Not to be confused withShifting Sands orShifting Sands Stage.

Shifting Sand Land
Super Mario 64 Super Mario 64 DS
How to unlock	ClearBowser in the Dark World.
Boss(es)	Eyerok
Mission(s)	Super Mario 64 In the Talons of the Big Bird Shining Atop the Pyramid Inside the Ancient Pyramid Stand Tall on the Four Pillars Free Flying for 8 Red Coins Pyramid Puzzle Super Mario 64 DS In the Talons of the Big Bird Shining Atop the Pyramid Inside the Ancient Pyramid Stand Tall on the Four Pillars Tox Box Switch Star Pyramid Puzzle Free Flying for 8 Red Coins
Stars	Super Mario 64: Super Mario 64 DS:

Shifting Sand Land is anancient Egyptian-based course and the eighth course appearing inSuper Mario 64 andSuper Mario 64 DS. Its name may be a reference to the "Shifting Sands," one of the magical, impassable deserts that surround theLand of Oz inL. Frank Baum'sOz books. The entrance to thelevel is in theMushroom Castle's basement, disguised as a wall at the end of the hall to the left of thepainting intoLethal Lava Land. The course has several sand dunes,quicksand, and an ancient pyramid in the center.Klepto the Condor circles the course and attempts to steal the player'scap if he gets near. In addition, this course shares the same music as Lethal Lava Land.

Layout[edit]

Main course[edit]

Map of Shifting Sand Land inSuper Mario 64 DS

The player starts on a stone slab in the sand next to some sand dunes and aCrazed Crate. Up ahead are someBob-ombs, aFly Guy, aPokey, and someGoombas, all around a stone structure containing a fewblocks underneath and ared block andyellow block on top. Near this stone structure are a number of circular quicksand pits: one with a1-UP Mushroom hovering over the top, and one that spawns atornado if the player approaches. Beyond the stone structure is a maze-like path constructed out of stone blocks over a pool of quicksand with threeTox Boxes flipping around the paths. To the right are acannon and a red block, and to the left is an oasis with aBob-omb Buddy next to it. AWarp Point is placed under the palm tree and leads to the aforementioned cannon and red block. South of the oasis are two of the four stone pillars situated around the pyramid, with the other two on the other corners of the pyramid.Mario,Yoshi,Luigi, andWario canrun up the sides of the pillars despite them being smooth and near-vertical surfaces. After the quicksand with a tornado is a ramp to the pyramid's entrance, with the exterior of the pyramid having a yellow block and red block, along with a ring of steps that lead to thetop of the pyramid. If all four of the pillars have been stood upon, the top of the pyramid explodes and opens a new entrance.

Inside the pyramid[edit]

Map of the pyramid inSuper Mario 64 DS

Eyerok's room within the pyramid

If the player enters the pyramid, they cannot return to the main course. Additionally, if the player loses a life and reenters the level, they are brought back into the pyramid without having to go through the main course again, provided the life lost does not result in aGame Over.

Upon entering the pyramid, the player is dropped into a short hall that leads to either a left or a right path. The left path leads to a 1-UP Mushroom and aGrindel that hops across the platform and can help the player reach another 1-UP Mushroom. The right path leads to the top of the pyramid, where the player has to go through several obstacles to reach the top. These obstacles include Grindels, large gaps,Amps, moving platforms, aSpindel, and a hanging grate the player can grab and swing across. Halfway up the pyramid is aSpinning Heart, which the player can use to recover any losthealth. At the center of the pyramid's base is a large sand pit that restricts the player'sjumping ability and acts as quicksand.

If the player enters through the secret entrance on the top of the pyramid, they are brought to a fenced lift that moves down through the center of the pyramid. At the bottom of its rail is a hole that leads to a secret room where the boss of the level,Eyerok, sleeps.

Missions[edit]

Mission	Appears in	Summary
In the Talons of the Big Bird	Super Mario 64 Super Mario 64 DS	This mission's objective is to collect thePower Star held byKlepto.
Shining Atop the Pyramid	Super Mario 64 Super Mario 64 DS	The mission's objective is to collect the Power Star on top of the pyramid's exterior.
Inside the Ancient Pyramid	Super Mario 64 Super Mario 64 DS	This mission's goal is to collect the Power Star at the top of the pyramid's interior.
Stand Tall on the Four Pillars	Super Mario 64 Super Mario 64 DS	This mission's objective is to defeatEyerok.
Free Flying for 8 Red Coins	Super Mario 64 (5th Star) Super Mario 64 DS (7th Star)	This mission's objective is to collect the eightRed Coins around the course.
Tox Box Switch Star	Super Mario 64 DS	This mission involves collecting the course's Switch Star.
Pyramid Puzzle	Super Mario 64 (Secrets) Super Mario 64 DS (Silver Stars)	This mission's objective is to find thesecrets/Silver Stars hidden in the pyramid.

Enemies[edit]

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  Amps

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  Bob-ombs

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  Fly Guys

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  Goombas

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  Grindels

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  Flame throwers

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  Klepto

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  Pokeys

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  Spindel

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  Tox Boxes

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  Eyerok (boss)

Statistics fromSuper Mario 64[edit]

• Total Number ofCoins: 136
• Caps Found:Wing Cap (3)
• Spinning Heart: Inside the pyramid, on the fourth level, after the rolling stone, and before the rising and falling platforms.
• Cannons: 1
• 1UP Mushrooms (9):
  • Homing Mushroom :#1 In the tree near the lake.
  • Static Mushroom :#2 Floating in the air above quicksand right after the starting point.#3 Over the hill left of the starting point, next to the big chain fence.#4 Inside the pyramid, above theGrindel on the left path.#5 Inside the pyramid, above the hanging metal grille near theAmp.
  • Triggered Mushroom :#6 Inside the pyramid, appears after the player steps on all five platforms on the quicksand at the back of the pyramid.
  • Box Mushroom :#7 On the pyramid near the entrance.#8 Inside the pyramid at the end of the left path.#9 Inside the pyramid, on the back. Can be seen from #8.
• Warps:
  • Standing under the palm tree next to the small oasis warpsMario near the cannon on the metal platform above the quicksand.
  • Standing just to the right of the hole on the pyramid's second floor (at the top of the pole) warps Mario to the top of the hanging metal grille. This is meant to be one-way, but it can be reversed by standing on the slightly higher edge.^[1] It was removed in the DS version.

Gallery[edit]

• 
• 

  Map artwork

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  The wall leading to Shifting Sand Land in the N64 version

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  The wall leading to Shifting Sand Land in the DS version

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  The starting area in the N64 version

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  Mario jumping toward a Pokey

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  Wing Mario standing on one of the four pillars

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  Mario punching away a Pokey's segments

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  Super Mario-kun

• 

  Super Mario-kun

Names in other languages[edit]

Notes[edit]

• This area appears in theMario Party 6 minigamePokey Punch-out, complete with Klepto in the background.
• In the N64 version, theBlue Coin Block inside the pyramid produces threeBlue Coins. This is the only Blue Coin Block in the game that produces exactly three instead of four. However, in the DS version, the number was changed to four.
• The name of the 100-Coin Star isOnce More in the Pyramid.^[3]

References[edit]

Shifting Sand Land coverage on otherNIWA wikis:

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Ukikipedia

• Deserts
• Temples
• Super Mario 64 locations
• Super Mario 64 DS locations

• Articles with unsourced foreign names