Obscure and Unusual Areas in Super Mario Sunshine 

There's actually an answer regarding all the water coming out of Corona Mountain. Either the inside contains natural Hot Springs or Bowser gathered the water himself, but the hot water comes directly from Bowser's giant hot tub. That's why, when the town floods, the NPCs mention the water coming out being super hot

"so grounded... then there's this giant sandbird in the sky" LOL reminded me of that E3 clip "this game takes place in historical Japan... so here's this giant enemy crab"

It’s honestly surprising how much of Sunshine was able to get finished and made beautiful considering the game was rushed. So many ideas and cut content make me wish Nintendo would make a Sunshine 2 to fully realize the beauty and fun of Isle Delfino.

I love these random exploration videos because it really brings me back to what I like to do in most games which is just walk around and look for weird stuff or areas you might not see in the main gameplay

One little detail I rather like about Pinna Park: If you turn around at the very start of the stage, there's a boat behind you that presumably is how people normally get to the island. Kid me noticed the cannon you launch from to get there is aiming slightly south of the island and developed this headcanon that Mario ends up landing in the ocean because of it and that boat has to go out to retrieve him.

I suspect the amphitheatre is a flood refuge. When the flood gets bad enough, the water touches the sprout, and the stairs that lead up appear.

The doors are probably so small in Delfino Plaza because the game probably started off with human NPCs early in development, but when they switched to the Piantas and Noki, they didn't adjust the doors to match.

5:22 - Pretzel: "I dont think I've ever seen a bird as good as this" Bird: *Walks off the roof to its death*

This video has made me realize Super Mario Sunshine is a beautiful game. So much attention to detail, combined with the great designs and colors palettes. And it came out in 2002! The graphics aged like fine wine.

15:59 - that room is stated in a mission to be the tomb of an ancient Noki king. So there's your answer.

this video is how i'm finding out you can go back to the airstrip at a certain point. i remember spending so much time as staring off into the distance on the beach in delfino plaza wishing that there was a way i could get over there. i was convinced there was a way, even. turns out there was and i just never got far enough into the game to go back! it feels like a childhood dream has finally been realized lol

Two things I found out in this video: - how pretty the birds look up close - the Nokis gathering on top of jellyfish

I've been playing this game for 20 years and never realized the common theme of the 8th mission being a chill (though not for gameplay! curse you watermelon level) time for the level itself and often a time for celebration

Honestly, I think every level in this game deserves an episode... lol. If that's excessive maybe just a part 2 that goes over some other areas!

As a kid, I always thought when you dive too deep into the pit in Noki Bay, you will just suddenly die as if you fall outside a level boundary. You can imagine how scared I was to collect the coins close tot he fish pulling you down xD

Noki Bay scared the crap out of me as a kid, especially the underwater levels. I always interpreted that area behind the waterfall as a mausoleum, with the platform in the middle being a tomb. I was afraid of the bees too!

idk why but this made me teary eyed haha. just us going back thru the game as adults now and noticing and appreciating all these little things about it. sunshine was really one of my favorite games as a kid so much so id buy a new copy whenever the CD would stop working (i had a really bad streak of luck with that lmao). still sad that the game wasnt received well on release and continues (i think anyway) to be one of the lesser popular mario games anyway ty for this video haha

please cover the other stages, I love super mario sunshine! actually sad facts though I named one of my parrots Noki after Noki bay, but she was born with a genetic defect and died under a year old. But I promise you she had the best year of life I was able to give. We went on walks (harnessed shoulder rides) every day it was warm enough, she ate fruit, got snuggles. I bring it up to say, I can't really play super mario sunshine anymore because it makes me cry, but I can watch videos about it fine. (Mostly.) Been years now, still love that bird. Thanks for bringing us along for a bit of the warm peace of sunshine!

if youre gonna do another part of sunshine you have to talk about the flooded plaza (after defeating shadow mario on every stage). not only is it one of those exclusive areas you mentioned, it actually uses an earlier version of the plaza. you can use a log to glitch mario so that he can walk on the seabed normally and i had so much fun exploring that as a kid. i love your world exploration videos.

I always assumed that the room with all the big vases in niches in Noki Bay was a tomb, with that platform in the middle being a large sarcophagus. Maybe the royal family from when all those ruins were new.

I would love to see the rest of Isle Delfino get covered! Mario Sunshine, flaws and all, is my favorite Mario game and it's really nice to see it getting appreciated.

Not finished with the video yet but this is such a cute and pleasant idea for a video. I love Sunshine, it was my favorite game growing up as a kid, and I always explored every odd nook and cranny of this world. I was mesmerized by the locations and all the little details you could find. I love seeing someone recognize all that detail and work put into the world. Also thank you so much for putting subtitles.

