Super Mario 74: A Survivor’s Journey Log 9 – Ice-Crystal Tower

Super Mario 74 – Log 9: Ice-Crystal Tower

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

Video: Ice-Crystal Tower exploration, King Whomp rematch, red coins, and Wing Cap climbs (no commentary)

With Stalagmite Cave done, I stayed in the same room and moved into the next course: Ice-Crystal Tower. Every time I enter, there’s a Goomba waiting to start something. I’ve made a point of ignoring it unless it becomes a problem. So far, that’s worked well enough.

The first task was a rematch with King Whomp. I spent enough time practicing the route up to him that it’s become familiar, even if I wouldn’t trust myself to do it without thinking. The fight itself is different this time. Smaller platform, less room to recover, and if you fall, you’re climbing all the way back up to try again. There is a metal box that can help, but positioning matters more here than anything else.

I’ve seen the trick where you phase through him with a ground pound, but I’ve never managed to make it work consistently, so I stuck with what I know. Wait for him to turn away from the box, move in, ground pound, and reset. It’s slower, but it works. Three clean hits later, the fight was done and the star was mine.

Waters of Pain was next, a section I’d already passed through on the way up. The ice behaves more like lava here, which changes how you approach everything. The star itself sits in a box above a small platform, just out of reach unless you commit to the jumps properly. I didn’t quite get it right, clipped the ice, and ended up bouncing onto the platform anyway. Not clean, but effective enough.

Almost the Top lives up to its name. The climb back up is familiar by this point, but the risk doesn’t really go away. One mistake and you’re either back on the snow or falling out of the level entirely. The Spindrifts are the main problem here, each one placed just well enough to knock you off if you’re not careful. This time they stayed out of the way, and the star was taken without issue.

The red coins came next. Some of the jumps here felt worse than the earlier climb, mainly because there’s less room to recover if anything goes wrong. I started the 100-coin collection at the same time, but it became clear fairly quickly that I wasn’t going to reach the total on that pass. Rather than force it, I settled for the red coin star and moved on, knowing I’d come back to the full collection properly.

How High Can You Get? turned into the real 100-coin attempt. The plan was simple enough — climb as high as possible, then use the Wing Cap to cover the remaining platforms. In practice, it didn’t go cleanly. Two separate mistakes, both costing time and momentum, both forcing me to adjust mid-run. Eventually everything lined up, and I was able to collect the remaining coins before reaching the top. Not perfect, but enough to secure the star.

The final star, Very Well Hidden Star, needed the Wing Cap again. The name isn’t exaggerating. The star sits below the starting platform, easy to miss even if you know it’s there. My first attempt went straight past it, which wasn’t surprising given the angle. The second attempt was better. Adjusted the approach, lined it up properly, and this time the landing worked.

With that, Ice-Crystal Tower was done. Another course cleared, and one less area left hanging over the run.

Continue the Journey

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Super Mario 74 – Log 8

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Super Mario 74 – Log 10 (coming soon)

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15th May 2026 0

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 22: Conquering the Maze

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

Video: Finishing Hazy Maze Cave with the remaining stars, battling the rolling boulders for the 100-coin star, and heading toward the Wing Cap switch stage (no commentary)

A Plan for the Maze

I went into Hazy Maze Cave this time with an actual plan. Three stars remained here, and I also needed to visit the Wing Cap area while I was in the level. With that in mind I planned three visits: the first two would be used to collect the remaining named stars, and the third would be for the 100-coin star before heading toward the Wing Cap stage.

The logic behind that was simple. The 100-coin star is the only one that doesn’t eject me from the course after collecting it, which meant it made sense to leave it until last.

A Lucky Start

My first spawn dropped me straight into the toxic maze. It wasn’t exactly the start I had hoped for, but it turned out to be a lucky one. One of the remaining stars was sitting right there waiting for me, which immediately cut the list down from three to two.

For the second visit I planned to return to the toxic maze area, as I knew another star was somewhere nearby that I had missed previously. Just as I was about to drop down into the maze again, though, something caught my eye. A shadow on the ground.

I looked up and there it was — the final named star in the level. I could have collected it at almost any point earlier, but I wasn’t going to complain. A quick grab later and the only star left in Hazy Maze Cave was the 100-coin star.

