For more information see the Wikipedia's article on Super Mario 64.
Star Guide
Every course contains 7 stars that can be obtained by Mario.
- Bob-omb Battlefield - Accessible at the start of the game
- Whomp's Fortress - Accessible with 1 star
- Jolly Roger Bay - Accessible with 3 stars
- Cool, Cool Mountain - Accessible with 3 stars
Accessible after beating Bowser in the Dark World
- Big Boo's Haunt
- Hazy Maze Cave
- Lethal Lava Land
- Shifting Sand Land
- Dire, Dire Docks - Accessible after geting 30 stars. You are required to beat the first star in this world to go on to Bowser in the Fire Sea.
Accessible after beating Bowser in the Fire Sea
Others
- Bowser in the Dark World
- Bowser in the Fire Sea
- Bowser in the Sky
- Tower of the Wing Cap
- Cavern of the Metal Cap
- Vanish Cap Under the Moat
- Secret Castle Stars
Maneuvers
- Jump - Press the A button.
- Double Jump - Press the A button twice in a row. Mario will go higher than a regular jump.
- Triple Jump - While running, press the A button three times in a row. Mario will do a flip in the air. With the wing cap, the triple jump is used to start flying.
- Crouch - Hold the Z button.
- Crawl - Move the Control Stick while crouching.
- Backflip - Jump (press A) while crouching (hold Z).
- Somersault - Run in one direction, then push the Control Stick in the opposite direction and jump simultaneously.
- Butt-stomp - Jump and press the Z button.
- Dive - Jump and press the B button.
- Punch - Press the B button.
- Kick - Press the B button while jumping.
Various Topics
This Wikibook also clasifies each star based on its difficulty using STARS (Star Trickiness & Asperity Rating System), where one (1) STAR is really easy, and twenty (20) STARS is really hard. Factors taken into consideration include length (both distance and time), enemies, precision, and how evil the course is overall.