User:TankmanDerz/Wario Apparition 2

Overview
The Wario Apparition is an extremely rare anomalous NPC that can be encountered in heavily personalised copies of Super Mario 64. It is widely considered to be the most popular Super Mario 64-related anomaly, causing it to be associated with many other anomalous effects originating from the Personalisation A.I.

While it's personifications can vary wildly, it most commonly appears in a now infamous sequence in the Basement wherein it will block the entrance to Dire Dire Docks and chase the player through the hallway. Many variations of this event have been recorded, due to a number of potential reasons. Several key variations of the event have been logged, '''however do take all reports with a grain of salt; due to the anomaly's popularity, it is very likely that a massive number of fake reports exist online. Reports with some level of legitimacy have been catalogued.'''

Players report encountering the Wario Apparition to be "confusing" and "scary" due to the apparent lack of reason, explenation, or player control. Some players who have reported seeing the Apparition as a younger child have even reported nightmares involving Wario as a result of the event, however this is likely simply due to the nature of a young child's mind and is not considered a unique anomaly itself.

Associated Music
An unused track belonging to the Wario Apparition has supposedly been dug up by Youtuber Planet Bobstar, and can be viewed here. The music appears to be coupled with unused voice clips of Wario laughing, which would later go on to be reused in Mario Kart 64.

The description of the video discusses how he and a group of dedicated dataminers were able to extract the music, while also giving warning to not interact with players who have experienced the Wario Apparition as they will enter a state of catatonia. The legitimacy of this is contested; it is very unlikely that data-mining the audio file could lead to any adverse effects as bad as potential catatonia, however for the sake of courtesy it is advised to follow this warning regardless.

In a later video, Planet Bobstar claims that the videos were fake. However in that video, the way he words it (most notably "I'd like to thank Nintendo for allowing me to speak") it could be him being paid off or threatened by Nintendo to keep quiet about the truth. This would coincide with the popular belief that Nintendo intentionally tries (or, atleast, tried) to keep information regarding the Personalisation A.I under wraps for one or more reasons.

Standard Apparition
The most common variation of the Wario Apparition is also it's most basic form. After being summoned, it will play a unique voice clip or display a text-box, before chasing Mario through the now endless hallway, as the Endless Stairs music plays in the background. Mario will inevitably be caught by the Apparition, resulting in a life loss.



Most, if not all variations of the event are minor diversions from this standard set of events, with deviations include Mario being able to escape to little fanfare, or the player recieving an instant Game-Over.

Fightable Apparition
The most common of the major variations, this version of the event will turn the apparition into a unique form of boss-fight. Most commonly, the player will be able to escape the endless hallway, and fight with the apparition either in the basement or the First Floor. Reported attacks include ramming into the player and spitting fire-balls.

Upon defeat, the Apparition is reported commonly to have further dialogue, usually providing some sort of story explenation to it's presence, before disapearing. Most of the time, the player is rewarded with a Power Star, although some reports have also mentioned unique collectibles such as the Book on Bad or even a playable Wario with a variety of movesets.

Progession Barrier
In rare instances, the Apparition will simply block the entrance to Dire, Dire Docks entirely until the player has achieved a specific objective. This is most commonly finding a related, anomalous collectible, and using it to either lure out or otherwise disperse of the Apparition. In some cases, the player reportedly has to find coins throughout the Castle and Castle Grounds in order to pay the Apparition to leave; likely due to Wario's 'greedy' nature.

Focused on Fun
Interestingly, the Wario Apparition was seemingly referenced in the "Focused on Fun" panel from E3 of 1996. With its appearance at E3 1996 and the resurgence in Super Mario 64 phenomena in 2020, the Wario Apparation grew to meme status within the community and became one of the most known anomalies in Super Mario 64. However, his appearance at the afformentioned panel may have infact inspired players subconsciously to want to see Wario in-game, leading to the Apparition being made.

Wario is also a highly liked Nintendo character who woud've presumably been a wanted character to appear in Super Mario 64. This combined interest and desire to see Wario in the game, especially after the resurgence of Super Mario 64 anomalies in 2020, has lead to a massively increased amount of Wario Apparition and Wario-related anomalies appearing in the game. Thus, the Apparition may have been born from the Focused on Fun panel itself, as opposed to the popular theory stating that the panel itself is a reference to the Apparition.

Wario Land 64
"Main Article: Wario Land 64"

Wario Land 64 is a scrapped game starring Wario that would eventually be re-born as Super Mario 64. As large amounts of data and assets were re-used, it stands to reason that traces of Wario would re-appear. While not entirely confirmed, there is a "Ghost Spider" enemy that, when interacting with Wario, would turn him into a giant floating head, which could then bite at enemies and float throughout the level. Obvious connections between this and the Apparition were quickly drawn, with some going as far as to say they are one in the same.

While there is almost definetly a connection between the two, the exact nature of their connection has been hard to pin-point due to the lack of concrete information about Wario Land 64. How much the "Ghost Spider" power-up affects the A.I's implementation of the Apparition is unknown, although it is a common theory that other Wario related assets such as sound, model, and texture data were re-used from Wario Land 64.

Feedback Loop
With the rise of anomaly reports and data collection in 2020 following the Apparition rising to meme status, something of a 'Feedback Loop' has begun among circles documenting Super Mario 64 related phenomena. As more users begin playing the game, they do so in hopes of encountering extreme anomalies, commonly relating to Wario. The A.I picks up on this subconscious desire, causing more heavily personalised copies. This seems to have been at it's most rapid in 2020, although the effect has since slown down.

Prior to 2020, reports of anomalies were scarce and often simply brushed off as "playground rumours" or faulty memory. As of recent years, more and more players have been coming forward with reports which have since been proven to be possible under personalisation, leading to a massive increase in reporters and data-miners.

This "escalation" of personalisations has lead to a major uptick in anomaly reports and information about the development of Super Mario 64 and the A.I, which has lead to a much deeper understanding of the Personalisation A.I and it's effects on the game.

Other Wario Personifications
Alongside Luigi, Wario is a character that has been reported to appear in a relatively large number of heavily personalised copies. His appearances can vary wildly from simly being referenced in text, to being an entirely new playable character built by the A.I.

These Wario Re-appearances, as well as the apparition, are likely due to Wario's popularity among Nintendo fans, making him a prime choice for the A.I to re-implement for player engagement.

What makes this unique, however, is that Wario is often vastly more finished and stable than any other anomalous character, including Luigi. They often appear fully modelled and even with unique textures, with sound effects and in some occassions even reported voice-lines exclusive to Wario. These are likely sourced from Wario Land 64, as reports are fairly onsistent regarding associated voice-lines for Wario, and usually mentioned the voice clips sometimes appearing to be out-of-place or not fitting with the action Wario is doing.

Also common with playable Wario manifestations is an ability to shoulder-bash much like his ability in the Wario Land series of games; this is likely another carry-over from Wario Land 64 due to it's relatively complete function compared to other Wario-related functions.