The 100-Coin Challenge

As expected, the 100-coin star proved to be the toughest task in the cave. The first challenge was gathering enough blue coins, which turned out to be more difficult than I expected.

My first attempt ended with me missing some of the blue coins, and because I wasn’t sure whether the total would reach one hundred, I decided to grab another star and leave the course to reset.

The second attempt went better. I managed to reach ninety coins before heading toward the cavern where Dorrie waits in the underground lake. Unfortunately the rolling boulders had other plans and knocked me out before I could finish the run.

Attempt number three ended in almost the same place. I even tested a theory that Metal Mario might be able to withstand the boulders. Apparently not.

The fourth attempt came dangerously close to the same fate, but this time I managed to slip past the boulders and finally collect the 100-coin star.

Thirteen Courses Cleared

With that star secured, Hazy Maze Cave was officially complete. That makes thirteen courses finished in this randomizer run.

My next destination was the Wing Cap Switch Palace. This will be my final use of the Wing Cap during this playthrough. Once that star is collected, only fourteen stars will remain across two courses before it’s time to take on Bowser in the Sky and the red coins waiting there.

One Last Flight

But before Bowser comes the final Wing Cap challenge.

The red coins in the Wing Cap stage are waiting.

Continue the Journey

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10th May 2026 0

Super Mario 74: A Survivor’s Journey Log 8 – Stalagmite Cave

Super Mario 74 – Log 8: Stalagmite Cave

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

Video: Stalagmite Cave exploration, descent route, red coins, obstacle courses, and Cap-Combination attempts (no commentary)

With Dice-Fortress finally behind me, the obvious next step would have been to head back to the Tower of the East and continue there. The problem is that the next course in that area needs the Vanish Cap, and I’d rather avoid unnecessary backtracking if I can help it. So instead, I stayed where I was, unlocked another star door, and made use of what was already available. Inside was the pink Bob-Omb, who opened a cannon I’ll be coming back to later, but for now there were two courses to choose from. The first of those was Stalagmite Cave.

The first star, Downwards, doesn’t leave much room for interpretation. A sign at the top makes two things clear before you even start: once you go down, there’s no going back, and there are no coins waiting at the bottom. With that in mind, I took the drop. The plan was to land cleanly in the water. The reality was the same as it had been during practice — not quite. Close enough to recover, though, and once I was in the water the star was straightforward to collect.

Sweating Tunnel came next, and getting there meant heading back up through the level. Wall kicks, careful movement, and just enough awareness to avoid losing progress to something minor. The bat up there isn’t dangerous, but it’s the kind of thing that can break your rhythm at the worst possible moment. I passed the Thwomps and the Chuckya platforms on the way, both of which I knew I’d be dealing with later, and kept moving toward the lava path. A series of descending platforms over lava isn’t the place to hesitate, so I stuck with long jumps and kept the momentum going. It worked this time, though I know from practice that it doesn’t always.

The red coins and 100-coin star followed, and this part of the course felt more controlled. There’s space to move, room to plan, and not much pressure unless you create it yourself. I made a point of leaving the final coins close to where the red coin star would appear, just to avoid any unnecessary movement at the end. It paid off. No mistakes, no wasted time, just two more stars added cleanly.

Hot Obstacle Course was next, though the name doesn’t quite match what it asks of you. This is where the Thwomps come into play properly. Three of them, spaced just far enough apart to force you to commit to each jump. It’s more about timing than anything else. Get that right, and the star is waiting at the end.

Chuckya’s Challenge lived up to its name a bit more. Platform to platform, each one guarded, each one needing just enough precision to avoid being grabbed and thrown back. I decided to push back a little on one of them, which didn’t go to plan the first time, but the second attempt was cleaner. A few long jumps later, and that was another star secured.

That left the reason I came here in the first place: Cap-Combination. This one needs both the Metal Cap and the Wing Cap active at the same time, which meant heading back down the slide and setting things up properly. I grabbed the Metal Cap first, then the Wing Cap, partly out of habit and partly because I trust the Wing Cap timer slightly more, even if I don’t know exactly how much difference it makes.

