It's a bit baffling to realize that Super Mario Sunshine is such a polarizing and maligned entry in the series for so many players. Playing it nowadays, it's hard to not fall in love with it's beautiful tropical vacation presentation and full commitment to it, despite its shortcomings.
Sunshine builds up on the foundation set up by the revolutionary Super Mario 64, giving the player a vast choice of movement options to tackle each stage of the game, with simple inputs for newcomers and a high skill ceiling for veterans.
Sunshine ditches out the long jump from 64, but it more than makes up for it with the introduction of it's main gimmick: the F.L.U.U.D., a water pack that Mario carries with him that let's him use water for a multitude of actions. With the fluud you get to hover around for a few secs to long distance platforms and to adjust your position, shoot water at enemies or at the floor so you can slide on it to go faster, and use it as both an horizontal or vertical rocket that shoots you at high speeds. This new mechanic feels right at home with Sunshine's more vast and expansive levels.
Sunshine is unique in the 3D Mario canon by building a much more cohesive and connected selection of stages that all revolve around the same thematic aesthetic. The stages don't just feel like abstracted platforming locations solely made for the player, instead having in-world purpose and sense. Pinna Park is just a functional amusement park where the moving platforms are main attractions you would go on in real life, Bianco Hills is a regular village with windmills and and a lake that you can explore around, and Ricco Harbor is just a port with many scaffoldings and boats to jump around in. This focus on establishing Delfino Island as a real place you can go to really gives Sunshine a very strong identity and creativeness that makes it stand out from the rest of the franchise.
Unfortunately, there's definitely some problems with Sunshine. The progression structure makes it so you can't just tackle what Shines you want to advance and beat the game, unlike Mario 64, restricting the player to the same Shines every playthrough. There's a sense that the fluud had potential for more than what we got, considering the limited nozzle options and the lack of underwater levels that could have made use of it. And yes, there are some Shines that are absolute stinkers. The Pachinko level is janked beyond belief, not being possible to fully excel or perfect it. The watermelon mission will test your patience to the limit. And the lilypad lvel will be one of the most infurating and unfair time wasters you will ever experience in your life that will make you wanna throw the controller at a wall.
But I don't see how those few unfortunate events in Sunshine cast this entry as the "black sheep" of the series. It's still a standout in the still untouched 3D Mario series, and represents a vision that I wish more Mario games would tap into in the future. Don't listen to the haters, give this one a go.
Sunshine builds up on the foundation set up by the revolutionary Super Mario 64, giving the player a vast choice of movement options to tackle each stage of the game, with simple inputs for newcomers and a high skill ceiling for veterans.
Sunshine ditches out the long jump from 64, but it more than makes up for it with the introduction of it's main gimmick: the F.L.U.U.D., a water pack that Mario carries with him that let's him use water for a multitude of actions. With the fluud you get to hover around for a few secs to long distance platforms and to adjust your position, shoot water at enemies or at the floor so you can slide on it to go faster, and use it as both an horizontal or vertical rocket that shoots you at high speeds. This new mechanic feels right at home with Sunshine's more vast and expansive levels.
Sunshine is unique in the 3D Mario canon by building a much more cohesive and connected selection of stages that all revolve around the same thematic aesthetic. The stages don't just feel like abstracted platforming locations solely made for the player, instead having in-world purpose and sense. Pinna Park is just a functional amusement park where the moving platforms are main attractions you would go on in real life, Bianco Hills is a regular village with windmills and and a lake that you can explore around, and Ricco Harbor is just a port with many scaffoldings and boats to jump around in. This focus on establishing Delfino Island as a real place you can go to really gives Sunshine a very strong identity and creativeness that makes it stand out from the rest of the franchise.
Unfortunately, there's definitely some problems with Sunshine. The progression structure makes it so you can't just tackle what Shines you want to advance and beat the game, unlike Mario 64, restricting the player to the same Shines every playthrough. There's a sense that the fluud had potential for more than what we got, considering the limited nozzle options and the lack of underwater levels that could have made use of it. And yes, there are some Shines that are absolute stinkers. The Pachinko level is janked beyond belief, not being possible to fully excel or perfect it. The watermelon mission will test your patience to the limit. And the lilypad lvel will be one of the most infurating and unfair time wasters you will ever experience in your life that will make you wanna throw the controller at a wall.
But I don't see how those few unfortunate events in Sunshine cast this entry as the "black sheep" of the series. It's still a standout in the still untouched 3D Mario series, and represents a vision that I wish more Mario games would tap into in the future. Don't listen to the haters, give this one a go.
