SUPER MARIO 64 / WALKTHROUGH

Castle progression and Bowser gates

Understand the star doors, keys and extra requirements on a normal route to the ending.

Story and late-game spoilers.

Edition covered

Original Nintendo 64 game with 120 Power Stars; not Super Mario 64 DS.

Normal castle progression
Requirement	What it opens
8 stars	First Bowser course
First Bowser key	Basement
30 stars + Board Bowser’s Sub	Second Bowser course
Second Bowser key	Upper floors
50 stars	Upper star door
70 stars	Final Bowser approach

Start with accessible courses

Mario taking aim at a bridge with a cannon — Super Mario 64 — Mario taking aim at a bridge with a cannon — scene captured from the original game.

Bob-omb Battlefield introduces the open course structure, while Whomp’s Fortress and nearby rooms offer more early stars. You do not need to finish every mission in one course before visiting another. If a star needs an unopened cap switch, mark it for later and collect another accessible objective.

Earn the first key

Mario vs. Bowser — Super Mario 64 — Mario vs. Bowser — scene captured from the original game.

Eight stars open the first Bowser course. Complete its platforming route and defeat Bowser to obtain the basement key. Red coins in Bowser courses provide separate stars; collecting their star is not the same thing as winning the boss battle and receiving its key.

Open the second Bowser route

Mario in Bowser in the Fire Sea — Super Mario 64 — Mario in Bowser in the Fire Sea — scene captured from the original game.

Thirty stars are part of the next gate, but the first Dire, Dire Docks star also matters. Complete “Board Bowser’s Sub” to move the entrance and reveal the second Bowser course. If you have enough stars but cannot find the route, check this mission rather than collecting random additional stars.

Reach the upper floors

Mario gets a Power Star — Super Mario 64 — Mario gets a Power Star — scene captured from the original game.

The second key opens the upper part of the castle. Fifty stars open the large upstairs star door, and 70 stars remove the endless-staircase barrier to the final Bowser course. The standard game does not require all 120 stars for the ending.

Practise Bowser throws deliberately

Approach the tail from behind, grab it and aim the throw toward a bomb at the arena edge. Release based on alignment rather than spinning faster without a target. Later fights add hazards, so focus first on staying on the platform and finding a safe opportunity to grab.

Star doors and Bowser’s stages

Needs	Where	Opens
8 stars	Main hall	Bowser in the Dark World
Basement key	Main hall	The basement: Hazy Maze Cave, Lethal Lava Land, Shifting Sand Land
30 stars	Basement	Dire, Dire Docks, and later Bowser in the Fire Sea
Second key	Main hall, top of the stairs	The second floor: Snowman’s Land, Wet-Dry World, Tall, Tall Mountain, Tiny-Huge Island
50 stars	Second floor	The third floor: Tick Tock Clock, Rainbow Ride
70 stars	Third floor	The endless stairs to Bowser in the Sky

Bowser in the Dark World, drawn from the game’s level data

Bowser in the Dark WorldBowser: one throw · Basement key

Bowser in the Fire Sea, drawn from the game’s level data

Bowser in the Fire SeaBowser: one throw · Key to the upper floors

Bowser in the Sky, drawn from the game’s level data

Bowser in the SkyBowser: three throws · Princess Peach and the ending

All courses and where their paintings are · How to beat Bowser

Pictures made from the Super Mario 64 (USA) game data: characters, enemies and items are drawn from their own 3D models, posed with a frame of one of their own animations; courses are drawn from their level geometry with their objects in front of their own sky. They are rendered without the game’s fog, shadows or moving water textures, so they look a little cleaner than on the console.

References