@@imbuffysummers If I were to guess anyone's least favorite shine in that level it would be either King Boo or the mission where you have to keep spraying the slots to get 777s. Mine is King Boo but I think people usually complain about the 777s.
Playing Sunshine still effortlessly captures that relaxed vacation vibe it sought to create back in 2002. Over 20 years later the atmosphere can still calm me down. Each level, even the airstrip, deserves credit for that ability. It also has pro-conservation subtext, BUT doesn't beat you over the head with the messaging like most modern games would, so it works.
"The ultimate feel-good game" is an understatement. I've literally used this game to get through points of my life where I had crippling anxiety or depression. That Delfino Plaza theme instantly takes me out of it.
I never even thought about Pinna Park being the only level that actually advances the plot. I also feel that it gets revealed too soon that Bowser Jr. is the main villain. Would have been a better twist if revealed a little later
Yeah, I never really liked that about the story because Mario is blamed for what Bowser Jr did, but it feels unnecessary. He'd have helped the Piantas regardless and the whole "Fake Mario" thing never has plot relevance beyond hearing most Piantas distrust you. Even when Bowser Jr reveals himself as the fake, it's like "Okay, of course Bowser's behind this" and then... nothing until you get to the end. I would've liked to see more impact in Mario clearing his name, like later on the Piantas say "Wait are there TWO Mario's? Then... did we get the wrong guy?" Maybe having area unlocks be tied to Mario's reputation, like they don't let him go to Rico Harbor until he has rescued enough shine sprites, THEN you get access to the ferry that takes you there. Or a Pianta mentioning something spooky about a beach but when he sees you, he clams up about it, but when you rescue Yoshi, he finally is condient enough to tell you about the haunted Serena Beach and offers to take you there in his ferry to clear out the rumors. Same unlock criteria, but more lore integrated so you really feel like there's a purpose to Bowser Jr messing things up.
My full list of all 8 main levels from worst to best: 8. Noki Bay 7. Corona Mountain 6. Ricco Harbor 5. Gelato Beach 4. Bianco Hills 3. Pinata Village 2. Pinna Park 1. Sirena Beach.
I never had any trouble with the flip puzzle in the casino, and the atmosphere in Sirena Beach+the Hotel is top tier. It's my favorite stage. The secret of the flip puzzle is to very very lightly tap the spray button, if you shoot only one drop of water at a time it's much easier to flip only 1 or 2 panels at a time.
Remember for The Watermelon Festival, you can just kill all of the red Cataquacks using the dune buds before you take the biggest watermelon to the goal. It makes the mission MUCH easier lol
I love them all, and my ranking tends to change based on mood, but currently I'd say: Sirena Beach Pianta Village Bianco Hills Pinna Park Gelato Beach Noki Bay Ricco Harbor Again, I really like them all for their own reasons, but I'd say that represents my current feelings on the stages
Getting sent to Okinawa for 7 months was like IRL Super Mario Sunshine. It had the same happy & relaxed feeling. Like yeah I had work during the day, but I was still baffled by how nice it was when I was on my own leisure time - like getting paid to take a tropical vacation.
Here's how I would rank the areas in Super Mario Sunshine. 7: Sirena Beach 6: Pianta Village 5: Noki Bay 4: Gelato Beach 3: Pinna Park 2: Bianco Hills 1: Ricco Harbor
I usually just use the buds to kill the cataquacks on the watermelon mission but that’s pretty slow and tedious too. I love the roller coaster missions. As a kid I was always dying to go to cedar point and ride the coasters there so this was the closest thing for me. I could usually get 17-18 balloons in one trip around once I learned good spots to shoot from. Mecha bowser goes down in less than a trip- and it always feels great to shoot him from the other side of the park while upside down
I never cared for Pianta Village and still would rank it at the bottom compared to the rest. So much of this comes down to aesthetics and the feeling it doesn't belong. I'd believe it was the last level to be developed and in the process was rushed, but I know that's not the case. Noki Bay was last, but despite that (and even with its instances of lack of polish), I still feel like it conveys lore as the ancestral home of the Nokis. It has mystery, verticality, and a feeling that this is an actual place creatures live. Pianta Village on the other hand... It's SO empty and do the Piantas actually LIVE here? Where are their dwellings?? It's nothing but platforms, basket structures, and mushrooms; I learn nothing new about the Piantas and their culture. Bianco Hills and Delfino Plaza feel more like residential area by comparison. The day/night cycle is a cool touch, but it doesn't actually do anything, and the spa is a cool landmark, but there's nothing more to it than that. Perhaps a lot of this could've been fixed if they'd changed the name: call it Pianta Shrine or Pianta Springs and give it some backstory as a formerly revered place for the Piantas that's become a spa and that could have some interesting implications. As it stands, it's the most uninspired looking level in the bunch.
I never knew Noki Bay was the last finished because it feels so complete & natural to the game's world. I agree Pianta Village seemed like a later creation, although I still have a soft spot for it even though it is exactly as you say with it being more a park with a sacred tree for them than where they actually live. Pianta Park probably sounded too similar to Pinna Park.
Noki Bay is my favorite due to how beautiful it is, but I hold a special place for Ricco Harbor. I played the first level at a demo stand and it is why I bought the game.
Super Mario sunshine is one of my favorite games even with its flaws, and I love that you discussed how your fav levels might not be someone else’s favorites because of what someone is looking to experience. I personally find sirena beach to be one of my faves, but completely get why it’s not for everyone. I used to dislike Ricco harbor as a kid, but after playing again recently, I discovered it’s one of the best, there’s so much that’s great about it.
