Mario 64's Legacy of Iconic Sound Design

gamerant.com:

Upon its release in 1996, Super Mario 64 was an instant phenomenon, wowing critics and captivating gamers with its revolutionary 3D platforming, nesting-doll world design, and stellar music. In hindsight, the sea changes Nintendo brought to the Mario series seem natural, but the jump from two dimensions to three was an enormous challenge that entailed a great deal of risk. Nintendo essentially had to stake the reputation of its most valuable IP, and the face of its company, on this new killer app.

Mechanically, Mario 64 holds up and speedrunners are still setting records with the game to this day. But it is difficult to overstate the tremendous influence the title had on the industry, because it not only showed game designers how to design for 3D properly, but taught players how to comfortably navigate immersive 3D worlds. One factor that helped gamers bridge that gap was its peerless use of sound.

Sonic the Hedgehog's Legacy of Iconic Sound Design

Many of Nintendo's famous franchises, like The Legend of Zelda, use sound to create an identity via consistency. From game-to-game, the jingles Link hears as he opens chests and solves puzzle transcend Hyrule's different iterations, establishing familiarity and cohesion throughout the franchise. But Mario has always been Nintendo's primary vehicle for radical reinvention, and that was especially true of the killer app that launched the Nintendo 64.

The tone of the game was still lighthearted and cartoony, but Mario's footsteps and jumps suddenly sounded realistic rather than explicitly video-gamey. Instead of springing noises, Mario accompanied his jumps with shouts and cries, which was a new way to approach immersion while still sounding spirited, child-like, and cheerful.