the castle, providing access to TTM, THI, and SL.
Contains a Toad Star which spawns at 25 stars.
- Tippy
-
The final part of the castle, located above Upstairs at the very
(tippy-) top. Provides access to TTC, RR, Wing Mario Over the Rainbow,
and BitS (via Infinite Staircase). Contains a Toad Star which spawns at
? stars.
- Infinite Staircase
-
The staircase leading up to BitS, available via the 70 Star Door in
Tippy. If Mario has fewer than 70 stars, the 70 Star Door lets him
through, but has a collision area which sends Mario back to the
beginning of the stairs, creating an illusion of the staircase being
infinite. The collision area can be bypassed by building up enough speed
to avoid collisions using BLJs.
Camera
- Lakitu Cam
- The perspective of Lakitu
- Mario Cam
- Closer-up camera focused just behind Mario
- C-up
-
The perspective of Mario. Locks Mario in place and lets the player look
around without moving.
- C-down
-
A wider perspective. Can be used with both Lakitu Cam and Mario Cam.
Stages
General
- Bowser Stage
-
Three stages in the game comprising one movement-intensive part with 8
Reds, and one boss fight against Bowser.
Outside
- Vanish Cap
-
The secret stage containing the switch that unlocks Vanish Cap. Unlocked
by exiting Basement and Ground Pounding two pillars, which drains the
water in the castle moat.
Lobby
- BoB, B.o.B.
- Bob-omb Battlefield, the first stage in the game.
- Whomp's, WF
- Whomp's Fortress
- CCM
- Cool, Cool Mountain
- JRB
- Jolly Roger Bay
- PSS
- The Princess's Secret Slide
- Dark World
-
Bowser in the Dark World, the first Bowser Stage. Defeating Bowser
unlocks Basement.
- Wing Cap
-
Tower of the Wing Cap, the secret stage containing the switch that
unlocks Wing Cap. Unlocked at 14 stars, and entered by looking directly
into the light from above using the C-up camera.
- Aquarium
-
The secret stage accessed via a square hole in the wall in the entrance
to JRB.
Basement
- DDD
-
Dire, Dire Docks. Completing the first star (Board Bowser's Sub) unlocks
Fire Sea.
- Fire Sea
-
Bowser in the Fire Sea, the second Bowser Stage. Defeating Bowser
unlocks Upstairs.
- SSL
- Shifting Sand Land, a notoriously hard level
- LLL, Triple L
- Lethal Lava Land
- HMC
- Hazy Maze Cave
Upstairs
- TTM
- Tall, Tall Mountain
- WDW
- Wet Dry World
- THI
- Tiny Huge Island
- SL
- Snowman's Land
Tippy
- TTC
- Tick Tock Clock
- RR
- Rainbow Ride
- Over the Rainbow
-
Wing Mario over the Rainbow, a secret stage based around the Wing Cap
and cannons.
- BitS
-
Bowser in the Sky, the final stage of the game. Defeating Bowser spawns
the Grand Star, which triggers the end credits.
Characters
- MIPS
-
The rabbit that spawns in Basement at 15 and 50 stars. Catching it
spawns a star both times. Short for Microprocessor without Interlocked
Pipeline Stages.
Objects
- Red Coins, Reds
-
A coin worth 2 gold coins. Collecting all 8 Red Coins in a stage spawns
a star. There are 8 red coins in every regular stage, all three Bowser
Stages, Aquarium, Wing Cap, Vanish Cap, Metal Cap, and Over The Rainbow.
Memes
- Third Easiest Stage
-
Jokingly used to refer to Tall, Tall Mountain, which has one of the most
movement intensive Reds in the game.
Twitch clip of streamer Wilko using this reference.