WARNING: SERIOUS SPOILERS

Click HERE for a full playlist of SM64: Last Impact's awesome soundtrack!

"i want to get a good balance between difficulty and exploration factor - i want the player to be able to beat the game with a low amount of struggle, but i also want to make the player work hard to get all stars there are in conclusion, the difficulty curve is about as steep as in mario 64, it starts a bit higher and oscilates more though.﻿" - Feb. 2016

"It is really difficult for Nintendo standards and I recommend you to not try to get every last thing, unless you are very determined to beat the game 100% and have played through SM64 before."- Oct. 2016

This makes clear how things changed throughout 2016's development cycle, as his second comment far better reflects the drastic rise of insanely difficult missions, very soon after a very reasonable first 5 courses. Also, I did not even realize until WELL into my playthrough that he noted the high difficulty in the release video's description. I would think that he would make this fact clearer, and at least put that warning in the actual video, so as not to catch people like me off guard with how quickly and heavily the difficulty is heightened. My problem, though, is not the spike in difficulty, but rather the source of it. I have seen games like Kaizo Mario, which are specifically made for speedrunners and seasoned pros, but the difficulty here feels different. It is difficult, not on purpose, but because of gameplay issues and poor design decisions. I would repeatedly think of it on par with games like Dark Souls - like a real challenge that keeps me coming back. But there's a big difference there. In that game, if you fail, it is YOUR fault - the game is designed near-flawlessly. YOU are not yet good enough. In this game, it feels far more like it is the game's fault, especially since some missions in a stage will present a well-designed challenge, while other missions repeatedly take frustrating trial and error to figure out, and then even more to complete. Needless to say, getting all the stars that I did took a lot more than "

Final Score:

7.5/10

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SM64: Last Impact, click here. To download

To support Kaze Emanuar, click here or here .

To see all the material in Last Impact, including bosses, power-ups, courses, enemies, and more, check out the Wiki page here .

To see the firt ever non-blind 100% speedrun of Last Impact, by SpaceMan64, click here .

