Book of Mario 64

> *"Be woke, be cool. A calm spirit is smarter."*
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**Book of Mario** (commonly referred as **Book of Mario 64** to discern it from the series' name) is a text hack of Paper Mario 64, the prequel to Book of Mario: Thousands of Doors. It was first announced on April 1, 2019.

"Book of Mario 64" focuses on the economic, religious, and ecological situation of the Kingdom of Fungi and the beginning (or early years) of the War, as well as the deep sexual tension between Mario and God Browser.

## Announcement

Since the video was uploaded on April Fools Day, many viewers were confused about whatever the project was real or just a joke, especially considering it took a whole year for Fatguy to make Thousands of Doors. Fatguy posted a video the following day, confirming that the hack was real and that the whole script would be translated, unlike its predecessor.

The intro cutscene was posted on August 10, 2019,while the first chapter first streamed on September 7, 2019,with the final Section being streamed on November 23, 2019.

## Trailer Analysis

The trailer starts with Mario falling from the sky, which is followed by the title logo.  A hand-drawn version of the original Paper Mario's title screen (with Mario's iconic shrugging pose) is shown. Here we can see that the game is being developed by Intelligent Intelligence System, claiming they "followed the beginning", which might be hinting at the fact that this title is chronologically the first one in the Book of Mario series.

The first in-game scene is at Mario and Luigi's house, with Luigi asking Mario if he can read a story. Next, we can read a part of a letter from the Princess of Peaches, stating that their fortress has a party and that they're proud of Virgin Mary. They also claim that many foreigners hope to meet him.

We're then taken to the Princely Palace with Mario exiting the fortress and Luigi telling him to go away. Mario then talks to a Toad, who invites him to eat for the dining table.

Next, we see a Gossip of a Fish (here named Gum), who people want to be called a "small apple seed". It's also revealed that he's the smallest potato. The following shot is of the Newspaper map, focusing on Dry and Dry and its snarky narration ("*As the name suggests, it's dry.*"). We have a small scene of a Bandit Gossip, with Goverman claiming that he's a bad boy.

We're then at the Princely Palace again, with Mario declaring his love for a fireplace. Finally, we have a rapid sequence of Products collected and a Frog flirting with Mario.

## Intro Cutscene analysis

*For a full synopsis of Book of Mario 64's plot, see Plot Synopsis (BoM64).*

> "*What are we doing...?"*
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The intro starts with a narrator telling the story of *"The Old Spirit and Goodwill"*.

It is said that, far from Heaven, there's a sky where the stars live. Here, the Church of Star Port allows those who enter to download all programs. The seven Stellarvinden keep watch on both the Star of Rodin and the world below, without breaking it.

Suddenly, God Browser and Kamopa Kamopa break into the Church, giving a stranger the story itself and revealing that Browser married the Star of Rodin. The two overpower the very little resistance from the Star Stars (that merely tell him he shouldn't do this) and turns them into cards. The duo leaves, changing the channel.

With starred children no longer able to download a garden for their wishes, the narrator themself starts questioning the chain of events that just happened, wondering what they are doing.

## Reception

The game was very positively received, with many fans praising its deeper story and more engaging characters. Many fans (including Fatguy himself) consider the project to be better than Thousands of Doors, mostly due to BoM64 being fully translated, while others tend to prefer the original, mostly due to the better humor.

People also appreciated the continuity between the two games both in the main story and in the optional content and dialogue and the small QOL changes such as the inclusion of Very Angry and other mobility Medals.

## Trivia

* While Thousands of Doors is usually themed around military and war-related terms, BoM64 is more related to business and religion.
* For some reason, this game loves to mock Mario's height.