Fractus Fields is the first stage of SM64: Year of the Plumber, and is located through the portal in the front left corner of Cirrus Castle. The level has a long linear path that loops back on itself, going through a series of tunnels, past an open area with a large wooden structure in the middle, and up a winding path into the mountains which leads to a slide that takes Mario back to the start. This level also features a pipe in the large wooden structure which leads to a separate underground section. Koopa the Quick makes an appearance in this level, and is particularly chatty in this hack.
Exploring the fields leads Mario to the top of the mountain
1
Go through the tunnels and out the other side, past Koopa the Quick, and the large wooden structure with the pipe. Follow the green arrow to the path going up into the mountains. Follow the extremely long path all the way up the mountain until the large grey structure. Run up to the top of the structure and repeatedly kick the vertical plank until it falls over. Run to the end of the plank and break the box to get the star.
Koopa Race[]
Koopa the Misnomer
2
Head through the tunnels and out the other side. Koopa the Quick is waiting at the exit, and challenges Mario to a race to the flagpole above the start for the star. There are two ways to get back to the flag – either race back through the mines, or go past the large wooden structure with the pipe, up the path with the green arrow and then hop the fence and go down the slide with the red stars. They both take around the same amount of time, and Koopa is really easy to beat either way.
FF Challenge Star[]
After the underground, the pipe leads here
3
Go through the tunnels, past Koopa the Quick and into the pipe in the middle of the giant wooden structure to get to the underground area. Follow the corridor, long jump to the collapsing platforms, continue along and do a slide jump to the next set of collapsing platforms. Go past the Blue Coin Switch and wallkick up the walls near the green arrow. There are two pairs of rotating platforms, the first two and last two touch when they line up, but the second and third and slightly disconnected so be aware of that. Jump to the elevator and onto the platform. Go down the slide and jump into the pipe to appear on top of the giant wooden structure. Break the box to get the star.
FF Purple Switch Race[]
Use the timed boxes to reach this rotating platform
4
Go through the tunnels and out the other side, past Koopa the Quick. Slide down to the end of the blue path and there will be two green arrows – one pointing up and one to the right. Wallkick to get to the ledge above to find another green arrow pointing up, this time with a much taller shaft to wallkick up. At the top is a platform with a couple Bob-ombs, a Kuromame and a "!" switch. Hit the switch to create a line of boxes leading to a rotating platform (like in Whomp’s Fortress), and break the box above the platform to get the star.
FF 8 Red Coins[]
One coin close to mario, and another far away
5
For this star, Mario must collect the 8 red coins scattered throughout the level. Their locations are as follows:
Above the tunnel entrance
In a tunnel at the base of the bright blue chasm in the mines
Over a gap at the top of the blue chasm in the mines
Next to the large wooden structure
At the top of the wallkicking area near Star 4
Over the path suspended in the air leading to the top of the mountain
On the slope of the large grey structure at the top of the mountain
On top of a hill, just before the large grey structure. Can use a long jump from the plank or kick up the slope
After collecting all 8 red coins, the star appears near the start.
FF 5 Red Star[]
The Red Stars on the Slide
6
Head through the tunnels, and up to the top of the mountain where Star 1 was. There is a slide nearby marked by a big red star. Hit all five red stars on the way down the slide and the star will appear at the bottom. The fourth and fifth stars can be picked up by going up the bottom of the slide, if Mario misses them on the way down.