It's a really nice feeling game, but unfortunately I don't think the polish and craftsmanship that went into it's controls went into the rest of the game. Structurally it's very messy, the majority of shines are either fodder or just tedious, there are 120 shines but I genuinely feel like only 40 or so of them are worthwhile, which is unacceptable considering that there are only about 96 unique shines.
Some of the levels feel like they've been meticulously crafted to be as unfun to traverse as possible, having roadblocks nearly everywhere to slow movement as much as they can, I think a good example would be noki bay, the majority of the level is vertical and requires slowly, painstakingly hovering upwards step by step, all the while floored by water that is really annoying to swim through. The majority of Sirena Beach's shrines are collected in this claustrophobic nightmare of a hotel that leaves you legitimately no room to do anything. I don't think 3D Mario has ever been particularly strong at level design, bar Galaxy - but good god is it bad here.
And there are moments, small, but glimmering moments where the game can be fun. Admittedly I'm pretty fond of the secret stages, though you do lose FLUDD it cuts back on all of the main levels' bullshit and just focuses and pure platforming fun. I do like a decent portion of the shines, even if they make up a fraction of the total amount, but overall it just fails to be coherent in any way with it's design on so many levels that I began to wonder, near the end of my complete playthrough why I even bothered. And don't even get me started on the blue coins lmfao
Some of the levels feel like they've been meticulously crafted to be as unfun to traverse as possible, having roadblocks nearly everywhere to slow movement as much as they can, I think a good example would be noki bay, the majority of the level is vertical and requires slowly, painstakingly hovering upwards step by step, all the while floored by water that is really annoying to swim through. The majority of Sirena Beach's shrines are collected in this claustrophobic nightmare of a hotel that leaves you legitimately no room to do anything. I don't think 3D Mario has ever been particularly strong at level design, bar Galaxy - but good god is it bad here.
And there are moments, small, but glimmering moments where the game can be fun. Admittedly I'm pretty fond of the secret stages, though you do lose FLUDD it cuts back on all of the main levels' bullshit and just focuses and pure platforming fun. I do like a decent portion of the shines, even if they make up a fraction of the total amount, but overall it just fails to be coherent in any way with it's design on so many levels that I began to wonder, near the end of my complete playthrough why I even bothered. And don't even get me started on the blue coins lmfao
Super Mario Sunshine is a game I really love, I can come back and play this game any day of the week and I'll love it to pieces.
This game is the best controlling 3D Mario easily just moving around feels great for how tight and fluid it is, and using mechanics like the Spin Jump feels even better, FLUDD I love for its different uses, Hovering to save myself from a bottomless pit if I ever mess up, or launch myself high into the sky to maybe find something cool. Even that aside, doing things like Spraying Water, then diving, and gaining a ton of speed is a blast.
I also love the Level Design of this game. With exploring the sandbox like level design. The Secret Stages are also great with more linear platforming than the normal stages and offer a decent challenge, which feels like a breath of fresh air. While there's plenty I love about this game, it also has some lows. Some of my biggest problems with this game is simply how janky this game can be, and also some of the Missions in this game are just plain bad. The 2 most infamous examples being Pachinko Machine and the Poison River, the latter of which I find to be worse, not only is playing that Mission a pain, getting there takes far longer than it has any right to be whatsoever.
Also, the Structure of the game forcing you to play the Shadow Mario Missions for every level is pretty repetitive as well. However, something I do like about Mario Sunshine's Structure, is that every Mission has at least some difference in layout, unlike Mario 64 say, since it feels like you're going through different parts of the level or you're going through a level that's evolving. Overall, while this game is flawed, I like it a lot, and would definitely recommend you try out this game if you haven't already.
This game is the best controlling 3D Mario easily just moving around feels great for how tight and fluid it is, and using mechanics like the Spin Jump feels even better, FLUDD I love for its different uses, Hovering to save myself from a bottomless pit if I ever mess up, or launch myself high into the sky to maybe find something cool. Even that aside, doing things like Spraying Water, then diving, and gaining a ton of speed is a blast.
I also love the Level Design of this game. With exploring the sandbox like level design. The Secret Stages are also great with more linear platforming than the normal stages and offer a decent challenge, which feels like a breath of fresh air. While there's plenty I love about this game, it also has some lows. Some of my biggest problems with this game is simply how janky this game can be, and also some of the Missions in this game are just plain bad. The 2 most infamous examples being Pachinko Machine and the Poison River, the latter of which I find to be worse, not only is playing that Mission a pain, getting there takes far longer than it has any right to be whatsoever.
Also, the Structure of the game forcing you to play the Shadow Mario Missions for every level is pretty repetitive as well. However, something I do like about Mario Sunshine's Structure, is that every Mission has at least some difference in layout, unlike Mario 64 say, since it feels like you're going through different parts of the level or you're going through a level that's evolving. Overall, while this game is flawed, I like it a lot, and would definitely recommend you try out this game if you haven't already.
