Super Mario Sunshine: The Slippery Slope of 3D Mario
Growing up, one of my favorite things to do with every 3D Mario I played, was to replay them, and 100% them again and again. I've 100%'d Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 multiple times as both Mario and Luigi, collecting every power star on every level. I remember playing Super Mario 64 and its DS remake and 100%'d those games multiple times, and I've 100% Super Mario Odyessy as well. I've always had a soft spot for 3D Mario games. Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite game of all time, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Mario 64 are up in the high rankings for me as well, and Super Mario Odyessy is probably my second favorite, behind Galaxy 1. However, I've never felt that same level of affection with Super Mario Sunshine. I've tried in the past, me and my mom went to our local GameStop back when was I around 6-7 years old to get a used copy. It was only the original GameCube disk, no box, but I was a kid so I didn't care, we went home, I put it in my Wii, started to play it... but it just never clicked with me back then.
Maybe it was just because I was a dumb kid who sucked at Video Games at the same, this was the same kid who thought Sweet Sweet Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy was the hardest thing ever (if only he knew about Dark Souls). Fast forward to now, I've decided to give Super Mario Sunshine another chance now older. Unfortunately, I lost that original GameCube copy from all those years ago, and I don't remember what happened to my old Wii, so when I replayed this game, I was playing the version on the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection for Switch (I'm writing here cause backlogg's system for ports/remasters isn't that great). Going into Super Mario Sunshine, I wanted to 100% it as I have with every other 3D Mario I used to do as a kid, but I never ended up doing so with Super Mario Sunshine. Maybe it's because I'm older now? Maybe it's because of the game? Or maybe it's because I'm washed at 3D Mario games?
The story is pretty simple, of course for a Mario game. Mario, Peach, Toadsworth, and the Toads fly to Isle Delfino for a getaway, presumably for them to get some much-needed rest after Bowser's many attempts to capture Peach, but things aren't as comfy for Mario and pals because they encounter a mass of paint-like goop. Mario gets the Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device (F.L.U.D.D.), a water cannon created by Professor E. Gadd from Luigi's Mansion fame, and Mario uses F.L.U.D.D. to defeat slime covered Piranha Plant. To thank Mario for his good deed, the police of Isle Delfine arrest Mario. As a kid, I thought nothing of it, but looking at it now, the whole criminal justice system on Isle Delfino fucked up. Mario does not get an attorney, there were witnesses who clearly saw Mario innocent but decided not to back him up, and the prosecution pushes for a guilty verdict onto Mario off of a SKETCH! A SKETCH OF ALL THINGS!? As much as a pile of work the real-world criminal justice system is, at least I can remind myself that it isn't Isle Delfino's criminal justice system. Mario is assigned to community service and has to clean up the island and track down the real criminal.
It's such a quirky premise for a Nintendo game, and I don't think Nintendo would make a Mario game where he gets in jail today, considering how strict they are with the portrayal and copyright of their characters. Even though I never beat Super Mario Sunshine as a kid, I got spoiled the story for myself from YouTube videos, and going back to it now, I don't care that I was spoiled. It's a Mario game, I don't care I already knew the story front to end, I was coming here for the gameplay. Super Mario Sunshine is the first Mario game to introduce Bowser Jr, and this was a great introduction into his character. Bowser Jr was a fun character in this game, this game alone puts him on top above the Koopalings. The characters in Super Mario Sunshine feel unique in this game alone, the Piantas are the citizins of Isle Delfino and sorta the replacment for Toads in this game, Toads are still here, but not as much compared to other Mario games. Super Mario Sunshine has this charm and bright personality that isn't in a lot of other Mario games. The title screen, the OST, every pretty-looking thing in Super Mario Sunshine makes it feel summer-like.
To the main course, being the gameplay, all I have to say is that I am more split with this game's gameplay than I ever have been with any 3D Mario game. There are a lot of pros and cons with the gameplay of Super Mario Sunshine, I found my overall playthrough to be a great time, but there has been a lot about the gameplay mechanics that I feel hold this game back from being anything more than great. For one, I'm glad this is harder than any 3D Mario game I've played. It's sort of refreshing to have a Mario game give me a challenge, but the thing is, a lot of what makes Super Mario Sunshine difficult is either because 1. I needed to learn and adapt from the challenge I'm facing, or 2. Because of the bullshit slippery movement that Mario has throughout all of the game. I don't know if Mario has ice cubes built into his shoes, but moving as him in this game feels like you walking on ice and it's not too much of an issue throughout most of the game, but in parts where you need to be precise with your platforming, it just fucks you over, anyways.
