Super Mario 64 DS
LumiScore
Growth
40/100
Growth Value
- Spatial Awareness
- Problem Solving
- Hand-Eye Coordination
Risk
LOW
Engagement Patterns
Minimal pressure to spend or play excessively.
Heads up
Parent Pro-Tip
This is a low-supervision game for most school-age children — set a general screen-time boundary and let them explore freely. If your child gets stuck on a particular star, co-playing for a few minutes is a great way to model problem-solving persistence without solving it for them.
Top Skills Developed
Development Areas
Representation?How diverse the game's characters are in gender and ethnicity. Higher = more authentic representation. Display only — does not affect time recommendation.
Bechdel Test?The Bechdel Test checks whether a game has at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man. A simple measure of representation.— Fails the test
The game only features one named female character, Princess Peach, thus failing the first criterion of having at least two named female characters.
What your child develops
Super Mario 64 DS is a standout platformer for spatial reasoning and hand-eye coordination, asking players to navigate richly layered 3D environments on a handheld screen and solve environmental puzzles to collect Power Stars. The game rewards curiosity and persistence — many stars require observation, experimentation, and pattern recognition rather than brute-force play. Switching between four playable characters with distinct abilities adds a layer of light strategic thinking and keeps problem-solving fresh throughout.
Regulatory Compliance
Tap a badge for details. Grey = not yet assessed.
About this game
Mario, Luigi, and Wario set out for a party at Princess Peach's castle but arrive to find it empty except for Yoshi. They soon discover that Bowser has stolen the Power Stars and imprisoned the Toads.