There are many things I adore about this game. Delfino Plaza is a relaxing main hub, I like that it gets brighter the more stars you acquire throughout the game. You can see all the locations from different spots on the map, that was always really neat to me. The music is super memorable and really fits each location. Cutscenes with voice acting really add to the appeal of this game and bowser is really funny in this game. This was my favorite 3D Mario game, that is until I just replayed through it. While all the things I adore about this game remain true, I’ve discovered that I do not enjoy playing this game as much as I used to. Mario is very clunky in this game, I feel like you never really have full control over him. The levels are very hit or miss. Some are tedious, some can be boring. There are still some good levels though. This is not a bad game. It definitely is rough around the edges, but it has a unique feel with the flood gameplay gimmick and coming from an era where Nintendo really experimented with their series and was trying new things, you have to appreciate this games existence in some aspect.
This game is great but whoever made corona mountain deserves to be fired
jank, many awful design decisions. the fluddless sections really demonstrate how far a step down controlling mario is from 64. its unfun to 100%, especially with how you need to trial and error what missions to pick for the 100 coin stars.
Veredito: pior que os outros Mario's 3D, mas bem bacana mesmo assim.
Pense numa continuação de Mario 64 tropical, expandida, esticada, maior, mais ambiciosa e MUITO mais mal testada.
Você vai morrer pelos motivos errados. Muito. Não dá nem pra esconder que ele foi concluído às pressas, sem o polimento que precisava, principalmente pra um jogo baseado em pulos precisos. Mario Sunshine é bom, divertido e vale ser jogado até o fim. É Mario 64 de novo, só que bem maior e mais parrudo. Mas nem se compara com a magia de 64, 3D World ou os Galaxy.
Pense numa continuação de Mario 64 tropical, expandida, esticada, maior, mais ambiciosa e MUITO mais mal testada.
Você vai morrer pelos motivos errados. Muito. Não dá nem pra esconder que ele foi concluído às pressas, sem o polimento que precisava, principalmente pra um jogo baseado em pulos precisos. Mario Sunshine é bom, divertido e vale ser jogado até o fim. É Mario 64 de novo, só que bem maior e mais parrudo. Mas nem se compara com a magia de 64, 3D World ou os Galaxy.
my favorite mario plot is when he gets arrested and is sentenced to months of community service
I mean it's 3D Mario, you can't get much better than this. Such a great game. Love the locations, and the graphics are pretty good for their time. Either you love this game or you hate it. It's not perfect (I'm looking at you pachinko machine) but it's definitely a must play if you love Mario.
After hearing great things about Super Mario 64, I really didn’t like it when I completed it. So I was dreading going into this game as I didn’t like the golden child, how would I feel playing the black sheep. Turns out a lot better. I actually really enjoyed Mario Sunshine. The levels actually felt like levels instead of random ass bits and bobs slapped together. The overall game had a cohesive theme instead of a mishmash of different biomes. And it still managed to provide level variety whilst sticking to that theme of a sunny tropical paradise. I also enjoyed the Fludd Device and the gameplay mechanics that came with it.
One thing I didn’t expect finally jumping into these older Mario games for the first time is how bloody damn frustrating they can be. My god Sunshine could get annoying. There’s a special place in hell for who ever designed the Fluddless platforming sections. Also dying sending you back to the overworld got very tiring, very quickly. There’s even levels In here where you race a guy, but failing to beat him to the flag pole not only boots you out of the level but it also costs you a life, despite not actually dying.
The plot is also a bit weird. Having Mario get framed for vandalism and having him perform community service is a bizarre central plot but I really think that’s exactly this games strength. How god damn bizarre it is. It’s the black sheep of the 3D Mario games. It’s got some outdated and frustrating gameplay but I would play this game again. And that’s more than I can say for Mario 64.
One thing I didn’t expect finally jumping into these older Mario games for the first time is how bloody damn frustrating they can be. My god Sunshine could get annoying. There’s a special place in hell for who ever designed the Fluddless platforming sections. Also dying sending you back to the overworld got very tiring, very quickly. There’s even levels In here where you race a guy, but failing to beat him to the flag pole not only boots you out of the level but it also costs you a life, despite not actually dying.