From there, it was a matter of flying over to the underwater switch, activating it, and dealing with the timed path that follows. It’s longer than it looks, and the slope works against you just enough to make every second count. Walking is possible, but I found jumping kept the pace up better. Even then, it took a few attempts to get everything lined up properly. Timing, positioning, momentum — all of it had to come together. Eventually it did, and once it did, the rest of the path felt manageable.

One final flight to the star, and Cap-Combination was done.

There’s still another course in this area to deal with, but that can wait for the next entry. For now, Stalagmite Cave is cleared, and more importantly, one of the more awkward stars in this section is out of the way.

Continue the Journey

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8th May 2026 1

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 21: The Hundredth Star

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

Video: Star 100 collected in Mario Wings Over the Rainbow before exploring Hazy Maze Cave and securing the red coin star (no commentary)

Star Number One Hundred

There didn’t seem much point putting it off any longer. If I was going to collect my hundredth star, it may as well be a memorable one. That meant jumping straight into the painting hiding the Mario Wings Over the Rainbow stage.

My spawn point couldn’t have been much better. I landed on the platform with the pink Bob-Omb, the cannon, and the Wing Cap boxes all in one place. Before doing anything else I spoke to the Bob-Omb to unlock the cannon, then took a moment to scan the sky and figure out where the red coins were sitting.

I managed to count seven of them from the platform, though the eighth one remained hidden somewhere beyond my line of sight. I figured I would find it once I was in the air.

A Simple Flight Plan

The approach was straightforward. Grab a Wing Cap, fire myself out of the cannon, collect whatever coins lined up with my flight path, then return to the platform and repeat. The important thing was not risking the Wing Cap timer expiring while still in the air.

After a few passes I spotted the final coin sitting near one of the stable clouds, along with another Wing Cap box above it. Thankfully it was one of the clouds you can actually land on, which made the setup possible. The coin itself took a few attempts to grab cleanly. A triple jump would get me close enough, but I was slightly off each time.

Eventually the jump lined up properly. The coin was collected and the red coin star appeared in a position that was thankfully reachable. One final flight later and I had my hundredth star.

The Final Stretch

With star number one hundred secured, the run now sits nineteen stars away from the end. Eighteen of those are spread across three courses, while the final one waits in the Wing Cap switch area.

That makes the next destination fairly obvious. It’s time to return to Hazy Maze Cave. If I can clear that level along with the Wing Cap switch stage, it will remove what feels like the biggest remaining obstacle in this randomizer run — aside from Bowser in the Sky and the red coins waiting there.

Into Hazy Maze Cave

I didn’t plan it this way, but my first visit back to Hazy Maze Cave quickly turned into a red coin hunt. The coins are scattered throughout the level, which made it seem like the most efficient objective to tackle first.

It does mean sacrificing the chance to combine the red coin star with the 100-coin star, but mapping where the coins were located felt more valuable for the long term. While exploring the cave I also became a little fixated on the switch hidden behind the water that normally requires the Metal Cap to reach.

No matter what I tried, I couldn’t quite reach it. To make matters more interesting, I noticed several boxes sitting high up in the cavern. I have no idea how I’m meant to reach them yet, but they’ve been added to the list of things to investigate unless I can clear the level without needing them.

Finding the Star

Once the eighth red coin was collected, the star spawned somewhere in the cave. The only problem was I had no idea where it had appeared. Rather than panic, I decided the best approach was simply to search the cave methodically.

Room by room I checked each section of the level until eventually I spotted it waiting in the rolling boulder chamber. Thankfully grabbing it didn’t cause any further problems.

Confidence for the Endgame

Hazy Maze Cave still has work left to do. The 100-coin star remains, along with two other stars in the course and the Wing Cap switch stage red coin star. Once those are finished, though, the biggest hurdles in this randomizer run should be behind me.

For now, I’m feeling confident about my chances.

Continue the Journey

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3rd May 2026 1

Super Mario 74: A Survivor’s Journey Log 7 – Reaching the Top

Super Mario 74 – Log 7: Reaching the Top

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

Video: Tower climb, Lava-Switch of Eruption stars, wing cap flights, and Dice-Fortress completion (no commentary)

Options were starting to narrow. I still needed to unlock the remaining caps, and the next one was waiting at the very top of the tower in this area. Getting there was the problem. The only way up was a chain of triple jumps, one after another, and missing even one meant dropping all the way back to the start. It took more attempts than I care to count before I was confident enough to even start recording, so when it finally came together in one clean run, it felt earned.