In Super Mario 64, Mario collected power stars in that game, but here in Super Mario Sunshine, he collects Shine Sprites instead. Shine Sprites are a cool replacement for Power Stars, and the little jingle you hear every time you collect a Shine Sprite is a banger, but I wasn't as excited to collect them as I used to be with Power Stars in other Mario games. There are these blue coins you can collect throughout each level and if you have 10 blue coins, you can exchange them with a merchant on Isle Delfino for a Shine Sprite. Honestly, I found collecting the blue coins to be tedious, some are in some levels and some aren't, and overall just felt like a headache to get. As for the levels themselves, they all had some level of charm to them, but nothing quite memorable compared to the levels in Super Mario 64, the Galaxy games, or even Odyessy. The inclusion of Yoshi in this game feels so forced, you have to get Yoshi out of his egg by bringing the fruit he wants, but Yoshi isn't needed for a lot of this game unless you are going for 100%, and nothing would have changed if Yoshi wasn't included. I said how I wanted to 100% this game and never ended up doing so, that's because I found Super Mario Sunshine to not worthwhile to see through with a 100%. It is a worthwhile game to play for fun, the levels are fun on face value, but while trying go for that 100% completion, you can see a lot of the flaws of the level design.
Overall, even though I had a lot to say about the flaws of Super Mario Sunshine, at face value it's a great Mario game, just not an amazing Mario game. It's a fun time playing through Isle Delfino, there's a lot of charm, and when the game mechanics aren't against you, they're pretty bearable. I had a great time with this game, it's been a while since I played a 3D Mario game, and perhaps I should revisit one in the future before the eventual next 3D Mario game.
Stats:
The 13th game I've completed in 2024
Played on Nintendo Switch (via 3D All-Stars)
Hours into Game: 15 Hours
Score: 8/10 (4/5)
Last Statement: Fuck Isle DelFino's Criminal Justice System
Growing up, one of my favorite things to do with every 3D Mario I played, was to replay them, and 100% them again and again. I've 100%'d Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 multiple times as both Mario and Luigi, collecting every power star on every level. I remember playing Super Mario 64 and its DS remake and 100%'d those games multiple times, and I've 100% Super Mario Odyessy as well. I've always had a soft spot for 3D Mario games. Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite game of all time, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Mario 64 are up in the high rankings for me as well, and Super Mario Odyessy is probably my second favorite, behind Galaxy 1. However, I've never felt that same level of affection with Super Mario Sunshine. I've tried in the past, me and my mom went to our local GameStop back when was I around 6-7 years old to get a used copy. It was only the original GameCube disk, no box, but I was a kid so I didn't care, we went home, I put it in my Wii, started to play it... but it just never clicked with me back then.
Maybe it was just because I was a dumb kid who sucked at Video Games at the same, this was the same kid who thought Sweet Sweet Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy was the hardest thing ever (if only he knew about Dark Souls). Fast forward to now, I've decided to give Super Mario Sunshine another chance now older. Unfortunately, I lost that original GameCube copy from all those years ago, and I don't remember what happened to my old Wii, so when I replayed this game, I was playing the version on the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection for Switch (I'm writing here cause backlogg's system for ports/remasters isn't that great). Going into Super Mario Sunshine, I wanted to 100% it as I have with every other 3D Mario I used to do as a kid, but I never ended up doing so with Super Mario Sunshine. Maybe it's because I'm older now? Maybe it's because of the game? Or maybe it's because I'm washed at 3D Mario games?
