this game is better than mario 64, but only by a little bit. i am mario
"Let me get this straight, you think that this game is better than Mario galaxy?"
"I do, and I'm tired of pretending it's not"
"I do, and I'm tired of pretending it's not"
I'll associate this game with failing my midterms in my first semester of college while wanting to change my major because I have too much of a personality to be an accountant.
Probably one of the hardest 3D Mario Games there is. Certain levels were very hard and the controls and the camera system didn't help. But still i can play this game for hours each session and even when you have an huge setback (you die before the shrine sprite in a hard red coin level) i still want to complete that level. I don't always have that kind of motivation when playing a game which makes this game so good.
Story wise... It felt empty though. The story progression were only in a few levels and the middle-end game there's no progression to be found. Only levels to be completed. While i don't need a lot of story, i like to have something when getting like 50 shrine sprites to see the story progress and you know that what you do has meaning to the progress you make.
7th star requirement each level is definitely tricky. Especially the secret levels. But can be done with patience and practice.
I like that this game doesn't have a time limit for most of the levels especially the secrets so you don't have to rush anything. Although there are still some time-limited levels in the game which can be though especially the goop cleaning ones.
I do like the theme better Super Mario 64. Not sure about Super Mario Galaxy though. Haven't played that in a while.
After the game, you still get a lot extra's to unlock (blue coins, hidden shrine sprites, extra hidden levels, the 8th star levels where some are terror). But for me beating the final boss was fine. It means I've finally beaten the game which i haven't been able to in my childhood years.
As a closer to this review:
So... Want a hard Mario game? This is it. Definitely recommend this game!
Story wise... It felt empty though. The story progression were only in a few levels and the middle-end game there's no progression to be found. Only levels to be completed. While i don't need a lot of story, i like to have something when getting like 50 shrine sprites to see the story progress and you know that what you do has meaning to the progress you make.
7th star requirement each level is definitely tricky. Especially the secret levels. But can be done with patience and practice.
I like that this game doesn't have a time limit for most of the levels especially the secrets so you don't have to rush anything. Although there are still some time-limited levels in the game which can be though especially the goop cleaning ones.
I do like the theme better Super Mario 64. Not sure about Super Mario Galaxy though. Haven't played that in a while.
After the game, you still get a lot extra's to unlock (blue coins, hidden shrine sprites, extra hidden levels, the 8th star levels where some are terror). But for me beating the final boss was fine. It means I've finally beaten the game which i haven't been able to in my childhood years.
As a closer to this review:
So... Want a hard Mario game? This is it. Definitely recommend this game!
Mario is a touchy subject for me. I love these games so much, and it's probably the most consistently good (big) franchise out there in video games.
But I also have a hard time LOVING a Mario game, because they are all geniuses in different ways, and they all also have very annoying flaws that take me away from the experience. Usually playing a Mario game to the end is what makes me like them the least, because the longer I play, more the little things annoy me.
The exceptions (from the good Mario games) are: Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario World. 3D Land because I don't think it's great at anything, but I don't think it's bad at anything either (apart from being too easy), so it doesn't have highs like other good Mario games, but it doesn't have lows like those games either. And Super Mario World because I like absolutely everything about it, one of the best platformers ever made, I just don't like it enough to say it's one of my favorite things in life.
I wish I could say that about Sunshine. It's a game that starts out relatively lukewarm, Bianco Hills isn't the most charming stage of all, and Ricco Harbor is a stage that reminds me of the less inspired moments of Super Mario 64. But moving on from those two? It's literally the most beautiful game I've ever played. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been so impressed with art direction in a videogame in my life. The amount of variety they manage to do with the paradisiacal theme and the amount of life they manage to bring to these settings is unbelievable.
