{"id":95875,"date":"2026-10-27T14:53:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T06:53:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=95875"},"modified":"2026-10-27T14:53:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T06:53:59","slug":"24-years-later-nintendos-most-divisive-mario-game-is-a-miracle-on-switch-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=95875","title":{"rendered":"24 Years Later, Nintendo’s Most Divisive Mario Game Is a Miracle on Switch 2"},"content":{"rendered":"


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I can\u2019t remember what I had for lunch yesterday, but I still remember the day Super Mario Sunshine<\/em> launched in 2002. It was a summer’s day and I couldn\u2019t wait to line up at the GameStop in the Natick Mall to pick up my pre-ordered copy. It was getting rave reviews \u2014 a 9.4 from IGN, a 9.75 from Game Informer, perfect marks from Nintendo Power! \u2014 so it felt like an instant classic. Players at the time seemed to agree, considering that the 3D platformer would go on to become the third best-selling GameCube game of all time. Everyone loved Super Mario Sunshine.<\/em><\/p>\n

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In 2026, that sounds like a bit of revisionist history. These days, Sunshine <\/em>is regarded as one of Nintendo\u2019s most divisive games; it\u2019s both overrated and underrated at the same time. Some players continue to go to war for it, praising its wealth of creative ideas. Others are proud haters who point to poor camera controls and a handful of dud levels to give its apologists a reality check. Switch 2 owners should decide for themselves, as Super Mario Sunshine<\/em> is available now as part of Nintendo Switch Online\u2019s GameCube collection.<\/p>\n

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\n Super Mario Sunshine is one of the best Mario games ever
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Allow me to play the role of prosecution as you dive into Mario\u2019s most polarizing adventure: Despite some undeniable flaws, Super Mario Sunshine<\/em> is the one Mario game that best captures the ethos of the entire series. Even today, I am still happy to go to bat for one of Nintendo\u2019s most inventive and focused games.<\/p>\n

Super Mario Sunshine <\/em>was a heck of a curveball in 2002. Rather than following up the generational Super Mario 64 <\/em>with a reliable sequel that included more levels in the more-of-the-same vein, Nintendo put an inventive twist on the traditional 3D platformer. Mario could still jump, but he also got a water-squirting backpack (the FLUDD) which he could use to clean up the polluted Isle Delfino. It doubled as a traversal tool too, giving him the ability to hover and rocket boost with the power of water. That more or less replaced your standard power-ups, aside from Yoshi.<\/p>\n

To this day, Super Mario Sunshine<\/em> is still the most experimental Mario game by a mile. Rather than throwing players into straightforward platforming gauntlets, it played more like a grab bag of level design ideas. A casino filled with water-controlled slot machines! A rollercoaster boss fight! A watermelon-rolling challenge! Some ideas worked better than others (two-word horror story: Pachinko minigame), which is partially why Sunshine <\/em>has such a split reputation in recent years especially. You\u2019ll no doubt bump into at least one level you downright loathe if you\u2019re playing it for the first time in 2026.<\/p>\n

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\"mario\n <\/picture>Image: Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

But here\u2019s the thing: That\u2019s why <\/em>I love Sunshine<\/em>. Yes, even returning to it decades later, unclouded by kid vision. Its willingness to get weird with the Mario formula makes for a creatively unpredictable game that\u2019s eager to keep you on your toes. It feels like the true predecessor to Super Mario Bros. Wonder<\/em> in that way. In that game, grabbing a Wonder Flower is like opening a blind box; you never know what wild effect it\u2019s going to trigger. Sunshine <\/em>plays with that idea from a big-picture level. One minute you\u2019re hanging onto a giant sand bird for dear life, the next you\u2019re butt-stomping solar panels. For every idea that doesn\u2019t land, there are far more that continually surprise and delight me on every playthrough.<\/p>\n

All of this could have made for a disjointed collection of levels, but Sunshine <\/em>remains remarkably cohesive throughout. That\u2019s thanks to its tropical island setting, which aesthetically unites every location. It looks and sounds like a summer vacation, right down to the excellent soundtrack filled with ukulele and steel drums. It\u2019s one of the few Mario games, 2D or 3D, that feels like it’s set in an actual place rather than a collection of carefully themed levels that fulfill a platforming checklist. Ricco Harbor, for instance, brilliantly transforms a dock into a jungle gym made up of steel girders. That location fits right in next to Gelato Beach, a breezy getaway populated by roaming Cataquacks.<\/p>\n

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\"mario\n <\/picture>Image: Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

I don\u2019t mean this as a knock against games like Super Mario Odyssey, <\/em>which are more invested in building a variety of playgrounds rather than one thematically-linked one. That\u2019s arguably part of the appeal of a Mario game, dating as far back as Super Mario Bros. 3<\/em>; these are kingdom-trotting adventures. The trade-off is just that you\u2019re sometimes left with levels that are memorable on an individual basis, sometimes in a vacuum within the broader game they are part of. Sunshine <\/em>instead imagines how every level in a Mario game can feel part of a specific place, something later explored in the Switch\u2019s excellent Bowser\u2019s Fury<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Even then, it\u2019s still consistent with the series\u2019 broader philosophy. If I had to explain the heart of a Mario game in as few words as possible, I\u2019d say that they\u2019re all about travel. Each game is about setting you loose in unfamiliar worlds and tasking you with figuring out their languages in real-time. You are a tourist in Super Mario Bros. 3<\/em>. When you enter the desert world, you quickly need to learn about tornados, hopping blocks, and a very angry sun to successfully navigate to Bowser\u2019s castle. Mastery comes once you\u2019re fluent in a level\u2019s special quirks. You can apply that same idea to anything from Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins<\/em> to Super Mario Odyssey<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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\"Mario\n <\/picture>Image: Nintendo<\/small><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Sunshine <\/em>is the most logical iteration of that design philosophy. You\u2019re quite literally<\/em> a tourist. Every Mario game feels like exploring a new place while you\u2019re on a summer vacation, so why not set a game on an island complete with a hotel resort? Sunshine <\/em>is a lens that you can view the entire series through, and it will help you see classic games in a new light.<\/p>\n

As imperfect as it can feel in spots, Sunshine <\/em>remains a personal favorite from an important moment in Nintendo history. The GameCube era saw Nintendo eager to reinvent its most beloved franchises, completely rethinking what they look like while still holding on to their core DNA. It\u2019s the kind of thinking that gave us The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker<\/em>, a game that was despised for its art upon reveal but has since become a fan favorite. It\u2019s where we got Metroid Prime<\/em>, and learned how Samus\u2019 adventures are defined by isolation rather than 2D platforming. It\u2019s where we got Donkey Kong Jungle Beat<\/em>, a bongo-smashing adventure that set the stage for Bananza <\/em>in retrospect. Super Mario Sunshine <\/em>fits right into that proud lineage, whether you love it or hate it.<\/p>\n