The plot is also a bit weird. Having Mario get framed for vandalism and having him perform community service is a bizarre central plot but I really think that’s exactly this games strength. How god damn bizarre it is. It’s the black sheep of the 3D Mario games. It’s got some outdated and frustrating gameplay but I would play this game again. And that’s more than I can say for Mario 64.
one of the most games ever and my introduction to gaming - i truly never finished this game because as a wee kid i lost my wii while moving out and emulator controls fucking suck. a memorable game for sure with an iconic ost
I had heard that this game could present a lot of jankiness. It's true, this game's particular feel and physics are more prominent than 64's, but I think it's the same aim this previous game has: making difficult for the player to have an absolute control over the avatar, Mario. The main goal is to create accidents as interesting as victories, and as far as I've seen, it really works. For me at least.
I just found fascinating how one shine could lend to soo many different outcomes.
I just found fascinating how one shine could lend to soo many different outcomes.
The fun controls and really charming visuals make me wish there was an actual game designed around them instead of an experience scientifically crafted to be as boring and annoying as possible.
Revisited this game after hearing so many naysayers talk trash about it. I documented basically every thought I ever had on it here: https://twitter.com/BansheeNeet/status/1303840247000817664?s=20
But in summation, Super Mario Sunshine is still one of the best Mario games and easily one of the best 3D platformers of all time. The controls are intuitive and delightful to engage with (thanks to the analog nature of the Gamecube's triggers and the wonderful control stick on the Gamecube), the level design is extremely varied and exciting, the storytelling and worldbuilding of Isle Delfino in each level is surprisingly very well thought out (cutscenes aren't great though), and everything about traversal and movement is as strong as SM64. Haters be damned, long live FLUDD.
But in summation, Super Mario Sunshine is still one of the best Mario games and easily one of the best 3D platformers of all time. The controls are intuitive and delightful to engage with (thanks to the analog nature of the Gamecube's triggers and the wonderful control stick on the Gamecube), the level design is extremely varied and exciting, the storytelling and worldbuilding of Isle Delfino in each level is surprisingly very well thought out (cutscenes aren't great though), and everything about traversal and movement is as strong as SM64. Haters be damned, long live FLUDD.
sunshine stands out in mario's squeaky-clean track record as a flawed yet unforgettable entry. off the bat, the fact that bowser and his kid are fully voiced kinda shows you that this game exists in the same vein as other awkwardly charming nintendo games like majora's mask. for every perk the game has like its presentation, music, and controls, there's an obnoxious gimmick stage or mechanic.
Sunshine is like the polar opposite of 64. This game feels AMAZING to control. It's no coincidence that my favourite parts are the pure platforming sections without Fludd.
The actual content itself is heavily padded though, which is likely due to the fact there's now a measly 7 levels, instead of 64's 15. Every stage has 2 red coin missions, every stage has 30 blue coins to collect (a total of 24 of the 120 shine sprites are from collecting freaking blue coins), every single level has a "chase shadow Mario" mission. Bosses get repeated. Despite each stage having 10 missions (including 2 "hidden" missions, which 90% of the time is just "replay the platforming stage again but this time collect even more red coins), the amount of actual unique ideas here is shockingly low.
Collecting 100 coins in every stage is also back, which is fine, but for some reason collecting that shine will exit you out of the level, meaning unlike in the past game you can't do that mission along with another mission, making it a direct quality of life degrade.
The worst part of all this is that some of the blue coins require a lot of fun or otherwise unused areas and mechanics of the game. If they just fleshed out the good blue coins and made them shines, while removing all the bad ones, it would have improved the game massively.
The game is mostly okay, it just feels like there's 25% good content that is copy/pasted four times to make a full game.
The actual content itself is heavily padded though, which is likely due to the fact there's now a measly 7 levels, instead of 64's 15. Every stage has 2 red coin missions, every stage has 30 blue coins to collect (a total of 24 of the 120 shine sprites are from collecting freaking blue coins), every single level has a "chase shadow Mario" mission. Bosses get repeated. Despite each stage having 10 missions (including 2 "hidden" missions, which 90% of the time is just "replay the platforming stage again but this time collect even more red coins), the amount of actual unique ideas here is shockingly low.
Collecting 100 coins in every stage is also back, which is fine, but for some reason collecting that shine will exit you out of the level, meaning unlike in the past game you can't do that mission along with another mission, making it a direct quality of life degrade.
The worst part of all this is that some of the blue coins require a lot of fun or otherwise unused areas and mechanics of the game. If they just fleshed out the good blue coins and made them shines, while removing all the bad ones, it would have improved the game massively.
The game is mostly okay, it just feels like there's 25% good content that is copy/pasted four times to make a full game.
