Saying there was a shift from Super Mario 64 to Super Mario Sunshine doesn’t begin to describe how different it is as a sequel.īut therein lies the beauty of what Super Mario Sunshine was always meant to be. These changes came at a cost that many fans have not forgiven even 20 years later. A focus on the tropical vacation getaway theme meant sacrificing the abstract potential seen in the levels of Super Mario 64.
Though inspired, FLUDD doesn’t always work with the camera, and it’s unlikely that extra development time would have ever solved that problem. The Super Mario Sunshine team, led by Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Usui, took the expectations laid by the game’s monumental predecessor and lit them on fire to varying results. The developers of Super Mario Sunshine certainly took risks even if some didn’t quite pay off. You can also throw the long jump out the window and meet your new friend, the dive. There’s also a much larger emphasis on story, which features more than a few fully voiced cutscenes and a lot more law and order. Of course, reality brought something slightly different, and playing it through the Super Mario 3D All-Stars lens means you might get whiplash jumping between the two.įLUDD is introduced as Mario’s trusty companion and platforming cushion. So, with that in mind, what if, after saving the Mushroom Kingdom in Super Mario 64, Mario went to jail and had to use his talking water jetpack to clear his name, clean a city, and beat Bowser in a hot tub of green jelly? The six-year lead-up to Super Mario Sunshine saw most fans anticipating “ Super Mario 128,” a proposed sequel with a bigger world and otherwise more of the same gameplay. How often do we see huge creative risks in the gaming industry? The kind that may prove fruitless but still represent a desire to be unique, strange, genre-defying, and, above all else, fun? Without the ambition to take new creative leaps, we’d all be stuck with games that reiterate the same tired formula again and again. Whatever came next had to be perfect, right? I can only imagine the expectations that filled the minds of hopeful fans in the ‘90s as the ending credits left the screen.
How Nintendo managed to nail traversal in 3D environments and worlds built around the player on the first go is beyond me, and it may be one of the greatest games ever made. Like many, I chose to start my nostalgic journey with the pièce de résistance – Super Mario 64. A disgusting lack of enhancements and abysmal accessibility options aside, it’s hard to say the three-pack isn’t a blast to play through. Mario’s graffiti-cleaning, water-spraying, Blue Coin-filled adventure recently got a new coat of paint in Super Mario 3D All-Stars that highlights exactly why it is no less special than what came before.ģD All-Stars is a collection of quality and a testament to timeless design.
A short development cycle suggested Nintendo fans may be getting a half-baked sequel to an all-time great, but there’s more to the story than that. Other related terms that might spark some heebie-jeebies include “FLUDD,” “Blue Coins,” “unskippable cutscenes,” and, God forbid, “camera.” The Nintendo mascot’s second full-length 3D romp has picked up quite the negative reputation since first releasing nearly 20 years ago - and for good reason. Super Mario Sunshine: If those three words don’t send a chill down your spine, then you’re probably not a Nintendo fan.
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