I could brag about all the separate elements of Super Mario Sunshine forever, but my problem with it is the way it approaches them in the structure of the game. It's hard to make a sequel to Super Mario 64. How do you follow one of the most revolutionary games of all time without just repeating the formula? The answer for those looking back seems simple "ah, add a mechanic that changes Mario's gameplay and the feel of the game like it was with Mario Galaxy and Mario Odyssey", but at the time they were much more nebulous ideas. Behold, this also happened with Sunshine, fluud is Mario's new mechanic and the whole game is designed with you controlling Mario and his water fella.
Which leads to what is perhaps the biggest part of this game's identity: it's much less about feeling Mario and grabbing stars with platforming challenges and much more about how fluud influences that. More than half of the game's stars are mini-games that use water mechanics differently. And this is where the game slips (no pun intended) a little for me.
I mean, in Super Mario 64 not all the stars are satisfying to get, and not all the platform challenges are fun to do, but it's much less because of the gameplay and much more because the level was really poorly designed. The second half of Mario 64 is a collection of abstract interpretations of a 3D setting with some very shallow theme, for Mario to walk and jump freely. On paper is a very good idea, but the less definition on the platforms, the more boring it is to play the game. Super Mario Sunshine has its problem precisely in its diversity. It's a game with very well thought out scenarios, but it relies on the fact that it's always presenting new iterations of its main mechanics, and honestly the work is inconsistent. Like I said, it's a game with a lot of highs, Sunshine has probably my favorite worlds of any Mario, but when he wants to be boring he can quickly do it. It's completely non-sense that you are forced to do the missions in order (unlike Mario 64) and piss me off that you are forced to fight Shadow Mario in all of the stages, he has by far the worst shines in the game.
Overall, it's a game that builds a lot on what its predecessor started, but it's still too confusing to be coherent. But worst than all this: the game is often not intuitive. And not being intuitive is a HUGE sin for a Mario game, maybe that's exactly why he wasn't so well received, and is kind of the ugly duckling of the 3D games in the franchise. You have to get inside the game designer's head to understand what exactly he's asking you to do with FLUUD, it's an adventure-like puzzle at times.
Anyway, the stages are still good until the end, but the more I played the more I thought they could have focused on more specific challenges instead of shooting everywhere. Fatigue grew exponentially, just like in Mario 64. Anyway, at the end of the day I think that's the magic of this game, it's the closest Mario game to a Sonic game, it's the iteration of the franchise where Nintendo's quality control allowed Mario to be a fireman and that the whole game was based on you spraying water. It's beautiful that Super Mario Sunshine exists, it's just not the perfect Mario game yet, at least not for me.
75/120 shines.
But I also have a hard time LOVING a Mario game, because they are all geniuses in different ways, and they all also have very annoying flaws that take me away from the experience. Usually playing a Mario game to the end is what makes me like them the least, because the longer I play, more the little things annoy me.
The exceptions (from the good Mario games) are: Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario World. 3D Land because I don't think it's great at anything, but I don't think it's bad at anything either (apart from being too easy), so it doesn't have highs like other good Mario games, but it doesn't have lows like those games either. And Super Mario World because I like absolutely everything about it, one of the best platformers ever made, I just don't like it enough to say it's one of my favorite things in life.
I wish I could say that about Sunshine. It's a game that starts out relatively lukewarm, Bianco Hills isn't the most charming stage of all, and Ricco Harbor is a stage that reminds me of the less inspired moments of Super Mario 64. But moving on from those two? It's literally the most beautiful game I've ever played. Honestly, I don't think I've ever been so impressed with art direction in a videogame in my life. The amount of variety they manage to do with the paradisiacal theme and the amount of life they manage to bring to these settings is unbelievable.
I could brag about all the separate elements of Super Mario Sunshine forever, but my problem with it is the way it approaches them in the structure of the game. It's hard to make a sequel to Super Mario 64. How do you follow one of the most revolutionary games of all time without just repeating the formula? The answer for those looking back seems simple "ah, add a mechanic that changes Mario's gameplay and the feel of the game like it was with Mario Galaxy and Mario Odyssey", but at the time they were much more nebulous ideas. Behold, this also happened with Sunshine, fluud is Mario's new mechanic and the whole game is designed with you controlling Mario and his water fella.
