4.5/5 ★ – Lancey's review of Super Mario Sunshine.

Super Mario Sunshine admittedly takes some time to warm up to. It's quite a divisive entry in the Mario platformer lineup because it felt like such a drastic departure from the rest of the series. However, many of its oddities contribute to its charm. I love how cohesive Isle Delfino feels, I was super intrigued by the story and voice acting, I enjoyed exploring the sandbox of the game, and I even enjoyed a lot of the mechanics. There are some things to criticize, like the segments where F.L.U.D.D. is stolen from Mario, highlighting how much of a crutch the mechanic lends to the game. Or how many of the blue coins are hidden extremely poorly. Or trying to push the watermelon across the dock into the blender. However, Sunshine as an experience probably gave me one of the most consistently enjoyable Mario experiences ever. The concept worked so well that they reused it for Paper Mario Color Splash and Bowser's Fury!