Fall onto the Caged Island

Learn how to get the 'Fall onto the Caged Island' Power Star in Super Mario 64. We cover using the owl Hoot and the cannon for this tricky star.

Alright, so you're going for the star on that little caged island in Whomp's Fortress? It's a bit of a pain to get to, honestly. The game *wants* you to use the tree near the start of the level. Climb it, and an owl named Hoot will show up. You can jump on his back, and he'll fly you up high. The main issue here is the camera, which can be a real pain while you're trying to control Hoot. You'll probably need a few tries to get Hoot positioned right above the cage. A good tip is to keep an eye on Mario's shadow on the ground once you're over the island. Since the cage is super small, you don't have much room for error when dropping in to grab the star.

There's another way to get this star, and honestly, it's a bit more reliable once you get the hang of it, though it might take some trial and error at first. Head over to the cannon. You'll see some coins floating in the air near the rotating bridge. If you look closely, you can spot the caged island in the distance. Your goal is to line up the cannon's sights with the island. You'll want to aim a little above those coins, so that the Red Coin is just barely visible. Once you've got that aim locked in, fire Mario out of the cannon. He should land right inside the cage, and boom – another star for you!