This level shows the advantage of having a lot of mechanical depth and a loose mission structure. Most of these routes most probably were not intended, but since the game has so many movements options and the objective is simply to get to a place that is seemingly out of reach, it ends up encouraging players to come up with a bunch of out of the box solutions. It also help that the actual solution is not super obvious so people are actually likely to look around and find those alternate methods.
I feel that during play testing of this level they just decided to not patch out or alter a lot of paths too, maybe help encourage some ever so slightly like with water and goop placements and shit
This is what I loved about sunshine and 64. Every game after this started heavily nerfing Mario’s movement and abilities and loosing this non linear style of game play at least until Mario odyssey brought it back (well except for his long jump and wall kicks which are still heavily nerfed)
@@DaGhostToastRoast I enjoyed Odyssey but I wish the wall jumps were like sunshine and I wish sliding down hills gave you a huge momentum boost like it used to.
I don't think I've beaten this mission the normal way in over 10 years. Jumping off the tree, damage boosting from the wind gusts and the river droplets all take less time and are infinitely more fun than the underground cage labyrinth they expect you to take. At times, I even feel like they intended people to be able to skip the level. If they REALLY wanted you to do it the way they wanted, they would have put the shine on the underside of the level, where the actual challenge is.
I think they just didn’t realize how in depth people could really go with the tiny patches of safe spaces in the mission. Putting the shine UNDER the level where the intended route kinda makes the “the floor is lava but you have to get to the middle of it” pointless if the objective has nothing to really do with the lava imo. Still I agree the intended method is not fun at all.
I did the water trick too first time. I love this level as it seems like an impossible insurmountable challenge (to a kid) that ends up having so many ways forward.
Did it the same way, but i hated the level instead because of how frustrating it was, trying out all the really difficult paths with no idea on how to solve it.
@@TheOfficalAndI Same method, same sense of "What?? How am I supposed to beat this?!" after several failed attempts. For a while, I even considered it one of the "worst" levels before I got to the poison river one lol
Are we the same person? I swear same, this one seemed impossible until the river happened, then free the tree with water and then by doing some fancy footwork I was able to finally get where I wanted to, a few droplets of water at the time. Ayee those were the good times.~
1:17 's underground pathway was my strategy as a kid for clearing it. I have an intense love for games that leave gaps for independent problem solving like this. Structured solutions are great, but the most memorable moments are always when it feels like you, as the player, found a solution by your own merits.
This blows my mind! 😮 Didn’t know there was so many ways to tackle this mission. I wish one day Sunshine gets a sequel. It was my favorite Mario before Odyssey .
Don't forget jumping from goop boy to goop boy to platform your way across the sea of lava! Seriously, though, I think I solved the level the way you did as a kid my first time through. I remember trying the method of walking along the narrow paths but getting frustrated because one wrong step and Mario would bounce in place eternally. But once I started maturing to the point of paying attention to dialogue, I found out that the game literally does point you in the direction of what is by far the easiest method.
See, this is what I love about The Goopy Inferno: it allows for player creativity alongside having an intended method for players that either prefer to do it traditionally or they don't feel like coming up with their own method. There is no right way, and yet, everyway is the right way.
In discussions where it's relevant I always say Sunshine is my favorite game, in large part due to how acrobatic Mario is and how the simple act of jumping and diving around is fun. The loose structure of this mission drives that point home, especially with all the potential routes you showed. Great video
50% of my mind is blown away from watching this because I actually never thought about the intended way to clear this until I clicked on this video meanwhile the other 50% of my mind is laughing at this video so hard because the dripping water effect is the only way I’ve done this since I was a kid!
I found the intended method the first time I played the game as a kid by talking to that one pianta, but afterwards I thought "that can't be the only way to get to the mayor". So I retried the level a few times and eventually found the method where you climb up and jump down from the tree on the left and that's how I've always completed that level ever since.
This is what led to people making so many challenge runs i think. So many ways to get over it, but so much to do to make it as challenging as possible. Also my method was the one of going to the tree and doing a dive jump. Literally the way it was done here was the exact way i done it, because "Well why not use the tree?" Was my first instinct when no water.
When I first played the game as a young lad, I did it the "intended" way because I knew about the underside the village connecting, previous missions showing it off. It was just a matter of finding the right hole to start with, and that nice Piñata tells us that the one he is next should be the right one. Then I just followed the coins, because coin trails are good directions. My young mind was dancing in the designers" palms, yes child, keep collecting those coins all in a row like we wanted.
One of the best Mario Games of all time. Each world, if you talk to each the NPCs for every mission, you get to see how the world changes around them. Even as things changed during the mission. Delfino Island as a whole was full of life.
One of my favorite past times is going on Twitch and seeing who is casually playing Sunshine (If any) and asking them to play this level just to either see which method they use, or if it is a first playthrough, watch and see which method they end up with. This is one of my favorite Mario Levels in general and I am glad that ZoomZike was able to see the same enjoyment of this level as I was.
This mission has been a personal favorite for this reason. Love how many ways you can approach it. I beat this level using the intended route; mostly because I talked to every Pianta as a kid. Great video!