---With the recent 20th anniversary of the Nintendo 64, what better way to celebrate the occasion than by playing a completely original, fan-made sequel to the most famous of N64 titles, Super Mario 64!SM64 hacker and YouTuber Kaze Emanuar has spent 4000+ hours creating what appears to be the single biggest SM64 hack ever, with 130 stars, a ton of new power-ups, and levels you likely never expected in this N64 classic! And if you are worried that it being fan-made means it has loads of glitches, crashes and other programming issues, then while there are a few problems like that hear and there, I can assure you that they are few and far between. It functions solidly, and it has not soft-locked on me once, or crashed Project64, the emulator I am running it on. I actually thought I'd have to reset the emulator at one point, when I got stuck under something, and Mario was not responding to controls, but after about 10 seconds, the game killed me, and booted me out of the level. This seems to be it's method of avoiding soft-locking, so needless to say, Kaze has thought of everything. It has had one update since release, and is currently on Version 1.1. Kaze has taken criticisms about any notable glitches and such, and fixed whatever he could. So no, you need not worry about the game's functionality. But that leaves the other big concern: how well the game is played.As mentioned in the title, my biggest worry - which gradually went from "worry" to "nightmare" - throughout Last Impact was the idea of sacrificing good gameplay and design for aesthetic purposes. This game is a monument to all that SM64 can be within the limits of its engine, with incredibly detailed maps, awesome character, enemy and boss models, and totally original objects and areas in every direction. BUT, how much is one willing to sacrifice for beauty?First things first. I think that it is best to start with the truly amazing aspects of the game, and work from there. To be clear, I absolutely love that this game exists. I REALLY want to say "I love this game", but I will get to why I can't later. For now, though, let's look at what made me smile all throughout the game - and more importantly, what made me shout my praises. What I think the game absolutely nailed in pretty much every way was the environments.No lie, the best experience I had was in the first five courses. They were not the most absolutely amazing looking of places - those courses came later - but instead, I just had a lot of fun exploring completely new courses, and finding all their hidden secrets and neat new mechanics. There was so much to see and do with new enemies, power-ups and clever missions, and I couldn't wait to get to area two. And of course, seeing N64 models of more modern, and even classic Mario series elements, like F.L.U.D.D., Octoombas, Fuzzies, and the classic Fire Flower, was so charming. Adaptations of these objects into the SM64 engine are fascinating to say the least, and did not get old as I went through the whole game. As I continued to reach new hub world areas, and by extension new courses, I only saw more that impressed me. I had some rising concerns regarding gameplay in those new places, but I'll discuss that later. What matters now is that the further I got in the game, the more beautiful and creative it got. Entering courses like Colossal Circuits and Rainbow Road only solidified my view of Last Impact as the best that SM64 has ever looked - in vanilla or in fan-made hacks. And some courses had missions involving puzzle solving and platforming within large indoor areas similar to temples you would see in games like Zelda - shout out to the Water Temple and Time-Travel Temple missions that obviously took inspiration from that favorite adventure series of mine.There was also the minigame house in area one, which had three unlockable games to find in later courses. These games acted as really fun and well-programmed off-shoots from the usual gameplay, and reminded me a lot of what you would find in Mario Party - one of the games is actually from Mario Party 2, in fact. Also, house itself seems to be the only thing in the whole game that is cel-shaded. I though that was weird, but perhaps it makes something that large sprouting out of the ground look more natural or something. I actually kind of hope Kaze makes a hack or something that is entirely cel-shaded like that. It looks really neat.I noticed a bit of a trend in the atmosphere of the courses, and that was their repeatedly darker style, as compared to SM64's courses, the majority of which felt like happier, more pleasant locales. Yes, there is a lot of upbeat stuff going on - you'll come across funny moments like this , and moments of heart-warming nostalgia, like this - but to be sure, the majority of Last Impact's courses, and its ongoing plot, are notably darker than in the game it was built from. Some courses have clearly more brooding or serious atmospheres, like Dusky Doomed Dale, with citizens partaking in an ongoing vengeful witch hunt, and Mario getting jailed in one mission. Others like Big Beast's Belly or Livid Surreal Dream are just plain creepy, and unsettling to traverse. Even something like Stonesnake Shatters, which is rather sunny, and visually welcoming, leads you to a final mission, where terrified Bob-Omb Buddy researchers are spouting their terrified regrets for ever starting their expedition there, after awakening an angry spirit. Needless to say, I love the new courses, but seeing that they mostly kept to Last Impact's generally darker themes is consistent, and appreciated.Music, if you know me, is a big factor for any game. If you have a solid soundtrack that truly enhances your intended atmosphere, you