4:33 - Asset re-use is often evidence of level artists making absolutely as much as they can with the assets (and texture memory,. etc) available to them. They want to make the biggest and most vibrant Mario world they can, and like you said - they tucked this re-use away on the opposite side of the plaza, so you wouldn't be staring at both copies at the same time :) Oh, and they'd possibly want double doors instead of one big door because it's easier to open two smaller doors than one great big one! Both leverage and air resistance come into play.

Hi Pretzel, I’ve been watching for a while. I’m experiencing psychosis and have bad anxiety but your videos always help me calm down and feel grounded in reality so I don’t get lost in my head or spiral randomly. Thank you for making these, your voice and editing are very nice and relaxing

this feels like a PBS special. and thats a good thing,

That please subscribe was so smooth, i had to unsubscribe just to subscribe again

Growing up, the hotel was my favorite area for some reason, followed by Rico Harbor and Pianta Village. But I love every area in the game. I'm not a fan of beaches irl at all, but this game had me exploring the levels a lot as a kid, and later on emulators as an adult.

As a kid just exploring Isle Delfino and especially Delfino Plaza was my favorite thing and what I spent most of my time doing in the game, so I loved coming across this video! 10/10 video would love to see you cover the other levels in the game

Showing off the peak of pinna Park was so nostalgic. As a kid, I used to role play as a photographer and try to find locations that were perfect for landscape shots. That spot was always my favorite, and hearing you describe it made me feel like I wasn't so alone in that childhood experience. I'd love to see you cover the rest of the game.

This is exactly the kind of video I have been looking for my whole life. I'm weirdly obsessed with thinking about the lore implications of areas in video games. Thank you so much for this!

Maybe Piantas used to be a smaller people and that’s why the doorways on all those old buildings are small. Dietary changes alone could increase a species average size over the years, especially in a world where mushrooms can double your height in an instant.

Exploring the other levels in another video would be pretty cool. Such a fun walk down memory lane with this game.

I'm late to the party on this one, but the bar across the bottome of the screen at 5:50 showing how long the scenery montage will last is surprisingly nice to have. I've lost more time typing this than I've saved skipping it, but it's the principle that counts.

the slow bar at the bottom before moving to another area is such a genius idea

As far as why there's water coming out of Cornona Mountain: when you dig through the games files, there's evidence to suggest that Corona Mountain was supposed to be full level with 8 episodes. This is further illustrated by the in-game "z-menu" map, which seems to imply multiple floors inside the volcano. There's a also a picture of Nokis in a hot spring. My personal theory is that the level was originally going to be the Sunshine equivalent to Hazy Maze Cave. In other words, a cave themed level with multiple floors and passage ways and whatnot. And that some floors would feature Lava, while other floors (probably towards the top of the mountain) would have the hot springs.

5:18 - I don't think I ever saw a bird as good as this in a game *5 Stars* BIRD FALLS

16:00 I have a theory on what this room is: a tomb! 😱 That would explain all the pottery, like how the ancient Egyptians would bury pharaohs with all their possessions so that they could keep them in the afterlife. It would also imply that the platform in the center of the room is a sort of sarcophagus... awkward, but then it would make sense why the room is sealed away like it is without any easily accessible entrances, so that no one could rob it. Perhaps an ancient Noki king is buried here. Could it be the king of the underwater city? 17:12 Love your videos, it's hard to believe you only have 34k subscribers! Keep up the great work. Would love to see a part 2, Super Mario Sunshine is such a vibe.

You said you wonder why it's even there but I like to imagine that the prison cell is basically a drunk tank considering how Isle Delfino is specifically known as a vacation destination

The Isle Delfino announcemount tune at the beginning made me feel like everything in life is going to be okay

As I recall, the room behind that waterfall in Noki Bay is meant to be the tomb of an ancient Noki King. I think the old man mentions at the beginning of one of the episodes.

I would love to see either a sequal to this or another video on Super Mario Galaxy There was a time where i was hyperfixated on SMG planets and life and journal entries on them. The community on these planets. The lonliness. And the possibility of Rosalina having been to each one and getting to know each planet and populous

i love that the watermelon you find on gelato beach gets turned into a smoothie 😂 great memories from this game, cant even count the hours i spent playing lol

I think it's funny that you single out Gelato Beach as the episodes telling a story, it's true, but a lot of the levels do it to some capacity. Some include solving an ongoing problem, whereas others there's an ongoing story from episode to episode you get fed from NPCs

DUDE I REMEMBER BACK IN THE DAY EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT THAT BOOK IN THE BOTTLE

I started playing sunshine again but with a mirrored map hack and it makes everything look so strange, especially these mundane nooks

The floating field l feels like a level the developers didn’t spend much time on; there’s an empty hole randomly that doesn’t lead anywhere; and random elevated secretions of the ground that have no purpose

I like how the parrot walked off the roof after you gave him a 5 stars

Imagine how loud it would be at Noki bay with a massive waterfall echoing off the walls of the bay.