It's so extremely unfortunate that the Mario game with the most personality and potential was as rushed as it was. I truly believe that if it was as fleshed out as Galaxy, many people would consider it the best (3D) Mario game. The theming and atmosphere are so "real", they actually feel like real places instead of say Lethal Lava Land, Ghostly Galaxy or a Cap kingdom.
actually nah it seems to 99% of the time be everyone's number one favorite, it was kinda refreshing to see it ranked differently here (i do find it very overrated and containing some very flawed missions)
Ahh, fav levels are the Goop Clean Up on Sierra Beach, the Village with the hot tub, anything there, and not a level but I love it when the hub gets flooded, I know it is a bad thing but I always thought it was a fun add in.
i was ready to immediately riot as soon as you said serena was the lowest, but i heard you out, and i pretty much fully agree lol. though i'd flip it with noki because that level was the last addition and rushed at the end of production which really feels like it. it's only a fraction of what it could've been. though they did do a good job in the rush anyway.
*Been playing the game since it release and never knew I could use FLUDD while sliding on your belly* Learn something new every day lol. Anyway, great video! I calculated and ranked the levels too and I am not surprised of the results since my Top 2 did appear on a written list over 10 years ago of my fav Mario Levels (so before Mario Odyssey was even a thing). 7. Gelato Beach- 2.875 stars out of 5- How you feel about Sirena Beach is how I feel about this. Only courses I liked were the Red Coins and defeating that big Wiggler (it's my fav boss in the game so no surprise there). Hated the Watermelon and Race ones. If you're wondering I ranked all regular levels on a 5 star point system. I never 100% the game so I am not counting any secrets or 100 coins. 6. Pianta Village- 3 stars- Very hit or miss. I love the chain chomplets and Goopy inferno and even liked the Pianta's in need, but the rest were meh or horrible. This and the next 2 got the same score, but I ranked them by how much I enjoyed exploring the area and this is my least fav of the three. 5. Sirena Beach- 3 stars- Has the worst Secret stage if you ask me, the 1st one. The 2nd one isn't as bad, but 2 of the 3 puzzles to get to it are a bit frustrating as you say. Do love the setting and Mysterious Hotel Delfino is one of my fav challenges in the game. But compared to Mario64's Big Boo's Haunt, it's definitely a step down as far as Boo levels go. 4. Ricco Harbor- 3 Stars- I wasn't a huge fan of the setting, but it grew on me as time went on. Now I don't love any of the challenges (few come close), but it's the most enjoyable of the 3 to explore, and that counts majorly in a situation like this. Btw, I did figure out that shortcut way to get the Caged Shine Sprite. It is satisfying lol. I really detest the Yoshi one though. I had to get outside help to figure out what to do and it was tedious to find the right fruit. 3. Bianco Hills- 3.25 stars- Consistent is the word I describe it. I don't hate any of the challenges and that's why it didn't get 4 way tie with the last 3. I did love the Shadow Mario one because of how fast you can defeat him. It's hilarious. As a rule, I did like the Shadow Mario courses, with the worse ones just being forgettable (earning only 3 points). 2. Pinna Park- 3.625 stars- This one is a lot of fun overall. The only course I disliked about it was the first secret course, which has the 2nd worse secret course to me. What I did love about this level though was the rollercoaster and the Ferris wheel courses. Well, that boss battle was a little too intense at times, but I did like it and the Wilted Flowers. The 2nd Roller Coaster course though I loved it, it's my fav course in the game actually. I am a coaster fanatic in general so I enjoy mechanics like that in a game (when it feels like I am on a thrill ride). Add targets for me to shoot and I get the best feeling of conquering it. 1. Noki Bay- 4.125 Stars- I like every single course here, even the Racing one thanks to that shortcut. I rarely like racing outside of a racing game, so yeah, the fact that this game made me like a racing segment is rare. Even the secret one is okay. If I can get past that 'bottom row', I tend to do well in it. Environment is my fav in the game and it originally was my fav environment in a Mario game (one of Odyssey's worlds dethroned it, it was the Forest level). I think it ranked #2 in my fav Mario levels, only being beaten out by one of M64's level. I'll mention it whenever I get the time to watch that video. But yeah I do need to update my Fav Mario lvls down the line. I might stick with 3D because I hardly remember the 2d ones and 3D Land and World games anymore. Great video! I'll be sure to check out more.
It would have been interesting for you to make this list and actually consider Delfino Plaza among the rankings- you do spend quite a bit of time out there with all the secret shines and sequence updates throughout the game. I really enjoyed the video, so I'm not asking you to remake it or anything, but some of your commentary on what you thought of the plaza itself would have been additionally intriguing.
Originally, I planned to include the Plaza, the Airstrip, and Corona Mountain but felt it'd be hard to compare them because they don’t follow the same formula as the other levels. I think I may do a solo video discussing Delfino Plaza on its own, though, because it is my favorite area in the game...even if it has some terrible shines lol
I'm probably among the insanely precious few that never had any trouble with the Sand Bird, the Watermelon Festival, the rollercoaster, the chucksters, or the lilypad river. I always found them easy to manage, for some reason.
Funny, even though I think most people would say the lilypad is the worst of the bunch, that's the only one you listed where I never really struggled myself.
I just 100% completed this game. Its my all time favorite mario game yeah some levels were frustrating but the nostalgia and summer vibes brings me back everytine. And the levels end up not being so hard or bad.
Ok this is the second vid I see where the say those quacks are annoying. Yes 100% agree however, TIP. 16:49 Jump and wet them all with flood. Then wet the little seed/sapling. When it expands and throws you into the air the quacks will disappear and will NOT Spawn. I found this out years ago in the GameCube and it still worked on the switch. For the quacks on the solar mirrors… that’s a little more tricky because they won’t exactly run off you kind of have to jump on them or wet them close to the ledge to have the fall. NOTE The Stairs root/sapling will not work to get rid of the quackers.
To be fair, you don’t need to do Bianco hills 1. you can just walk past the goo monster thing and go fight Petey and get the 2nd shine; unlocking the 3rd level.
I disagree with some of the rankings but I love this game and really enjoyed seeing how you felt about it. I feel like this wasn't something I talked to anyone about, none of my other friends have played it and it was a once and done type thing Nintendo put out which is unfortunate.
