ith the emergence of the Nintendo Gamecube in 2001, Nintendo was obligated to produce a follow up title to the beloved Super Mario 64. If you ask any hardcore Nintendo lover, theyll tell you that Super Mario 64 was the game that changed how kids and gamers evaluated all games proceeding it. Super Mario 64 set a new high standard of 3D graphics and adventure based gaming that had not yet been experienced. Of course this title was limited to the Nintendo 64, so whatever they made to be its replacement on the gamecube better represent the franchise properly. Nintendo stayed true and created a masterpiece for the ages.
Storyline
Super Mario Sunshine was ahead of its time on environmental issues. So much so that they decided to devote an entire game centred around cleaning up the environment. The creators tasked Mario with cleaning up the island's man made sludge with his water powered jet pack. Gamers with a keen eye have speculated that his jet pack had similarities to Luigi’s Poltergust 3000; made famous from Luigi's Mansion. Reading through the dialogue details out the scenario of Mario being forced to clean the island because it was thought to be him that made the giant mess. A lesser known character, Baby Bowser, was actually the culprit. The real plot twist here though is the fact that he was disguised as Shadow Mario. It may seem a bit complicated and non-sensical, but most Nintendo titles are. Additionally, Baby Bowser also thinks that Princess Peach is his mom for some reason, which he decides is reason enough to kidnap her. Save the world and Princess Peach in the same game. Just as to be expected.
Visuals
The graphics and aesthetics in Super Mario Sunshine were great for the time, and actually showed slight upgrades from Luigi's Mansion. This is slightly unfair to Luigi's game because the haunted mansion didnt do any favors to the brightness of the game. The colors in Super Mario Sunshine are very vibrant and objects had somewhat realistic textures while keeping true to the cartoony theme. Even flying over water shows the power of Mario's water cannon propulsion.
NPC Integration
Like other Mario games, the supporting characters, like townspeople and main antagonists, do have dialogue. Super Mario Sunshine was interesting though because of the range of detail that was implemented depending on who the character was. Cut scenes actually showed Princess Peach and Baby Bowser having full dialogue with one another. Very weird to see but cool non the less.
Public Perception
Before Sunshine actually came out, the marketing was interesting to say the least. One of the most notable commercials used real life humans mixed with people in costume singing about cleaning the environment. Needlesss to say, people were very confused and very worried for the next installment in the Mario universe. To the surprise of gamers, Super Mario Sunshine had just enough familiarity as the earlier titles but introduced a very new way of maneuvering through levels and beating boss’. Super Mario Sunshine's main addition of the water cannon saw much criticism from people saying this it was unnecessary and took away from the game. Much of this criticism seems quite ridiculous, considering some of the levels have no way of advancing without using the water pump propulsion.
The uncertainty that surrounded the game before it was released soon dissipated once people were able to play the game. Although it sees a completely new environment for either of the Mario Bros, it plays exceptionally well and offers a new realm of enjoyment for Nintendo lovers alike. It may not be as big of a stand out title or as legendary as Super Mario 64, but is extremely fun and still holds up in 2020. Super Mario 3D Allstars is set to cash in again with remastered versions of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy on September 18th. This might be the perfect time to bring your inner kid out again.
Check out our full length video review below!
