Super Mario Sunshine-Hated for Being Different
Super Mario Sunshine was originally released back in 2002 on the Nintendo Gamecube. It was criticized for being different from its predecessor, Super Mario 64.
Change can be a good thing, but I just don’t think anyone was expecting Sunshine.
Super Mario Sunshine gets a lot of criticism, but the people who love it really love it. That’s why after the announcement that it was getting rereleased in a collection called Super Mario 3D All-Stars, fans were very excited.
I was a Mario Galaxy kid, specifically Galaxy 2. So, I was excited when I found out that Galaxy 1 was getting rereleased as well. But I was more intrigued with Sunshine for some reason–I felt a connection with it.
My cousin and I got the collection on September 18, 2020, which was the day it came out. I remember starting off with Super Mario Galaxy, then 64, and finally Sunshine.
I spent the most time on Galaxy. The visuals are beautiful and I love how every galaxy is different in its own way.
Super Mario 64 wasn’t for me. I don’t know if it’s because it’s an old game, or maybe people are blinded by nostalgia. All I know is that I didn’t enjoy it.
Sunshine was the most complicated for me at the beginning. My expectations were low but I still managed to be somewhat disappointed.
The thing is, I can’t tell you why I was disappointed. I feel like I went into the game wanting to hate it, and then I just ended up disliking it.
I didn’t play it for months. Then one day my cousin started playing it, and he really wanted to beat it. That made me get back into the game, and the second time around I enjoyed it.
At the time I probably said that I enjoyed Sunshine more than Galaxy. I feel like once you get past the weird beginning and get used to the new mechanics, you tend to enjoy it more.
I look at this game as a different take on Mario, rather than a sequel to Super Mario 64. If you can accept that this game isn’t anything like other Mario games you played, you are bound to have a good time.
The weird mechanics I’ve been talking about may not sound weird to you. But for Mario fans, it’s out of their comfort zones for sure.
One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard is that the camera is super inefficient. It’s very hard to move and it never moves where you want it to. Luckily Nintendo fixed the camera mechanics in the remake for the Nintendo Switch.
But people disliked this game for other reasons that don’t have anything to do with the mechanics.
This was by far the hardest game and it had some of the hardest levels in the entire series. The increase in difficulty was one reason for people’s hatred of this game.
This game also introduced cringe-worthy voice acting, and a companion named F.L.U.D.D, who was easy to use after a while. F.L.U.D.D. is a water device on your back that helps you traverse levels more easily. It’s my favorite companion in the entire series just because of how necessary it is to complete the game compared to someone like Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey.
Super Mario Sunshine is the odd one out in the Super Mario series. But it’s one of my favorites because of the risks it took.