Which leads to what is perhaps the biggest part of this game's identity: it's much less about feeling Mario and grabbing stars with platforming challenges and much more about how fluud influences that. More than half of the game's stars are mini-games that use water mechanics differently. And this is where the game slips (no pun intended) a little for me.
I mean, in Super Mario 64 not all the stars are satisfying to get, and not all the platform challenges are fun to do, but it's much less because of the gameplay and much more because the level was really poorly designed. The second half of Mario 64 is a collection of abstract interpretations of a 3D setting with some very shallow theme, for Mario to walk and jump freely. On paper is a very good idea, but the less definition on the platforms, the more boring it is to play the game. Super Mario Sunshine has its problem precisely in its diversity. It's a game with very well thought out scenarios, but it relies on the fact that it's always presenting new iterations of its main mechanics, and honestly the work is inconsistent. Like I said, it's a game with a lot of highs, Sunshine has probably my favorite worlds of any Mario, but when he wants to be boring he can quickly do it. It's completely non-sense that you are forced to do the missions in order (unlike Mario 64) and piss me off that you are forced to fight Shadow Mario in all of the stages, he has by far the worst shines in the game.
Overall, it's a game that builds a lot on what its predecessor started, but it's still too confusing to be coherent. But worst than all this: the game is often not intuitive. And not being intuitive is a HUGE sin for a Mario game, maybe that's exactly why he wasn't so well received, and is kind of the ugly duckling of the 3D games in the franchise. You have to get inside the game designer's head to understand what exactly he's asking you to do with FLUUD, it's an adventure-like puzzle at times.
Anyway, the stages are still good until the end, but the more I played the more I thought they could have focused on more specific challenges instead of shooting everywhere. Fatigue grew exponentially, just like in Mario 64. Anyway, at the end of the day I think that's the magic of this game, it's the closest Mario game to a Sonic game, it's the iteration of the franchise where Nintendo's quality control allowed Mario to be a fireman and that the whole game was based on you spraying water. It's beautiful that Super Mario Sunshine exists, it's just not the perfect Mario game yet, at least not for me.
75/120 shines.
Had this game not been rushed out for the Gamecubes launch, it might have actually been the perfect 3D Mario game. Its super neat how every single level shares a common theme, and how creative so many of its concepts and gameplay ideas are. It also has probably the best hub world of any Mario game. As it stands however, this game has so many levels that just feel like they were never properly finished or play tested. anytime your not using Mario's default controls, your in for a very frustrating time. Even Mario's normal controls dont work that great for the precise platforming the game expects you to do, and non of this is aided by the fact that the game boots you out of each level every time you die. there are so many small oversights and blatantly unfinished levels in this game that it can be a real struggle to complete.
Despite all the negatives, super Mario sunshine does have its merits. While Mario controls terribly in linear levels and tight platforming segments, his moment feels amazing when exploring big open spaces like it was likely intended for, its just a shame it doesn't stick to that. and before you get to the later levels, the first few shines are actually pretty intuitive and fun to collect.
I'd definitely recommend you give this game a try, but i cant guarantee you'll come out of it with good feelings for the game. it is what it is but i did have some fun with it.
Despite all the negatives, super Mario sunshine does have its merits. While Mario controls terribly in linear levels and tight platforming segments, his moment feels amazing when exploring big open spaces like it was likely intended for, its just a shame it doesn't stick to that. and before you get to the later levels, the first few shines are actually pretty intuitive and fun to collect.
I'd definitely recommend you give this game a try, but i cant guarantee you'll come out of it with good feelings for the game. it is what it is but i did have some fun with it.
Lowkey this is giving me mad boss baby vibes
Out of the five Mario Collect-a-thons, I would call this one the weakest one. But when you’re up against 64 (DS), Galaxy 1 and 2, and Odyssey, it’s not a detriment at all.
