Some of the scariest game moments come when least expected on the N64, with titles like Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64 having plenty of them.
The Nintendo 64 had plenty of classic games for players to enjoy, including seminal entries in The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario franchises, but a lot of these titles also had surprisingly scary moments. While players would expect to be scared when playing the latest entry in the Resident Evil series, the same could not be said about games geared toward children, like Super Mario 64 or The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Even so, these games frequently featured some terrifying material, some of which has stuck with players to this day.
Released in 1996, the Nintendo 64 was the first console to bring gamers thousands of brand new 3D worlds. Little did these gamers know that some of these bright, happy games had hidden terrifying moments within them. While being known for featuring some of the most difficult video game bosses, the Nintendo 64 still managed to create some serious nightmare fuel as well.
Titles like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie seemed to be made with kids in mind, but some of these in-game moments could be described as anything but. Scary imagery has regularly formed a part of children's media. But in the case of some N64 titles, like Star Fox 64 and the aforementioned Ocarina of Time, things could get particularly intense, and often out of nowhere.
Super Mario 64 has a couple of moments that could make the player question the age rating due to its creepiness. One of those moments includes the Mad Piano. The Mario 64's Mad Piano became a playable character in Super Smash Bros. thanks to a mod once and went viral.
Once the player has achieved 12 power stars in Super Mario 64, an enlarged Boo appears in the castle's courtyard. Attacking the Boo releases a cage from inside him, leading to another playable world called Big Boo's Haunt. The level is instantly eerie as Mario is placed outside a dark, haunted house with spooky music in the background.
The mansion itself isn't that scary - it's what's inside that is. Inside one of the rooms in the haunted mansion is a room with a piano and bookshelves. The piano sits in the corner harmless until Mario gets close enough, and then it comes to life. With chomping teeth and the sound of smashing keyboards, the piano begins charging at Mario. This unexpected jump scare from the Mad Piano is one of the Mario franchise's spookiest moments.
While on the Super Mario 64 topic, the Mad Piano isn't the only scary moment in this game. Super Mario 64 turned 25 in 2021, and some of its most unexpectedly creepy moments are still scary today. All underwater levels in video games are mysterious in their own way. Delving into the vast openness of the unknown while struggling for air instantly adds anxiety. The water world Jolly Roger Bay in Super Mario 64 is open and full of exploration, but there is one terrifying thing hidden with it: Unagi the Eel.
There is plenty to explore in Jolly Roger Bay as the entire world is a bottomless pit of water, which already gives the level a creep factor. The deeper Mario swims, the further the abyss opens up. At the bottom of Jolly Roger Bay lays a sunken ship. Once the player approaches this ship, a giant red eel emerges from inside, boasting a menacing design and lots of teeth.
While that is scary, Super Mario 64 had other terrifying enemies cut from the game. Of course, to get the star, the player must enter the ship, and the only way to make that happen is to make the eel come out of the boat. The red eel with its giant teeth and huge mouth coming at Mario while helplessly underwater is something nobody wants to face. Unfortunately, the player has to deal with Unagi the Eel more than once.
One of the most iconic figures in The Legend of Zelda is the Dead Hand, who can be found in Ocarina of Time. At the bottom of the well within the Shadow Temple lies Dead Hand. This horrific creature is one of the scariest boss fights ever, let alone games on the N64. Fans have even recreated Ocarina of Time's Dead Hand in 3D art, showcasing just how terrifying they'd be in modern graphics. Once entering the room, the doors lock behind Link, and the player is left in a dark room full of dead bloody hands coming out of the ground.
When the player approaches one of the hands, it will grab Link and hold him down as this blob-like monster with a huge mouth and elongated neck emerges from the ground. As the hands hold Link down, Dead Hand tries to eat the player alive with their largemouth. Once Dead Hand is down, they are the only monster in Ocarina of Time that does not disappear. Dead Hand lays there twitching, leading players to question whether they're safe even after winning.
Banjo-Kazooie is now on Nintendo Switch Online, which means players no longer need an N64 to experience its creepiest moment. As Banjo-Kazooie's opening with the death of Bottles isn't a creepy enough start, shortly after, Banjo and his sidekick visit King Jingaling at his throne. The King asks Banjo and Kazooie to collect the rest of his citizens in exchange for jiggies. These jiggies help the player progress throughout the game.
Once Banjo and Kazooie leave the palace, Gruntilda uses a machine to suck the life out of King Jingaling and his castle. Entering the palace after the cutscene is quite terrifying as King Jingaling has turned into a grey, lifeless zombie. Even his pet has been fried into nothing but eyeballs. King Jingaling wonders the palace, moaning, trying to kill Banjo when he gets too close. The dull lifeless castle is enough to make anyone run away.
Nintendo's Star Fox 64 features Arwings and plenty of action-packed adventure. While there is nothing but action in this game, the scariest moment in Star Fox 64 is at the very end when the player faces the final boss Andross. Andross appears in the form of a giant monkey-like head. Up close this thing looks wild, and something much more intense than the other foes in Star Fox 64.
Once conquering this form by shooting the floating head multiple times, Andross explodes into nothing but a brain with eyeballs. The final form is disturbing, with nerve wires hanging from the brain and blink-less eyeballs that pop out and try to attack the ship. It's a scary sight, even from within the confines of a heavily-armed Arwing.
While the Nintendo 64 provided plenty of happy moments with games like Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, some of the moments within these games are terrifying even as an adult. Some of these instances gamers remember until this day because they were so creepy. There aren't as many scary moments in modern Nintendo games, but players who experienced these games as children in the 90s will always remember them.
