Gaming Target - GameCube: Super Mario Sunshine

Written by Kyle Williams on September 16, 2002

Full Review: ...and in this corner, the reigning platform champion...

Nintendo has been the driving force behind every major revolution in platform gaming. You think that statement might be a little bit out of place? If so, take a look at how often past Mario titles have been mimicked, especially the unequaled Mario 64. In fact, it was Mario 64's step into three dimensions that gave every other developer a map to follow for success. Lately, the question that has been on everyone's mind has been whether or not Mario's six year absense from platform games could possibly be worth the wait. I think I speak for everyone out there when I answer that question with a resounding, "Yes!"

Isle Delfino, Mario's vacation destination, is a tropical resort in every respect of the idea. In the game, you travel to several locations around the island that have been vandalized by... a shadow version of you. Unfortunately, everyone on the island can't tell the difference between you and your evil side and you get pegged with cleaning up the mess. So, you strap on the Gadd Laboratories FLUDD, a water pumping backpack with a mind of its own, and head off to clean up the mess. Of course, your troubles don't stop there as Peach, your royal traveling companion, is kidnapped by your shadow self. So, that leaves it all up to you, Mario. You must clean the island, recover shine sprites to brighten the island back up, and save your friend the princess.

To help you clean up Isle Delfino, Super Mario Sunshine builds upon the wildly successful control scheme that we saw in Mario 64. It almost seems that the GameCube controller was designed for Super Mario Sunshine and handles as if it were an extension of yourself. FLUDD plays into this control scheme through the use of four changeable nozzles that allow Mario to wash away gook, hover above enemies and across gaps, rocket high into the air, and zip along the ground and through the water at high speeds. These nozzles lend a new aspect to Mario's three-dimensional adventure. Mario also has several different jumps at his disposal and uses them to bound around the different island levels. It is only by using Mario and FLUDD in tandem that you will be able to make it to the end of the game and rescue the princess.

Super Mario Sunshine advances of it's 64 bit predecessor in several other ways too. Mario's lizard pal Yoshi makes a return for this tropical adventure, as do various chain link fences to climb around on. Both of these features, while seen in two-dimensional predecessors, translate surprisingly well into 3D and broaden the scope of several levels. In addition to being able to eat his enemies, Yoshi can now squirt juice at various foes, turning many of them into platforms that Mario can use to reach new areas and the cages add a whole new dimension to mazes and puzzles. As with everything else in this game, they help to add more depth to a fantastic title.

As you can tell from the screenshots all over the internet and the commercials on TV, Super Mario Sunshine is full of vibrant colors, lively characters, and a wide variety of levels. What you aren't seeing from those little snippets is just how fantastic the game itself looks while running. This game is filled with subtle details that turn Isle Delfino into a living, breathing world and help make it one of the most charming game worlds ever put on screen. Of particular note is the way that far off views suffer from heat distortion and how the water looks absolutely fantastic.

Perhaps the biggest feather in the Mario Sunshine hat, and the most challenging sequences in the game, are the mini-levels that are scattered throughout the title. For these sequences, evil you steals your precious FLUDD and forces you to make your way across hazardous terrain to earn a shine sprite and get your precious water pump back. Often, these levels are a throwback to the platform days of yore, and require you to time your jump perfectly, else you tumble into nothingness and have to start again. It is this homage to old times that provides the greatest challenge in the game and, again, really helps to make this a full-bodied title.

Amidst this gem of a title, there are only a few small flaws. The first, and only major issue I found, is with the camera. During 95% of the game, the camera performs beautifully. The c-stick allows you fantastic control of the camera and allows you to place it where you need it to be. Unfortunately, the rest of the time the camera does it's best to frustrate you and derail Mario from his quest. There is one level in particular in which Mario is climbing up and jumping between several chain-link fences while the camera continually tries to center itself behind a brick wall. The issue was manageable, but frustrating. At least passing that area go you through the worst of the camera woes. The only other problem that I found was that during the final boss battle, the game actually slowed down significantly. With how well everything else went, I was quite surprised at this. Other than these two issues, the game is a technical work of art that should be studied by developers worldwide.