I really do love how Mario controls. He can move around in an instant and reaches his top speed almost as soon as he starts moving, which makes this the Mario game I love controlling him the most even though it is my least favorite and helps it give it its own identity without the main gimmick.
And the sub-levels without F.L.U.D.D is made better for it as well as less frustrating than they could have been. I also really like the vacation aesthetic. It’s something I rarely see in games and it has the summer vibes all throughout. This game's has a large variety of mission objectives, but this is one time where it adds to the fun rather than feeling thrown in for the sake of it.
But my praisings for the control was mostly reserved for Mario, as I can't say I'm a fan of how F.L.U.D.D handles. Because it can either make the gameplay come to a halt (spraying and Hover), is a game-breaker (Rocket), or is too underused (Turbo, wait, is that really a complaint?). And while I like all the worlds aesthetically, thought they can end up blending together, the level design was pretty weak, especially when so much of it is built around F.L.U.D.D. I thought there were a bunch of unfair deaths I encountered. Speaking of which, maybe it’s because I’m less familiar with the levels, but I found myself more annoyed with being kicked back to the hub world whenever I die here than I did with 64, which I think has to do with the levels being much larger.
And for those curious, I did not bother that much with Blue Coins. In fact, I never traded in any of them for Shines at any point when I was playing.
To conclude, I really enjoyed Super Mario Sunshine for its objectives, controls and atmosphere, but had problems with the levels and some mechanics. I might find myself fully completing it in the future, but it won't be anytime soon.
I really do love how Mario controls. He can move around in an instant and reaches his top speed almost as soon as he starts moving, which makes this the Mario game I love controlling him the most even though it is my least favorite and helps it give it its own identity without the main gimmick.
And the sub-levels without F.L.U.D.D is made better for it as well as less frustrating than they could have been. I also really like the vacation aesthetic. It’s something I rarely see in games and it has the summer vibes all throughout. This game's has a large variety of mission objectives, but this is one time where it adds to the fun rather than feeling thrown in for the sake of it.
But my praisings for the control was mostly reserved for Mario, as I can't say I'm a fan of how F.L.U.D.D handles. Because it can either make the gameplay come to a halt (spraying and Hover), is a game-breaker (Rocket), or is too underused (Turbo, wait, is that really a complaint?). And while I like all the worlds aesthetically, thought they can end up blending together, the level design was pretty weak, especially when so much of it is built around F.L.U.D.D. I thought there were a bunch of unfair deaths I encountered. Speaking of which, maybe it’s because I’m less familiar with the levels, but I found myself more annoyed with being kicked back to the hub world whenever I die here than I did with 64, which I think has to do with the levels being much larger.
And for those curious, I did not bother that much with Blue Coins. In fact, I never traded in any of them for Shines at any point when I was playing.
To conclude, I really enjoyed Super Mario Sunshine for its objectives, controls and atmosphere, but had problems with the levels and some mechanics. I might find myself fully completing it in the future, but it won't be anytime soon.
Remember when Mario went to jail and Bowser spoke actual sentences?
So Super Mario Sunshine is a really fun time but a very flawed game, which really upsets me because this game had everything to be a masterpiece. It's one of the best controlling Mario games; the F.L.U.D.D. nozzles make for some pretty interesting and varied movement either vertical or horizontal; and it sprinkles so much personality with its consistent tropical setting, all the levels feel part of the same world and weirdly enough this thematic consistency makes Sunshine one of the the oddest Mario games out there, in a good way.
But man you probably already know but this game is super rough around the edges in some areas. The numerous bugs and glitches; the godforsaken blue coins; the unability to go at your own pace because you need to get all the shines in the main stages to finish the game which is a massive step down from Mario 64, which gave you the freedom to explore and get any star in any order with multiple ways to do so; a lot of repetitive missions and specific infamous missions that are literally broken with physics and mechanics that completely shit themselves from the lack of polish. Some of these missions are optional, sure, but some aren't, and even if some are optional it doesn't justify the untested and broken levels like the pachinko machine, the lily pad level as well as Corona Mountain, the watermelon and Sand Bird missions in Gelato Beach, and the chucksters in Pianta Village.