This is a solid channel for me to get a dose of nostalgia after a long day of work and a cold beer.

I don’t know if you pay attention to suggestions, but I think a video like this on Sonic Colors would be very interesting. Think about it: the entire game is an enormous amusement park built by Eggman. What is the structure of this park? Did he build it specifically for Sonic to run around on, or is Sonic going off the rails and running all over the rides? and planet wisp is still under construction, you can see which parts of the level were natural vs being put there by eggman. But what about the other planets? How much of their ecosystems remain? Are they completely taken over, or can you see parts of their true nature through the cracks?

I just discovered your channel and it might be one of my favorite on RU-vid!! I love the way you focus on small things, the nice relaxing pace of your video with the looking around parts. Your voice and humour is great too! Thank you for these videos 😁

I’m not even halfway through the video and I already know I would love to hear your thoughts on the rest of the stages. I really enjoy the calm walk through the world and I really like your observations. Also I enjoy your narration it’s kinda calming in a way.

Thank you for appreciating those quality birds!! I love these vids so much, thank you pretzel!

One of my favorite Mario games

So glad I've found your channel! Your videos are well made and fun to watch. Also I like this idea of exploration of old videogames

I love that you pointed out how you can see most of the levels. I always thought that was so awesome as a kid when I’d be high up in a level and just see other places off in the distance. Made it all feel so connected.

Have you seen Any Austin's "Unremarkable and Odd Places" series? This reminds me a lot of that series, which is a great thing. :) It's such a pleasant concept, that the more games we can get videos like this for, the better.

Returning back to this video to say YES, we would love a second episode for this game. Has such a peaceful vibe to it.

Really cool idea for a video, it is nice to see someone appreciate a game world that much. I also did this as a kid (actually especially with Super Mario Sunshine's Isle Delfino). These days I catch myself a lot "speeding" through games and their worlds so this is a nice throwback

Thank you, this being my favorite game of all time this is the type of content I love so much, someone also pointing out interesting things in the areas.

Mario sunshine was the first video game i played and i loved this video

What's interesting to consider about the small doors, is that Isle Delfino was originally populated by ordinary people, a civilization of humans. You can see this in really early prerelease material, but notably Isle Delfino never changes. With this in mind, the mismatched sizes make sense. They probably thought it looked nice as-is and didn't wanna mess with the doors to accommodate the Pianta's larger frames or just never noticed themselves.

This was hands down one of the best RU-vid videos I’ve ever seen. Like kudos to you! Please make more videos like you! Gained a fan and a subscriber 💖

one of my favorite games of all time, thank you for showing it love

man these videos are just so so super chill and i LOVE it please please keep doing them

I would LOVE to see a new Sunshine video! Been getting into checking out areas of the game, so immersive during summer 😎

I was in high school when this game came out. I actually really loved the much more grounded (as in that it was an actual setting) setting of the game. Though what I _didn’t_ like was the mission structure of the levels this time around, since my OCD must-explore-everything mindset felt compelled to explore every inch of every level for _each and every_ star just in case something changed or if there was a new NPC to speak to in some remote part of the map. Also, come MK Double Dash and other Mario spin-off games I kind of came to resent Sunshine because it started feeling like the Piantas and other Isle Defino stuff were taking over the Mario identity in a way. Like, nowadays we know that the spin-off games will take heavy inspiration from whatever the last mainline Mario game was, which sizably changes from game to game. But Sunshine was the first time it happened so that pattern hadn’t been quite established yet, making it at the time feel just as likely that the Piantas would be mainstays for every Mario game thereafter, like becoming the new Toads or something. If that makes any sense.

4:20 the reason why a lot of door textures are small in Defino Plaza and some other areas is because Piants were likely meant to be humans early on in development, as shown in very early beta footage. Or at least that's my theory. Though in-world it's funny to picture these big oafs squeezing into these buildings

The depths in Noki Bay remind me of those places with rows and rows of shelves in which dead people are stored. Crypts, Morgues, Cemeteries, that kinda thing. Rather than skyscrapers, this place makes me think it's where the Noki put their deceased. Burial-at-sea being a sort of play on words in this context makes it believable too, especially considering how dark and spooky it is down there, and that back in those ages Nintendo wasn't prone to shying around from referencing places like that.

Hope to see more stuff like this. Love appreciating game environments!

