Super Mario Sunshine is an inarguably odd game. Nintendo weren’t content to simply remake Super Mario 64 with better graphics, they made something that pushed the envelope. In fact, itreallypushed the envelope, maybe even a bit too far. Released at a time when developers were still learning the ropes of 3D game design, parts of Sunshine feel very experimental. Yet its peculiarities are the things that people remember most. This tropical platformer was bursting with unique ideas.
Like other games in the series, the goal of Sunshine is to gather collectables — in this case “Shines” — by completing various levels. Not every Shine is perfect, but many of them are memorable. These are the ones people still discuss to this day: the game’s most famous (and infamous) Shines.
10. Chain Chomplets Unchained
To obtain this Shine, Mario needs to pacify some angry “Chain Chomplets”. These are smaller Chain Chomps (they look almost like puppies!) that have broken free and are terrorizing the village. Also, they glow red, and considering iron doesn’t glow red until it’s heated to over 900 °F, it’s a miracle that Pianta Village hasn’t burned to the ground. These are some hot Chomplets!
To get the Shine, Mario needs to cool the Chomplets by spraying them, then flinging each of them into pools of water. This Shine shines because the player needs to employ a bit of logic and experimentation. It may take some time to figure out, but the solution is satisfying.
9. Blooper Surfing Safari
Some of the bloopers in Sunshine are basically jet-skis. Blooper riding is a blast (though like most things in Sunshine, it requires some practice). It’s a shame these speedy squids only appear in Ricco Harbor, where they’re only used for a couple of Shines. Thankfully FLUDD’s Turbo Nozzle can also fulfil some of your jet-skiing needs.
Blooper Surfing Safari puts Mario through a time trial on a short-but-sweet racetrack. It’s a great little diversion. Though the jet-ski bloopers are almost completely forgotten after this level, Nintendo greatly refined and improved the idea for Super Mario Galaxy. Manta Ray Surfing is used to great effect in that game.
8. The Sand Bird is Born
This level in Gelato Beach teleports Mario into the sky, where he balances on a giant bird made of sand. While balancing, he has to collect eight red coins. Seven of these coins are found on the bird’s back, and the eighth isn’t found until it reaches the top of a huge tower.
This level is infamous for being one of the most difficult in the game (ourEddie deep-dives into the designs problems with this level!). The bird flaps around wildly, and Mario goes flying off all the time. At one (very tense) moment, the bird turns completely sideways. It’s rough, and it may take some practice to get right. But, with care and clever use of the hover nozzle, victory will come. But be warned, it does get pretty slippery up there.
7. The Watermelon Festival
For this Shine, Mario has to transport a watermelon across Gelato Beach. Funnily enough, this particular challenge is one of the most difficult in the entire game.
The watermelon has the tensile strength of a twenty-year-old balloon. It will break if you breathe on it too hard. Mario must roll this mischievous orb to its destination, and if at any point it falls into water or smacks into something, it will pop (obviously not how real watermelons work, but what did you expect from Mario?). Andman oh mandoes it love falling and smacking into things. It’s not inconceivable that somewhere out there, someone has probably cried over this most fragile of watermelons.
6. Eely Mouth’s Dentist
This unique boss fight pits Mario up against a giant eel reminiscent of Unagi from Super Mario 64. This time, however, the eel is truly gigantic. In fact, it’s so big that an infection in its body has poisoned all of the water in the local Noki Bay.
It’s a charming concept. As the fight begins, Mario runs into bits of bacteria coming from the eel’s teeth. To earn the shine, Mario has to clean the eel’s mouth. Once the eel is defeated, Mario’s companion FLUDD shares an important message: “Remember to take proper care of your teeth!” Thanks, FLUDD!
5. Mecha Bowser Appears
Sunshine marks the first appearance of Bowser Jr. in the Super Mario series. A fight early in the game pits Mario against Mecha Bowser (actually Bowser Jr. in a giant robot suit). Mario shoots water rockets at Mecha Bowser while riding a roller coaster, which is just straight-up fun.
The level can be frustrating if the player has difficulty aiming, and if they don’t listen for the sounds of incoming missiles. It might take multiple attempts, but those who persist and learn the patterns will succeed. It’s an awesome and utterly unique fight. Seriously, let’s get more rollercoaster boss fights in games.
4. Secret of the Village Underside
This is perhaps the closest Mario Sunshine comes to depicting hell itself. Once the player reaches the secret level beneath Pianta Village by completing some difficult jumps on the back of a Yoshi, it begins.
Mario must cross the level by talking to piantas who each declare “I’m a Chuckster!” before they grab him and hurl him the distance of a football field. Where Mario lands is based on the Pianta’s position when Mario speaks to them. Basically, trial and error is the only real tool for success here. That and a bit of luck. Unfortunately, this Shine is memorable only for how frustrating it is. These sorts of levels are, frankly, black marks on Sunshine’s reputation, but they stay in the memory nonetheless.
3. The Pachinko Level
This is a secret level reached from Delfino Plaza, where Mario gets to shoot himself through a giant pachinko machine. Eight coins are scattered across various platforms throughout the machine, but if Mario misses all the platforms and falls to the bottom, he loses a life and the level resets.
Care, precision, and a bit of luck are all needed to ace pachinko, as well as careful use of the hover nozzle. The finnicky camera is a setback, as is Mario’s tendency to get stuck on pegs. This level is despised by most players, but that may be unfair. Practice makes perfect, and while the level is difficult, it’s far from impossible. A fun concept that misses the mark.
A small island just off the coast of Delfino Plaza has a blocked pipe that can only be opened by Yoshi. However, Yoshi can’t touch water (which always seemed weird, somehow), and he can’t jump that far. Instead, he has to use a series of slow-moving boats to reach the island. The pipe, which is already tough to get to, leads to one of the most difficult levels in the game. As a rule, Sunshine is forgiving, and it’s pretty easy to constantly retry most levels. The Lily Pad Level is the exception to that rule.
In this level, Mario uses FLUDD to steer a lily pad down a river of poison water. Eight red coins need to be collected. The lily pad can’t go backwards, so if a single coin is missed, it’s over. If the player runs out of lives, they’ll need to repeat the boat ride. This Shine is notorious for its baffling difficulty, and regarded by many as the toughest in the game.
1. The Manta Storm
This Shine pits Mario against a giant manta ray that moves, like a shadow, across the ground. The ray also leaves behind a trail of electrified green goo. When Mario sprays it, it splits into two smaller rays. It does this again and again until the rays are so tiny they disappear.
This fight is memorable because it’s difficult, but not unfairly so. It’s also just straight-up weird, in a good way. The player will quickly start learning where to hide, how to keep areas clean of goo, and so on. This lends the fight a satisfying sense of progression. It also helps that the background for the fight is the gorgeous Sirena Beach, where the sun is always setting.