Is this what people are talking about when they've become too used to the refined controls and design of modern games and then go back to the prior versions of them? Cause I just got done with Odyssey and holey moley I do not like this. Just like everyone else, I don't like the camera, which often flat-out refuses to let you adjust to an easier angle for yourself, and also (a common trait among all the gamecube games it appears) makes it so pushing the analog left turns the camera right and vice versa without an option to invert. I don't like how everything, from jumping, aiming the nozzle, chasing after goopy Mario and then spraying him, accidentally sliding on goop or slopes that don't look like slopes, leaping high enough to get a nearby ledge, is a struggle. The Petey Pirhana fight in midair in the first world was not difficult per se, but was rather such a chore, so much work when Odyssey's boss fights were snappy and fun. I knew what I had to do but it took so long between Petey's behaviors and the way Mario controls, and I can't imagine how I would have gotten through it if Dolphin didn't have save states (also it figures too, because I recognize Petey in Mario Kart 8 and he's a fuckin asshole in that game too).
But you wanna know what I really don't like about this game? The voice acting. And not just that, but voice acting which thereby necessitates more, and frankly unnecessary, exposition to justify it. What's it doing here? Mario is still just Charles Martinet hoots and whoops, so what was enhanced by everyone else delivering real voice work to a "why Mario needs to jump on shit this time" story? Take a look at this. First you fight a token baddie and meet your latest sidekick/game mechanic, then you get sent to jail and the Delfino floofers put Mario on trial and make a long compelling case proving him guilty of the crime of polluting the city and sentence him to island arrest till the pollution is finally cleaned up, then in jail FLUDD explains that you were indeed found guilty of polluting the city, and goes into detail that without the precious shine tokens the good floofer people of Delfino can't possibly ever holy shit I don't fucking care. It's a Mario 3D platformer, not Inherit the Wind, wrap it up! And to make matters worse, goopy Mario tries to kidnap peach, spilling the distinct black goopy muck everywhere all the while, and Mario chases him around town, in full view of the floofers. It's now obvious to them that Mario didn't cause the pollution! So what are we doing here?! Look, games don't have to have compelling stories, sometimes there just has to be something there to make the gameplay happen. But if you're going to bother with a more developed story, it's on your ass to do it right!
Compare that to the setup for Odyssey: "Ah, goddamn, looks like bowser kidnapped peach, and also my hat sister! To go get him, we have to collect moons to power my ship and follow him around the world! Got it? Okay, let's go!" Five seconds flat. Now let's go have some fun, collecting souvenirs and outfits, and possessing enemies, and utilizing the very best moveset a Mario game has ever had, wahoo! Meanwhile, there's no fun to be had with your stiff, cold, milquetoast companion here. Man, I hate FLUDD. FLUDD is like if your dopey classmate in fifth grade who reminded the teacher they didn't assign homework yet was programmed into a water-spray robot you can't ever leave. Truly, Mario is in jail, serving a sentence, if he has to complete his adventure with this dweeb.
I played 64 long after the fact, as a grown up, and thought at the time that, despite how important it is in games history, it was awkward to control most of the time, and I didn't like its design of "see this world? now go back into it and do six more chores." I'm glad that back in 2002 Nintendo saw my notes and decided to make it even worse.
But you wanna know what I really don't like about this game? The voice acting. And not just that, but voice acting which thereby necessitates more, and frankly unnecessary, exposition to justify it. What's it doing here? Mario is still just Charles Martinet hoots and whoops, so what was enhanced by everyone else delivering real voice work to a "why Mario needs to jump on shit this time" story? Take a look at this. First you fight a token baddie and meet your latest sidekick/game mechanic, then you get sent to jail and the Delfino floofers put Mario on trial and make a long compelling case proving him guilty of the crime of polluting the city and sentence him to island arrest till the pollution is finally cleaned up, then in jail FLUDD explains that you were indeed found guilty of polluting the city, and goes into detail that without the precious shine tokens the good floofer people of Delfino can't possibly ever holy shit I don't fucking care. It's a Mario 3D platformer, not Inherit the Wind, wrap it up! And to make matters worse, goopy Mario tries to kidnap peach, spilling the distinct black goopy muck everywhere all the while, and Mario chases him around town, in full view of the floofers. It's now obvious to them that Mario didn't cause the pollution! So what are we doing here?! Look, games don't have to have compelling stories, sometimes there just has to be something there to make the gameplay happen. But if you're going to bother with a more developed story, it's on your ass to do it right!
Compare that to the setup for Odyssey: "Ah, goddamn, looks like bowser kidnapped peach, and also my hat sister! To go get him, we have to collect moons to power my ship and follow him around the world! Got it? Okay, let's go!" Five seconds flat. Now let's go have some fun, collecting souvenirs and outfits, and possessing enemies, and utilizing the very best moveset a Mario game has ever had, wahoo! Meanwhile, there's no fun to be had with your stiff, cold, milquetoast companion here. Man, I hate FLUDD. FLUDD is like if your dopey classmate in fifth grade who reminded the teacher they didn't assign homework yet was programmed into a water-spray robot you can't ever leave. Truly, Mario is in jail, serving a sentence, if he has to complete his adventure with this dweeb.
