With the release of Super Mario 3D All Stars, which now has fans rallying for other old school franchises to get the same treatment, the compilation has collated three celebrated games together, and one of those games is the exciting, warped, and maddeningly hard Super Mario Sunshine.
Thanks to some of the game’s ridiculous content, colorful music, and tantalizing interactions, Sunshine has inspired some hilarious and skewed memes, with some of them criticizing the game, but most of them lovingly busting Mario’s chops.
10 The Weird Lovechild
There are a lot of things gamers don’t know about Princess Peach, but this has to be the weirdest. In Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser has a baby named Bowser Jr., and he claims that Princess Peach is the mother, to which she never denies. It is a bizarre twist in a game that is known for taking risks with exciting gameplay but not with storytelling, and to gamers, it holds a level of stupidity that is pretty embarrassing considering that it’s now canon.
9 Corona Mountain
A lot of games have been delayed due to coronavirus, but nothing can stop Mario. In Sunshine, There is a level inexplicably called Corona Mountain. And, of course, gamers were quick to make the connection between the level’s name and the worldwide pandemic we’re all living through. Maybe we were forewarned by Nintendo, as the level might not include any bats, but it is considered Sunshine’s worst level.
8 Mario P.I.
Donning a Hawaiian shirt with Shines imprinted all over, a slick pair of shades, and pistol that looks like it could belong to Jared Leto’s Joker, Mario is kitted out in some fresh threads and look ready to storm the beach.
Here, Mario could very well be starring in an animated version of Miami Vice or, given the moustache, Magnum P.I. The best part of Mario’s get up is that he didn’t even bother to take off the overalls.
7 Chuggaconroy’s Let’s Play
For those who don’t know, Chuggaaconroy is one of the very first YouTubers who started uploading video game footage and speaking over it, which is now commonly known as a “let’s play.” It’s funny because a let’s play made by chuggaaconroy may not be entirely suitable, especially not for a young sister, as he has outspoken opinions on games and often ruins them for fans.
6 The Other Islands
In the very beginning of Sunshine, players are escorted to Isle Delfino, as shown in this Indiana Jones type map-travelling. Exploring Isle Delfino is so much fun, but it begs the question, what’s going on over on the other islands.
In fact, those islands look just as detailed as Isle Delfino, leading fans to believe it’s possible to explore them, and they are uniform too, being modelled after other sea creatures such as turtles, crabs, and jellyfish. But that’s Nintendo logic for you.
5 Sunshine Music
One thing Nintendo does best is create amazing soundtracks, and Super Mario Sunshine is no different. How can it not be, with song titles such as “Gelato Beach.” The whole soundtrack is one massive anti-depressant filled with steel drums and maracas, and “Gelato Beach” is the greatest example of this. The Super Mario Sunshine soundtrack is the most stereotypical holiday resort music, and it even features a scat version of the classic Mario theme tune!
4 Ridiculously Difficult
The super Mario franchise is no stranger to having some of the hardest games of all time, and again, Super Mario Sunshine follows suit. For a game that is aimed at children and is a part of one of the most child-friendly franchises in the world, Sunshine can at times be infuriatingly hard. There are tons of difficult levels in the game, with the hardest by far being Manta Storm or any level with a watermelon in it.
3 Critiquing Capitalism
With these two contrasting statements set against each other, one fan has called out the game for holding on to Shine Sprites until they are rewarded with blue coins in return. In a sort of ant-capitalistic meme, the gamer has fittingly pointed out the fact that the island needs the Shine Sprites to survive and they are monstrously making a profit out of something that is a necessity.
2 We Only Want One Thing
In this almost too true to be funny meme, the creator points out how every fanboy is achingly waiting for the sequel to Super Mario Sunshine, only it isn’t as simple as that. There have been dozens of hoaxes that have led fans to believe a sequel to the classic game is in the works, and fans have been waiting for 20 years. With the release of 3D All Stars, maybe Sunshine will reignite the extreme fandom for the game and encourage Nintendo to develop the massively in-demand sequel.
1 Fighting For Our Tears
If you ask any Mario fanatic, they’ll probably say that the most heartbreaking moment in all of video games was when F.L.U.D.D., the glorified water hose, met its demise at the end of Sunshine. There may be an everlasting feud between Sonic and Mario fans over which one is better, but it’s arguable that the death of Shadow, a much more layered character with depth, was inherently more heartbreaking.