Super Mario 64 / GAME HISTORY

Why Does the Backwards Long Jump Fail in Super Mario 64 Shindou?

The Shindou landing code clears negative forward speed before the familiar buildup can continue.

By Patchlo Editorial Desk · Published October 22, 2026 · Sources checked October 22, 2026

Scope: Original Nintendo 64 revisions, compared through the n64decomp project. This is not a claim about every port, mod or movement exploit.

The useful difference is at landing

In the decompiled act_long_jump_land function, a block conditional on VERSION_SH or VERSION_CN checks whether forwardVel is below zero. If it is, the code sets it to 0.0f.

That is more specific than saying Nintendo “added a speed cap.” The shown change clears negative forward speed at this landing step. It does not set a universal backwards limit of minus 16.

Where does the landing code make the change?

The version check is visible in this saved revision of act_long_jump_land:

#if defined(VERSION_SH) || defined(VERSION_CN)
if (m->forwardVel < 0.0f) {
    m->forwardVel = 0.0f;
}
#endif

On landing, a negative value becomes zero in those builds. This is the specific change behind the comparison; it does not describe every Mario port or every movement trick.

Why does that affect the repeated jump?

The familiar BLJ depends on carrying backwards speed through repeated long jumps. Clearing that negative value on landing prevents the same buildup from continuing through this step. Repeating the usual inputs in the changed revision therefore does not reproduce the original behaviour in the same way.

The source here is a community reconstruction of the game code, not a newly discovered Nintendo statement. Its version conditions are valuable evidence, but they should not be stretched into a claim that every possible backwards-movement trick is impossible.

Check the release before following an old demonstration. As with Minecraft’s collision boosters, the same-looking game can have a changed rule underneath the action.