At the end of the day Sunshine is still a quality game with loads of fun missions and levels, the best hub world in any Mario game, Yoshi, F.L.U.D.D., the Spin Jump, and a really nice message about cleaning to help the environment. But those problems make the entire experience feel like a major stepdown from Mario 64, but I wouldn't mind replaying this game again. It's good fun but one of the weaker 3D Mario games definitely.
Don't 100% this game, you're gonna hate yourself for that.
So Super Mario Sunshine is a really fun time but a very flawed game, which really upsets me because this game had everything to be a masterpiece. It's one of the best controlling Mario games; the F.L.U.D.D. nozzles make for some pretty interesting and varied movement either vertical or horizontal; and it sprinkles so much personality with its consistent tropical setting, all the levels feel part of the same world and weirdly enough this thematic consistency makes Sunshine one of the the oddest Mario games out there, in a good way.
But man you probably already know but this game is super rough around the edges in some areas. The numerous bugs and glitches; the godforsaken blue coins; the unability to go at your own pace because you need to get all the shines in the main stages to finish the game which is a massive step down from Mario 64, which gave you the freedom to explore and get any star in any order with multiple ways to do so; a lot of repetitive missions and specific infamous missions that are literally broken with physics and mechanics that completely shit themselves from the lack of polish. Some of these missions are optional, sure, but some aren't, and even if some are optional it doesn't justify the untested and broken levels like the pachinko machine, the lily pad level as well as Corona Mountain, the watermelon and Sand Bird missions in Gelato Beach, and the chucksters in Pianta Village.
At the end of the day Sunshine is still a quality game with loads of fun missions and levels, the best hub world in any Mario game, Yoshi, F.L.U.D.D., the Spin Jump, and a really nice message about cleaning to help the environment. But those problems make the entire experience feel like a major stepdown from Mario 64, but I wouldn't mind replaying this game again. It's good fun but one of the weaker 3D Mario games definitely.
Don't 100% this game, you're gonna hate yourself for that.
ruh roh! mario's in for a doozy! follow mario in an amazing adventure where a kangaroo court accuses mario of a crime he clearly didn't do cus the citizens are too fucking retarded to know that. nevertheless, mario is tasked with saving the world with the ol' reliable Super Soaker 3000™! this adventure is beautiful, sweet, and topped with subtle overtones of societal incompetency and environmentalist propaganda.
blue coins? more like...ew coins.
Despite how controversial this game can be, I love it with all of my heart. Granted, I might be a bit biased because it was one of the first console games I ever owned for myself, at least after my PS2, but I like to think the game has aged fairly well regardless. Besides, I wouldn't really give a shit if I was biased or not, Mario Sunshine is fun as hell.
I definitely feel like this game had a big influence on how I played games, 3D platformers to be specific. The movement in this game is top notch, with FLUDD opening lots of options for traversal that you just don't see in other titles. While you could argue a game like Odyssey does have a wider array of movement options, Sunshine just feels so much better to play. I can't describe just how happy I am running around Delfino Plaza, or any of the levels.
Speaking on that, this game has the BEST atmosphere of any Mario game. Period. I am a sucker for tropical themed things in games, and Sunshine is one huge vacation! The gorgeous color palettes of each level, the sense of scope you get when seeing another level off in the distance, just taking in the atmosphere of this game is so... good. Sometimes I love just booting this up on my Switch and walking around the final level from each stage, where everything is usually at its most peaceful, and just soaking it all in.
To go along with that, Sunshine has got some great tracks to help build atmosphere, and I'm pretty sure everyone knows how good this music is. I've heard these songs in the background of so many video essays it's insane, Sunshine has one of the most chill soundtracks of any Nintendo game while still accurately capturing the mood of each stage it appears in. Even high energy level themes, like Ricco Harbor, just have a playful, light energy to them that absorbs you in its environments. The sound design is also top notch, Mario's new voice lines are great, and the voice acting is really cute. Bowser Jr is just such a cutie, and Bowser's voice is so doofy, I love it.
