Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 19: Secrets, Wigglers, and a Vanishing Star

Game: Super Mario 64 Randomizer
Platform: Steam Deck
Format: No Commentary

Video: Returning to Tiny-Huge Island to defeat Wiggler, clear the Five Itty Bitty Secrets, race Koopa the Quick, and attempt the Piranha Plant star (no commentary)

Back to the Island

It was time to head back to Tiny-Huge Island. By this point I was starting to get used to the slightly unpredictable nature of the entrance. Sometimes I would spawn on the tiny island, sometimes on the huge one. It seemed random enough that I stopped worrying about it and simply used the opportunity to learn the layout properly, especially the pipes that allow you to switch between the two versions of the island.

I have to admit I appreciate how those pipes are contained entirely within this level. Given that reaching the Wing Cap stage in this seed requires a detour through Hazy Maze Cave, having something straightforward for a change felt like a welcome break.

Taking the Easy Win

My original plan was to start by collecting the Five Itty Bitty Secrets, but once I was inside the level I realised I had a chance to deal with Wiggler first. It’s one of those stars that rarely causes trouble once you reach it, so it felt like a quick and easy one to tick off the list.

Sure enough, the fight went exactly as expected. A few well-timed jumps later and the star was mine without any real drama.

Secrets Found

After that I turned my attention back to the Five Itty Bitty Secrets. With the locations already mapped out from the previous visit, this one didn’t give me any trouble either. It was one of those moments where preparation pays off and the star falls into place quickly.

Naturally, that’s when things started to become a little more complicated.

An Unexpected Race

While trying to plan my route for the next objective, I found myself thinking about the Piranha Plants scattered around the island. There are five of them in total, and I was trying to visualise the best order for dealing with them.

Before I could fully commit to that plan, though, I ran into Koopa the Quick and ended up accepting his rematch. The race itself was closer than I expected. In fact, I’m fairly certain that if he hadn’t nudged me toward the flag near the end, I might have lost that one.

The Piranha Plant Problem

With the race finished, I went back to dealing with the Piranha Plants. It took a few attempts to get all five of them cleared, but eventually the star appeared. As tends to happen in this level, it launched itself to another part of the island rather than landing conveniently nearby.

My solution seemed simple enough. I switched to the tiny island to move closer to where the star had landed, intending to switch back to the huge island once I was in the right position.

That’s where things went wrong.

The Star That Disappeared

When I returned to the huge island, the star was nowhere to be seen. I couldn’t tell whether I had completely forgotten where it landed, somehow managed to miss it while staring right at it, or whether switching between island sizes had caused it to despawn entirely.

I searched the island repeatedly, circling the area far more times than I’d like to admit. Eventually I had to accept that something had gone wrong. Whether it was my memory or the mechanics of the level, the result was the same: the star wasn’t there anymore.

Accepting the Loss

In the end I decided the sensible option was to cut my losses. I exited the course and left Tiny-Huge Island for another visit later. If nothing else, the lesson was clear enough.

Next time I’ll collect the star first before switching between islands.

Continue the Journey

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Log 20 →

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19th Apr 2026 1

Super Mario 74: A Survivor’s Journey Log 5 – Azure-Abyss Cleared

Super Mario 74 – Log 5: Azure Abyss Cleared

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Original Edition
Rules: No savestates (except between entries)
Format: No Commentary

Video: Azure Abyss red coins, 100-coin star, Metal Cap puzzle, and Wall of Failure attempts (no commentary)

Back to Azure Abyss, and straight into what I knew was going to be a longer task — the red coins, or Red Treasure Hunt as this one is called, along with the 100-coin star on top of it. The layout of this course makes it awkward to rush anything. It’s deeper than it first looks, and the last thing I wanted was to be scrambling for air because I got careless. So I took it slower, moving between the land sections and the underwater routes, trying to keep things controlled rather than efficient.

Somewhere along the way I realised my swimming had improved without me really noticing. I’m not about to claim anything close to speedrunner level, but there was a rhythm to it that I don’t remember having before. Funny how that happens just by playing more. It made the coin collection smoother, even if it didn’t make it any shorter.

The red coin star itself sits safely above the water, which helps, but by the time I had all eight coins I was still short on the total. That’s when it turned into a bit of a hunt. I hit 97 coins and started running out of places to check. I didn’t want to spend more time swimming if I could avoid it, so I went after one of the flying enemies, hoping it would drop what I needed. It dropped two coins. 99. Close enough to be frustrating.