At the top sat the pipe leading to Lava-Switch of Eruption, the Wing Cap switch course for this area. First priority was the switch itself. I’d rather have the cap unlocked before worrying about anything else, so I went straight for it. With that done, there were still three stars left in the course, and the first attempt didn’t go well enough to keep. A quick reset and a change of approach made more sense.

I went for the red coins next. They’re spread across towers and platforms, and in theory it’s straightforward, just a matter of planning the route. In practice, I managed to ignore my own plan and leave the highest coin until last. The course forces you to use the cannons to reach everything, and timing matters more than it first appears. On the first proper attempt, the Wing Cap ran out just as I was closing in on the final coin. Close enough to see it, not close enough to reach it.

The second attempt went better. I got the last coin, the star appeared, and then the same thing almost happened again. The Wing Cap ran out just as I was going for the star itself. This time though, I was low enough that the fall didn’t matter. No panic, no recovery needed, just a clean landing and the star collected.

Under the Tower was next, and this was the one that caused problems earlier. This time it didn’t. One clean attempt and it was done, which made a nice change. The Tallest Tower followed, and although I’d already been there, the star itself wasn’t where you’d expect it. You can go for it with the Wing Cap, but dropping down to it felt more reliable, so that’s what I stuck with.

With the Wing Cap course cleared, it was time to go back to Dice-Fortress and finish what I’d left behind. The Observation Tower was first. At the top, along with the star box, was a sign pointing out what I already suspected. To reach the platforms ahead, I’d need to start my flight from the highest point in the map. Which naturally leads into the final star: Secrets in the Sky.

Finding that highest point wasn’t as straightforward as I remembered. The video makes that fairly obvious. I ended up going in the wrong direction more than once, even managing to grab the Observation Tower star again by mistake. At one point I even tried to kill Mario just to reset my position, and somehow failed at that as well. Not exactly the cleanest part of the run.

Once I finally found the right spot, the plan was simple. Launch from the highest point, hold the jump button to glide, and keep as much height as possible on the way over. Simple on paper, less so in execution. It took several attempts before the flight lined up properly, but eventually everything clicked, the box was broken, and the final star was free.

One more flight to reach it, repeating the same route, and this time it worked without issue. With that, Dice-Fortress was complete.

That brings the total to forty stars. Still a long way to go, but progress is steady. One hundred and eleven left.

Continue the Journey

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Super Mario 74 – Log 6

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Super Mario 74 – Log 8 (coming soon)

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1st May 2026 1

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 20: Ninety-Nine Stars and the Finish Line Ahead

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

Video: Returning to Tiny-Huge Island to secure the 100-coin star, red coin star, and the final Piranha Plant star before reaching 99 total stars (no commentary)

Returning to Tiny-Huge Island

With three stars still remaining in Tiny-Huge Island, it made sense to return there and finish the job. My goal right now is to complete the stars tied to the ground floor and basement areas of the castle before heading back upstairs. That way I know everything in those sections is cleared before moving into the final stretch of the run.

I also made sure to keep one lesson from the previous visit in mind. Last time I managed to lose track of a star entirely after switching between island sizes. This time the plan was simple: collect the star first, then think about moving between islands.

An Unexpected Coin Hunt

My original intention was to deal with the Piranha Plant star first, but the level had other ideas. As I moved around the island collecting coins, it gradually turned into a full attempt at the 100-coin star. Instead of changing direction halfway through, I decided to stick with it and incorporate the red coin star at the same time.

That meant switching from the huge island to the tiny island eventually, since the red coins can only be collected there. Once I had gathered enough coins to feel comfortable with the total, I made my way to the pipe closest to where I wanted to go.

Aiming for the Red Coins

The plan was straightforward enough: reach the cannon, aim for the tree that sits near the red coin area, and land close enough to continue the collection from there. I’m aware that speedrunners probably have quicker ways of reaching the area, but I prefer approaches that I know I can execute consistently.

Thankfully the red coins themselves weren’t placed in anything too unreasonable. To be fair, Tiny-Huge Island only has so many places where they can realistically appear. The biggest relief was realising I had judged the coin total correctly before switching islands.

I collected the hundredth coin, secured the 100-coin star, and then finished gathering the red coins for another star immediately afterwards.