The story is pretty simple, of course for a Mario game. Mario, Peach, Toadsworth, and the Toads fly to Isle Delfino for a getaway, presumably for them to get some much-needed rest after Bowser's many attempts to capture Peach, but things aren't as comfy for Mario and pals because they encounter a mass of paint-like goop. Mario gets the Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device (F.L.U.D.D.), a water cannon created by Professor E. Gadd from Luigi's Mansion fame, and Mario uses F.L.U.D.D. to defeat slime covered Piranha Plant. To thank Mario for his good deed, the police of Isle Delfine arrest Mario. As a kid, I thought nothing of it, but looking at it now, the whole criminal justice system on Isle Delfino fucked up. Mario does not get an attorney, there were witnesses who clearly saw Mario innocent but decided not to back him up, and the prosecution pushes for a guilty verdict onto Mario off of a SKETCH! A SKETCH OF ALL THINGS!? As much as a pile of work the real-world criminal justice system is, at least I can remind myself that it isn't Isle Delfino's criminal justice system. Mario is assigned to community service and has to clean up the island and track down the real criminal.
It's such a quirky premise for a Nintendo game, and I don't think Nintendo would make a Mario game where he gets in jail today, considering how strict they are with the portrayal and copyright of their characters. Even though I never beat Super Mario Sunshine as a kid, I got spoiled the story for myself from YouTube videos, and going back to it now, I don't care that I was spoiled. It's a Mario game, I don't care I already knew the story front to end, I was coming here for the gameplay. Super Mario Sunshine is the first Mario game to introduce Bowser Jr, and this was a great introduction into his character. Bowser Jr was a fun character in this game, this game alone puts him on top above the Koopalings. The characters in Super Mario Sunshine feel unique in this game alone, the Piantas are the citizins of Isle Delfino and sorta the replacment for Toads in this game, Toads are still here, but not as much compared to other Mario games. Super Mario Sunshine has this charm and bright personality that isn't in a lot of other Mario games. The title screen, the OST, every pretty-looking thing in Super Mario Sunshine makes it feel summer-like.
To the main course, being the gameplay, all I have to say is that I am more split with this game's gameplay than I ever have been with any 3D Mario game. There are a lot of pros and cons with the gameplay of Super Mario Sunshine, I found my overall playthrough to be a great time, but there has been a lot about the gameplay mechanics that I feel hold this game back from being anything more than great. For one, I'm glad this is harder than any 3D Mario game I've played. It's sort of refreshing to have a Mario game give me a challenge, but the thing is, a lot of what makes Super Mario Sunshine difficult is either because 1. I needed to learn and adapt from the challenge I'm facing, or 2. Because of the bullshit slippery movement that Mario has throughout all of the game. I don't know if Mario has ice cubes built into his shoes, but moving as him in this game feels like you walking on ice and it's not too much of an issue throughout most of the game, but in parts where you need to be precise with your platforming, it just fucks you over, anyways.
In Super Mario 64, Mario collected power stars in that game, but here in Super Mario Sunshine, he collects Shine Sprites instead. Shine Sprites are a cool replacement for Power Stars, and the little jingle you hear every time you collect a Shine Sprite is a banger, but I wasn't as excited to collect them as I used to be with Power Stars in other Mario games. There are these blue coins you can collect throughout each level and if you have 10 blue coins, you can exchange them with a merchant on Isle Delfino for a Shine Sprite. Honestly, I found collecting the blue coins to be tedious, some are in some levels and some aren't, and overall just felt like a headache to get. As for the levels themselves, they all had some level of charm to them, but nothing quite memorable compared to the levels in Super Mario 64, the Galaxy games, or even Odyessy. The inclusion of Yoshi in this game feels so forced, you have to get Yoshi out of his egg by bringing the fruit he wants, but Yoshi isn't needed for a lot of this game unless you are going for 100%, and nothing would have changed if Yoshi wasn't included. I said how I wanted to 100% this game and never ended up doing so, that's because I found Super Mario Sunshine to not worthwhile to see through with a 100%. It is a worthwhile game to play for fun, the levels are fun on face value, but while trying go for that 100% completion, you can see a lot of the flaws of the level design.
Overall, even though I had a lot to say about the flaws of Super Mario Sunshine, at face value it's a great Mario game, just not an amazing Mario game. It's a fun time playing through Isle Delfino, there's a lot of charm, and when the game mechanics aren't against you, they're pretty bearable. I had a great time with this game, it's been a while since I played a 3D Mario game, and perhaps I should revisit one in the future before the eventual next 3D Mario game.
Stats:
The 13th game I've completed in 2024
Played on Nintendo Switch (via 3D All-Stars)
Hours into Game: 15 Hours
Score: 8/10 (4/5)
Last Statement: Fuck Isle DelFino's Criminal Justice System