Played a ton as a kid, finally beat the game for the first time as an adult.
The last couple times I tried to play this in the last few years I got frustrated and gave up, but this time I had a pretty good time.
+Vibes/beach vacation aesthetic/music are all immaculate, some of the best no doubt. Taking Mario to this kind of setting was a bold choice, and one that I think paid off in terms of the sheer visual diversity both within itself and against the Mario series at large. Delfino Plaza is a five-star hub.
+Fludd is a fun addition too because it works with Mario's platforming instead of replacing it entirely.
+I will also say that the game has a momentum to it. I beat it in 2-3 days representing 10-12 hours of gameplay.
But for all of that, it's also very clearly deeply flawed and may have aged worse than 64.
-Punishments for failing levels/getting game overs I would refer to as "somewhat cruel." If you get a game over, you're booted to the start of the hub world. If you lose your footing on an obstacle course where the goal is to climb, you go all the way back to the bottom of the level. If you lose a single life outside of the secret levels, you get booted to outside its entrance in Delfino.
This game has a weird penchant for feeling the player needs to waste 2 minutes reattempting a challenge as punishment for either losing a life or attempting to solve an open world puzzle in a way that's not exactly the game's preferred way of doing so.
I also found some of the required challenges needlessly hard (or at least bullshitty) for a game with as many camera freakouts as I experienced (not to mention a few collision detection issues). I have no idea how kids beat some of these levels without employing 3D Mario acrobatic tricks.
I don't think I'd actually mind the difficulty so much if Sunshine wasn't so needlessly punishing. The level design is excellent and I love a platformer with some bite. Mario also feels really good to control even despite some aforementioned issues. But when an otherwise excellent game so frequently decides to waste my time for deaths that don't always feel like my fault per se, it's hard to summon anything more than a soft, well-asterisked recommendation.
The last couple times I tried to play this in the last few years I got frustrated and gave up, but this time I had a pretty good time.
+Vibes/beach vacation aesthetic/music are all immaculate, some of the best no doubt. Taking Mario to this kind of setting was a bold choice, and one that I think paid off in terms of the sheer visual diversity both within itself and against the Mario series at large. Delfino Plaza is a five-star hub.
+Fludd is a fun addition too because it works with Mario's platforming instead of replacing it entirely.
+I will also say that the game has a momentum to it. I beat it in 2-3 days representing 10-12 hours of gameplay.
But for all of that, it's also very clearly deeply flawed and may have aged worse than 64.
-Punishments for failing levels/getting game overs I would refer to as "somewhat cruel." If you get a game over, you're booted to the start of the hub world. If you lose your footing on an obstacle course where the goal is to climb, you go all the way back to the bottom of the level. If you lose a single life outside of the secret levels, you get booted to outside its entrance in Delfino.
This game has a weird penchant for feeling the player needs to waste 2 minutes reattempting a challenge as punishment for either losing a life or attempting to solve an open world puzzle in a way that's not exactly the game's preferred way of doing so.
I also found some of the required challenges needlessly hard (or at least bullshitty) for a game with as many camera freakouts as I experienced (not to mention a few collision detection issues). I have no idea how kids beat some of these levels without employing 3D Mario acrobatic tricks.
I don't think I'd actually mind the difficulty so much if Sunshine wasn't so needlessly punishing. The level design is excellent and I love a platformer with some bite. Mario also feels really good to control even despite some aforementioned issues. But when an otherwise excellent game so frequently decides to waste my time for deaths that don't always feel like my fault per se, it's hard to summon anything more than a soft, well-asterisked recommendation.