Aside from Odyssey this game definitely has my favorite levels in any Mario platformer, which is a huge reason for why I still consider one of the best games in the franchise. We definitely have some disagreements on how to rank these levels though lol. My ranking would be: 7. *Noki Bay* 6. *Pinna Park* 5. *Pianta Village* 4. *Bianco Hills* 3. *Gelato Beach* 2. *Ricco Harbor* 1. *Sirena Beach* I honestly love all of them though, no matter what level i'm playing I generally always have a good time.
As someone who absolutely despised Sunshine and thus can't agree with the feel good notions, I still credit your analysis and discussion regarding these levels. The sign of good content is when you watch it even if you're not a huge fan of the subject because you know the presenter will make it worthwhile. Awesome job.
I absolutely loathe Pianta Village...I would definitely place Noki Bay higher too, just something so nostalgic and calming about it which felt awesome as a child.
You know, you can skip the prerequisites to enter the Secret of Casino Delfino pretty easily if you spin jump and hover to the top of the arch overlooking the picture panels, and then sidestep through the wall to clip out of bounds, allowing you to drop into the pipe from there.
I had no idea about that, although not sure how I would've known without speedrun knowledge haha. Still I immediately had to go try it and it was actually super easy, so thanks for the tip!
@@MrDrBoi No problem! I too was also never a fan of the picture nonsense or the slots, but the secret level itself is one of my favorites. It uses the same background as Sirena Beach’s outside area, which lets you see the dark area normally blocked by the cliff wall behind the hotel. I also like the platforms that slide in and out of the walls, dubbed them “pencil sharpeners” in my youth. 😁
Oh man oh man, really hard ranking for me. You have to factor everything. Before watching the video, I'll leave mine but honestly this ranking could change for me literally tomorrow, that's how strong I feel about the game: 7. Noki Bay. Cons: Eel boss, repeated Gooper Blooper boss, hard and unfairly secret Blue Coins. Pros: fun vertical level design, underwater mission 8 is beautiful, toughest secret level without gimmick 6. Gelato Beach. Cons: annoying 100 coins, Sandbird is stressful, moving Watermelons is finicky (took me a lot of experience to get good at), bad Secret Shine in that sand wall. Pros: fun unique Wiggler boss, best Piantissimo race, great Red Coins mission in the reef, Quatacaks are funny. 5. Sirena Beach. Cons: Casino puzzles are big oof, randomness for King Boo fight, secret level behind the Casino puzzle. Pros: the Mantaray is the best boss in the game, beautiful sunset vibes outside and spooky vibes inside, exploring the Hotel is like a puzzle and it's very fun, best hidden Blue Coins 4. Bianco Hills. Cons: fighting Petey Piranha twice, fighting the 3rd Goop Piranha in a row, the 2nd secret level is too hard for being the first world lol but I respect it. 3. Ricco Harbor. Cons: fighting Gooper Blooper twice, Blue Coins specific to mission 1 (like the M in the lower side of the boat or rising the Yellow Submarine) like those are not obvious (good specific Blue Coins examples are the Fish basket from Mission 8 or the blooper that appears inside the yellow Shine Cage after Mission 3). Pros: Mission 3 is the best Shine in the game, surfing on bloopers is fun and challenging, great secret level, fun Yoshi mission 2. Pinna Park:. Cons: idk I literally cannot think of one which is why I moved this to 2nd place when I originally put it in 3rd lol. Pros: climatic first mission important to the story, fun missions outside the Park, best Red Coins mission in the game, challenging climbing obstacle for mission 5 that can also be cheesed, I actually like mission 8, overall very fun place to jump around. 1. Pianta Village. Cons: Mission 4 is too similar to Mission 1 and Mission 6 also kinda similar to Mission 6 from Serena Beach (but different enough that it's not a problem for me). Pros: best overall shines in the game like Mission 1, 3 and 8 (stronger highs than Pinna Park which is why it ahead for me); great vibes with different times of the day, I like the chucksters gimmick (please if anyone has trouble with the final chuckster, talk to him at an angle from a corner instead of trying to get the straight line to the shine platform lol)
Yeah it's tough when you factor in everything. You made some good points about blue coins, which is something I didn't touch on maybe as much as I should have in the video, though they were factored in.
I ordered a copy and it arrives this week! I loved this game as a kid and regretted selling it for years lol. Now I only own 2 games, sunshine and animal crossing lol. Cosy games much? 😊
My favorite to least favorite: Noki Bay, Gelato Beach, Sirena Beach, Pinna Park, Corona Mountain, Ricco Harbor, Bianco Hills and finally PIANTA VILLAGE BOOOOO.
Am I the only person who likes the King Boo boss? Sure there’s RNG and it’s not too hard, but it’s at least more interesting than the 2 Petey or 3 blooper fights, and it’s not annoying like cleaning the eel’s teeth
Honestly, if I didn't dislike some of Sirena Beach's missions so much I'd probably have put it last myself. I don't hate it but the other levels just offer so much more.
I’m not sure how I’d rank all the levels but I think for me sirena beach is number one and noki bay is last. I loved the hotel at sirena beach and being in the vents and stuff cause it reminded me of Luigi’s mansion which came out around the same time. Noki bay was off putting to me for the difficult vertical platforming, poison water and worst of all the blue coins in the walls. Plus I just generally don’t like completely under watcher levels so the ones with the eel and fish were especially not fun lol
I never beat this game. I need to get this for my switch so I can finally beat it but it’s only on the 3-D All-Star one that’s like 130 bucks and I got single mom problems so I beat the other two games although they were both good too.
