Super Mario Sunshine
GameCube
Super Mario 64 ranks as one of my favorite games of all time, so it should come as no surprise that I was super excited to play Super Mario Sunshine for the GameCube when it first came out. It was a very bittersweet time period in my life. I had just broken up with my first major girlfriend, who I was living with. I moved back home with my mother for the time being. I was working two jobs and I was also doing a lot of online dating. Within a month of moving back home, I was completely burnt out from all the working and dating. It seemed like I had almost no time to myself. Anyone who knows me nowadays knows that I value my personal time VERY much. Honestly, I am not quite sure how I did it.
As a result of being so burnt out, it should come as no surprise that I ended up quitting one of my two jobs. With all this extra time on my hands, I had a lot more time for video games. I went out and bought a Nintendo GameCube at Mayfair Mall because it was on sale for only 99 dollars. I didn’t buy Mario Sunshine right away, but a few months later I snagged it up and added it to my collection. I remember firing it up late at night and giving it a try. I was expecting something very similar to Super Mario 64. As I said, that game was one of my favorite games of all time. Mario Sunshine shared a lot of similarities with Mario 64, but they were both very different games. One of the main differences was something I considered a dumb gimmick: the water pack that Mario carries around in Sunshine.
I played the game and I mildly enjoyed it. But I just couldn’t shake that feeling of disappointment. I came in with expectations that were far too high, and this game didn’t even come close to meeting those expectations. I ended up meeting a girl through the aforementioned online dating that I was doing. This was actually one of her favorite games. We played through it together and that helped me appreciate the game a little bit more. In fact, when I think back on this game those are the main memories that come to the forefront of my mind. Us getting stoned out of our mind and playing through this game together at her place. But still, good memories aside, this wasn’t one of my favorite Mario games. I would put all the NES Mario games, Super Mario World, Mario 64, the Kart games, even the Galaxy games (which I played after this) ahead of Mario Sunshine on my favorite Mario games list.
I have played through the game one or two more times in the years since, but my opinion on the game has never really changed much. Until now! I would say it has been a good ten years since I last played the game. While perusing my game collection and looking for something I haven’t played in a long time, Mario Sunshine for some reason was standing out to me. I pulled the game off the shelf, looked at the case, turned it around and checked out the screenshots on the back of it. The old memories came flooding back. Immediately I knew that I just HAD to play this again.
The difference between playing it now and playing it back in the early 2000s is that this time I knew what to expect coming in. I knew this game wasn’t Mario 64. I knew that a lot of the game play focused around the gimmicky water pack. I knew about (what I considered at the time) the ho-hum setting of Isle Delfino. I knew about the difficult bonus stages. And you know what? I was ready for all of this.
I came in with an open mind. If I still didn’t like it much, then oh well. If I did like it, great! Turns out, I actually did like it this time around. In fact, I liked it so much I finished the whole game in about two or three days. I spent almost my entire day off from work solely playing this game. If you know me, Mr. Short Attention Span, at all, then you know that this is quite the feat.
Basic gameplay is very similar to Mario 64’s. Mario can run, jump, dive, ground pound, wall jump, swim, and pretty much do anything that he can in Mario 64. The exception to this is that both the long jump and the crouch jump (accomplished by holding Z in Mario 64) are both no longer available to you. You also can’t punch or kick anymore, not that these were utilized in the original game very much anyway. The biggest twist is the use of the water pack. Mario mainly uses this pack to spray water. There are several modifications to this pack that you discover as you play the game. You can use it as a jetpack, where two streams of water lift you off the ground for a limited amount of time. You can use it as a rocket pack, which shoots you into the sky. You can use it to blast you along the ground (or along the surface of the water) at high speeds. I mentioned that when I originally played this game that the water pack seemed very gimmicky. Again, and maybe this is an expectation thing, I didn’t mind it this time around. It felt quite natural, actually.
The game takes place on Isle Delfino, a previously unseen location in the Mario universe. Mario comes here with the Princess to take a vacation. He is Mario, so of course things end up going haywire. The island has been covered in some kind of goopy toxic material. The person going around and spreading this junk looks just like Mario, so he is blamed for all of this. To clear his name, Mario straps on the water pack, which he can use to spray this toxic gunk away. Then the game begins.