I played 64 long after the fact, as a grown up, and thought at the time that, despite how important it is in games history, it was awkward to control most of the time, and I didn't like its design of "see this world? now go back into it and do six more chores." I'm glad that back in 2002 Nintendo saw my notes and decided to make it even worse.
its ight
i don't care if its broken this game goes fucking crazy
Played it on the switch, this game feels amazing to play. I love the water physics and movement, but some levels are absolutely brutal!
I get it, 3D Mario games are not for me. Although F.L.U.D.D. plays fine, the platforming sucks because Mario is slippery and many stages require precise jumping and extra techniques(like backflips and spins) which I find a bother to get the hang on, and the camera also is a drag because it has collision, so if you're near a wall or a wire mesh, you WILL get mad over the camera being in impossible angles to progress properly. Also, this mission-based approach from Mario 64 is so boring it feels like a chore playing. Ultimately, the lava boat level is one of the worst bullshits I've ever seen, specially from a game that's supposed to be very well funded and marketed. If it was the first stage of the game instead of the last I would've dropped it, but alas, I was too far gone already.
would be a higher score if this game worked
Super Mario Sunshine is still what I believe to be one of the boldest decisions made by Nintendo with their most popular and profitable IP. F.LU.D.D., Mario's hose/backpack companion, is the primary gimmick in this game; this means that paint and other substances that must be washed away are very common throughout the game. The usage of FLUDD in the level design is pretty fun and satisfying, and the levels are laid out very similarly to Mario 64. The physics of the game are obscenely janky and the game sometimes just completely breaks even when played normally. Still, the game has plenty of content and collectibles, great level design, fun bosses and a very nice vibe.
there are a lot of things i pick on this game for technically and a ton of little frustrations that pepper the experience but those things are overwhelmed for me by how good the vibes are and how good the feel of the world and the the hopping around is. i don't care so much for checking the boxes in this game but it's by far the best mario for just hanging out and jumping around, which is all i want i think
High tier Mario through the main story, love how much of a place Isle Delfino is. Going for collectables after the end, the fun to frustration ratio goes out the window, never did get 120 shines.
on my way to deliver the vaccine to corona mountain
This feels like a Luigi game, which is why it's good.
Super Mario Sunshine was the Mario game I grew up with. Most people probably played Mario 64, and while I did play Mario 64 as well, I played sunshine the most and have the most memories with. Since we're in the middle of Summer, I figured I'd revisit my childhood again.
Mario isn't known for the storytelling, but this game definitely broke boundaries for the Mario series. Mario is convicted as a criminal for polluting the dolphin-shaped island of "Isle Delfino". Mario is prosecuted and sentenced to clean the entire island before he can leave. With the assistance of FLUDD (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device), Mario must go around not only cleaning the island, but collecting the island's source of sunshine and power, the shine sprites. Now this is the first mainline Mario game to have voice acting besides a bunch of wahoo's and grunting. Whether it's good or not is another story, though it's actually serviceable and it didn't grate on me or hurt the experience overall.
Mario Sunshine is obviously, a 3D collectathon platformer with a twist, and that's FLUDD. I both like and dislike FLUDD as a gimmick, I love how FLUDD can help you correct small mistakes in your platforming, making small mistakes have no punishment tied to them. Why I dislike FLUDD is they had to gimp Mario's capabilities from Mario 64 to make him feel useful. Mario cannot long jump in this game, this makes FLUDD's hover nozzle the replacement, and it's not nearly as snappy or satisfying for a substitute. Mario also just doesn't jump as far or high as he used to, once again having you rely on flood for both verticality and horizontal movement sometimes. You can still gain height from triple jumps and side somersaults, which does help keep the gameplay fast and fun. Of course, there are some levels which will take FLUDD away from you, where you'll platform with just Mario. This is where the most glaring flaws of the game come into the picture, at least for me, especially later levels which really ask a lot from you, looking at you Pianta Village.
Without FLUDD, Mario feels rather loose and almost slippery to control. I don't find it that bad, though I do feel Mario isn't as tight as he was in Mario 64, but it was playable and I only suffered a few deaths from it, nothing too significant here. Mario Sunshine is also weird, the enemy variety is so bizarre and don't feel like Mario enemies, except the now iconic Cataquack, and especially iconic Petey Piranha. Everything else is very forgettable and to my knowledge do not show up again.