I eventually tracked down the final coin, though it took longer than it should have, and with that both the red coin star and the 100-coin star were done. Not difficult, just drawn out enough to make every mistake feel like wasted time.

Next was Heavy Metal Required, and the name doesn’t leave much to guess. I needed the Metal Cap. I’ve seen this done without it, but I’m not interested in making things harder than they need to be, so I stuck with the intended route. With the cap active, I could sink properly underwater and push the purple switch, which brought out the timed blocks.

Everything felt fine at first. The jumps were clean, the timing felt right, and then right at the end I walked straight off the final block. No complicated mistake, no bad angle, just walked off. The second attempt went the way the first one should have, and the star was mine without any further issues.

That left one final star in the course: Wall of Failure. The name fits. I knew exactly what I needed to do — get onto the platform, long jump, grab the ledge — and in theory it’s simpler than the alternative route. In practice, it took far longer than it should have. I lost count of the attempts. Too much distance, not enough distance, missing the ledge entirely, every variation you can think of showed up at least once.

When it finally worked, it wasn’t clean or dramatic, it just… worked. Mario grabbed the ledge, pulled himself up, and the star was there. That was Azure Abyss done.

Even with the course complete, I’m still two stars short of opening the next star door in this area. That means next time I’ll be heading through the double doors instead. I already have the key from Bowser, so it’s time to open up more of the castle and see what else this hack has waiting.

Continue the Journey

Previous Entry:
Super Mario 74 – Log 4

Next Entry:
Super Mario 74 – Log 6

Super Mario 74 Hub:
Super Mario 74 – A Survivor’s Journey

16th Apr 2026 1

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 18: Clearing the Battlefield and Finding the Missing Course

Game: Super Mario 64 Randomizer
Platform: Steam Deck
Format: No Commentary

Video: Finishing Bob-Omb Battlefield with the 100-coin and red coin stars before discovering Tiny-Huge Island hidden in an unexpected place (no commentary)

One Last Trip to the Battlefield

Much like with Shifting Sand Land before it, the time had come to finish up Bob-Omb Battlefield. I didn’t go in with any particular plan other than knowing there were three stars left to collect here. My thinking was simple enough: whichever of the two main stars I managed to grab first would decide what the next objective would be.

During the process I finally discovered where the Bob-Omb who opens the cannons had been hiding. After all that searching in the previous visit, I now had access to the cannons in the level. A little late perhaps, but still useful to have available.

Flying Through the Battlefield

I decided to aim for the fifth star first. In a normal run this is the one where you fly through the rings of coins, but here the areas were scattered around the map. Fortunately they weren’t too difficult to locate. I made a brief stop on the floating island to collect the final ring and, while I was there, took note of where a few red coins were sitting.

My earlier instinct turned out to be correct. The Wing Cap was going to be necessary to reach them.

Collecting that star brought my total up to ninety stars, which meant I had officially reached three quarters of the total needed for the run. With that milestone in place, I headed back in to deal with the remaining stars.

Coins Before Red Coins

The next task was the red coin star, but before chasing those I decided to tackle the 100-coin star. The reason was simple: wherever the hundredth coin is collected, that’s where the star appears. I didn’t want to risk it spawning high in the air where I would be forced to grab it using the Wing Cap.

I was already planning to use the Wing Cap for the red coins anyway, but this approach meant I could control where the star appeared and keep things simple. It also gave me some extra flight practice. Between the Wing Cap switch course and another red coin stage still ahead, I figured any extra time getting used to the controls would help.

Thankfully the plan worked out cleanly. I gathered the coins I needed, secured the 100-coin star, and then collected the red coins without too much trouble. With those done, Bob-Omb Battlefield was finally complete.

Looking for What I Missed

With the battlefield cleared, the next step was to start checking areas I either hadn’t visited yet or wasn’t entirely sure I had explored properly. I knew there were two entrances upstairs that still needed investigating, but before heading there I decided to check somewhere else first.

The area where Bowser in the Dark World normally sits.

When I jumped in, the answer to the missing course mystery finally revealed itself. The stage waiting there was Tiny-Huge Island.

