Nintendo Super Mario 64 mystery solved by YouTuber

A decades-old mystery from the 1996 Nintendo classic Super Mario 64 has reportedly been solved. For nearly 30 years, players have debated the meaning of a blurred text on a small plaque located beneath the star statue in Princess Peach’s castle courtyard.

For years, the text was widely interpreted as “L is real 2401,” fueling long-standing rumors that Luigi was a secret playable character. However, YouTuber mochi64 claims to have deciphered the actual message using a custom-built program designed to replicate how a Nintendo artist would have created the 32x32 pixel texture in 1996.

After testing approximately 530 fonts and millions of word combinations, the program identified the text as “Eternal Star. We hope so.” The findings suggest the inscription has no connection to Luigi, potentially ending one of the most enduring urban legends in gaming history.