Super Mario Sunshine is a 3D installment of the Mario franchise for the GameCube console. This game strays from the typical Mario storyline and takes place during a vacation that Princess Peach, Mario, and some toads, have decided to take to the tropical paradise of Isle Delfino. In this game, Mario is framed by an imposter for the graffiti that has been vandalizing Isle Delfino in the past couple of weeks. Along with that, the shine sprites that come from the shine sprite tower have been scattered, leaving the Island in a perpetual darkness. He is taken to court and it is decided that he is not allowed to leave the island until all the graffiti has been cleaned and the shine sprites returned. Equipped with the newly introduced water-powered F.L.U.D.D. device, the player must then set off into the nine main areas that the game offers to go collect the lost stars.
Controls
The controls are mostly straight forward in this game. The controls are even first explained in a short and interesting clip shown at the beginning of the storyline. After that, if there is any confusion as to what the controls are, there are quick menu options to once again go over the basic controls. If you are a previous Mario player, the controls are almost basically the same. Except, this time around, the ‘R’ button is replaced with the F.L.U.D.D. feature, used to spray water or hover. Although some players may not like this, it is unique to this particular Mario game and offers a variety of new ways of movement in replace of some lost movements from previous 3D Mario games (ex. Mario 64) such as the ‘crouch’ move, and the ‘long jump’. As for character movement, the character sometimes moves a tad choppily and can lead to difficulty positioning them just right for the required task. But for the most part, the movement is normal and even difficult moves are manageable.
Score: 10
Storyline:
The overall storyline to this game is fairly unique. The story doesn’t delve too deep and it’s more of a free roam until a certain goal or checkpoint is reached. There are definitely some questions left after playing the entire game. For example, it isn’t explained that the creator of the Magic Paintbrush that Shadow Mario uses came from a man named Professor E. Gadd. A player wouldn’t know this unless they had prior knowledge of the character who first debuted in a previous Mario installment—Luigi’s Mansion. Save for those small facts, the storyline was simple and got to the point.
Score: 7
Level Design:
Evidence: The level design for this 2002 Mario installment was out of this world. Games typically didn’t have too much captivating scenery while in the early 2000s. The game was absolutely filled with beautiful and exotic levels that contain an abundance of color. For example, Levels like Noki Bay contain a wide range of colors, as it is a closed off cove with a giant waterfall. Even features as simple as the paint from the Magic Paintbrush were filled with colors and a unique design. Also, the level design makes so much sense with all the different missions you must complete in each area. The detail that went into the visuals were incredible for a game made in 2002, thus giving it a 9. Now, there are some problems as to the level design where it makes it tedious or frustrating for the player.
In a level located under a bridge, a player is in a giant wooden pinball machine in which they must collect eight red coins in order to receive a shine sprite.
It doesn't function like a regular pinball machine either. The player must use F.L.U.D.D. to navigate through the platforms to get to each red coin. The level is also extremely slippery, and easy to fall. If a player were to slip, there wouldn’t be much hope of getting back up, falling through the hole and starting the stage over. Overall, it wasn’t a favorite level.
Next, is another special stage. Now this is the real hair puller here. There is a level located on the main Isle Delfino stage located on an island offshore. On the island, there is a pipe that will take you to a secret level. The problem is, the pipe is covered with yellow jelly that can only be removed by Yoshi—who cannot swim. The player must ride a series a boats with Yoshi over to the island in order to access the pipe. In order to get from boat to boat, the player must jump to the next one once another one passes. If the player were to fall in the water, Yoshi would dissolve and vanish, leaving the player to start all over again.
Once the player is able to access the stage, they are taken to a level in which there are lily pads in a poisonous river of water. The player is required to ride the lily pads (which disintegrate in a certain amount of time) and get the eight red coins that are floating on the water. If the player touches the water, it results in an immediate death.
It is easy to reach the end of the stage with not enough coins needed to win. It is not explained that the pipe offered at the end of the stage takes the player straight back to Isle Delfino and not the beginning of the stage, resulting in the player having to do the process all over again. The idea of it was poorly thought through and causes too much frustration to be enjoyable. But this was only one major flaw in the entire game. And it is also not essential to winning the game.
Score: 9
Bugs/Glitches
Video games are bound to have bugs and glitches within them. Some of them are inevitable and are completely due to a mistake in the development of the game. In this game’s case, the glitches that do exist are more considered to be ‘hacks’. The glitches present are not something that one would run into when completing the storyline as normal—the player would have to go out of their way to find them or look them up in order for it to occur. For example, there is a glitch where a player is able to fall under the map of Isle Delfino if they use the hover nozzle to fly into a certain spot of a building from a certain palm tree. They would also have to get the angle correct. The glitches are not easy to reach, but they are present.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ned7bYMTKg
Score: 8
Overall Score: 9 (rounded up)
In conclusion, I give this Installment an 8/10. The creativity that went into this game made it so enjoyable that it was easy to look past the smaller errors. This game did have its moments with its bonus stages such as the wooden pinball machine and the poison river, but in the grand scheme of things it didn't matter as much since those stages were completely optional. Though, it would have been nice if the levels were better thought through. It truly ends up leaving good memories of fun, colorful scenery and enjoyable levels that got you thinking. From the catchy and bouncy music to the interesting and new features of the F.L.U.D.D. Nozzle, Super Mario Sunshine definitely should not be deemed ‘the black sheep’ of the Mario 3D franchise. It did a successful job in venturing out and finding a new setting and still make it fit the Super Mario theme.