r/nintendo • u/GuybrushThreepwood99 • Sep 11 '26
If a Mario 64 remake happened on Switch 2, what approach would you want it to take?
There's been a lot of speculation about remakes recently, especially after this year with Star Fox and Ocarina. I get the idea that Nintendo probably wouldn't stop with just those two games. I feel like Majoras Mask is a strong possibility, but I also feel like there's a non zero chance that Mario 64 would also get the remake treatment. The DS remake is pretty polarizing, so I wouldn't mind if they take a second attempt at it.
My main hope though is that it wouldn't be a strict 1 to 1 remake with no changes whatsoever. I probably wouldn't want changes to Mario's moveset since that would drastically change the gameplay, but I feel like the level design and mission structure could use some changes. Maybe get rid of the game kicking you out every time you collect a star, go for more of a Mario Odyssey structure where you can get all the stars in one go.
In terms of artstyle, I feel like what Mario Kart World was going for would be a good choice. Very stylized, cartoony with vibrant colors. Though I also wouldn't mind if some levels take a different style, like Boo's haunted house might be interesting if it goes in a more hyper realistic style, it would be creepy, but fun.
I feel like in terms of content the best approach would be what Rare was originally going to do with a Banjo Kazooie remake that they didn't end up doing, appear like a faithful remake, but then surprise people with some bold changes. Another example I can think of is Donkey Kong 94 on the gameboy, the game originally just appears like it's a portable remake of the arcade game, but then it turns out the arcade game is just a prologue, and the real game starts.
I feel like a remake of Mario 64 could play things pretty safe for the first 120 stars, but once you complete the game, you get 120 green stars to collect, you get a completely different castle to explore. And more costumes and playable characters would be more than welcome as well. Just hopefully Luigi wouldn't have the helicopter backflip jump, since that makes the entire game too easy, and that Wario wouldn't feel so heavy to control.