A Rough Welcome

My first attempt didn’t last very long. The level gave me a fairly direct welcome by ejecting me from the stage almost immediately. The second attempt went better, though, and I managed to grab one of the stars before things got out of hand.

Something else I noticed fairly quickly was that spawning into the stage isn’t consistent. Sometimes I appeared on the tiny island, other times on the huge version. My assumption is that it’s a fifty-fifty chance, although I seemed to land on the huge island more often than the small one during this session.

Mapping the Island

Progress in the level was limited this time around, but it wasn’t completely unproductive. I managed to locate where the five itty-bitty secrets are positioned and also identified the areas where the Piranha Plants can spawn. Even if I didn’t collect many stars here yet, having that information will make the next visit far more efficient.

The Goal Gets Closer

With Bob-Omb Battlefield finished and one more star collected from Tiny-Huge Island, the run now sits at ninety-three stars. Each entry brings the end goal closer, and the castle is slowly running out of places to hide the remaining ones.

Continue the Journey

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Log 19 →

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12th Apr 2026 1

Super Mario 74: A Survivor’s Journey Log 4 – Toxic Stars & Unexpected Progress

Super Mario 74 – Log 4: Toxic Stars & Unexpected Progress

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Original Edition
Rules: No savestates (except between entries)
Format: No Commentary

Video: Metal Cap switch course cleared, Toxic-Switch of Danger stars, and first stars in Azure-Abyss (no commentary)

With Bowser beaten, I could have moved straight into the next area, but there were still a couple of places left in this overworld that I hadn’t touched yet. One of them was the pipe leading to the Metal Cap course, Toxic-Switch of Danger. Technically I could have gone here right at the start of the hack, but I wanted to give myself a bit of a warm-up first. I remembered this level having toxic gas everywhere, and the only way to move through it safely is with the Metal Cap, which meant I already knew this was going to be one of those courses where you either stay calm and get through it, or you rush and fall straight into a hole.

There are five stars in this course, so I decided I might as well deal with all of them while I was here. Like before, I’m using the names from the wiki since the game itself doesn’t show them, and the first thing I did was go for the easier ones before even activating the switch. The first star, The Correct Hole, looks like a trap at first. The level is full of bottomless pits, and one of them has a coin floating over it, which usually means you shouldn’t trust it. This time though, it actually was the right one. I dropped down, grabbed the coin, and came out with the star without any problems, which was a good sign considering how this level is supposed to go.

The next star, Behind the Switch, is exactly where the name says. It sits in a small alcove directly behind the Metal Cap switch itself, which makes it easy to miss if you don’t know it’s there, but also one of the simplest stars in the course once you do. With those two done, there wasn’t really any reason to avoid it anymore, so I activated the switch and made the Metal Cap blocks active, including the one inside this level that I was about to be using a lot more than I expected.

Pillar Jumping was next, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. I went for a long jump to the pillar and followed it with a wall kick to grab the ledge. Apparently the intended way is to triple jump, but the long jump and wall kick worked for me, so I stuck with that rather than trying to be clever. One more jump after that and the star was mine, which left the two I remembered giving me trouble years ago.

Toxic Wall Kicks was the one I had been thinking about before I even entered the course. Back when I first played this hack, this star caused me more problems than I care to remember, and part of the reason I didn’t come here first this time was because I didn’t want to get stuck on it straight away. Somehow though, this time it just worked. One attempt, no panic, no missed jumps, and the star was collected before I really had time to expect anything to go wrong.

That only left the red coins, and that’s where the level finally decided to push back a little. The first attempt ended almost immediately when I misjudged a jump for the very first coin and dropped straight into a hole. Second attempt went much better. The coins are scattered across small platforms and narrow ledges, and a few of them hang just far enough over pits to make you think twice before jumping. Most of them came together without much trouble, but the last one slowed me down. To reach it I had to land on a small platform, then jump to another even smaller one, and every time I thought I had the angle right, Mario would come up just short or drift a little too far. That meant more trips back to the Metal Cap block, because I wasn’t about to risk running out of time in the gas while trying to fix my own mistakes. Eventually the jump worked, the last coin was collected, and with it the final star of the course.

