Field of Bowsers

The Field of Bowsers, also known as KUPPA ERAHANDORA in the files, is an anomalous phenomena present in Super Mario 64 that likely results from a corruption of data relating to the Personalization A.I. This corrupted data typically causes the execution of illegal instructions through the Personalization A.I. The Field of Bowsers appears when a checksum designed to protect against these errors fails. It is commonly agreed that the Field of Bowsers was designed as a failsafe to defend against far more dangerous complications and errors. The anomaly's behaviors are not well-documented or reported, leading to considerable debate on how this anomaly acts.

The Field of Bowsers anomaly was first reported on Reddit on July 8th, 2020 by user u/adriank060. u/andriank060 documents the anomaly as occurring in 2005 at a friend’s house. As of April 2022, this has been the sole confirmed report of the Field of Bowsers anomaly. Further reports have been submitted that document other far more dangerous and erratic behaviors associated with the Field of Bowsers anomaly, although these have not been confirmed.

Behaviors
The Field of Bowsers anomaly's behaviors are disputed, with multitudes of unverified reports contradicting the message stated in the original, confirmed recording.

u/adriank060's Claim
u/adriank060 lists in his report that their incident involving the Field of Bowsers anomaly occurred in 2005 at a friend's house. Their means of triggering the behaviors associated with the anomaly are currently unknown.

During their encounter with the Field of Bowsers anomaly, u/adriank060 states that, before entering Princess Peach's Castle as Mario, a small number (4-5) of Bowser enemies were present in the Castle Grounds area of the game. These Bowser enemies do not spawn in the Castle Grounds under normal conditions, implying an anomalous occurrence. It is likely the Bowser share the A.I. and behaviors of Goomba enemies, although they maintain their ability to shoot fire projectiles. Reference original Reddit post below for further clarification.

Further Reports
A since deleted post on the Super Mario 64 subreddit by user u/ShitManSam outlines a unconfirmed encounter with the Field of Bowsers anomaly, in which he states that, through attempting to encounter the Wario Apparition, he accidentally activated the Field of Bowsers anomaly through unknown means. It is reported that upwards of 50 Bowser enemies appeared in the Castle Courtyard, where the Big Boo's Haunt stage is accessed from. The sheer magnitude of the Bowsers generated caused the game to violently crash, erasing his save file in the process.

Encountering
As mentioned previously, the method used to encounter and activate the Field of Bowsers anomaly is unknown. However, it can be presumed that, through supplemental evidence provided from u/adriank060's further Reddit posts, the friend who owned the copy which u/adriank060 played used a Game Genie to execute illegal instructions within the game. This alludes to the anomaly being the result of a failed checksum, protecting the game against more harmful errors as mentioned previously. u/ShitManSam and u/Motherclucker324 also state that they have utilized external cheating devices prior to encountering the Field of Bowsers anomaly, further providing credence to the argument that Field of Bowsers acts as a failsafe.

A second possibility states that the anomaly may "also just be a bit of extra challenge given to a player who has proven that they are skillful at the game."

Theories and Hypothesises


A popular theory regarding the Field of Bowsers anomaly states that in an earlier version of Super Mario 64, Bowser was intended to chase Mario in the Castle Grounds. This is given credence by the odd imagery on the game's box art, depicting Bowser chasing Mario in a grassy field whilst using fire breath, similar to the Field of Bowsers anomaly. This may provide an explanation as to why the Bowsers in the anomaly behave in unexpected ways.

DLR may also play a role in the execution of the Field of Bowsers anomaly, utilizing cut-in-development behavior for Bowser from a scrapped chase sequence through the Castle Grounds. It is likely that this cut happened late in development, as references to this alternate Bowser A.I. still appear in the files of earlier printed copies.