Entertainment news and discussion on TalkFuse.
Review: Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube) – Not What We Expected, But It Still Shines
Super Mario Sunshine is presented as a bold but successful follow-up to Super Mario 64, republished to coincide with its arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack GameCube library. The review argues that Nintendo’s main gamble—giving Mario the FLUDD water jetpack—meaningfully changes the platforming while remaining enjoyable, versatile and well suited to exploration.
Set on the polluted Isle Delfino, the game has Mario wrongly blamed for the mess and tasked with cleaning it up, with Delfino Plaza serving as a busy central hub. The review criticises the story scenes for weak audio mixing and poor voice acting, but praises the returning Mario movement, the varied uses of FLUDD and the original GameCube controller’s analogue triggers; Yoshi is welcomed, though considered less essential to the gameplay.
In short
- FLUDD makes Sunshine a successful, riskier Mario 64 follow-up.
- Isle Delfino offers an attractive, activity-filled hub world.
- Cutscenes and voice acting are a notable weakness.
Explained simply
Super Mario Sunshine is a 3D platform game starring Nintendo’s Mario, first released for the GameCube in 2002. It followed Super Mario 64, which helped establish how Mario games could work in three dimensions, so players were already familiar with running and jumping through open environments.
The game takes place on Isle Delfino, where Mario is blamed for pollution and must clean it up. He uses FLUDD, a water-spraying device that helps him move around as well as wash surfaces, while Delfino Plaza acts as a central place to explore. The game’s approach matters because it shows how a familiar series can change its core controls while keeping exploration and platforming at its heart.