Finishing that level with less trouble than I remembered honestly surprised me, so instead of stopping there I decided to keep going and head straight into Course 3, Azure Abyss. For some reason I had it in my head that this level had a lighthouse and was much darker than it actually is, which makes me think I’m mixing it up with another hack, but once I got inside it was clear I wasn’t remembering it quite right.

The Deepest Dive was the first star, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Straight into the water, swim down to the bottom, grab the star, done. Cave Exploration was similar, but this time with a hidden passage to find before the star shows up. Once I spotted the opening it didn’t take long, and by that point I was already thinking about whether I should go for one more before stopping.

I decided on Pillars of Precision, which thankfully didn’t involve another long swim, just a short dive into a cave with three narrow pillars waiting at the end. I fully expected to miss at least one jump and have to repeat the whole thing, but somehow everything lined up perfectly and the star was collected on the first try. That was the point where I stopped and just sat there for a moment wondering what was going on, because years ago this hack gave me serious trouble, and now I had just cleared the Metal Cap course and taken three stars from the next level without much resistance at all.

I’m not going to get overconfident. I know this hack well enough to know it will push back sooner or later. But for now, I can honestly say I’m having a blast playing this again, and I don’t remember the last time I got through this much of Super Mario 74 without feeling like the game was trying to throw me out of the castle.

Continue the Journey

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Super Mario 74 – Log 3

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Super Mario 74 – Log 5

Super Mario 74 Hub:

Super Mario 74 – A Survivor’s Journey

5th Apr 2026 1

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 17: Quicksand Flights and a Missing Bob-Omb

Game: Super Mario 64 Randomizer
Platform: Steam Deck
Format: No Commentary

Video: Red coin hunt in Shifting Sand Land, risky Wing Cap flights over quicksand, the 100-coin star inside the pyramid, and Bob-Omb Battlefield exploration (no commentary)

Choosing the Right Star

With only two stars left in Shifting Sand Land, I knew exactly which one I wanted selected on the menu screen: In the Talons of the Big Bird. The logic behind that choice was simple. The bird only bothers you once the star is loose. If it’s already holding the star, it tends to keep to its usual route and leaves you alone. That meant I could focus on everything else in the level without worrying about being harassed mid-jump.

Naturally, I forgot to do that as, because the star I actually selected to tackle was the red coin star. So I was already off to a fantastic start.

Two Coins Missing

The real problem was that I didn’t know where two of the red coins were. On previous visits I had already located six of them, which meant the final pair had to be somewhere I had overlooked. As soon as I entered the course, though, I spotted them. Both coins were hovering near the platforms above the quicksand.

Close enough to see clearly, but not close enough that I could simply grab the edge of a platform and hang down to collect them. The moment I saw their position, it was obvious this was going to require a slightly more creative solution.

The Wing Cap Gamble

I ran through the possible options and quickly came to the conclusion that there really was only one way to do this. The Wing Cap. I would have to fly low enough to clip the coins, but still high enough to avoid landing in the quicksand beneath them. The margin for error wasn’t exactly generous.

While moving around the level, I also discovered something I hadn’t noticed before. Standing under the tree triggers a warp that takes you over near the cannon area. Useful information, but it also strips away the Wing Cap, which makes it less helpful for what I needed right now. So I warped back and prepared for the flight.

The first coin went surprisingly smoothly. I lined up my approach, dipped just low enough to grab it, and then pulled away before gravity could do anything unpleasant. The second coin was a little more nerve-wracking. I clipped it successfully, but my landing was low enough that if Mario had touched down in the wrong place, he would have been swallowed by the quicksand immediately.

Thankfully that didn’t happen. One more short flight later, the red coin star appeared.

The Bird Gets Involved

Of course, the big bird still managed to make itself part of the situation. On one of its passes it snatched my hat, which meant I had to wait for it to circle back so I could give it a well-timed boot and reclaim it. Hat recovered, star collected, and one more problem solved.

The 100-Coin Question

That left the 100-coin star. I wasn’t completely sure how many coins I would need before entering the pyramid, so I started with the Pokey enemies. Each segment drops a blue coin, which meant twenty coins almost immediately. A good start.

During this process I also discovered something else: there’s a green shell in this level. That would have been incredibly useful information before I started performing aerial gymnastics over quicksand, but at least I know about it now.

Once I felt confident that my coin total was high enough, I entered the pyramid and gathered the remaining coins needed to push the total to one hundred. With the star secured, Shifting Sand Land was finally complete.