I agree with you mostly about the hotel. Especially as I liked the hotel but in playing it was annoying and i could not pinpoint why exactly. But I have to disagree on two points 1) I loved the music. Slightöy out of tune not really spooky but peculiar. Fitting for the hotel as it was not really spooky like the Mario 64 ghost mansion. It had these vibes and tropical anyway. 2) I loved the casino. Yes the smot machine and getting to King Boo was not good. But I loved this sense of mysterie which made it great in spite of the weeknesses. Back in the day I disliked Mario Sunshine. Mario 64 was my first Mario game as a child. And Sunshine was a letdown. Especially as i liked the simplicity of 64 or Galaxy. The flood was bad for me. 64 is still my favorite Mario but now I play Sunshine every couple of years. Especially Noki Bay is a favorite.
I respect your opinion but, man, I hated Rico Harbor so much! It felt like the longest stage and most episodes were annoying, in my opinion. Especially the yoshi one. Just listening to its music brings a bad feeling to me. Great game overall though.
I think Gelato Beach is unquestionably the worst. Almost every Shine annoys me in some way every time I replay Sunshine, which is very often. Episode 1 is fine, pretty good even. Not much to say. Just a relatively fun secret level. Episode 2 takes way too long, and it’s just doing the same exact thing 6 times. And the cutscenes where the mirrors turn is painfully slow. Episode 3 is too easy and you just waiting around for Wiggler to run into one of the Dune Buds. Its boring. Episode 4…sucks. The Sand Bird moves frustratingly slow, its physics and momentum are the worst in the whole game, and it takes forever to replay if you die. Episode 5 is okay. It’s pretty fun the first time, but very easy if you know where you’re going. I wish Piantissimo was a bit harder to beat. Episode 6 is boring at best and annoying at worst. The coins can move through the rocks and swimming does not feel good in Sunshine. Very easy and very simple. Episode 7 is just another Shadow Mario level, but this one annoys me the most out of all of them. I feel like he always manages to slip past me and I’m forced to look around for him for ages. Episode 8 is the worst level in the game. It’s a good thing you can cheese it by killing the Cataquacks, but even then getting the melon safely down on the beach is so tedious and annoying. And then the final stretch on the pier is just built to piss you off if you accidentally push it into the water. In short, I hate Gelato Beach. It’s also very generic when it comes to theming which I don’t find to be an issue when it comes to literally every other level in the game.
I feel like Mario Sunshine is the Sonic 06 of Mario games. Unfinished, rushed, unpolished, and frustrating. Then again, I didn't grow up with it, so maybe I'm missing some of that nastolgic charm.
The idea is a tropical vacation in game form without risk of sunburn or heatstroke for what was an affordable price at the time. Of course it's nowhere near as good as 64 or Odyssey are. Of course it was severely rushed because GameCube needed games to compete against PS2 & Xbox at the time. The competition was way too fierce in 2002 it wasn't like today where Switch has been dominating & Nintendo has all the time in the world to develop great games.
You're right, but it has by FAR the most charm of any Mario game which makes it my favorite Mario game to turn to just to chill. It is absolutely not the best but it creates an amazing immersive atmosphere that no other Mario game has come close to creating (disregarding RPGs).
Sirena Beach is my favorite level. The atmosphere outside is unmatched and inside always reminded me of Luigi's Mansion as a kid.
Same, I adore Sirena Beach
I like the idea
But not the shines
It’s my favorite level but also most hated shine at the same time I wonder if anyone can guess which that may be
@@imbuffysummers If I were to guess anyone's least favorite shine in that level it would be either King Boo or the mission where you have to keep spraying the slots to get 777s. Mine is King Boo but I think people usually complain about the 777s.
There's even a cleaner Pianta in the hotel's upper corridors who references Luigi's Mansion!
Playing Sunshine still effortlessly captures that relaxed vacation vibe it sought to create back in 2002. Over 20 years later the atmosphere can still calm me down. Each level, even the airstrip, deserves credit for that ability. It also has pro-conservation subtext, BUT doesn't beat you over the head with the messaging like most modern games would, so it works.
For a long time, I played Sunshine every year because there just aren't many games as relaxing and chill as SMS is.
"The ultimate feel-good game" is an understatement. I've literally used this game to get through points of my life where I had crippling anxiety or depression. That Delfino Plaza theme instantly takes me out of it.
Experiencing the "chucksters" for the first time:
Pianta: "I'm a chuckster!"
Mario: "You're a wha--?"
* *Y E E T* *
I never even thought about Pinna Park being the only level that actually advances the plot. I also feel that it gets revealed too soon that Bowser Jr. is the main villain. Would have been a better twist if revealed a little later
Yeah, I never really liked that about the story because Mario is blamed for what Bowser Jr did, but it feels unnecessary. He'd have helped the Piantas regardless and the whole "Fake Mario" thing never has plot relevance beyond hearing most Piantas distrust you. Even when Bowser Jr reveals himself as the fake, it's like "Okay, of course Bowser's behind this" and then... nothing until you get to the end. I would've liked to see more impact in Mario clearing his name, like later on the Piantas say "Wait are there TWO Mario's? Then... did we get the wrong guy?" Maybe having area unlocks be tied to Mario's reputation, like they don't let him go to Rico Harbor until he has rescued enough shine sprites, THEN you get access to the ferry that takes you there. Or a Pianta mentioning something spooky about a beach but when he sees you, he clams up about it, but when you rescue Yoshi, he finally is condient enough to tell you about the haunted Serena Beach and offers to take you there in his ferry to clear out the rumors. Same unlock criteria, but more lore integrated so you really feel like there's a purpose to Bowser Jr messing things up.
My full list of all 8 main levels from worst to best:
8. Noki Bay
7. Corona Mountain
6. Ricco Harbor
5. Gelato Beach
4. Bianco Hills
3. Pinata Village
2. Pinna Park
1. Sirena Beach.
I agree with you. Noki Bay is ANNOYING. and I love the casino / hotel vibe of Sirena.
W, just would put pianta village at 2 and ricco harbor at 4
I never had any trouble with the flip puzzle in the casino, and the atmosphere in Sirena Beach+the Hotel is top tier. It's my favorite stage.