Clearing the Piranha Plants

That left only one objective in the level: the Piranha Plants. All the time I had spent exploring the island during previous visits paid off here. I already knew roughly where each one was located, so moving between them was straightforward.

One by one they were dealt with, and when the final one fell the star appeared nearby in a reachable location. No disappearing act this time. I grabbed it without hesitation and said goodbye to Tiny-Huge Island for good.

Checking the Remaining Courses

After leaving the level, I took a moment to review what courses still needed attention. Hazy Maze Cave had already been explored earlier in the run, so that wasn’t a concern anymore. That left just two courses I hadn’t properly tackled yet: Big Boo’s Haunt and Wet-Dry World.

As I made my way back into the basement in preparation for attempting the Mario Wings Over the Rainbow star, something else occurred to me.

Ninety-Nine Stars

I checked the star total and realised I had reached ninety-nine stars. That means I’m now only twenty stars away from unlocking the final course. Once Bowser falls and the last star is collected, that will be it. This randomised version of a game I’ve known for most of my life will finally be complete.

There are countless players who grew up with Mario in one form or another, but Super Mario 64 holds a particularly important place in gaming history. For many people it became the blueprint for how 3D platformers — and even many other genres — would work in the years that followed. Few games have had that kind of influence.

And if I’m being honest, I’m not entirely sure I’m ready for the moment when the credits music begins to play.

The Next Star

The next entry will be a special one. It’s time to collect star number one hundred.

Continue the Journey

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26th Apr 2026 1

Super Mario 74: A Survivor’s Journey Log 6 – System of a Town

Super Mario 74 – Log 6: System of a Town

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

Video: Tower of the East exploration, System of a Town stars, rooftop routes, sewer navigation, and red coin collection (no commentary)

With the other star door still out of reach, there wasn’t much reason to stay where I was. The next step was to move into the next hub area, the Tower of the East. There are multiple courses here, along with a few other stars scattered around, but I had already decided where I was going first. System of a Town felt like the right place to start.

The first star, Rooftop Climbing, suggests taking the obvious route. Climb the buildings, follow the path, work your way up. That is the intended approach, but not necessarily the one I went with. There is another way to get there, and I ended up taking that instead. The star itself sits inside the building that also has another star resting on its roof, something I kept in mind for later.

From there, I moved into the sewer system. This is one of those stars that is easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. Once you drop into the water, there’s a path off to the left that doesn’t stand out at first glance. Follow that, and you’re into a series of jumps that range from straightforward to just awkward enough to slow you down. Nothing too difficult, but enough to keep you from rushing through it.

The Secondary House Entrance turned out to be much simpler than I expected. The name gives it away if you think about it for a moment. Find the house with the chimney, drop in, and the star is waiting. No tricks, no pressure, just a quick entry and a clean star.

Find The Secret Room was less straightforward. I already knew where the star was from earlier practice, but getting there was another matter. Two platforms, slightly different heights, and a triple jump that needs to be just right to reach the house. While I was practicing, the Chuckya on the second platform made sure I didn’t get it right the first time, or the second. This time it stayed out of the way, though it still took a couple of attempts to get the jump lined up properly. Once inside, a ground pound revealed the room, and the star followed.

The red coin star was next, along with the 100-coin star alongside it. This one was more about movement than difficulty. Working through the course, checking corners, moving between rooftops and streets, making sure nothing was missed. As expected, the red coin star itself sends you back to the start once it’s done, which at this point is more routine than surprise.

That left the star I had noticed right at the beginning, sitting on top of the building. The Mansion’s Secret Star. This was where all the wall jumping came back into play. Climbing up wasn’t difficult at first, but near the top I nearly lost it. A slight mistake, a bit of panic, and for a moment it looked like I was going to drop back down and start again. Instead, a quick recovery with a jump kick chain got me back into position, and the star was secured.

With that, System of a Town was complete. One course cleared cleanly, and a good amount of progress made in this new area. I’m still not quite at the point where I can open the next star door, but I’m close. More importantly, I know the remaining caps are in this area, which means more options will open up soon enough.

Continue the Journey

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Super Mario 74 – Log 5

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24th Apr 2026 1

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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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.

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Super Mario 74 – Log 4

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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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