Since the course itself was finished, there wasn’t much reason to grab another star inside the pyramid. I exited the level and turned my attention to Bob-Omb Battlefield.

The Missing Cannon Bob-Omb

The next task seemed straightforward: find the Bob-Omb who opens the cannons. In a normal run they’re hard to miss, but the randomizer has a habit of moving things around in ways that make the obvious suddenly harder to locate.

I found the Bob-Omb who tells me I need to find the cannon operator, and I even spoke to him twice just in case he might suddenly decide to help me. No luck.

While searching the level, I did manage to find the star tied to the floating island in the sky. In fact, it was sitting almost directly behind where the normal spawn point for the level would be. That made one more star for the total.

A Detour to the Island

I decided to try one more time to locate the cannon Bob-Omb. I’m not entirely sure I’ll actually need the cannons in this seed, but having them available always feels safer than not having them.

My suspicion was that the Bob-Omb might be on the floating island itself. I wasn’t particularly confident about jumping there, so I grabbed another Wing Cap and flew across instead.

No Bob-Omb waiting for me, but there was another star sitting there. At that point it would have been rude not to collect it.

Closing the Gap

That leaves the run sitting at eighty-nine stars collected, with thirty-one still out there somewhere in the castle. The randomizer has already shuffled enough things around that every familiar level still manages to hold a few surprises.

And somewhere in Bob-Omb Battlefield, there’s still a cannon-opening Bob-Omb that has decided to go missing.

Continue the Journey

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Log 18 →

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5th Apr 2026 1

Super Mario 74: A Survivor’s Journey Log 2 – Skyward Slopes Cleared

Super Mario 74 – Log 2: Skyward Slopes Cleared

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Original Edition
Rules: No savestates (except between entries)
Format: No Commentary

Video: Skyward Slopes stars, red coins, 100-coin star, and first star door unlocked (no commentary)

With Dice-Fortress currently being uncompletable for the moment, the best option was to move on to another course.
There are three available right now, and two of them can be completed without needing anything else, so I did a mental coin toss and chose
Course 2: Skyward Slopes.

The first star is another test of my wall jumping skills: To The Top of the Tower.
To even reach the tower, I need to climb some steep slopes, which I used to think required triple jumps back in the day.
Now I know that holding the jump button while pressing kick lets Mario climb steep slopes without any trouble.

Before heading up, I check the nearby sign which simply says 32.
No explanation, no hint, just the number. I have no idea why, but I’m sure it means something.

After wall jumping up the tower and grabbing the star, it was time for 8 Dangerous Red Coins.
This is where I lost my first life of the run after misjudging a jump.
Most of the coins are either floating in the air or placed dangerously close to edges, so one mistake is all it takes.

The red coins themselves weren’t the real problem though.
The real trouble came while going for the 100-coin star.
As I got closer to the total, I realised I was running out of coins to collect and had a brief moment where I wasn’t sure if I had missed some.
Then I remembered the tower had coins, so after a few more wall jumps I was able to grab enough to collect both the red coin star and the 100-coin star.

Next was The Outer Wall, which surprisingly didn’t give me much trouble at all.
I know this is still early in the hack, so I’m sure things will get harder later,
but past me definitely struggled with these courses more than current me is.

After that came No Time To Waste.
Seeing a purple switch usually means timed blocks, which normally means multiple attempts,
but somehow I managed to get this one first try, which I’m fairly sure would impress past me.

I could have collected Flotation Technology Box during the 100-coin run,
since the blue coins in this course lead straight to it,
but I decided to grab it separately, and it turned out to be another easy star.

The final star was Master of Jumping,
which is actually a bit misleading because the star itself doesn’t involve anything too difficult,
at least not for current me.
Past me might disagree.

With that star collected, Skyward Slopes is complete.
That also means I now have enough stars to open the first star door of the hack,
since that only requires ten.

So by finishing one course,
I’ve just unlocked another one to worry about.

Continue the Journey

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Super Mario 74 – Log 1

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Super Mario 74 – Log 3

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Super Mario 74 – A Survivor’s Journey

2nd Apr 2026 0

Super Mario 74: A Survivor’s Journey Log 3 – Bowser’s Badlands

Super Mario 74 – Log 3: Bowser’s Badlands

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Original Edition
Rules: No savestates (except between entries)
Format: No Commentary

Video: First star door opened, Bowser’s Badlands stars, red coins, and the first Bowser fight (no commentary)

With more than enough stars collected to open the first star door, I decided there was no reason to delay it any longer.
I already knew what waited behind it: Bowser’s Badlands – Battlefield.

