Here we have our last contender in the nostalgic gamecube-era games, one that, graphically speaking, isn’t all that bad by today’s standards. Let’s take a vacation to Super Mario Sunshine.
Clear waters, white sand, and island atmosphere - what more could you ask for? Unfortunately, Mario gets quite a surprise when he, along with Princess Peach and Toadsworth, land on Isle Delfino to find the whole place covered in paint-like goop. Who could have done this? Well, the islanders seem to think it was Mario!
At this point, you get it. Instead of getting a vacation, Mario is forced to clean up the entire island, and can’t leave until he does. It’s like getting summoned for jury duty on your only day off, but worse.
You’re not alone on your adventure in community service - You have the assistance of FLUDD, the jetpack/water hose backpack that just so happens to give you hints if you’re stuck on a level. With FLUDD you can hover, spray, and even launch yourself high into the air by switching out various nozzles you can acquire as you play. The rest is history.
Mario and FLUDD traverse ten different locations, all with their own distinct atmosphere and surprisingly beautiful water effects. Seriously, for 2002, the water looks efficiently warm and tropical. The sun reflects off the ripples and splashes so perfectly. Even now, after I was basically trained in college to create effects like this for animation, I don’t really see anything that I would improve. Leave it to Nintendo to captivate me from the file select screen.
As an eight-year-old, I found parts of this game difficult - I remember being stuck on the phantamanta level and quitting for a while (ever played this game? You’ll know. You’ll know about the manta). I only finished the game once, and I’d love to go back and revisit it. The only problem with that plan is, like I did with Melee, I lost the disc. I’m kicking myself for this.
But I’ll cherish the memories this game has given me. Cheers to you, Sunshine. You did your job well and dug a nice little spot for yourself in nostalgia history. Nicely done.