I beat it via the intended way: by ground pounding the hole where the Pianta tells you the mayor is, and by following the trail of coins. I didn't know that you could beat this mission in so many different ways. Cool!
I did it exactly the same way! With the water, just like you did years ago. And I was mindblown by this video, this is amazing So many ways, and we did it the same way✨
The fact that this comes so late in the game, likely intended to be one of the last Shines you get given Pianta Village is the final world unlocked, I would bet that the million different ways you can approach this was the dev team's way of saying "By now, you should know every trick in the book, you've surmounted every challenge we've thrown at you. Now put all of that to work and figure out how to get through."
So many different pathways! I only knew of the Tree Jump (Chuggaaconroy), Intended Way (Mario Wiki), Damage Boost Method and the River Way (Particular Mushroom). Truly, such a game that is very hated for Blue Coins, is also very open ended at times. Like Chuggaaconroy said in 2011: "It's better than Mario 64."
Everyone: "Wow, it's crazy how the dynamic level design of Sunshine can allow the mission to be completed in so many different ways! The designers really knew what they were doing!" Nintendo: "...mhm."
I like this. The idea of solving a level in multiple different ways with multiple different paths, it's something I absolutely love in video games. Sonic does this quite frequently, too, which happens to be another one of my favorite game series.
I have to say, seeing all these methods really makes me appreciate the little quirks of Sunshine's mechanics! Amazing how stuff that may have seen superfluous, like the water splashing physics, can actually aid a player and open more options
Thank you so much for making this. I’ve had a really difficult week, and seeing that you uploaded a video about one of my favorite games really cheered me up. Furthermore, learning that you complete this level in the EXACT WAY I DO really brightened my day significantly. I love what you do and I love how you look at things, man. Keep being you 😌
I was about to say "I took the underground path because that's obviously the intended one", but I don't think I've ever taken the one with the coin trail...
you know any other youtuber would’ve made this into a fifteen minute or longer video essay about level design but you got your point across so beautifully quick and to the point. really loved how you scripted this
i love all your videos dearly, but i must admit that the ones where you run through a level's design are some of my absolute favorites. it's really incredible getting to hear the story of how you began analyzing that kind of thing! especially since super mario sunshine is a childhood favorite!
Oh my gosh I remember finding so many ways you could beat this level as a kid! I had a huge fear of falling underneath the world(I always forgot which was action button) so I never went with that method. Amazing!
bro, i wish you uploaded this YESTERDAY. I did a race today with this mission, and thought I had a badass route, but literally every route you showed was much faster, and even easier than mine. Curse you. And thank you.
One of the goals you can get in SMS bingo is to do this level damageless, and your river strat from childhood is the strat of choice for many runners because of how solid it is.
I remember trying the water droplet strategy, as well as the guide intended method, the latter of which I found hard because of the maze-like underside, the electric things, & trying to go to the underside via the mushrooms approached from the further-from-the-village side of the bridge. It's a testament to the exemplary design of this game, how many ways there are to beat this level! I wish there were more with such open-ended design! Thanks a ton for uploading this analysis video!
the crazy thing about this level and it's variety of ways to beat it, is that with all the different routes you showed in this video. you never mentioned the route that I took as a kid (and adult) to beat this level lol
@@GrandmasterArk I don't think I said that? I don't particularly care for 3D All-Stars anyway, but what I mean is that he makes his videos the same aspect ratio as the game footage. You can see this in his New Super Mario Bros videos, for example, and if I remember right it might also be in his Sonic Adventure 2 ones as well. If he used footage from 3D All-Stars with the widescreen enhancements, I'd be fine with it.
It's such a treat to stumble on a video referencing such a specific childhood memory of using the river to splash water around. Genuine thanks for making this vid, I didn't even realize the bunch of other ways you mentioned
It’s this sort of creative level design that I truly miss in modern 3D Mario games. In Odyssey, there’s many objectives you can do in any order, similar to Super Mario 64, but unZike 64, there really aren’t too many ways of going about each one of them. Sunshine is a great game that can offers the player with experimentation that not many other games offer.
Holy flip ZoomZike, I clicked on this thinking okay, I know the intended route haha let’s see, not only did you blow my mind, you made me realize I didn’t even complete it the intended way. I did the other underground one where you go across the bridge. Nice! Can’t believe it’s been 20 years and I’m just finding out.
this reminds me of how I couldn't figure out how to unlock the wing cap in SM64, so I spent hours shooting myself from the floating island over and over until I got the coins needed for the star
I was fortunate enough to have the official Super Mario Sunshine Player's guide with me when I got my GameCube YEARS ago. I was stuck on this exact level for a ludicrously long time, but managed to beat it using that guide of mine. It instructed me to follow the path that leads to the underground scaffolding, over the mushrooms, back to the surface, & on my merry way to Fludd & the mayor. It really gets me how difficult the levels in this game were. I never struggled with any Super Mario game I played as much as this one.