This level has a strange quirk where every time you leave with a star, Mario plays the key animation as if you have just unlocked a door.
Since there are four stars here along with the Bowser fight itself, I ended up seeing that animation five times before I was finished.

The first task was reaching the Pink Bob-Omb, which turned out to be the hardest part of the course.
Getting to him requires a triple jump followed by two wall kicks, and for some reason I kept missing the second one.
Either I wasn’t getting enough height, or I wasn’t pulling back on the stick enough, but after a few attempts I finally made it.

With the cannon unlocked, I decided I would collect every star in the level before facing Bowser.
I don’t know if the stars have official names in-game, so I’m using the names listed on the wiki.

The first star was Top of the Starting Tower.
Exactly what it sounds like — the star sits on top of the tower, and the only way to reach it is with the cannon.
I lined the shot up, fired, and somehow hit the perfect angle.
One of those once-in-a-lifetime cannon shots where everything just works.
Straight onto the tower, straight onto the star.

Next was Secret Corner, another cannon shot, this time to reach a hidden area that can only be accessed from above.
Once I landed, a short drop and a kick for momentum was enough to secure the star.

At this point I couldn’t help thinking that past me would be wondering where these skills were years ago.

After that I went for Scaffolding Path.
This one required a slower approach.
I took my time, played the jumps carefully, and worked my way across without rushing.
Star number three collected.

That left Red Coins of the Battlefield.
The coins are scattered all over the course, most of them placed just close enough to edges to make you think twice before jumping.
I half expected the game to leave me inside the level after collecting them,
but instead I was thrown back out again like the other stars.

With the stars finished, it was time to deal with Bowser.

One more cannon shot, a few Bob-Ombs dealt with, then onto the purple switch section with the timed blocks.
I missed the first attempt, but managed it on the second.

Bowser gave his usual speech, mentioned the bombs were set slightly higher this time,
but that didn’t stop me from throwing him straight into one.

The camera did something strange while he handed over the key,
but the result was the same.
First Bowser battle done.

There are still more courses in this area waiting,
but I have to admit, part of me keeps thinking about how much trouble this hack gave me years ago.

I’m playing better now, no question about that.
But I also know this hack well enough to understand something else.

The easy part is over.

Continue the Journey

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Super Mario 74 – Log 2

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Super Mario 74 – Log 4

Super Mario 74 Hub:

Super Mario 74 – A Survivor’s Journey

1st Apr 2026 2

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 16: Lava Tricks and Pyramid Confusion

Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 16: Lava Tricks and Pyramid Confusion

Game: Super Mario 64 Randomizer
Platform: Steam Deck
Format: No Commentary

Video: Lethal Lava Land 100-coin strategy, finishing the course, and a return to Shifting Sand Land where the pyramid behaves nothing like expected (no commentary)

Finishing What I Started

It didn’t feel right leaving Lethal Lava Land unfinished. I knew there had to be a way to collect 100 coins there; I just hadn’t figured it out yet. The problem with the level is that the volcano is always tempting as the backup plan. If I went inside it, I could grab more coins, but there was a catch. The only way to spawn back into the main Lethal Lava Land area from inside the volcano was by collecting a star while I was in there. That meant committing to a route that I wasn’t sure I actually needed.

So instead I stayed outside and started thinking about every possible coin source I might have overlooked. That’s when something came back to me: the eye enemies. If you defeat them, they drop a blue coin worth five regular coins. The trouble was their positioning. They sit in places where making them chase you normally isn’t easy, and you need them to follow you in circles long enough to make them dizzy before they collapse.

Digging Into Old Tricks

I had to dig pretty deep into the memory bank for this one. Eventually something clicked. If Mario takes damage, he gets invincibility frames for a short time. Those frames normally just let you escape danger, but here they could be used as a tool. As long as the damage didn’t come from lava, I could briefly move through enemies without being knocked back again.

