Shaky-Stable Stacks is an unused course encountered within some copies of Super Mario 64. It takes the form of two mountainous cairns in the ocean, with an overall environment comparable to Tall, Tall Mountain and Tiny-Huge Island. Although reports of it are scarce, they are fairly consistent, and the entrance is consistently reported to be through entering the usually unusable middle tiny-Huge Island painting.
The level is believed to be a reference to Meoto Iwa, two rock stacks off the coast of Futami, Mie, Japan. Moneybags are also a prominent enemy in the level, and due to their vaguely froglike appearance and mannerisms, may be a reference to the nearby frog statues at Okitama Shrine.
Geography[]
The stage takes place on two mountains made of stacked stones that resemble Tall, Tall Mountain, though are much smaller. One is the eponymous “shaky” stack and the other the “stable” one, with the latter being noticeably larger. Both have many platforming challenges, though the details vary from copy to copy. The only consistent feature is that several platforms reused from Rainbow Ride appear, and are generally modified to fall—or in more extreme cases of personalization, move in erratic patterns—when stood on for too long. Players report no correlation which platforms can fall and which don’t, heightening the feeling of instability.
The stable stack conversely features more obstacles that are built into the level geometry and are more precision-oriented, such as scaling precipices and jumping across narrow columns. However, some Rainbow Ride platforms are less reported in this area as well. The player usually starts at the base of the stable stack, though some players claim they can spawn at either stack each time they enter the level. It is unknown what factors, if any, decide where the player spawns.
The only universally present method of traveling between them are 2-4 ski lifts—depending on the copy—nearly identical to the ones found in Cool, Cool Mountain that carry the player from one end of the level to the other. A tall mushroom platform is also present in the middle of the course, and a lift’s route may bring the player past it. Despite the distance between stacks being only about twice the width of the moat around Peach’s Castle, many people report lift rides feeling unnaturally long, as though time slows down while on them, and claim to feel a sense of unease or otherwise extraordinary tension.
Missions[]
The course typically holds 3-4 stars, with the rest being unobtainable. They’re fairly inconsistent, though two Stars are common in almost every encounter: One at the top of each mountain, said to be titled “A STABLE CLIMB” and “A SHAKY CLIMB” respectively. Other Stars tend to be unnamed and appear in seemingly random positions, believed to be generated entirely by the AI. There are two unverified reports of other named Stars: One was allegedly called “THE GOLDEN STEM” and is simply found atop the mushroom platform, requiring the player to jump from one of the lifts unless a Wing Cap is present. The other Star was titled “RED COINS BETWEEN THE MOUNTAINS” and featured eight Red Coins, all placed in the exact same position. When collected, the Star was said to spawn out of bounds at the bottom of the stable mountain.
Speculation[]
The leading theory on this stage’s purpose is that it was meant to replace Tiny-Huge Island, but was cut and the older course remained. This change would’ve occurred late into the game’s development given the presence of Rainbow Ride platforms, and the reason it was reverted may have been due to a lack of time and Tiny-Huge Island already being in a complete enough state. Proponents of this idea claim the reason it uses the middle painting is because that is where the developers placed the level entrance for simplicity while it was in development. Another theory is that it was simply meant as another course for the Second Floor, but was scrapped due to being too similar to Tiny-Huge Island and Tall, Tall Mountain.