Wow that is actually really cool. I only knew about the water trailing route and the main/intended one. This makes me want to try the others. Lol honestly I do really admire the level design for this one now because it almost feels like the creators intended there to be multiple ways based on skill level. That is super cool and well thought. More and more we discover the passion put into Sunshine.
I had no clue that there were so many ways to beat this level! I always did it the way you did at the beginning of the video (with the water). I can't believe I missed all of these other ways lol!
Geez... I never realized there were so many possibilities. I knew about the option where you climb the giant tree and dive from the palm thanks to other internet searches, and there's the "canon" route but I always found it to be way too hard. I actually REALLY like your water droplet solution. The others are cool too, but the fact that there's so many I never considered is blowing my mind. Cool video!
It's been so many years I'm not sure which method I used the first time, but I think I remember taking the intended route and also using the droplets early on. I always thought this mission was super cool, and is a big reason why Pianta Village is my favorite level in Sunshine.
This was the beauty of Mario Sunshine- there were many levels that had multiple ways to beat them it just let the player explore and goof around. Something that was lost in Galaxy and the newer more linear Mario games.
I loved this level as a kid (and now). I was blown away when in speedruns they just go straight through the lava to it. One of my first solutions was similar to yours, using the water from the river to clear away the goop then jumping to it. Crazy seeing someone else do it that way too.
You know, it could be a fun idea for a series of vids where you showcase different unusual approaches to reach the same goal in various games. I loved when you showed variety of routes in SA2 stages, some of which I didn't know existed until you showed them, I love watching you explore! Excitement in your voice makes it all so much better, even if I don't know the game you are talking about, such as this one! :D But I'm unsure which games fit for these kinds of videos, or if there are even enough games like that in the era of older games or not...
Love this! I always thought there must've been multiple ways to reach the end, but after many attempts I've always begrudgingly stumbled upon the intended route
I was the one who used the intended method. Back then, I never thought of using an alternative way to clear this stage. In hindsight, I maybe should’ve experimented a bit more.
Walking across the railing to get to the giant tree to jump off was always my method, and it wasn't until like 5 years ago that I found out about the "proper" method, but I gotta say; using the droplets that fling off you when you jump out of the water is a 9000 IQ play I would have never have thought of in a million years! I gotta try is sometime!
I think the very first time i did this mission, I did it the "intended" way, and later playthroughs I got lost trying to find the "right" way and found some of your alternate paths.
This was such a wholesome little love letter video about game design. I have a similar story but with crazy gadget in sonic adventure 2. I was very confused about the intended way to beat the puzzle room at the end even after watching my uncle play it for me. But I remember where the switch was and used the springs on the back of the goal ring platform to go back to the beginning of the room and for years that was the only way I knew how to beat that stage lol.
I did a few different methods as a kid, none under. I didn’t much care for this level then but now I love it. Lots of unintended options because of good game design!
Of all the many years of playing Sunshine as a kid, I never knew any other way other than using the river. Spin jumping out of the river really was fun, and for me, it made sense since you use that very same body of water to cool the baby chain chomps earlier on...if I'm remembering correctly that is. ^^; In any case, I've always thought that the river method was the intended method, although, I was aware Sunshine often allowed multiple methods of getting a shine, so I figured that was possible for this level too. (I just never cared to explore any other way, lol!)
I distinctly remember as a kid thinking jumping off of those little goop bubble guys to safe areas was the only way. Then I discovered the tree and that became my 2nd way.
I always loved how this level brought a childhood game of “THE FLOOR IS LAVA” but into a video game. I have fond memories of just doing whatever in this level, not even to win but just to simulate the fear of barricading myself from the goop... I don’t know what little me was thinking. It was only years later I learned the water method 😅
This variety of options allowing you to use your tools to achieve the dame objectives in multiple ways from different directions is a core aspect at the heart of the 'sandbox' distinction for 3D Mario games when compared to the 'course clear' entries.
Funnily enough the technique you did at 0:35-0:40 was the exact same technique I discovered by accident back in 2005 when I first played this game. The goopy inferno and consequently Pianta Village were the last shines I needed to unlock Corona Mountain. Aaaaaaahhhhh the memories.
This mission really delivers on the promise of having multiple ways to clear a mission that fans of 3d mario like to say comes from the movement. The puzzle like setup for the level really makes it clear.
i first played this game when it was new and up until this point i had literally no idea that route existed, i usually go left on the rails to avoid the lava and then take the nearest climb path and just go from there, and at one point found out about the big tree methods you mentioned, but ive never even thought about the other ones as an option
I did exactly the same route as you did when I was a kid. I knew there was an intended route for it when I got older but I always stayed with my youngster's mindset route!
ive always done the damage boost method you show off right at the end of the video, following what speedruns usually do. i've also always been terrible at this method and died several times attempting it in each playthrough lol i never knew about most of the routes you showed off here, not even the intended method! i always thought that the first route that you showed going underneath the ceiling was the intended method
Lol, I never would have even thought about doing all those alternate methods as a kid, I just went under the village with the wire grates as intended. Though now that you showed there was two ways to do that I can't remember if I did it through the intended one. One day if I ever replay this game I'll definitely experiment more with this mission.