That meant I could deliberately take a hit, use the invincibility frames to move straight through the centre of the eye enemy, and effectively force it to follow me while I circled it. It was a messy idea, but it was still an idea. I tried it once, and the eye collapsed into a blue coin. Then I did it again with the second one. Two enemies down, ten coins earned, and suddenly the path to one hundred didn’t feel impossible anymore.

I was already preparing myself for another trip into the volcano to collect the last few coins I needed. But as I moved around the course gathering what remained, the total quietly ticked over to one hundred without me ever having to step inside it. Lethal Lava Land was finally complete, and it felt earned in a way the earlier stars hadn’t quite managed.

Back to the Desert

With that course finished, I felt ready to return to Shifting Sand Land and try to wrap that one up as well. The first target was obvious: the four pillars surrounding the pyramid. I grabbed a Wing Cap, launched into the air, and knocked the tops off each one in quick succession until the pyramid opened.

This is where my brain briefly forgot that I was playing a randomizer. I dropped in through the top entrance of the pyramid expecting the usual descent toward the boss platform. Instead, I landed somewhere completely different and spent a moment wondering if I had misremembered the layout entirely. Eventually I realised what had happened. The randomizer had rearranged things again.

After exploring the interior, I managed to find and grab another star. The pyramid still had more to give, though. I’m fairly sure the 100-coin star is possible in there too, but I’d rather deal with the red coin star first before committing to that kind of scavenger hunt.

Understanding the Pyramid

My next attempt was through the front entrance. This time the familiar descending platform didn’t appear at all. That was the moment the pattern became clear. The platform only descends if I enter from the top opening, something I confirmed on my third trip inside.

That still left the boss room to find. I spent a little time navigating the interior and eventually spotted the route that would take me there. When I finally stepped into the arena and defeated the boss, another thought hit me immediately: in a randomizer, the star that appears afterwards can end up anywhere.

Thankfully this one stayed close enough to reach from the platform I was standing on. I wasn’t particularly eager to fight my way back through the pyramid again just to retrieve it.

Closing the Gap

Three more stars secured in the process. The total now sits at eighty-five, leaving thirty-five still out there somewhere in the castle. The run is steadily narrowing toward its endgame, even if the randomizer keeps trying to make every familiar location feel slightly unfamiliar again.

Continue the Journey

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Log 17 →

🧢 Mario 64 Randomizer Hub

28th Mar 2026 1

Super Mario 74: A Survivor’s Journey Log 1 – Back to Dice-Fortress

Super Mario 74 – Log 1: Back to Dice-Fortress

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Original Edition
Rules: No savestates (except between entries)
Format: No Commentary

Video: Dice-Fortress stars, wall jumping, red coins, and the first return to Super Mario 74 (no commentary)

Well, it has been some time since I last played this hack, and it will be interesting to see how much I remember — and how much my skills have improved since the last time I attempted it.
This run is also bigger than the original game, with an extra 31 stars to find, meaning a total of 151 stars to collect.

After talking to the Toads, it was time to enter my first course: Dice-Fortress.
Not entirely sure why it is called that, as there isn’t a dice in sight, but I’m not here to question it, I’m here to survive it.

I head straight to a sign, which is meant to be the Pink Bob-Omb, but apparently Kamek has turned them into a sign.
They inform me I can’t complete this course until I have a way to fly, so the Wing Cap is going to be needed before this level is fully cleared.

My first star is Wall Jumping Lesson.
The name makes it obvious what I’m expected to do, and while I’m reasonably comfortable with wall jumping, I also know this hack has a habit of humbling me when I least expect it.

With that star collected, I moved onto the next one.

There is a purple switch which activates timed blocks to make reaching higher platforms easier,
but I prefer taking my time with jumps when I can, so instead I practiced my wall jumps and made my way up manually before long-jumping across the pillars for Conquer the Pillars.

The next star I went for was The Box’s Treasure.
There is a box placed just awkwardly enough that it needs a bit of thinking to hit.
I remember past-me kicking the box, but this time I used a ground pound to get enough height to break it open,
followed by a quick wall jump back up to collect the star.

Next up was the familiar task of Collect the 8 Red Coins, which also meant working toward the 100-coin star at the same time.
Thankfully the coins are all in reasonable locations, so this ended up being more of a warm-up than a challenge.

At this point I can’t collect any more stars here without the Wing Cap,
so I’m mentally half-ticking Dice-Fortress off the list for now.