have done right to your audience, and Last impact has done just that. The soundtrack, both in its use of N64 versions of other games' tracks, and brand new songs, is awesome. My favorite original track in the game is likely the theme of Colossal Circuits, as it is a detailed and fitting track for a difficult and intense-looking course. My favorite use of an existing song from another game would be a tie. "Fawful Castle Interior" fromis used in Big Beast's Belly, and the "Shadow Queen Battle" theme fromwas used in the Dark Mario fight at the Shadow Factory. Both are really great tunes, remixed to sound like they are made specifically for N64 hardware, and they act as backing for solid moments in the game that fit them perfectly. I appreciate the work the music team put into this whole soundtrack, and I hope to hear more from them at a later time.The bosses in Last Impact are an interesting subject, as some are less than fabulously designed, mechanics-wise, but I fear changing them would take away from their really cool visual styles. Perhaps it is best to start with some examples of the not-so-good ones, and work upwards from there. I distinctly recall the great difficulty in the fight against the Giant Spider, due to its very small windows of vulnerability, and an equally small hitbox. This also applied to Kamek and, to a slightly more reasonable level, Dark Mario (I still really liked that fight). The Giant Spider was the only fight I outright did not enjoy, and yet I must commend the design of it and every other boss. These are all totally original bosses with creative, detailed models and new mechanics, and while some are a bit finicky with SM64's sometimes problematic controls, they are well worth fighting again. I wish there was some sort of boss rush, because that would likely end up being my favorite part of Last Impact. Whether fast-paced like Dark Mario, somewhat strategic like the Ancient Attacker, or crazy large-scale like Kurma Koopa, the bosses are solid, and (almost) always a fair challenge. And as for the final boss... well, I'll just say that the second half is really awesome, and leave it at that. As a side note, his relevance to the plot is not really important. I would comment on the story itself, but like SM64, it is not really very important, or interesting, so I don't think I will bother.The new power-ups - of which, there more than 10 - are another thing that blew me away. The later courses made good use of these newly added items, even if it was only for a mission or two. Harried Honey Hive remains perhaps my favorite course, mostly due to its structure and fair challenge, but also because of its use of the Bee Mushroom. The controls of Bee Mario were perfect. No question. The race, platforming challenge, and red coin collection you do as Bee Mario present well-rounded and challenging uses for the Mushroom. Another great one was the Spider Mushroom. It was only used for a single mission, but boy was I amazed by it. Such a clever way to use the game's climbing controls, in a very appropriate environment. There are other great ones, like the Cloud Mushrooms, and of course, a fully functional Yoshi, but you really have to play with them all yourself to fully appreciate them for what they are. I must say, though, the fact that so many of them are rather alienated to only a few missions, or even just a single one, loses Last Impact some points.Now, again, I hate to rag on such an achievement of fan-made material, but ignoring the obvious faults here is impossible, especially if you play straight to the end of Last Impact. It also would feel unfair to not only potential players reading this, but also Kaze, who deserves fair and detailed responses to this project. The difficulty seems to be the first and biggest thing people bring up when criticizing the game, and for good reason. This is NOT an easy game. Not remotely. The early stages are deceptively reasonable, and then the difficulty curve ramps up monstrously once you reach the second area of the hub world, the ruined town. Back when Kaze was releasing previews of the hack's various courses, he commented this in reply to a question about the game's difficulty:Much later, Kaze's original release video specifically says, in the description:a low amount of struggle".Let's break down what really makes up the difficulty in this game. The most notable issues that constantly rear their ugly heads in Last Impact are threefold: the camera, insta-deaths and slopes, and the maximum of 6 health points.While not a huge concern at the start of the game, the camera soon became one of the worst things to deal with for the rest of Last Impact. There are a lot of tight spaces, VERY precise jumps, and crowded locales in the game, again, particularly in stages after Course 5. As I mentioned earlier, fair and, honestly, enjoyable gameplay is too readily being sacrificed for aesthetics, in that too many pretty objects, or the stylistic placement of those objects, gets in your way. This leads to a lot of cumbersome shifting of the camera to be EXACTLY where you need it. A repeating problem was getting to places where the camera is low down and behind Mario while going through a tight space, only to exit that space, and immediately fall off a ledge into a death pit, or land on some completely unexpected hazard, before even seeing either. The problem with anything built from an old game is having to deal with that game's dated problems, and Last Impact, while improving things somewhat, is no different. The controls remain the same, and for the most part, just took a bit of getting used to before I had full reign over the mostly fluid movements, but more on controls in a moment. The point