Super Mario Sunshine is a 3D platformer developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the GameCube, released in Japan on July 19, 2002 and in North America on August 26, 2002. It is the direct follow-up to Super Mario 64, marking Mario's first solo 3D platforming adventure on the GameCube and the second mainline entry in the 3D Mario series.
The game is set on Isle Delfino, a tropical resort island where Mario, Princess Peach, and a group of Toads arrive for a vacation. Upon landing, they discover that a mysterious figure resembling Mario has been defacing the island with graffiti and toxic goop. Mario is blamed for the damage and sentenced to clean up the island using FLUDD (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device), a water-spraying backpack invented by Professor E. Gadd that serves as both a cleaning tool and a versatile movement aid with hover, rocket, and turbo nozzle attachments.
Gameplay follows the structure established by Super Mario 64, with a central hub world (Delfino Plaza) connecting to individual stages where players collect Shine Sprites by completing objectives. The game features 120 Shine Sprites across its main stages and hub area, along with 240 hidden Blue Coins that can be traded for additional Shines. Several stages strip Mario of FLUDD entirely for pure platforming challenge segments that rank among the most demanding sequences in the series.
Directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, with music composed by Koji Kondo and Shinobu Tanaka, Super Mario Sunshine received generally positive reviews at launch, with praise for its vibrant visual design, tight platforming, and the FLUDD mechanic, though critics noted occasional camera issues and a difficulty curve that could swing from breezy to brutally punishing. It was a commercial success on the GameCube and was later reissued as part of Super Mario 3D All-Stars for the Nintendo Switch in September 2020, a limited compilation alongside Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy that was removed from sale in March 2021.
