Have You Played: Super Mario Sunshine

Super Mario Sunshine has a lot in common with its predecessor, the wildly popular Super Mario 64, yet it frequently compared to it in negative terms. However, while SM64 is a 3D platform game (indeed, the first successful 3D platform game), Sunshine has more of a focus on “cleaning up” an island beset by sludge. The story is a relatively basic Mario affair, told through cut scenes, a first for a Mario game, detailing a disastrous holiday for Mario and Princess Peach on the tropical “Isle Delfino”. Upon arrival, however, they find that a mysterious figure, who looks a lot like Mario, has been covering the island in a sticky, paint-like goo, which spawns monsters and engulfs locals. It's up to Mario to clean it all up, helped out by a sentient jetpack which shoots water.

In terms of gameplay, the game is structured similarly to Super Mario 64, with a “hub” world of Delfino Plaza, with various stages branching off this, each of which have a set of missions which need to be accomplished in order to win Shine Sprites, the equivalent of Stars in the previous game. In general, the aforementioned jetpack (FLUDD) will need to be used, it can be configured to perform various tasks, such as spraying water, providing a limited hovering ability, super speed or a super-powered jump. Areas where the game originally achieved high praise, however, take place in levels within levels. If you've played the more recent Super Mario Galaxy, these will likely be familiar with you, as they are one of the chief inspirations behind it. Generally consisting of floating, moving platforms suspended in space, in these sections you have your jetpack removed. In many ways, these are more like the Mario games of old, and are invariably more difficult, the game's overall difficulty level being relatively low.

In discussing this game though, one cannot help but point out the visuals. To put it simply, for a game made and released in 2002, Super Mario Sunshine is beautiful. The colours are bright and clear, the water shimmering, the levels bold and the shadows crisp. This all adds to the aesthetic of the whole “holiday” feel. As you progress in the game the world slowly gets lighter, rewarding your progress. The music likewise is sufficiently tropical, creating a wonderful ambience.

As a game which received a fair amount of schtick for being “different” to standard Mario fair, I feel that we as gamers should not be so harsh on Sunshine. It's a beautiful and highly enjoyable game, and I'd argue it provides a lot more depth than Super Mario 64, to which it is compared. The level design may not, perhaps, be quite as interesting, yet I would argue it's a far prettier game, and ultimately a more engaging one.

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