Super Mario Sunshine

aka: SMS
Moby ID: 7178
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Description official descriptions

Mario, Princess Peach, Toadsworth, and Toad have come to Isle Delfino for some relaxation. Upon arrival, however, they discover the island has been polluted causing its energy source, the Shine Sprites, to disappear. The culprit is similar in appearance to Mario, who is blamed for the mess, so the portly plumber is forced to clean up the island. Mario is given an invention called FLUDD (a backpack with several water nozzles) to help him clean up graffiti and mud and capture the real villain. Gameplay features a combination of action and puzzle solving, with numerous stages and multiple episodes to each stage, and plenty of hidden secrets and surprises.

Spellings

  • スーパーマリオサンシャイン - Japanese spelling
  • 슈퍼 마리오 썬샤인 - Korean spelling

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Credits (GameCube version)

100 People (76 developers, 24 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 87% (based on 68 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 133 ratings with 7 reviews)

SMS: Good. Nothing more.

The Good
Presentation is fantastic, as per usual in a Nintendo game. Everything is bright, cheery, and well-designed. Sonics are fine. Gameplay is... erm... Mario 64-esque...

The Bad
... but not as good.

It's all in the balance of the goals you must achieve to progress, or the lack of. Some are very, very easy, while others just rip open your face and spit. Then laugh. There's also the blue coin goals, which are just... wrong. They feel out of place, and are frustrating to complete.

It simply lacks the addictiveness of its predecessor, and isn't as much fun.

The Bottom Line
A good, solid platform game, that won't surprise you in any single way.

GameCube · by laemus (11) · 2003

A great follow up to Mario 64.

The Good
The thing that standed out the most were the graphics and the wide variety of colors. The graphics were very detailed (especially the water in the harbor level). The colors were eye-popping and a upgrade from Mario 64.

The Bad
The 2 things I didn't like were the music and the voice text. The music was corny and boring like in the other Mario games. Plus, the music overshadowed the voices in the game. Peach's voice was scrambled and the Toads just made funny noises.

The Bottom Line
You feel like you got your money's worth with this game. If you like Mario games or games with a mixture of humor and seriousness, you should buy this game.

GameCube · by Exodia85 (2145) · 2003

The BEST Mario game to come out for GameCube!

The Good
What did I like about Super Mario Sunshine? Pretty much everything. Graphics: LOVED them! Music: Catchy music. Not bad at all. Gameplay: Awesome Gameplay! Plot/Storyline: It's cool. I loved nearly everything about Super Mario Sunshine.

The Bad
What I DIDN'T like about this game. That's a tough question. I think the only thing I hated about Super Mario Sunshine are some of the voices. Peach's voice REALLY annoyed me.

The Bottom Line
This is probably the best Mario game ever made (next to Super Mario Bros. 3)! You MUST buy this game if you love Mario! I give this game a 10 out of 10!

GameCube · by Dark Cloud (31) · 2003

[ View all 7 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Super Mario Sunshine appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Bugs

There is a major glitch in the game that allows you to access a sub world, sometimes called the "Blue Hell". The game physics are dropped down (meaning, for example, you can move around normally underwater, but if you jump it will revert to normal) and you can access many areas with little or no effort, particularly the Yoshi fruit boats.

Japanese version

In the Japanese version of Super Mario Sunshine, "Isle Delfino" is known as "Dolphic Island". When a player retrieves a Shine Sprite, the "message" says "Shine Get!" instead of the English "Shine!" Also, despite being developed in Japan, the Japanese version is all in English with Japanese subtitles.

References

  • This game is set on a tropical island named Isle Delfino. "Delfino" is Italian for "Dolphin", which was Gamecube's prototype's name. Also, there are some words written in Italian around the game, like "Benvenuto" ("welcome"), etc.
  • There's a reference to the Beatles in this game. There is a yellow submarine on the Ricco Harbor stage.
  • In the attic of the Hotel Delfino, the janitor complains about the ghosts, wishing someone would come and "suck them up in a vacuum cleaner". This is a reference to another Gamecube title, Luigi's Mansion, where Luigi did indeed suck up ghosts in a vacuum cleaner.
  • When you first find FLUDD, look in the lower left corner to view scenes from previous Mario games, including Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, and Super Mario 64.

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2002 – Best GameCube Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
    • 2002– Best GameCube Dexterity Game of the Year
    • 2002 – Best GameCube Dexterity Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)

Information also contributed by Ben Miller, gamewarrior, MegaMegaMan, and Tiago Jacques

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Servo.

Additional contributors: JPaterson, okJigu, Guy Chapman, Alaka, gamewarrior, Patrick Bregger, Rik Hideto, FatherJack.

Game added August 28, 2002. Last modified February 17, 2024.