A hidden detail in Super Mario 64 was discovered 29 years later but you’ll have to wait 14 months just to hear it

Even after nearly 30 years, Super Mario 64 continues to surprise us. Just when we thought we had discovered all its nooks and crannies, a gaming expert revealed the existence of unique bugs, one of which can hide a sound effect for over a year of uninterrupted gameplay.

The “error” in Super Mario 64 that will take you some time to hear

Kaze Emanuar, known in the community for his deep knowledge and skills in modifying Super Mario 64, is the person responsible for this finding. In a recent video, Emanuar details a series of bugs linked to the game’s internal timers — the small digital clocks that control various actions and behaviors within the virtual world.

One of the most striking examples he discovered has to do with the star selection screen at the beginning of each level. Usually, you have to wait 12 frames before choosing a star. The funny thing is that the timer on this screen keeps running without limit as long as you stay on it. If you leave the game running on this screen for more than two years, the timer will experience what is known as an “overflow.”

Without getting into the technicalities, this is a counter that can only count up to a certain number. If it tries to count beyond that number, it “turns around” to the largest possible negative number. In this case, it would go back to -2 billion. This would prevent it from selecting a star until it counts back up to 12 frames, which would take about another two years.

These are certainly bugs that you can’t easily find in the game. Although they are presented as bugs, these types of instances are discovered in very particular ways.

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