Super Mario 64 DS is a mostly-great game. Released nearly a decade after the original Nintendo 64 game, this version introduced three additional playable characters, a load of new stars to collect, and some extra minigames. It would be the definitive version of the classic platformer if not for one major issue – it doesn’t have analog controls.
The DS only had a d-pad, so this version of Mario 64 didn’t have the analog stick controls that defined the original back in 1996. The DS did, however, have a touch screen, which Nintendo used to simulate an analog stick. It was never ideal, but it does mean that emulator devs and romhackers have something to work with when it comes to restoring analog control to SM64DS.
There’ve been fiddly ways of using an analog stick with SM64DS in the past, but a modded version of DeSmuME from LRFLEW. Basically, you download the emulator, configure your controls, and enter an Action Replay code to make SM64DS play nice with the emulator. That’s it – a definitive Mario 64 experience, right on your PC.
You can download it for yourself over on GitHub, and give the granddaddy of 3D platform games the replay it deserves.