is that, while those controls remain rather tight, they rely on the inherited awkward camera being in a good place for you to go where you want to. Depth-perception is not great in SM64, and the glitchy shadows often leave you guessing where you are mid-jump, so the camera being in rather awkward positions at any one time only piles on the scariness of MANY jumps in more dangerous stages. Don't get me wrong. I've seen people comment that the camera is used better in this hack than in any other they've seen (all hail being able to re-center the camera behind Mario), so kudos for that, but that does not mean it is perfect. I know there is only so much you can do to improve existing mechanics like camera controls, but that just means you need to tailor your game to that, and create levels that will not NEED a significantly better camera - i.e., not as many tiny spaces and awkward visual angles.Now having to deal with a finicky camera is not the biggest deal, should the biggest danger be enemies, or merely falling to a spot that requires you to retry your last jump. The problem is that Last Impact is no stranger to our second big difficulty enhancer: instant death. Half of levels in the game - mostly later ones - suffer from the same problems fans of SM64 had with the Rainbow Ride stage. Prime example, ironically: Rainbow Road.Notice anything? Or rather, NOT notice anything? Like, say, FLOORS? I hate to say it, but I almost guarantee this was NOT Kaze's first attempt at recording a deathless preview of Rainbow Road. I have watched a speedrunner play this level, and voice the same criticisms as I did at how it plays, so needless to say, he is making it look far easier than it is. The only levels with an sort of checkpoints in the game are, if I recall, Bowser's Fiery Castle, the Shadow Factory, and the Moon Cellar (once you open the elevator). This means that there are many missions, and especially 100-coin star missions, where you will have to traverse section after section of levels like this without failing a single jump, or you will fall to a death zone and have to start all over. This is a major risk, as MANY stages have areas that require you to landon top of platforms - due to the recurring issue of slopes, grabbing ledges is often not an option, so you must land right on top the first time. Once again, aesthetics get in the way - this time in the biggest way. While I really appreciate the looks of icy ledges, realistically rounded mountains, and creatively designed structures, getting well into a level, only to make an absurd jump and slide right off a sloped edge, is extremely disheartening, and make your health bar feel meaningless when getting hurt will very likely bounce you right off the edge of whatever you are currently standing on. Some of these instances were fixed up in the early patch, but the problem is still rampant.On the note of your health bar, when you are actually on solid ground, the 6-health-point maximum presents an issue of its own - not quite as problematic, but still frustrating. It does not sound like much of a problem, right? SM64 had only 2 more HP than that, so what is the big issue? Well, there are numerous pits of lava, spikes, enemies and more in most maps, that knock off 3 HP at once. Not to mention long falls, and high flips and wall-jumps that, if failed, will drop you a distance that knocks off 2 HP. You would be surprised how much a difference there is in being able to take even one more hit before dying, especially in Last Impact's case. This has been a change from the vanilla game since the beginning of Kaze's work on Last Impact, but I cannot say it was the best direction to go in, especially given the great difficulty that arose in courses that came later in development.I really, REALLY want to give Last Impact that lovely 8/10, but I just can't. It is so BEAUTIFUL, it functions as well as the game it was built from, and no matter the stage, Kaze Emanuar has implemented star missions that I saw and constantly shouted "OMG THAT'S SO COOL! I LOVE IT!" But sadly, by the end of the game - heck,the end of the game - I was not having fun. Straight up. I was having a bad time. The trouble is, Kaze has presented a bit of a difficult situation for big SM64 fans like me that want to get every star. We see the amazing new worlds, we hear about the awesome new power-ups, we hear the great new music - and yet, he says not to go looking for everything, as it will likely be too hard. And he is not wrong. I could barely get enough stars to get to the final boss. I stopped at 106 stars after realizing that I had seen basically everything the game had to offer, and since getting every star gives you no extra ending or special reward, it was not worth the great frustration of getting the last 24. The difficulty due to poor design becomes more prominent as stages become more intricate and visually detailed, and it largely takes away from the overall experience.In the end, this was not at all a waste of time. I am elated that Kaze and his team has created this game. They have put together arguably the best SM64 hack ever, and I am so glad I played it. I am simply very disappointing that so much of it was designed in such a frustrating way. Again, fan-hacks can only fix so much, but designing something to properly fit with those constraints is key, and I think a lot of the game failed in that aspect.Either way, congratulations to Kaze and his team. Keep up the hacks, friend. You have made an amazing one, and I personally look forward to seeing your next one. Thank you for kindly accepting the criticisms of myself and others, as readily as the well-deserved praise. And thanks a ton for your hard work on this game, man.