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Article Classic: Super Mario Sunshine Review
Super Mario Sunshine Review, written as of 2003, revised for 2015
The crew at Nintendo always know how to deal out a good set of cards when it comes to developing video games, and the Super Mario series has never been a slouch. Super Mario Sunshine is the recent Mario platform release and it packs quite a punch.
The plot of this installment starts when Mario, Princess Peach and the Toads are on a flight to Isle Delfino, a tropical paradise island, but they're given a disturbed welcome as the citizens accuse Mario of dirtying up the residence with a goop-like substance. Noticing the culprit, Mario sees a strange doppelganger of himself in a liquidized form. Being a hero of only few words, Mario takes the accusation and is given the task of cleaning Delfino with a water spraying device called F.L.U.D.D. as well as retrieving Shine Sprites to bring sunlight back to the island.
The settings of the levels as well as the characters are fresh and vibrant, and the water effects from both F.L.U.D.D. and the vast oceans are a treat to look at, while the environments and everything else are bright and colorful.
As for the music, they're appropriate for the many settings on the island, Delfino Plaza has a paradise-sounding tune, to Gelato Beach which also sounds comforting. The sound effects are very appropriate for the target audience as they're pulled off in a cartoon fashion, and add to the charm of playing the game, and for the first time there's quite a bit of voice acting, for a Mario game.
The gameplay to some may need some getting used to, but to start you have some of Mario's moves from Super Mario 64 such as the three timed jump, the side jump, wall kick, ground pound and the diving slide, though unfortunately the long jump is gone as F.L.U.D.D. substitutes for that. In total there are three uses for the water device, the spray nozzle which shoots water forward and lets you aim, the hover nozzle letting you make it across long gaps during a jump, the rocket nozzle giving Mario a high boosting jump at a great distance, and the turbo nozzle that shoots Mario forward letting him run across water. You'll eventually run out of water in F.L.U.D.D.'s tank, so you'll need to find an area that's full of water to refill it. All of the device's features are used with the R shoulder button, and switching two at a time with the X button.
Obtaining the Shine Sprites relies on the same mission structure from Super Mario 64, they start off easy but become difficult as you get farther into the game. You'll meet some bosses along the way, and they put up a bit of a challenge too.
Strewn throughout the levels (and Isle Delfino) are blue coins. You retrieve them in a number of ways, such as spraying wall graffiti, blue birds, or finding them in hidden places. By finding ten each time, a citizen from Isle Delfino will give you a Shine Sprite, and 200 are in total to find. Some levels even have their own minigame, pictured above is Mario riding a Blooper to get eight red coins in an area. These minigames have their own unique challenge, and they never feel the same.
The camera might be a challenge in itself, as you can change the angle with the C-stick, and fix it with the L shoulder button. The only problem is that the L shoulder button is the same to be used for the ground pound, so it's best to remember only to fix the camera when you're not jumping. When you're in tight spaces it might be more of a chore to fix the camera at how you want it exactly where you are.
Overall, this is still a great Mario platformer by heart. It has a couple of flaws, but to make up for it is the length of making it through the game, and making the completion of getting all 120 Shine Sprites. Give the game a go if you're into a good platformer, or better yet play it during Summer!
Score: 8/10
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