Can't believe I missed this one! RU-vid really did me dirty by not showing me the vid I wanted the most lol. You covered some real good spots here. I love the weird field in the sky level, it always felt out of place to me, especially with how out of the way it is. I'm glad you took a dive (pun intended) into Noki Bay, it's always been one of my favorite levels. If you ever do a video where you revisit games you've previously played, then you'll definitely have to come back to Mario Sunshine because you missed my favorite little spot! In Bianco Hills Episode 5, the area where you find the sleeping Petey Piranha has always captivated me. There's just this huge chasm and somebody somehow built platforms in the middle of it! The platforms don't lead anywhere or do anything, they're just there. I also love how the chasm goes further and eventually turns and continues off screen, I've always wanted to see what was around the corner. Anyways this was a great video and the bird watching segment is a keeper I think! Keep up the great work please!

4:44 I personally believe that delphino plaza is just the destination for tourist while all piantas just live in pianta village. Doesn't sound practical, but imagine a regular tourist trying to use pianta facilities, so it makes a bit more of sense that most if not the whole thing is solely dedicated to tourists, since that's what piantas seem to live off of.

This is a really interesting and cool video concept and format, I was expecting something like 'boundary break' Good vibes, very chill video and I love the little breaks Maybe I will start slowing down to appreciate the detials myself

Very cozy, I love sunshine so much!

If I'm remembering it correctly some things like those of Noki Bay (15:55 sealed room, Noki homes) are sometimes explained/mentioned by NPC's at least somewhere in game. For example, I vaguely remember the underwater section being some kind of "Ancient?" Noki City. Or the elder Noki with the fishing rod mentioning the one chamber being a tomb.

awww no sequel?? sequel plz!! this was a really great vid. I've been listening to the music lately and this video gave me a real appreciation for the level design now too.

Would absolutely love a part 2! These videos are so relaxing and fun :) I'd love to see an exploration of Wario World too! That game has some great environments.

I'd love to see you check out a newer game like Tchia and hear what you think about another world/culture in a game from your perspective. For example your choice to check out even the birds or doors would do well in Tchia, which is built around little details like that from a culture rarely explored in media/games. Neat video, always look forward to the next one.

This was wonderful to watch. My favorite mario game despite it's quirks! I would love to see a pt. 2

When you brought up the birds I'm surprised you didn't mention that yoshi can eat them. As for where the Noki live, that's a good catch noticing the doors on those platforms! That's a really interesting detail. I assumed they lived in the underwater city, since we see they can breathe underwater and hang out there.

Also a game of my childhood. Very nice video..

I love the pacing in this video!

I'd definitely love to see more about this game (or other 3D Mario Games like Mario Galaxy)

I love these video game world tours

After going insane with the cursed knowledge that most of Genshin Impact’s towns/cities make absolutely no sense, I appreciate finding a video by someone else who appreciates just how fun it is to explore deeply unusual video game locations and take it super seriously.

Ya kind of a tough death for that caterpillar but I'm sure the Goombas that Mario stomped on so hard they'd explode into tiny pieces, might feel they had it way worse lol

would enjoy more of these thx

I've alway pictured the Runaway Ferris Wheel obstacle as a climbing wall. Never really saw it as being out of place. Also, the book always made me think of Rosalina's Storybook.

I spent SOOOOOO much time in this game just running around and exploring. And figuring out what crazy stuff I could do with FLUDD and Mario’s jumps. Sunshine is a game you can have fun in without even entering a proper stage.

13:49 New favorite noise acquired :)

This channel is such a nice change of pace and content.

The pools of water coming out of the volcano were stated in-game to be hot springs, though the text saying that was written in an obscure place. I think it was in the travel brochure you can read on the map screen regarding Delfino Plaza. The Z-Button's map screen.

The field in the sky level was something I never knew about until like 15 years after I played the game, I did *finish* the game as a kid, but I never 100%ed it (blue coins lol) so I guess I never got to the point where I'd wonder where the last shine is.

Love this series. I feel like the Halo games would be a great candidate for video game world tours!

The island with the swing in Gelato Beach always reminded me of the Windows wallpaper called 'Azul'

I like these videos. they make me feel safe and peaceful.

This made me happy.

I can explain why all the doors are double doors. Hinges can only hold so much weight before they warp or tear out. Making doors wider makes them heavier and creates a pull on the top high and a crush on the lower hinge. In short, the Piantas are too wide for a single door and a single large door would be too heavy to function. -Source 6 years of woodworking design and drafting

19:20 I have never in all the videos I've seen of Super Mario Sunshine seen or heard of the field in the sky level. Literally never once. That genuinely astounds me that there is a level I hadn't seen before. I wanna play the game now to see what other things I've missed....

Omg I totally feel you on the bee thing. I think it's because you couldn't be sure how close you could get before pissing them off, and when you aggro them, they're loud, fast, and chaotic, making it difficult to calmly disperse them, and you had to just run for your life. And I extra feel you on your 'most hated beehive'.... fuck that thing, man. that whole level makes everything more tense because of the threat of either falling off into the void or falling off whatever tall area you were trying to reach and losing your climbing progress. It being dark half the time doesn't help.