The secret of the flip puzzle is to very very lightly tap the spray button, if you shoot only one drop of water at a time it's much easier to flip only 1 or 2 panels at a time.
My first videogame ever, man I would love a remake of this Game with harder Bosses remade levels and more puzzles, and secrets.
I love each an every full level in Sunshine as well as Delfino Plaza. So so good, so happy, so bright, so atmospheric.
It's such a feel good game!
Remember for The Watermelon Festival, you can just kill all of the red Cataquacks using the dune buds before you take the biggest watermelon to the goal. It makes the mission MUCH easier lol
I'm always surprised how few people know this
Sure, but u spent so much time for that
You can kill them?? I always thought you could only slow then down
@@passioninmyeyes555 yes
You can also glitch into the container with the shine
Noki Bay is hands down the best. It’s what got me into this masterpiece of a game and the reason I still think of it today
I love them all, and my ranking tends to change based on mood, but currently I'd say:
Sirena Beach
Pianta Village
Bianco Hills
Pinna Park
Gelato Beach
Noki Bay
Ricco Harbor
Again, I really like them all for their own reasons, but I'd say that represents my current feelings on the stages
Getting sent to Okinawa for 7 months was like IRL Super Mario Sunshine. It had the same happy & relaxed feeling. Like yeah I had work during the day, but I was still baffled by how nice it was when I was on my own leisure time - like getting paid to take a tropical vacation.
You deserve more subs. I always tend to rank things differently, but your videos are always so well put together.
Thanks!!
Here's how I would rank the areas in Super Mario Sunshine.
7: Sirena Beach
6: Pianta Village
5: Noki Bay
4: Gelato Beach
3: Pinna Park
2: Bianco Hills
1: Ricco Harbor
I usually just use the buds to kill the cataquacks on the watermelon mission but that’s pretty slow and tedious too.
I love the roller coaster missions. As a kid I was always dying to go to cedar point and ride the coasters there so this was the closest thing for me. I could usually get 17-18 balloons in one trip around once I learned good spots to shoot from. Mecha bowser goes down in less than a trip- and it always feels great to shoot him from the other side of the park while upside down
Yeah gotta admit it does feel amazing to hit those long distance shots. Wish I would've mentioned that in the video.
Ricco Harbor gets number 1 for one reason: GOOPER BLOOPER! TWICE!
I never cared for Pianta Village and still would rank it at the bottom compared to the rest. So much of this comes down to aesthetics and the feeling it doesn't belong. I'd believe it was the last level to be developed and in the process was rushed, but I know that's not the case. Noki Bay was last, but despite that (and even with its instances of lack of polish), I still feel like it conveys lore as the ancestral home of the Nokis. It has mystery, verticality, and a feeling that this is an actual place creatures live.
Pianta Village on the other hand... It's SO empty and do the Piantas actually LIVE here? Where are their dwellings?? It's nothing but platforms, basket structures, and mushrooms; I learn nothing new about the Piantas and their culture. Bianco Hills and Delfino Plaza feel more like residential area by comparison. The day/night cycle is a cool touch, but it doesn't actually do anything, and the spa is a cool landmark, but there's nothing more to it than that.
Perhaps a lot of this could've been fixed if they'd changed the name: call it Pianta Shrine or Pianta Springs and give it some backstory as a formerly revered place for the Piantas that's become a spa and that could have some interesting implications. As it stands, it's the most uninspired looking level in the bunch.
I never knew Noki Bay was the last finished because it feels so complete & natural to the game's world. I agree Pianta Village seemed like a later creation, although I still have a soft spot for it even though it is exactly as you say with it being more a park with a sacred tree for them than where they actually live. Pianta Park probably sounded too similar to Pinna Park.
Noki Bay is my favorite due to how beautiful it is, but I hold a special place for Ricco Harbor. I played the first level at a demo stand and it is why I bought the game.
Super Mario sunshine is one of my favorite games even with its flaws, and I love that you discussed how your fav levels might not be someone else’s favorites because of what someone is looking to experience. I personally find sirena beach to be one of my faves, but completely get why it’s not for everyone. I used to dislike Ricco harbor as a kid, but after playing again recently, I discovered it’s one of the best, there’s so much that’s great about it.
Yoshi's Fruit Adventure brings the entire level all the way down for me. But the harbor is nice.
It's so extremely unfortunate that the Mario game with the most personality and potential was as rushed as it was. I truly believe that if it was as fleshed out as Galaxy, many people would consider it the best (3D) Mario game. The theming and atmosphere are so "real", they actually feel like real places instead of say Lethal Lava Land, Ghostly Galaxy or a Cap kingdom.
I love this game as it has such an incredibly immersive atmosphere and tone. Living in South Texas it perfectly encapsulates that tropical feeling.
Totally agree, it probably has a top 5 atmosphere in gaming!
Sirena beach always seems to be either the favorite or least favorite level in each ranking. Never seen it in the middle lol
actually nah it seems to 99% of the time be everyone's number one favorite, it was kinda refreshing to see it ranked differently here (i do find it very overrated and containing some very flawed missions)
Ahh, fav levels are the Goop Clean Up on Sierra Beach, the Village with the hot tub, anything there, and not a level but I love it when the hub gets flooded, I know it is a bad thing but I always thought it was a fun add in.
i was ready to immediately riot as soon as you said serena was the lowest, but i heard you out, and i pretty much fully agree lol. though i'd flip it with noki because that level was the last addition and rushed at the end of production which really feels like it. it's only a fraction of what it could've been. though they did do a good job in the rush anyway.
*Been playing the game since it release and never knew I could use FLUDD while sliding on your belly* Learn something new every day lol.
Anyway, great video! I calculated and ranked the levels too and I am not surprised of the results since my Top 2 did appear on a written list over 10 years ago of my fav Mario Levels (so before Mario Odyssey was even a thing).