Delfino Plaza acts as the central hub for the game. In Mario 64 terms, it acts in a similar fashion to the Princess’s Castle. You can explore the hub, talking to characters and uncovering hidden Shine Sprites. I hate to keep comparing this to Mario 64, but these Shine Sprites act like the Stars from that game. In this hub, you will discover portals that take you to the game’s individual stages. I believe there are seven or eight stages in total. Each stage has eight missions in them which lead to Shine Sprites. In addition, just like in Mario 64 (sigh), if you collect 100 coins in a stage you get a Shine Sprite. There are also secret areas in each stage which lead to even more hidden Shine Sprites. There are Shine Sprites everywhere!
Stage missions are various and non-repetitive. They range from things like defeating bosses, to winning races, to collecting eight red coins (like Super Mario 64.............), and much more. There are some fun oddball missions out there like riding on a rollercoaster and shooting down Bowser balloons as you whip around the track. One has you cleaning the teeth of an underwater sea creature with your jetpack. Another one has you grabbing hold of a runaway chain chomp and dragging it back to its proper place. Although you don't use him a whole lot, Yoshi makes an appearance in the game. Using him properly is key to completing some of the game's missions as well. One mission type that IS repetitive is that each world stage has a mission where you have to chase after and spray Shadow Mario. In fact, you HAVE to beat all these stages if you want to beat the game. They are quick and not difficult, so I won't complain too much about them.
I had mixed feeling about some of the game’s secret areas the first time I played this game. Clearly they are meant to be a throwback to classic Mario games of old. The water pack gets jettisoned during the majority of these areas, which is nice to see. It is just you and your platforming skills put to the test. These areas for the most part are pretty difficult. It is especially hard because platforms are always flipping and rotating. It can be difficult to judge spacial distances in this game, especially without the use of the water pack’s hovering feature. As gimmicky as it is, you get used to it and start to rely on it after a while. If you die, you have to start at the beginning of the stage. I remember being quite frustrated back in the day when I played this game. I must have been up to the challenge this time around, though. Instead of getting frustrated or annoyed, I took these stages as a personal challenge and I set out to master them. And master them I did. I even somehow managed to beat that plinko/pinball machine-ish stage that gave me nightmares in my youth.
Graphically, the game seems like it is ahead of its time. Things look beautiful even 16 years after this game first came out. Everything is bright and colorful and fun to look at. The stages are fun and varied in their layouts, but still manage to stay true to the setting of Isle Delfino. That stage with all the mushrooms and the chain-chomps gone wild is visually my favorite, especially at night. I just think it is so fun to look at.
As far as the game’s music, the game doesn’t have a whole lot of standout original numbers. I mean, the music is for the most part very pleasant, but it doesn’t stand out like other games in the past. I like the music that plays when you collect a Shine Sprite. I like the classic Mario music that plays in the secret areas. Try as I might, though, I struggle to remember much of the music from this game. The sound effects are fine though, and exactly what you would expect from a Mario game like this.
The big question about Super Mario Sunshine is if it is any fun or not. If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have been like: “meh.” Now, however, my opinion has definitely changed. I had a really great time with this game. Once I started playing I did not want to stop. It was always “just one more Shine Sprite” or “just let me finish this stage mission and then I will stop playing.” The game is packed with content. There is always something to find or some secret area to uncover. It is very addicting and very fun, too.
My opinion on this game has definitely changed for the better. I don’t know what I was thinking, not liking this when it first came out. Now when I think about Mario Sunshine, happy positive thoughts will come to mind. It is just flat out fun. Sure it can be a little challenging in parts, but it never got to the “chuck your controller through the wall” level of frustration for me. I had a blast playing this. If and when the day ever comes when I make my way through my entire game collection, Mario Sunshine will be one of the first titles I revisit. This was really good.
Overall:
A
If you liked my review of Super Mario Sunshine, please check out the following reviews:
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