Super Mario Sunshine

⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

I was very happy to see this come out on the Switch, since I never had a gamecube as a kid. Though not the best Mario game, it was very charming, and would have been a really awesome followup to Super Mario 64 if I had played it when it came out. The familiar and perfect 3D controls are all here, but now Mario has a water jet pack, which unlocks a ton of movement. It feels like the birth of Super Mario Odyssey in some ways, since there is so much freedom to traverse levels in whatever way you want.

I really loved this world too. Most Mario games have pretty disjoint levels, all forcing you to exercise a different part of Mario's moves but thematically pretty different. In this one it always feels like you are on a tropical island. Even as you jump between worlds you can see the previous levels in the distance over the ocean, so it creates a pretty neat little world, not something I expected from a Mario game.

There were some incredibly frustrating sections, and the movement feels a bit slippery to start, but I got the hang of it pretty quickly. I had to use a guide to get all 120 shine sprites, since some of the blue coins you need are in ridiculous spots. Even as a kid with all the time in the world there is no way I would have found them all. Some of the pure platforming was also incredibly difficult, but I felt most were fair, and I was very proud when I beat them.

The music in the game is pretty charming to start, but as Jess can attest it grows annoying quickly. A bit too upbeat and in your face. All in all, I really enjoyed playing this one, and am happy to include it on my Mario resume.