Mario Clones

Not to be confused with the Mario Clone Event

Mario Clones are unused enemies from Mario 64 that can appear in Personalized copies of Mario 64. They have yet to reappear in the Mario Series, though similar entities have cropped up.

Appearance[]

The Mario Clones have three variants, each using Mario’s model as a base. Each variant behaves the same, the only differences being visual and minor spawning alterations. “Replica” clones reuse Mario’s textures, with the only difference being the gloves and boots, which are instead yellow. “Mass Produced” clones also reuse Mario’s textures, albeit they are grayscale instead of colored. “Crystal” clones are the only ones that don’t reuse Mario’s textures, instead reusing the same texture as Gold Mario recolored to be purple. Only one of these variants will manifest in game. Unlike Mario himself, when viewed from a far distance they will not change to a lower poly model, meaning a large number of clones on screen at once can cause strain on the console.

Behavior[]

Mario Clones have been reported to make their home in courses that occupy the Second Floor and beyond. While Replica and Mass Produced clones can be found in any type of course, Crystal clones have yet to be spotted outside of “Cavern” levels like Hazy Maze Cave. Mario Clones tend to spawn in groups of 3, although lone clones aren’t uncommon. There have strangely been reports of groups even bigger than 3 appearing, with hordes as high as 10 being reported. The clones have a notably larger sightline they can spot Mario from, being approximately twice that of a Goomba. The Mario Clones have 3 moves they can use against the player, jumps, punches and ground pounds, all being copied from Mario’s moveset. Jumps and punches will take 2 slices off of the health meter, while the ground pound will take 4 slices off of the health meter. They take 3 hits to defeat and are vulnerable to any of Mario’s attacks, dropping 3 Coins. They share voice clips with Mario, playing them when attacking and being defeated. If the clones fall into any liquid, they will simply be bounced back to the nearest dry land (note this isn't Mario’s lava hurt animation, as it shows the falling animation and doesn't play any voice clips).

Due to their tendency to come in groups and rather complex moveset, Mario Clones are some of the fiercest enemies in the game, easily being able to overwhelm the player with their numbers. As such, Mario Clones are one of the few anomalies that isn’t a cognitohazard (such as flashing lights if you are at risk of epilepsy, or the Wario Apparition), that are still recommended to be approached with caution. If Power-Ups such as the Metal Cap or Fire Flower are nearby, equip them before taking on the Mario Clones. If a Power-Up isn’t nearby and there is a group larger than 3, it is recommended to simply leave them be and search for Power Stars elsewhere.

Theorizing[]

The reason for Mario Clones getting cut during development isn’t entirely clear, as they seem to be relatively complete. Some think they were removed due to being a very frustrating enemy to deal with, especially since they come in groups. Others presume they were cut due to causing the game to lag when in high numbers, due to reusing Mario’s relatively complex model. The fact only one of the variants can manifest in the copy suggests that the three variants were never intended to be in the game at once, and are instead different designs for the Mario Clone from different stages in development.

Trivia[]

Since Mario 64’s release, there have been a slew of entities that are similar to the Mario Clones. Cosmic Clones are perhaps the most similar, being enemies that reuse Mario’s model, although they behave much differently as they mimic Mario’s Movements. Double Cherry’s can create clones of Mario that completely reuse his model, although they are a Power-Up instead of an enemy. The Mario from Smash 64’s Fighting Polygon Team and the Crystal Clone have visual similarities. It should be noted that all of these clones can come in groups like the Mario Clones like to do.
Each name for the variants are fan-nicknames and aren’t from any official sources.