7. Gelato Beach- 2.875 stars out of 5- How you feel about Sirena Beach is how I feel about this. Only courses I liked were the Red Coins and defeating that big Wiggler (it's my fav boss in the game so no surprise there). Hated the Watermelon and Race ones. If you're wondering I ranked all regular levels on a 5 star point system. I never 100% the game so I am not counting any secrets or 100 coins.
6. Pianta Village- 3 stars- Very hit or miss. I love the chain chomplets and Goopy inferno and even liked the Pianta's in need, but the rest were meh or horrible. This and the next 2 got the same score, but I ranked them by how much I enjoyed exploring the area and this is my least fav of the three.
5. Sirena Beach- 3 stars- Has the worst Secret stage if you ask me, the 1st one. The 2nd one isn't as bad, but 2 of the 3 puzzles to get to it are a bit frustrating as you say. Do love the setting and Mysterious Hotel Delfino is one of my fav challenges in the game. But compared to Mario64's Big Boo's Haunt, it's definitely a step down as far as Boo levels go.
4. Ricco Harbor- 3 Stars- I wasn't a huge fan of the setting, but it grew on me as time went on. Now I don't love any of the challenges (few come close), but it's the most enjoyable of the 3 to explore, and that counts majorly in a situation like this. Btw, I did figure out that shortcut way to get the Caged Shine Sprite. It is satisfying lol. I really detest the Yoshi one though. I had to get outside help to figure out what to do and it was tedious to find the right fruit.
3. Bianco Hills- 3.25 stars- Consistent is the word I describe it. I don't hate any of the challenges and that's why it didn't get 4 way tie with the last 3. I did love the Shadow Mario one because of how fast you can defeat him. It's hilarious. As a rule, I did like the Shadow Mario courses, with the worse ones just being forgettable (earning only 3 points).
2. Pinna Park- 3.625 stars- This one is a lot of fun overall. The only course I disliked about it was the first secret course, which has the 2nd worse secret course to me. What I did love about this level though was the rollercoaster and the Ferris wheel courses. Well, that boss battle was a little too intense at times, but I did like it and the Wilted Flowers. The 2nd Roller Coaster course though I loved it, it's my fav course in the game actually. I am a coaster fanatic in general so I enjoy mechanics like that in a game (when it feels like I am on a thrill ride). Add targets for me to shoot and I get the best feeling of conquering it.
1. Noki Bay- 4.125 Stars- I like every single course here, even the Racing one thanks to that shortcut. I rarely like racing outside of a racing game, so yeah, the fact that this game made me like a racing segment is rare. Even the secret one is okay. If I can get past that 'bottom row', I tend to do well in it. Environment is my fav in the game and it originally was my fav environment in a Mario game (one of Odyssey's worlds dethroned it, it was the Forest level). I think it ranked #2 in my fav Mario levels, only being beaten out by one of M64's level. I'll mention it whenever I get the time to watch that video.
But yeah I do need to update my Fav Mario lvls down the line. I might stick with 3D because I hardly remember the 2d ones and 3D Land and World games anymore. Great video! I'll be sure to check out more.
It would have been interesting for you to make this list and actually consider Delfino Plaza among the rankings- you do spend quite a bit of time out there with all the secret shines and sequence updates throughout the game. I really enjoyed the video, so I'm not asking you to remake it or anything, but some of your commentary on what you thought of the plaza itself would have been additionally intriguing.
Originally, I planned to include the Plaza, the Airstrip, and Corona Mountain but felt it'd be hard to compare them because they don’t follow the same formula as the other levels.
I think I may do a solo video discussing Delfino Plaza on its own, though, because it is my favorite area in the game...even if it has some terrible shines lol
this is like the noki bay of youtube videos
Ranked 5th out of 7 lol?
I'm probably among the insanely precious few that never had any trouble with the Sand Bird, the Watermelon Festival, the rollercoaster, the chucksters, or the lilypad river. I always found them easy to manage, for some reason.
Funny, even though I think most people would say the lilypad is the worst of the bunch, that's the only one you listed where I never really struggled myself.
You just built different
I just 100% completed this game. Its my all time favorite mario game yeah some levels were frustrating but the nostalgia and summer vibes brings me back everytine. And the levels end up not being so hard or bad.
Sirena beach is my favorite! The outside scenery and the creative levels in the hotel.
Ok this is the second vid I see where the say those quacks are annoying. Yes 100% agree however, TIP.
16:49
Jump and wet them all with flood. Then wet the little seed/sapling.
When it expands and throws you into the air the quacks will disappear and will NOT Spawn. I found this out years ago in the GameCube and it still worked on the switch. For the quacks on the solar mirrors… that’s a little more tricky because they won’t exactly run off you kind of have to jump on them or wet them close to the ledge to have the fall. NOTE
The Stairs root/sapling will not work to get rid of the quackers.
Pianta village not being in at least the top 2 is blasphemy to me lol
I love the pianta village. Into the inferno is amazing, since you can beat it in so many different ways
The Sirena beach hotel vibe is still unmatched, annoying as the level may be sometimes lol
To be fair, you don’t need to do Bianco hills 1. you can just walk past the goo monster thing and go fight Petey and get the 2nd shine; unlocking the 3rd level.
My top 3 are
1.Sirena Beach
2.Gelato beach
3.pinna park
I disagree with some of the rankings but I love this game and really enjoyed seeing how you felt about it. I feel like this wasn't something I talked to anyone about, none of my other friends have played it and it was a once and done type thing Nintendo put out which is unfortunate.
Aside from Odyssey this game definitely has my favorite levels in any Mario platformer, which is a huge reason for why I still consider one of the best games in the franchise. We definitely have some disagreements on how to rank these levels though lol. My ranking would be:
7. *Noki Bay*
6. *Pinna Park*
5. *Pianta Village*
4. *Bianco Hills*
3. *Gelato Beach*
2. *Ricco Harbor*
1. *Sirena Beach*
I honestly love all of them though, no matter what level i'm playing I generally always have a good time.