Next stop will be Course Two.
I do have a rough plan in my head based on what I remember from years ago…
but there is also a lot I don’t remember, which probably means this run is going to surprise me more than once.

Continue the Journey

Next Entry:

Super Mario 74 – Log 2

Super Mario 74 Hub:

Super Mario 74 – A Survivor’s Journey

26th Mar 2026 1

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 15: Lava Coins and a Missing Course

Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 15: Lava Coins and a Missing Course

Game: Super Mario 64 Randomizer
Platform: Steam Deck
Format: No Commentary

Video: Upstairs exploration, Tick Tock Clock entry leads to Lethal Lava Land, wing cap red coin attempts, 100-coin failures, and a late-session realisation (no commentary)

Dodging the Cave, Taking the Stairs

I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Hazy Maze Cave. Not today. Not when I know exactly how many ways that place can waste my time, and not when the Wing Cap stage is sitting there like a chore list pretending it’s optional. So I go upstairs instead, because upstairs at least feels like a choice.

There are three different entrances up here that can lead to something useful, plus the one door that wants 119 stars like it’s doing me a favour. I’m not there yet, so I focus on what I can touch. As I climb the stairs, I decide to see what awaits me inside the clock.

I jump in and get Lethal Lava Land.

It could have been worse, I tell myself. I’ve already tackled what felt like the two hardest courses in this randomizer seed. How bad can this be.

Lethal Lava Land, Rewritten

The answer is somewhere in the middle. Not a total disaster, but not the easy breather I was hoping for either. It has the same energy as Bowser in the Fire Sea, where you can feel the randomizer making decisions specifically to be annoying.

Pretty much all the red coins are over the lava. Of course they are. And the red coin star itself is over the lava as well, which means the last thing you want to do in a lava level is the exact thing you have to do. I hate it immediately, which is impressive, because in the original game I actually like this course.

It doesn’t help that I don’t pay enough attention to where the camera pans when stars are hinted at. I catch enough of it to have a vague idea, but most of the time I’m running on instinct and memory and whatever the course decides to show me on the way. Luckily, Lethal Lava Land isn’t huge compared to some of the other worlds, so even “mostly luck” has a higher success rate here than it probably deserves.

Wing Cap: Emergency Measures

This might be the first time I’ve ever used the Wing Cap in this stage. Ever. That’s not a brag. That’s just the randomizer forcing a new habit into me like it’s a life lesson.

I try to be clever first and use the Koopa shell to sweep up red coins quickly. It makes sense in theory. It’s fast, it keeps you moving, and it lets you pretend you’re in control. Then I lose it before the red coin star appears, and suddenly the plan is gone and I’m standing on hot rock trying to negotiate with gravity.

I briefly consider just jumping for the star and hoping the game decides to be kind. It’s not a strategy so much as it is a surrender. Then I spot the Wing Cap block and realise I’d completely forgotten it even existed here. It’s one of those moments where you don’t feel smart for remembering, you just feel annoyed that you didn’t remember sooner.

The 100 Coin Star, Postponed

I also make a few attempts at the 100 coin star, because I always tell myself I might as well “while I’m here.” Every attempt ends the same way: me in the lava, but somehow in increasingly creative ways. It’s like I’m trying to find new angles for humiliation.

I do manage to grab the six main stars in the level, which keeps the session from turning into a complete loss. But the 100 coin star will have to wait. I’m not wasting the entire recording on a coin chase that keeps ending with me sizzling.

The Click at the End

As I wrap up the recording, something clicks. I start counting what areas are left, making a mental note of where each course could potentially be, and trying to map the castle in my head the way you do when you’ve been burned enough times to stop trusting anything at face value.

And then I realise one thing.

If my calculations are correct, I’m missing a course. Not “I haven’t reached it yet.” Not “I don’t have the stars.” Missing. I have no idea where in this castle it could be, which is a problem, because the castle isn’t that big when you’re not pretending it’s a mystery.

It’s the kind of realisation that sits in the back of your skull and doesn’t let you relax. The run isn’t just about collecting stars anymore. It’s about figuring out what I’ve somehow walked past without seeing, and accepting that the randomizer probably hid it somewhere obvious just to make it feel personal.

Continue the Journey

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🧢 Mario 64 Randomizer Hub

21st Mar 2026 1