Combining Mario 64 and Mario 64 DS using time travel.

It has been a very long time since I’ve added anything to my Mario Timeline (available here). And hey, I reckon a Mario timeline that’s coherent and easy to follow is an Everest of video game fan theories. So I figure I should pick it up again by talking about something that’s almost never coherent or easy to follow: time travel!

Okay, in previous Mario posts, I said that there have been two Mushroom Wars fought between the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Kingdom. The first war is depicted in the events of the original Super Mario Bros. games on the NES. The second war is depicted by the New Super Mario Bros. series.

In between those conflicts, there’s a Mushroom-Koopa cold war in which Koopa King Bowser keeps trying to destabilise the Mushroom Kingdom through a series of strange schemes and shenanigans. Most of the 3D games, I reckon, are set during this time. One of Bowser’s most devious schemes, I’ve now decided, involves the use of time travel to change the outcome of Mario 64.

I don’t have much evidence for this. Still, in my defence, the Mario games don’t have a lot of narrative to work with. Most of the games have the same plot. Creating a timeline, then, is largely an exercise in creative interpretation. I also think that having a random time travel plot is funny (I’m easily amused). It helps to square some circles as well, namely with Mario 64. Adding a paradox always helps to square a circle.

To be sure, there is time travel in the Mario games. It features in the Mario and Luigi RPG Series. One of the games, Partners in Time, involves Mario and Luigi teaming up with their childhood selves: Baby Mario and Baby Luigi.

I reckon that Bowser learnt a lot from that experience. In particular, he probably realised that he could use time travel to change the outcome of any previous schemes in which he was foiled by Mario. There’s also no doubt that Bowser would be able to acquire time travel. He has pulled a lot of crazy technology out of nowhere throughout the franchise’s history. In the Galaxy games, he builds a massive space empire. I digress.

This ultimately means that the events of some games can happen twice. In turn, helping to reduce the overall convolution of a timeline in which the exact same thing happens over and over again without anyone questioning it. They don’t necessarily remember the previous instance. (Who would have thought that time travel would make something less convoluted?)

I don’t want to be over-reliant on this time travel explanation, of course. That would feel like cheating. But there is some in-game precedent for it. At the end of Mario Galaxy 1, for example, the universe gets a reset. This allows the same event to play out again in Mario Galaxy 2. The details are different, but the opening of Mario Galaxy 2 makes it clear that this is what has happened. So, in select cases, like remakes, I think a bit of time travel is warranted.

In particular, it allows me to square the circle of Mario 64 and Mario 64 DS.

To abide by my own self-imposed rules, I said in a previous article that Mario 64 DS should be taken as a retcon of the original version. The DS has more content and more characters and, for that reason, more narrative weight. So, I said, that should be the canon version. It adds more to the overall story.

Having said that, I don’t really want to de-canonise the original version. I’m nostalgic for all things DS, but the original Mario 64 is a titan of video game history. It’s also the better game (no awkward control schemes). It should be in the timeline.

A time travel subplot, however, could allow Mario to have his cake and eat it too. The original version can remain in the timeline, and the extra story beats of the DS version can be added. The background time travel scheme also adds some extra story beats.

So, my new head canon is that the original Mario 64 depicts Bowser’s first attempt at destabilising the Mushroom Kingdom. This is during the early days of the Mushroom-Koopa cold war. It was also his most successful attempt, since the Mushroom Kingdom wasn’t yet on guard against his weird shenanigans. What’s more, the scheme only failed because of Mario’s interference.

At some point, after the Mario and Luigi games, Bowser acquires time travel and decides to use it to salvage his most successful scheme. He does this by removing Mario from the equation. Bowser goes back in time and imprisons him before he can interfere. Leading to the events of Mario 64 DS.

Fortunately, the timeline corrects itself. Yoshi manages to free Mario, as in the DS version. Mario then goes on to foil Bowser’s plan in the same way as before. Bowser presumably then realises that he won’t be able to alter past events; history will keep correcting itself. He then goes off to devise new schemes.

Again, I have no evidence for this. But hey, it allows both versions of the game to be canon whilst adding a bunch of extra details to the overall story. I also thinks its funny to speculate on, which is a big part of the reason I’m doing this.

-Dexter