I didn't know you could kill the bees with Yoshi!
I truly just can’t hate any of the levels in this game. I think it will be my favorite game for all time
Uhh... Bianco Hills is sorta my favourite lol
another great ranking video! please do DK 64 !!!
Thanks!! And one day I will, just gotta get around to playing it first haha
I second the dk64 request!
Roller coaster balloons was the absolute worst level for me, hands down. Way way worse than the lillypad or pachinko levels.
It's funny, I feel exactly the opposite on almost everything you said, but I loved your perspective and the video!
13:55 Chuggaaconroy: MURDERER!
As someone who absolutely despised Sunshine and thus can't agree with the feel good notions, I still credit your analysis and discussion regarding these levels. The sign of good content is when you watch it even if you're not a huge fan of the subject because you know the presenter will make it worthwhile. Awesome job.
Appreciate the kind words, thank you! 🙏
I mean... in order for it to be a twist, it has to be unexpected.
Damn, I love Super Mario Sunshine, can't wait to watch this! Thanks for your content.
No thank you for watching! Hope you enjoy!
I absolutely loathe Pianta Village...I would definitely place Noki Bay higher too, just something so nostalgic and calming about it which felt awesome as a child.
You know, you can skip the prerequisites to enter the Secret of Casino Delfino pretty easily if you spin jump and hover to the top of the arch overlooking the picture panels, and then sidestep through the wall to clip out of bounds, allowing you to drop into the pipe from there.
I had no idea about that, although not sure how I would've known without speedrun knowledge haha. Still I immediately had to go try it and it was actually super easy, so thanks for the tip!
@@MrDrBoi No problem! I too was also never a fan of the picture nonsense or the slots, but the secret level itself is one of my favorites. It uses the same background as Sirena Beach’s outside area, which lets you see the dark area normally blocked by the cliff wall behind the hotel. I also like the platforms that slide in and out of the walls, dubbed them “pencil sharpeners” in my youth. 😁
This HAS to be a troll video, absolutey blasphemous
Opinions. What ya gonna do?
Noki Bay is the best.
The opening sentence is FACTS
Noki Bay has the best vibes of any Mario level ever
Funny, the main reason I don't hate the Casino levels is because I do the skip to avoid doing all the slots.
I actually just learned about that skip today from another commenter. Will definitely take advantage of it in future runs!
Oh man oh man, really hard ranking for me. You have to factor everything. Before watching the video, I'll leave mine but honestly this ranking could change for me literally tomorrow, that's how strong I feel about the game:
7. Noki Bay. Cons: Eel boss, repeated Gooper Blooper boss, hard and unfairly secret Blue Coins. Pros: fun vertical level design, underwater mission 8 is beautiful, toughest secret level without gimmick
6. Gelato Beach. Cons: annoying 100 coins, Sandbird is stressful, moving Watermelons is finicky (took me a lot of experience to get good at), bad Secret Shine in that sand wall. Pros: fun unique Wiggler boss, best Piantissimo race, great Red Coins mission in the reef, Quatacaks are funny.
5. Sirena Beach. Cons: Casino puzzles are big oof, randomness for King Boo fight, secret level behind the Casino puzzle. Pros: the Mantaray is the best boss in the game, beautiful sunset vibes outside and spooky vibes inside, exploring the Hotel is like a puzzle and it's very fun, best hidden Blue Coins
4. Bianco Hills. Cons: fighting Petey Piranha twice, fighting the 3rd Goop Piranha in a row, the 2nd secret level is too hard for being the first world lol but I respect it.
3. Ricco Harbor. Cons: fighting Gooper Blooper twice, Blue Coins specific to mission 1 (like the M in the lower side of the boat or rising the Yellow Submarine) like those are not obvious (good specific Blue Coins examples are the Fish basket from Mission 8 or the blooper that appears inside the yellow Shine Cage after Mission 3). Pros: Mission 3 is the best Shine in the game, surfing on bloopers is fun and challenging, great secret level, fun Yoshi mission
2. Pinna Park:. Cons: idk I literally cannot think of one which is why I moved this to 2nd place when I originally put it in 3rd lol. Pros: climatic first mission important to the story, fun missions outside the Park, best Red Coins mission in the game, challenging climbing obstacle for mission 5 that can also be cheesed, I actually like mission 8, overall very fun place to jump around.
1. Pianta Village. Cons: Mission 4 is too similar to Mission 1 and Mission 6 also kinda similar to Mission 6 from Serena Beach (but different enough that it's not a problem for me). Pros: best overall shines in the game like Mission 1, 3 and 8 (stronger highs than Pinna Park which is why it ahead for me); great vibes with different times of the day, I like the chucksters gimmick (please if anyone has trouble with the final chuckster, talk to him at an angle from a corner instead of trying to get the straight line to the shine platform lol)
Yeah it's tough when you factor in everything. You made some good points about blue coins, which is something I didn't touch on maybe as much as I should have in the video, though they were factored in.
I agree with this list! Gelato Beach and Niko Bay were the only levels that frustrated me as a kid
This game was so hard for me as a kid some levels had me stumped!
Serena Beach was always my favorite as a kid.
Pianta Village most definitely my fav.
I ordered a copy and it arrives this week! I loved this game as a kid and regretted selling it for years lol. Now I only own 2 games, sunshine and animal crossing lol. Cosy games much? 😊
My favorite to least favorite: Noki Bay, Gelato Beach, Sirena Beach, Pinna Park, Corona Mountain, Ricco Harbor, Bianco Hills and finally PIANTA VILLAGE BOOOOO.
