Super Mario Sunshine turns 23 – still my most-played Mario game, and one of Nintendo’s boldest experiments

Hey everyone – just wanted to share a little retrospective on Super Mario Sunshine, which came out 23 years ago today in Japan (July 19, 2002). For me, it’s still the Mario game I’ve spent the most time with — maybe tied with Super Mario World 2 — and one of only two Mario games I’ve ever actually finished.

I played the German version back in the day — complete with the now iconic “Dreck weg!” shouted by Mario’s water-cannon backpack D.U.S.E.L. (the German name for FLUDD). The water looked amazing — honestly, I don’t think I saw better beaches and water in a game until Far Cry came out two years later on PC.

I remember borrowing a friend’s GameCube just to play Sunshine (and Soul Calibur II). Later, someone watched me play and loved it so much that I ended up secretly lending them the same GameCube — without telling the original owner. All just so he could play Sunshine too.

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Why It Still Stands Out • It took Mario out of the Mushroom Kingdom — no Goombas, no castles, just beaches, hotels, and Piantas. • FLUDD totally changed the way Mario moved. Hovering, rocket boosts, water-spraying — it was wild and fun. • Cleaning the island actually felt rewarding. When Delfino Plaza was spotless at the end, it felt amazing. • Real voice acting (Peach, Bowser, Toadsworth…) — a first for the series. • It was weird, experimental, colorful — very GameCube-era Nintendo. • I loved the music, even the weird acapella versions of classic Mario themes.

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A Few Fun Facts I Found While Writing • In early development, Sunshine had paint-vs-paint multiplayer, which later evolved into Splatoon. • FLUDD had a gun-style nozzle that was removed to avoid controversy over violence. • FLUDD and Luigi’s ghost vacuum (Poltergust 3000) were both invented by Professor E. Gadd. In Hotel Delfino, a janitor even complains about the Boos and wishes someone would just vacuum them up — to which Mario gives a very salty look. • Sirena Beach is shaped like a GameCube controller from above. • Il Piantissimo is secretly the Postman from Zelda: Ocarina of Time. • A yellow submarine sits in Ricco Harbor — likely a Beatles reference. • Early builds showed real human NPCs in Delfino Plaza (!). • A 2009 study found that playing Sunshine made players more helpful in real life compared to violent games.

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Anyway, that’s my little tribute. I’m definitely going to replay it again soon. It’s one of those games that just stuck with me.

What are your memories of Sunshine? Did I forget something important? I’d love to hear what stood out to you back then — or now.