I'll be honest, I didn't enjoy my time with Super Mario 64. In fact, it felt more like a frustrating chore to push through than an entertaining game.

I get it. This is one of the first 3D platformers to stabilize the genre for what it is...but that doesn't mean it holds up well nowadays. The camera is an obvious complaint, but I also found myself irritated at the lack of simple explanation for things.
For example, just to name a small detail that makes a big difference: I had to use an online guide to find out that the towers in Shifting Sand Land were climbable. (In fact, I had to use a guide in order to figure out MOST of these ridiculous puzzle names.) Even a small sign post for little things like this would've made the level and puzzle designs for this game much more bearable, but we obviously don't have that here. Hell, why is it that I get booted out in front of a level portal when I die, but am booted back to the castle entrance when I choose to leave the level? I think Super Mario World and the 2D platformers before this had better quality-of-life designs than Super Mario 64.

It must've been the overall praise and resignation that this game gets that overhyped things for me (which is understandable for a game from the late 90s). However... they really should've just remade this one. It doesn't feel good.