I am aware of the faults people lay on the game, and I won't act like I don't also dislike some of these things, but at the end of the day, I don't really care? Mario Sunshine is something beautiful, despite all of its flaws. It captures this energy I have yet to see another Mario game do, of a vibrant island full of funny looking dudes that make silly noises. This game will always be one of my favorites, easy.
I definitely feel like this game had a big influence on how I played games, 3D platformers to be specific. The movement in this game is top notch, with FLUDD opening lots of options for traversal that you just don't see in other titles. While you could argue a game like Odyssey does have a wider array of movement options, Sunshine just feels so much better to play. I can't describe just how happy I am running around Delfino Plaza, or any of the levels.
Speaking on that, this game has the BEST atmosphere of any Mario game. Period. I am a sucker for tropical themed things in games, and Sunshine is one huge vacation! The gorgeous color palettes of each level, the sense of scope you get when seeing another level off in the distance, just taking in the atmosphere of this game is so... good. Sometimes I love just booting this up on my Switch and walking around the final level from each stage, where everything is usually at its most peaceful, and just soaking it all in.
To go along with that, Sunshine has got some great tracks to help build atmosphere, and I'm pretty sure everyone knows how good this music is. I've heard these songs in the background of so many video essays it's insane, Sunshine has one of the most chill soundtracks of any Nintendo game while still accurately capturing the mood of each stage it appears in. Even high energy level themes, like Ricco Harbor, just have a playful, light energy to them that absorbs you in its environments. The sound design is also top notch, Mario's new voice lines are great, and the voice acting is really cute. Bowser Jr is just such a cutie, and Bowser's voice is so doofy, I love it.
I am aware of the faults people lay on the game, and I won't act like I don't also dislike some of these things, but at the end of the day, I don't really care? Mario Sunshine is something beautiful, despite all of its flaws. It captures this energy I have yet to see another Mario game do, of a vibrant island full of funny looking dudes that make silly noises. This game will always be one of my favorites, easy.
Amazing mechanics with dogshit level design. The dmc 4 of 3d platformers
I keep telling myself i'll finish it, bu;t god i think the truth is i just don't want to. Not nearly a fan i'm sorry to say
100%ed - very charming and not as hard as people say it is, the only shine i think is BS is the secret of the village underside, the pachinko level and lilypad level aren't bad - the blue coins are though if you dont have a guide
Childhood Trauma by Level Design
this game means the entire world to me and it is perfect in every way. fuck you if you hate pachinko, fuck you if you hate blue coins, fuck you if you hate that stupid lily pad level you need yoshi for. it's all perfect.
I played this game when I was a kid and I loved it. But when I played it again in 2022. I realized just how clunky the controls were. It's still a great game and I still think its a great game.
Nunca imaginei que seria possível fazer um jogo ruim de Mario (ao menos nos jogos principais), mas parabéns, esse conseguiu.
Pense num jogo plataforma totalmente impreciso e com a gameplay toda mal testada. O jogo é difícil pelos motivos errados, e você morre o tempo todo não por um erro seu, mas porque o combo de câmera + movimentação do jogo é HORROROSO e completamente impreciso, sempre te fodendo e estragando sua jogatina.
O clima tropical é legal, mas a vibe não é tão interessante quanto o resto da franquia, e ele fica repetitivo bem rápido.
Enfim, de longe o pior jogo de Mario, e uma das maiores decepções que tive
Pense num jogo plataforma totalmente impreciso e com a gameplay toda mal testada. O jogo é difícil pelos motivos errados, e você morre o tempo todo não por um erro seu, mas porque o combo de câmera + movimentação do jogo é HORROROSO e completamente impreciso, sempre te fodendo e estragando sua jogatina.
O clima tropical é legal, mas a vibe não é tão interessante quanto o resto da franquia, e ele fica repetitivo bem rápido.
