Nintendo just announced some great news for gamers with good taste: Super Mario Sunshine is coming to Switch 2. Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members will be able to splash their way through Isle Delfino starting Aug. 13. Between this and Splatoon Raiders, every day it gets harder for me to resist the siren call of buying a Switch 2.
Nintendo’s announcement has rekindled online debate over whether Sunshine is actually a good game, two whole decades after its original GameCube release. And I’m here to tell you that yes, Super Mario Sunshine is a good game, and you should totally play it—whether it’s been a few years or it’s your very first time.
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Personally, I first played Sunshine just last summer (I had a PC and a Wii growing up, and besides, the game’s older than I am). I’m not big on platformers—less so 3D ones—so I was shocked by how quickly I became taken with Isle Delfino.
Sunshine had something I wasn’t used to from Nintendo games, having only played newer titles at the time: a distinct sense of place. Isle Delfino is a frankly weird little island littered with loose produce and coins that, for all its absurdity, feels real and lived in. Wooden gondolas stuffed with fruit crates make lazy rotations around the plaza. An island resort hides a dark secret beneath its floorboards. No matter where you are in the game, if you look to the horizon, odds are you’ll find a distant skyline that you’re eventually going to visit, if you haven’t been there already.
I also love Sunshine for its jank. Much like the game’s setting, Sunshine’s platforming and level design are deeply eccentric and all the more interesting because of it. Levels don’t neatly scale in difficulty; some are super hard for seemingly no good reason. There’s an entire secret minigame that’s just a giant pachinko machine, with Mario serving as the ball, and its invisible collision boxes and sliding physics are downright unfair. I love it.
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After all, friction is an essential part of experiencing art. Games shouldn’t be confined to clean, one-dimensional ideas of fun. Great games are frustrating, and annoying, and boring at times, because how can a game that isn’t brave enough to piss you off make you feel much of anything at all? In a world that increasingly favors perfect averages and hyper-smooth edges, Sunshine’s jagged, funky design is a much-needed breath of fresh air.
If this has you considering a Switch 2, act fast. The handheld console’s price is going up by $50 in the US, effective Sept. 1.
About Our Expert
Bee Wertheimer
Editorial Intern
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I’m a New York-based writer currently serving as PCMag’s Editorial Intern. I cover the impact of technology and internet culture on our daily lives, with a specialization in video games and cultural criticism.
I have written for Kotaku, The A.V. Club, Unwinnable, Aftermath, and more. In addition, I have a formal background in video game development and visual design. You can find all of my work on my website.
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