Level design and setting is perfect, capturing the summer vibe in all aspects. I especially love Serena Beach, Pianta Village, and Ricco Harbor, though visually there's not a single level in Mario Sunshine I dislike. Some people might think it all looks too similar, but I commend them on sticking with a single type of setting compared to other Mario games which are very diverse and check off every kind of environment and setting you can think of. As far as the level design goes, it's hit or miss. Noki Bay stands out as the most polarizing for me, the setting is great, and has a lot of fun sections, but overall feels... off. Certainly focuses on wall jumps and secret tunnels for traversal, but it's not so one-dimensional and makes sense for what the area is. The underwater section is fun, the controls for it aren't that great though, especially for the red coin fish, which can get frustrating if you need one coin left. Love Serena Beach and the haunted motel, it's a creative maze where you go room to room through different means, which I loved. Compact design and not always obvious where to go, while it can take a bit of time to figure out, I don't think it's too cryptic where you'll get lost. Last thing I'll comment on for levels are the "secret" ones. Most of these are fine, I already mentioned how I despise the one in Pianta Village, but the most well-known are the poison river, and Pachinko. Poison River to me is fine, I can absolutely understand the frustration of this level, especially the pipe that warps you back to Delfino Square, that's just malicious. Pachinko machine is a nightmare to finish, but overall the difficulty isn't that bad, I did suffer quite a few deaths here though. Secret levels to me look interesting from a visual perspective, playing them is usually okay to a nightmare, since Mario doesn't have FLUDD and precise platforming feels like it has a good amount of jank. Particularly slopes, and angled flooring seem really odd in this game, sometimes you can get over them fine, sometimes the game decides the angle is too steep and Mario falls to his death, it's difficult to gauge, and this how I died most of the time in this game.
Graphics are great, honestly. I do feel some designs aren't the best, such as some of the enemies, but everything else is great. Super bright and cheerful style, great lighting, and quite a few cool smaller details. One good example is you can actually see the heat rising off the ground and asphalt in this game, which is such a small but awesome detail to show how hot the climate is. Water looks beautiful in this game as well, the sun shimmers off of it and looks perfect for swimming in. Overall the game has a super cozy feel and does everything it can to highlight the setting, and it works, and this to me is my favorite part of the game. Everything the setting exudes just fits so well with each other, and is such an underrated setting I feel compared to other Mario games. If you like tropical themes, this might just be one of the best ones I've seen in a video game.
Music is just awesome. Once again just nailing that summer vibe in every level. Delfino Square is an amazing hub world song, it never gets old, and it's catchy. Bianco Hills captures the village feel, Ricco harbor enhances its setting by feeling very upbeat and just matches perfectly. I can go on, but those are just some examples, and I've personally added Mario Sunshine's soundtrack to all my summer playlists, it is just a very positive and relaxing vibe, and can fit with any real summer activity you're doing.
I do have issues with this game, quite a few. Besides what I mentioned above, the only last major issues I have is blue coins (they are optional though). I do not recommend fully completing this game, but I do recommend playing through it normally. But I cannot undersell the presentation, it's very well crafted. Definitely play this on a summer's afternoon with a cold drink, you won't regret it. You can get Mario Sunshine on the GameCube, and an upscaled version through Mario 3D All-Stars on Nintendo Switch, which is my personal recommendation. I understand 3D All-Stars isn't well received, but I am glad there is a more accessible way to play Mario Sunshine now at least. So give it a try if you want a nice summer game.
Mario isn't known for the storytelling, but this game definitely broke boundaries for the Mario series. Mario is convicted as a criminal for polluting the dolphin-shaped island of "Isle Delfino". Mario is prosecuted and sentenced to clean the entire island before he can leave. With the assistance of FLUDD (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device), Mario must go around not only cleaning the island, but collecting the island's source of sunshine and power, the shine sprites. Now this is the first mainline Mario game to have voice acting besides a bunch of wahoo's and grunting. Whether it's good or not is another story, though it's actually serviceable and it didn't grate on me or hurt the experience overall.
Mario Sunshine is obviously, a 3D collectathon platformer with a twist, and that's FLUDD. I both like and dislike FLUDD as a gimmick, I love how FLUDD can help you correct small mistakes in your platforming, making small mistakes have no punishment tied to them. Why I dislike FLUDD is they had to gimp Mario's capabilities from Mario 64 to make him feel useful. Mario cannot long jump in this game, this makes FLUDD's hover nozzle the replacement, and it's not nearly as snappy or satisfying for a substitute. Mario also just doesn't jump as far or high as he used to, once again having you rely on flood for both verticality and horizontal movement sometimes. You can still gain height from triple jumps and side somersaults, which does help keep the gameplay fast and fun. Of course, there are some levels which will take FLUDD away from you, where you'll platform with just Mario. This is where the most glaring flaws of the game come into the picture, at least for me, especially later levels which really ask a lot from you, looking at you Pianta Village.