Enfim, de longe o pior jogo de Mario, e uma das maiores decepções que tive
Starting with the positives, this game has some of the best movement I’ve ever seen in a 3D platformer. Really smooth and fluent. There are a lot of bullshit shines, but I really do find it fun to get most of them. It’s not on the Super Mario Galaxy tier, and gets completely washed by that game’s creativity and gameplay, but it’s a fun game to beat every year or so. If this game was starring Scrimblo Bimbo you guys would say it’s the best game of all time and a hidden gem
While the controls are indeed the weakest portion of the game the 3D platforming is elevated with the FLUDD mechanic to make traversal of each level replayable to the point that the stars are fun. Adding in the stages without FLUDD becomees a fun change of pace. Level design could do with being more distinct and analog controls are a must for FLUDD and movement if you don't want to tear your hair out.
I think this is the only 3D Mario platformer I never actually beat. Or if I did, I don't remember it. I love everything about this game on paper, the aesthetic and music specifically are 100% my jam, but it never was compelling enough for me to finish it as a kid. I'd like to revisit it someday.
Bem paia
Mario has butter on his shoes.
A very fun game, but unfortunatly its flaws are hard to avoid such as the frustration of levels such as the lily pad and the long trek to even get there after every game over, the fact that the shines you need are set in stone so you can'y skip shines if you hate them like you could in 64 and Galaxy, and the fact that 100% is a nightmare with the blue coins and isn't even worth it! Other than that its a fun 3D Mario but with unavoidable flaws.
A very fun experience
People like me are exactly the reason why game developers hold players’ hands in games more than ever this past decade. Super Mario Sunshine leaves a surprising amount out when teaching you the fundamentals of the game, and aside from some obvious or not so obvious hints, encourages you to really work things out through trial and error. Sometimes, this is hours of fun and left me feeling so satisfied when I finally figured something out, other times however, ohhhh boy. But that’s not to say the bad part happens a LOT, however it is a common trend and much of it is supposedly down to a rushed development. But of course it’s not just that, (the strange lack of explanation for some things) it’s a fair few other things.
But the fact remains, this game is flawed but fun! The setting is beautiful and feels so fleshed out and real in some of the most creative and silly ways. The characters, music & setpieces are, as always, absolutely fucking terrific, and to add to those, the game has such a great warm, summery vibe to it that just puts a smile on your face and the voice acting is so endearingly goofy.
Now with that being said, this game has its issues. Mario controls incredibly for the most part and the levels play to that strength for the most part too, but some of these shines are, for lack of a better word, questionably designed…. Things like collision can also be pretty janky & some of the secret levels can legitimately eat my ass.
With the exception of the eighth shine on both, Ricco Harbor & Pinna Park are the strongest and my own personal favourite levels in the game. To quote my friend, they are what 3D mario should be, and are essentially big climbing frames. They let the player express themselves in their movement unhindered and just generally feel a delight to move around in. This is where the game really excels, and I do think that with a bit of polish and some reworking of some of the game’s less inspired and more tedious or janky levels, this really could be the best 3D mario out there. But for what it is, I can totally see why this is a number of people’s favourite one. I didn’t play it as a kid but I can feel the nostalgic vibes ooze from it too.
Overall, really nice, fun game. An imperfect piece of art that captured my imagination and even though it did bring me plenty of pain and misery, it also brought plenty of great times at all times!
But the fact remains, this game is flawed but fun! The setting is beautiful and feels so fleshed out and real in some of the most creative and silly ways. The characters, music & setpieces are, as always, absolutely fucking terrific, and to add to those, the game has such a great warm, summery vibe to it that just puts a smile on your face and the voice acting is so endearingly goofy.
Now with that being said, this game has its issues. Mario controls incredibly for the most part and the levels play to that strength for the most part too, but some of these shines are, for lack of a better word, questionably designed…. Things like collision can also be pretty janky & some of the secret levels can legitimately eat my ass.
