Super Mario 64: Star Road is but one of the many hacks created for Super Mario 64, a game released back in 1996, and considered the quintessential game to own for the Nintendo 64 game console. What makes Star Road so special, however, is the immense amount of quality it possesses in contrast to other released hacks for Super Mario 64. Star Road is by far a masterpiece in and of itself, showing a tremendous amount of craftsmanship and passion poured right into it, and it really, really shows.
The gameplay in Star Road starts off immediately, with Mario standing in a gazebo, ready to go run about and jump around in what would normally be Peach's castle courtyard, right off the bat. There is no long introduction cut scene or speech bubbles to sort through, and the player is able to run off freely to the first level. As soon as the game starts, and the player looks around, is when the player will get an idea as to just how new and how large the Star Road hack is going to be. The very first thing you notice is the brand new court yard, brand new castle and environment, and a nice Yoshi next to the player to talk to. Yoshi explains the story of how Bowser has discovered access to the Star Road and its gateways throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser begins sending troops through these gateways, and it is up to Mario to stop him. Bowser has once again locked all the doors through out the castle, and Mario needs to use the power of the Power Stars to open them and reach Bowser. The Power Stars are all hidden away in each of the levels and around the castle.
You get a feel for how the gameplay works as soon as you are done speaking to Yoshi, running around and jumping just as you would in Super Mario 64. After getting a good feel for the game mechanics, you are ready to enter your first level, and then the real game begins. The levels and environments in Super Mario 64: Star Road well exceed anything you could expect from any Super Mario 64 hack, and even that sounds like an understatement. Levels are very large in size, and have many places to explore, and all carry seven objectives for Mario to complete in order to earn Power Stars. The levels are nothing short of astounding, being large and spacious, and not to mention well detailed. The level design often feels reminiscent of Mario Galaxy with their vibrancy and size, while still remaining subtle and classic enough to feel like you are still playing Super Mario 64 back in '96. Star Road honestly feels and handles like it was professionally made, and has the looks to match.
The music in Super Mario 64: Star Road just adds on to how wonderful the experience and atmosphere is. All the music is brand new, not one song from the original Super Mario 64 can be heard. The music contains remixes from various other Nintendo titles, all being very high quality and blending in with the levels near flawlessly. The remixes themselves all sound wonderful as stand alone tracks, and all really help boost the atmosphere of this game and its given levels. Other sound effects used in the game are the same as those you would hear in the original Super Mario 64, from Mario jumping to a Goomba being bounced on.
Unlike most hacks for Super Mario 64, Super Mario 64: Star Road adds a substantial and totally new atmosphere to the game, helping it to feel like a more brand new, and very involving experience. The feeling you get jumping from block to block like in a classic Super Mario Bros. title while still in the world of Super Mario 64 simply cannot be described. The music also really helps boost the atmosphere and theme of each level. The over all tone of the game and its levels is very welcoming, and a very fresh take on Super Mario 64.
The overall depth of Super Mario 64: Star Road is where this game really shines through. Where as the original game had 120 stars for Mario to collect, this hack carries even more than that within it. In other words, this hack is larger than the game it is a hack of! The levels in this game are all enormous and wide, with many areas to explore and check out. The levels are incredibly spacious to allow the player to wonder about freely, and offer many challenges to complete and many secrets to look for. The majority of the levels in Star Road are larger than the levels found in the original Super Mario 64. The levels in Star Road are also much wider, and much more friendly to the free roaming properties. Not to mention that the levels are also much more complex while still retaining their enormousness. There are new and modified enemies, objects, and details, along with new music and levels over all.
Super Mario 64: Star Road is one massive and wonderful experience, over all. Star Road is especially large in comparison to the game it was originally hacked from, which says a whole lot in the craftsmanship and creation of the hack, as well how amazing it is. This hack is a must play for any Super Mario 64 fan, or any Mario fan, or just any fan of good platforming games! The visuals are astounding and awe inspiring, the music and sound are fantastic, and the gameplay is fluent, fun, and addictive.

So here is the run down for Star Road:

Graphics: 10/10
The visuals in Super Mario 64: Star Road are marvelous, and stand out as one of the hack's major strong points. With brand new textures and more colorful layouts, the look and feel of this game are bound to leave players speechless. The game is beautifully rendered and the vibrant levels and wonderful detail do their best to show it. The player may still find themselves starring at the levels blankly at how amazing and detailed they look half way through the game. The graphics in this game work wonderfully to create the atmosphere and tone of each level, making every level a wonderful and fresh experience. It is near impossible to not be blown away by how wonderful this game looks.