Without FLUDD, Mario feels rather loose and almost slippery to control. I don't find it that bad, though I do feel Mario isn't as tight as he was in Mario 64, but it was playable and I only suffered a few deaths from it, nothing too significant here. Mario Sunshine is also weird, the enemy variety is so bizarre and don't feel like Mario enemies, except the now iconic Cataquack, and especially iconic Petey Piranha. Everything else is very forgettable and to my knowledge do not show up again.
Level design and setting is perfect, capturing the summer vibe in all aspects. I especially love Serena Beach, Pianta Village, and Ricco Harbor, though visually there's not a single level in Mario Sunshine I dislike. Some people might think it all looks too similar, but I commend them on sticking with a single type of setting compared to other Mario games which are very diverse and check off every kind of environment and setting you can think of. As far as the level design goes, it's hit or miss. Noki Bay stands out as the most polarizing for me, the setting is great, and has a lot of fun sections, but overall feels... off. Certainly focuses on wall jumps and secret tunnels for traversal, but it's not so one-dimensional and makes sense for what the area is. The underwater section is fun, the controls for it aren't that great though, especially for the red coin fish, which can get frustrating if you need one coin left. Love Serena Beach and the haunted motel, it's a creative maze where you go room to room through different means, which I loved. Compact design and not always obvious where to go, while it can take a bit of time to figure out, I don't think it's too cryptic where you'll get lost. Last thing I'll comment on for levels are the "secret" ones. Most of these are fine, I already mentioned how I despise the one in Pianta Village, but the most well-known are the poison river, and Pachinko. Poison River to me is fine, I can absolutely understand the frustration of this level, especially the pipe that warps you back to Delfino Square, that's just malicious. Pachinko machine is a nightmare to finish, but overall the difficulty isn't that bad, I did suffer quite a few deaths here though. Secret levels to me look interesting from a visual perspective, playing them is usually okay to a nightmare, since Mario doesn't have FLUDD and precise platforming feels like it has a good amount of jank. Particularly slopes, and angled flooring seem really odd in this game, sometimes you can get over them fine, sometimes the game decides the angle is too steep and Mario falls to his death, it's difficult to gauge, and this how I died most of the time in this game.
Graphics are great, honestly. I do feel some designs aren't the best, such as some of the enemies, but everything else is great. Super bright and cheerful style, great lighting, and quite a few cool smaller details. One good example is you can actually see the heat rising off the ground and asphalt in this game, which is such a small but awesome detail to show how hot the climate is. Water looks beautiful in this game as well, the sun shimmers off of it and looks perfect for swimming in. Overall the game has a super cozy feel and does everything it can to highlight the setting, and it works, and this to me is my favorite part of the game. Everything the setting exudes just fits so well with each other, and is such an underrated setting I feel compared to other Mario games. If you like tropical themes, this might just be one of the best ones I've seen in a video game.
Music is just awesome. Once again just nailing that summer vibe in every level. Delfino Square is an amazing hub world song, it never gets old, and it's catchy. Bianco Hills captures the village feel, Ricco harbor enhances its setting by feeling very upbeat and just matches perfectly. I can go on, but those are just some examples, and I've personally added Mario Sunshine's soundtrack to all my summer playlists, it is just a very positive and relaxing vibe, and can fit with any real summer activity you're doing.
I do have issues with this game, quite a few. Besides what I mentioned above, the only last major issues I have is blue coins (they are optional though). I do not recommend fully completing this game, but I do recommend playing through it normally. But I cannot undersell the presentation, it's very well crafted. Definitely play this on a summer's afternoon with a cold drink, you won't regret it. You can get Mario Sunshine on the GameCube, and an upscaled version through Mario 3D All-Stars on Nintendo Switch, which is my personal recommendation. I understand 3D All-Stars isn't well received, but I am glad there is a more accessible way to play Mario Sunshine now at least. So give it a try if you want a nice summer game.
I think one of my favourite things about the 3D Mario games is exploring the crazy biomes and diverse level designs they come up with for the different worlds. So it turns out when you make all the levels similar in theme, I lose interest pretty quick. Plus there are a LOT of needlessly annoying levels in this game, be it falling off the scaffolding in the docks level, trying to do janky stuff with the manta rays or the god-damned sandbird. Got about halfway through before realising nobody was forcing me to play this and then I stopped
sirena beach and pianta village are the worst things that has happened to civilization since the holocaust