Super Mario Sunshine is a weird game. Released in 2002 for the GameCube, it’s always been the "black sheep" of the 3D Mario family, mostly because of its tropical setting, the FLUDD water pack, and those infamous mario sunshine blue coins. If you grew up in the early 2000s, you probably remember the absolute agony of being stuck at 119 Shines, knowing that the last one was locked behind a trade-in booth in Delfino Plaza.
Collecting these things is an obsession for some and a nightmare for others. There are 240 of them in total. Every 10 you find can be traded to the Raccoon in the market for a Shine Sprite. This means that nearly a quarter of the game's total Shines are gated behind a currency that is scattered across Isle Delfino with almost zero logic. It's frustrating. It's rewarding. Honestly, it’s kind of a mess.
The Design Philosophy (Or Lack Thereof) Behind the Blue Coins
Nintendo is usually known for "fair" game design. If there’s a secret, there’s usually a visual cue—a sparkle, a shadow, or a suspicious pattern of flowers. With the mario sunshine blue coins, Nintendo threw that playbook out the window. Some coins are just... there. You spray a random wall with water and a blue M appears. You spray that M, and a coin pops out.
There is no map. There is no tracker.
If you are playing the original GameCube version or even the Super Mario 3D All-Stars port on Switch, the game only tells you how many coins you have per level. It doesn't tell you which ones you’ve found. Imagine being at 29 out of 30 coins in Rico Harbor. You have no idea if the one you're missing is the one where you have to spray a specific fish or the one hidden in a cage at the top of the map. It's the ultimate test of patience.
Most people give up.
But for the completionists, there’s a strange satisfaction in the hunt. You start looking at the world differently. You spray every bird. You douse every burning resident. You put out every torch. The game turns from a platformer into a weird, scavenger-hunt detective sim. It forces you to interact with the environment in ways that the main missions never do.
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Why the 240 Number Matters
Why 240? Why not 100 or 500? Basically, the developers needed a way to pad out the game's length without designing 240 unique "missions." By scattering these coins, they ensured players would spend hours exploring the nooks and crannies of levels like Gelato Beach and Noki Bay.
Each level (excluding Delfino Plaza and Corona Mountain) contains exactly 30 blue coins.
- Delfino Plaza: 20 coins
- Seven Main Stages: 30 coins each (210 total)
- Corona Mountain: 10 coins
The math is simple, but the execution is brutal. If you lose track, you’re looking at a long afternoon with a checklist and a lot of backtracking.
The Most Infamous Blue Coins You’ll Ever Find
Some of these are legendary for how obscure they are. Take Noki Bay, for example. There are coins hidden inside the walls of the cliffs that you can only see if you're hanging from a specific rail or spraying a specific patch of rock that looks identical to every other patch of rock.
Then there’s the "Graffiti" mechanic.
You’ll find two identical M tags on opposite sides of a map. You spray one, and a blue coin appears at the other one. You then have to parkour across the entire level before the timer runs out and the coin disappears. If you fail? You have to spray the first tag again. It’s a frantic, sweaty-palm experience that feels more like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater than a Mario game.
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And we can't forget the birds. There are blue birds flying around Delfino Plaza and other stages. You have to chase them down and blast them with FLUDD until they turn into a blue coin. It sounds simple until you’re trying to aim a water nozzle at a moving target while navigating narrow rooftops. It’s clunky. It's annoying. But man, when that bird finally pops into a coin, the dopamine hit is real.
The Problem with Corona Mountain
The final level, Corona Mountain, is widely considered one of the worst final levels in Mario history. It’s a gauntlet of lava and spikes, and it contains the final 10 mario sunshine blue coins.
The issue?
If you grab them and die before hitting a checkpoint or finishing the level, do they count? It depends on the version you're playing, but generally, this level is a spike in difficulty that makes collecting those last few coins feel like a chore rather than a victory lap. Most players enter the final boss fight with 90% of the coins found, missing just enough to keep that 100% completion out of reach.
The Legacy of the Grind
Is the quest for mario sunshine blue coins worth it?
Technically, you don't need them to beat the game. You only need to clear the seventh episode of every world to unlock the path to the final boss. The coins are for the 100% "Perfect" ending, which... honestly? It's just a slightly different end screen.
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But the "worth" isn't in the reward. It's in the mastery of the movement. Super Mario Sunshine has some of the most fluid, complex movement in any 3D platformer. Between the spin jumps, the belly slides, and the FLUDD hover nozzle, Mario moves with incredible speed. Searching for blue coins forces you to master these mechanics. You find yourself doing triple-jump-wall-kicks into a hover-nozzle-stall just to reach a tiny ledge in Pianta Village.
How to Actually Find Them All Without Losing Your Mind
If you're going for it, don't just wing it. You'll fail. Back in 2002, we had to rely on Prima Games strategy guides or low-res GameFAQs text files. Today, we have interactive maps.
- Work by Episode: Some blue coins only appear in specific episodes of a level. If you're looking for a coin that only shows up in Episode 4, and you're playing in Episode 8, you will never find it. Ever.
- The "Spray Everything" Rule: If it looks like it can be wet, wet it. Posters, crates, windows, people—everything is a potential coin carrier.
- Check the Water: A lot of people forget that coins are often submerged. In places like Rico Harbor or Noki Bay, you need to dive deep.
- Use the Map (For All-Stars Players): If you're on the Switch, use the - button to check your totals frequently. Don't leave a level until that number says 30.
The mario sunshine blue coins represent a specific era of Nintendo. It was a time of experimentation, where they weren't afraid to make things difficult—or even a little bit unfair. They haven't really used a system like this since. Super Mario Odyssey has purple coins, but they are much easier to find and visible on a map. The blue coins remain a unique, frustrating relic of the GameCube era.
Final Actionable Steps for Completionists
If you are currently staring at a save file with 239 coins and a mounting sense of dread, here is how you finish the job.
First, go to Corona Mountain. It’s the most common place to miss a coin because the level is so stressful. Most people grab the first few they see and then panic-jump through the rest of the lava. Use the hover nozzle to slowly circle the platforms and ensure you’ve cleared all 10.
Second, check the M-tags in Delfino Plaza. There’s one inside the police station/jail area and another on a high wall that people often overlook.
Finally, if you’re still stuck, use a site like Mario Wiki or an interactive tracker. Mark off every coin you are certain you have. If you aren't 100% sure you grabbed it, go back and check. It's tedious, but it’s the only way to ensure you aren't chasing ghosts.
Collecting every single one of the mario sunshine blue coins is a badge of honor in the Nintendo community. It means you’ve seen everything Isle Delfino has to offer, from the highest peak of the volcano to the deepest trench of the bay. It's a grind, sure, but it's a classic one.