Sound: 9/10
The music in Super Mario 64: Star Road is absolutely stunning. The remixed songs all sound wonderful, and for the most part, fit in perfectly with the level being played. However, there are times where the music doesn't quite sit right with the level, making the music seem somewhat out of place. However, this does not happen often, nor is it noticeable enough to really stand out or hurt the atmosphere of the level. However, again, for the most part the music is absolutely wonderful, and fits in with each level properly, and really adds on to the tone of the level you are playing. Other than the music in the game, all the original sounds heard in the Super Mario 64 are still present and used, and still fit really well with the gameplay and tone of the game. Mario still shouts a triumphant "Ya-hooo!" as he long jumps, and every bit just as in sync as the original.

Addictiveness: 10/10
Super Mario 64: Star Road is insanely hard to put down. This game is not only fun, but just so well made and so enveloping that you just can't easily quit on it. The game is vast and has much to explore, and is over all just so beautiful and so rewarding that you can't help but continue on. Prepare to spend hours playing this game and exploring each area freely.

Story: 9/10
Super Mario 64: Star Road's story is very good, and totally new. This game does not at all share the same story within the original Super Mario 64, and instead takes a totally fresh approach to the story. Instead of the "Bowser Kidnaps Peach for Mario to valiantly save her" plot, this hack comes up with a brand new, and original story line. Bowser gains access to Star Road, a place over the Mushroom Kingdom with many doorways into various places within the kingdom. With access to the Star Road and its gateways, Bowser sends his troops through the openings and to wreck havoc within the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario must once again use Power Stars to his advantage to reach Bowser and defeat him to keep him and his troops from doing any further damage to the kingdom. The story is fresh, and a very welcome change up to what can be expected from a Mario title, though bares similar elements to Paper Mario 64.


Depth: 10/10
Super Mario 64: Star Road is actually much larger than Super Mario 64, which is the game it was created from. Star Road almost completely alters it to the point where it is an entirely new game. Needless to say, the depth is undoubtedly a perfect 10 out of 10. The levels are immense, detailed, and spacious, and have much to explore and see while still being able to freely roam about at whim. There are more stars to collect, more things to do, and more places to check out and roam through. Add on top of that the brand new enemies, objects, and music to take into account with all the other brand new texture work and graphics thrown into the game, and you get one massive play-through all the while still being a hack. This hack feels like an entirely brand new game, while still retaining the classic feel and nostalgia from Super Mario 64. This hack nearly defines what depth means in a game.

Difficulty: 7/10
Super Mario 64: Star Road is fairly difficult at times and fairly easy at others. You may find yourself making many savestates through out some levels, while other levels may be somewhat easy and complete able without much assistance. There are levels that are presented in a more cautious manner, where well timed jumping and platforming will be put to the test. The difficulty rarely exceeds the frustrating mark, nor leaves you wanting more in your experience. The difficulty is fair through out, and distributed evenly.

Overall: 9.7/10
Super Mario 64: Star Road is, all in all, a masterpiece. No words can really do it any more justice than that. The game is huge, exciting, addicting, and beautiful. It will be something worth coming back to over and over again, and always worth a nice play through. The game is just simply too astounding for words to describe, and there aren't many experiences quite like it, nor hacks quite as expertly made. Star Road is professionally made, well crafted, and an absolute quality piece. This game is a highly recommended play-through, and will be absolutely worth it to those playing, especially if they are fans of the original Super Mario 64, and wish to add on to that experience.



Other Notes: Despite having not finished this game yet, I can easily say that Super Mario 64: Star Road is, without a doubt, an amazing game experience. However, Star Road is not without its flaws. Much like the original Super Mario 64, this hack carries quite a few glitches that will show up pretty often. The glitches are typically quite miner, and won't do much, but some can hinder gameplay and level progress in major ways. While I don't find these glitches often enough to hurt the scoring of this game, I do find that the glitches are worth mentioning in that they can, and will lead to some frustrating deaths or occurrences. Savestates are advised to be used often through out this game and its levels, as the levels are very large, and some bugs are quite prevalent through out them. So just be warned and prepared, and save often.