With the exception of the eighth shine on both, Ricco Harbor & Pinna Park are the strongest and my own personal favourite levels in the game. To quote my friend, they are what 3D mario should be, and are essentially big climbing frames. They let the player express themselves in their movement unhindered and just generally feel a delight to move around in. This is where the game really excels, and I do think that with a bit of polish and some reworking of some of the game’s less inspired and more tedious or janky levels, this really could be the best 3D mario out there. But for what it is, I can totally see why this is a number of people’s favourite one. I didn’t play it as a kid but I can feel the nostalgic vibes ooze from it too.
Overall, really nice, fun game. An imperfect piece of art that captured my imagination and even though it did bring me plenty of pain and misery, it also brought plenty of great times at all times!
the Metal Gear Solid 4 of Mario games
This game shows what happens when bowser gets his son on the weekends
It is insane that Nintendo made this as the sequel to Mario 64. Developers simply don't make sequels like this anymore. Mario Sunshine feels like a game made in parallel to Mario 64 instead of building on it.
Sunshine features an almost entirely new moveset, new location, new artstyle. The early narrative focus is also something new for the mainline Mario games at that time. Mario goes to fucking jail and every level is set on this island full of big nosed assholes. It's INSANE. And honestly I really really admire how out there this game is. All of the levels are connected because they're all actual locations on the island. This gives the whole game a sense of place that I really enjoyed. Delfino Plaza rules and the theme is iconic. Never got tired of hearing it. Also while I'm talking about the soundtrack, it's awesome that every level theme song has remixed version with bongos for when you play as Yoshi.
For everything I admire about Sunshine on paper, there's something else that I dislike about it when I'm actually playing it. The move set feels bad. F.L.U.D.D. feels bad too but mostly when you're aiming it. When it's used as a glorified hover, then it's fine. The base move set just feels so janky. It's even more apparent in all the secret levels that remove F.L.U.D.D. It's wild that almost all of those levels feels janky to play because they focus on the concept of having Mario maneuver across a rotating wooden object. It feels repetitive because doing this really isn't all that fun. Especially when you're doing in extreme circumstances like with the Sand Bird.
Mix all of that with a bunch of fuck you levels like the Chuckster level and Sunshine just feels really slapped together. Way more so than any other Mario game I've played. There are so many unhinged decisions that I can't help but respect but overall I feel that Super Mario Sunshine is a low point for the 3D Mario games.
Played the Super Mario 3D All Stars version on Switch
Obtained 73/120 Shines
Sunshine features an almost entirely new moveset, new location, new artstyle. The early narrative focus is also something new for the mainline Mario games at that time. Mario goes to fucking jail and every level is set on this island full of big nosed assholes. It's INSANE. And honestly I really really admire how out there this game is. All of the levels are connected because they're all actual locations on the island. This gives the whole game a sense of place that I really enjoyed. Delfino Plaza rules and the theme is iconic. Never got tired of hearing it. Also while I'm talking about the soundtrack, it's awesome that every level theme song has remixed version with bongos for when you play as Yoshi.
For everything I admire about Sunshine on paper, there's something else that I dislike about it when I'm actually playing it. The move set feels bad. F.L.U.D.D. feels bad too but mostly when you're aiming it. When it's used as a glorified hover, then it's fine. The base move set just feels so janky. It's even more apparent in all the secret levels that remove F.L.U.D.D. It's wild that almost all of those levels feels janky to play because they focus on the concept of having Mario maneuver across a rotating wooden object. It feels repetitive because doing this really isn't all that fun. Especially when you're doing in extreme circumstances like with the Sand Bird.
Mix all of that with a bunch of fuck you levels like the Chuckster level and Sunshine just feels really slapped together. Way more so than any other Mario game I've played. There are so many unhinged decisions that I can't help but respect but overall I feel that Super Mario Sunshine is a low point for the 3D Mario games.
Played the Super Mario 3D All Stars version on Switch
Obtained 73/120 Shines