Super Mario Sunshine

Written by Matt Swider  on February 03, 2003

Second Look: Ironic: Mario returns from his six-year vacation of platform games when he goes on vacation.
Moronic: I can hardly vacation working round the clock as a journalist, and yet no one has ever seen this plumber do any actual plumbing since th

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It has been six long years since Mario has gotten himself into any sort of platform predicament, and yet this Italian plumber is still on vacation. Or at least that's how things start off in his latest outing. During Mario's adventure game hiatus, he could only be spotted at multiple parties, on the go for some kart racing, playing a round of golf or a match of tennis, and roughhousing with a bunch of his friends. Nintendo even left the premier of GameCube to Luigi, and while the inclusion of Mario's always-outshined brother was well received, many long-time fans began to ask the question: УWhere's Mario?Ф A ray of light finally emerged when Super Mario Sunshine released to answer that question and provide us with his return to the platform genre. The game marks the first Super Mario title to appear on the GameCube and follows up the events that occur after Super Mario 64. He and the Princess head to Isle Delfino for a well-deserved vacation, but instead of escaping to the tropics for some rest and relaxation, Mario finds himself in a mess that leads to pure platforming innovation.

Upon landing on the shores of Isle Delfino, Mario is confronted by a bunch of angry and confused locals. It seems that a vandal has polluted the once peaceful island with a paint-like goop. The plot thickens along with the game's gooey substance when the perpetrator appears to be the spitting image of our Italian pipe monkey. Since this СShadow Mario' figure resembles a bluer tint of Metal Mario from the last adventure, our hero is falsely accused and his vacation comes to a halt. Mario is sentenced to clean up the mess and must spend time searching for the mysterious impostor that framed him. Having to clear a bunch of goop in addition to your good name seems odd initially, but any alternative to rescuing Peach and beating Bowser is welcome. Then again, that's exactly what the game eventually turns into.

Clearly a tropical adventure, Super Mario Sunshine's theme comes off as limited in some respects. For instance, you are no longer able encounter grassy hills, sand storming deserts, ice-capped mountains, and levels submerged by water or lava. These general design traits proved to hold more variety than the current sun-filled settings of Sunshine, but on the bright side, it's always colorful and steers clear of offering a successor with more of the same. The major component of the game that adds a whole new layer to the gameplay is the unique use of FLUDD. This water-spraying device helps rid each world of any overbearing goop and presents a new method of getting around from platform to platform. FLUDD even talks you through a number of situations and suggests how to overcome certain obstacles.

Besides the Squirt Nozzle that has the ability to discharge a steady stream of water in all directions, there are three additional modules that can be added to your FLUDD unit. The widely used Hover Nozzle can take Mario airborne or prolong his time in midair while washing away anything below his feet in the process. The Rocket and Turbo Nozzles aren't available immediately, but both deliver more water pressure to send Mario soaring to new heights or speeding out of sight. All of these new capabilities accompany the return of more traditional moves we've seen Mario perform before. He can always walk, run, sidestep, slide or swim depending on the situation, but most challenges require a particular jump. There are many jumping tactics that reappear such as the triple jump, spin jump, somersault, wall kick, and the impacting ground pound. Moving Mario around on the screen to perform these moves was a real joy in Super Mario 64 and Sunshine takes things a step further by combining them with the new set of water-powered abilities that make this game a wet and wild experience.

Finding a water source is always essential when FLUDD runs dry. Fortunately, unless the only water supply is situated at the bottom of a high-rise level, refilling the tank isn't much of a hassle at all. Many areas boast water deposits ranging from large lakes to small fountains and everything in between. With so much H2O constantly involved in Super Mario Sunshine, it results in two things. The first one is the urge for number one, so don't play on a full bladder. The second is a great set of visual effects that remain impressive from beginning to end. Nintendo obviously took the time to mimic a natural flow of water and include a surface reflection that mirrors the surrounding area. The only thing better than seeing water wash away this muck is being able to witness Mario get down and dirty with the gunk. The stuff is not only life threatening, but also clings to him from head to toe. As soon as this happens, the best idea is to drive into a lake and watch it all magically dissolve into the water.

Besides striking special effects, the rest of Super Mario Sunshine has also been enhanced over its predecessor in terms of visual approach. Mario's shape was defined with several polygons on the N64, but has since been smoothed out dramatically. His entire overweight body is plumper than ever and the red cap he wears is now completely round. Yoshis eventually show up to make their first three-dimensional appearance towards the end of the game. Having the freedom to ride them in 3D is quite thrilling and spraying fruit juice will take on a vital role in completing the story. Without the Yoshis, it's impossible to earn all 120 stars as well as access other secret areas throughout the island. The only downside is the repetitive beat that plays during the entire duration of riding on a Yoshi.

Although the Yoshis don't exactly grace us with the greatest audio flavors, the rest of Super Mario Sunshine boasts music that isn't watered down at all. Many familiar melodies play throughout the game and never fall behind in the quality count. As we find with almost every game on the market though, voice acting always seems be off-balance in comparison to the rest of its sound. It won't bother some players who focus on the actual in-game action more, but there are some who will of course nitpick and bring up the fact that the speech isn't exactly up to par. Nonetheless, like every other flaw in this game, it remains minor and doesn't alter the Super Mario experience unless you let it.

The Super Mario 64 setback that seemed to be an issue with every player was the difficulty in controlling its camera. Nintendo addressed the matter in Sunshine by casting a silhouette of Mario whenever he travels behind a prominent wall or object. This idea falls short of being a permanent solution given the fact that several hidden platforms are missed in the process. Nevertheless, the camera problems seem less persistent in Super Mario Sunshine and only cause a handful of unwarranted deaths as a result. In fact, the highest death rate usually occurs during one of the many stripped down levels without walls where Mario remains FLUDD-less. Each begins with Shadow Mario nabbing the water pack and forcing players to rely on a bunch of old-school jumping techniques instead. Repeatedly making mistakes from the challenging nature often leads to frustration, but for once it can't be derived from any camera nuisance.