The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker From ... - Douglas Wilson

Figure 6 – Super Mario 64 (Nintendo, 1996)
Three-dimensional space enriched the series’ previously constrained gameplay
with a hitherto unattained degree of nonlinearity. Levels could not simply be “beaten.”
Rather, Mario had to collect a certain number of hidden stars in order to guide his
passage through the main castle. This emphasis on collection over completion, which
required players to explore each world multiple times in order to find enough stars,
prioritized the process of discovery. Furthermore, levels were no longer accessed in strict
sequential order, but were instead linked through portals in a central “hub” world
(Princess Toadstool’s Castle) that Mario frequently revisited. Players could now choose,
to a large extent, the order of worlds they entered.
In a limited sense, Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World also allowed
players some control over the ordering of levels. But both games, much like Zelda II,
were forced to awkwardly juxtapose the classic sidescroller profile perspective with a
completely different top-down view for the hub world. In Mario 64, both level and hub
22