Gelato Beach has the best Music it fits to well
Red coins on the water in Ricco was BAD
1. Pianta Village
2. Pinna Park
3. Sirena Beach
4. Biano Hills
5. Noki Bay
6. Gelato Beach
7. Ricco Harbor
Am I the only person who likes the King Boo boss? Sure there’s RNG and it’s not too hard, but it’s at least more interesting than the 2 Petey or 3 blooper fights, and it’s not annoying like cleaning the eel’s teeth
Honestly I'd say Bianco Hills is the worst for me, and I LOVE Sunshine. Hills just feels Empty and unfinished to me.
Honestly, if I didn't dislike some of Sirena Beach's missions so much I'd probably have put it last myself. I don't hate it but the other levels just offer so much more.
Do you have a super mario galaxy ranking video? It's my favorite mario game of all time.
I’m not sure how I’d rank all the levels but I think for me sirena beach is number one and noki bay is last. I loved the hotel at sirena beach and being in the vents and stuff cause it reminded me of Luigi’s mansion which came out around the same time. Noki bay was off putting to me for the difficult vertical platforming, poison water and worst of all the blue coins in the walls. Plus I just generally don’t like completely under watcher levels so the ones with the eel and fish were especially not fun lol
they should make a new verson of this game and call it supermario sunshine 2 "return to defino island "
Gelato beach is my least favourite world
Yeah, it does have the worst missions
Same
Good old times
Sirena beach is actually my favorite level in SMS
the pinball is mine. joking i love bianco hills
13:15 TIL this was not the only way to get flood lol
Absolutely cracked list! 😅 good try
I literally hate the platforming secret stages so much 😭
Another video dropped and it’s on Mario! Today is a good day this will be a good one. I really enjoy your videos
Hope you enjoy!
2002, I feel old.
I never beat this game. I need to get this for my switch so I can finally beat it but it’s only on the 3-D All-Star one that’s like 130 bucks and I got single mom problems so I beat the other two games although they were both good too.
I agree with you mostly about the hotel. Especially as I liked the hotel but in playing it was annoying and i could not pinpoint why exactly.
But I have to disagree on two points
1) I loved the music. Slightöy out of tune not really spooky but peculiar. Fitting for the hotel as it was not really spooky like the Mario 64 ghost mansion. It had these vibes and tropical anyway.
2) I loved the casino. Yes the smot machine and getting to King Boo was not good. But I loved this sense of mysterie which made it great in spite of the weeknesses.
Back in the day I disliked Mario Sunshine. Mario 64 was my first Mario game as a child. And Sunshine was a letdown. Especially as i liked the simplicity of 64 or Galaxy. The flood was bad for me.
64 is still my favorite Mario but now I play Sunshine every couple of years. Especially Noki Bay is a favorite.
Before watching the whole vid, it’s the pachinko machine level..right? /s
That's in the main hub. F**K THAT SHINE.
Can you rank every level in Mario Galaxy?
@ 2:45
The King Boo fight can be cheesed. Sorry you got bad RNG with it!
I respect your opinion but, man, I hated Rico Harbor so much! It felt like the longest stage and most episodes were annoying, in my opinion. Especially the yoshi one. Just listening to its music brings a bad feeling to me. Great game overall though.
interesting opinion, sirena beach still the best for me
He really put ricco on 1
Sirena is my favourite
I think Gelato Beach is unquestionably the worst. Almost every Shine annoys me in some way every time I replay Sunshine, which is very often.
Episode 1 is fine, pretty good even. Not much to say. Just a relatively fun secret level.
Episode 2 takes way too long, and it’s just doing the same exact thing 6 times. And the cutscenes where the mirrors turn is painfully slow.
Episode 3 is too easy and you just waiting around for Wiggler to run into one of the Dune Buds. Its boring.
Episode 4…sucks. The Sand Bird moves frustratingly slow, its physics and momentum are the worst in the whole game, and it takes forever to replay if you die.
Episode 5 is okay. It’s pretty fun the first time, but very easy if you know where you’re going. I wish Piantissimo was a bit harder to beat.
Episode 6 is boring at best and annoying at worst. The coins can move through the rocks and swimming does not feel good in Sunshine. Very easy and very simple.
Episode 7 is just another Shadow Mario level, but this one annoys me the most out of all of them. I feel like he always manages to slip past me and I’m forced to look around for him for ages.
Episode 8 is the worst level in the game. It’s a good thing you can cheese it by killing the Cataquacks, but even then getting the melon safely down on the beach is so tedious and annoying. And then the final stretch on the pier is just built to piss you off if you accidentally push it into the water.
In short, I hate Gelato Beach. It’s also very generic when it comes to theming which I don’t find to be an issue when it comes to literally every other level in the game.
Sirena beach is the best level what do you mean!
Noki bay is the best. Change my mind
Since my childhood I have HATED Ricco Harbor and its annoyng-ass music how can it not be lower???
Edit: HOW IS IT #1???
Saaaand biiiird
22:24 My absolute hate level
I feel like Mario Sunshine is the Sonic 06 of Mario games. Unfinished, rushed, unpolished, and frustrating. Then again, I didn't grow up with it, so maybe I'm missing some of that nastolgic charm.
The idea is a tropical vacation in game form without risk of sunburn or heatstroke for what was an affordable price at the time. Of course it's nowhere near as good as 64 or Odyssey are. Of course it was severely rushed because GameCube needed games to compete against PS2 & Xbox at the time. The competition was way too fierce in 2002 it wasn't like today where Switch has been dominating & Nintendo has all the time in the world to develop great games.
You're right, but it has by FAR the most charm of any Mario game which makes it my favorite Mario game to turn to just to chill. It is absolutely not the best but it creates an amazing immersive atmosphere that no other Mario game has come close to creating (disregarding RPGs).
Rico Harbor sucks most generic level with no vibe.
Obligatory rebuttal Rico Harbor is the worst map in the lowest point of this game how dare you say Serena Beach is otherwise I love you
Yeah Ricco Harbor is nowhere near #1 spot lmao. Bad list all together
What's your #1?
Sirena beach is so fun? It’s not really that hard. The rays are easy to break if you stay by the beach and spin and spray