When it was released in 1996, Super Mario 64 featured some of the most impressive graphics for its time. The DS remake of the game,
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while not revolutionary by any means, features great graphics of its own, and it’s nice to see Nintendo upping the polygon count and softening some of the rough edges found in the original game. Character models all look more accurate, previously 2D objects now look 3D, and textures are smoother. Not everything you’ll see onscreen is amazing, but for the most part, the game’s graphical overhaul is a major improvement over what was a good graphics engine to begin with.
The sound department in the game remains largely unchanged from the original, with only a few jingles and character sounds added. The DS’s speakers unfortunately don’t give off the same rich sound that TV speakers would, but that’s to be expected. Overall, the sound design, while not very rich in quality, works in the same way it did back in 1996, and fans of the original will find themselves reminiscing as they listen to themes in places such as Princess Peach’s castle, Bowser’s Dark World, and Jolly Roger Bay.
