Let's be honest for a second. If you grew up with a GameCube, the term "Super Mario Sunshine stars" probably triggers a very specific kind of physiological response. You might remember the breezy, tropical music of Isle Delfino, sure. But you also remember the sound of a controller almost snapping in half because a lily pad dissolved three seconds too early.
Technically, they aren't even called stars. They're Shine Sprites. But everyone calls them stars anyway because, well, it’s Mario.
Nintendo took a massive risk in 2002. They traded the traditional power-up system for a talking water backpack named FLUDD and told us to go clean up some graffiti. It was weird. It was buggy in places. It was—and still is—arguably the hardest 3D Mario game ever made. Getting all 120 of those Super Mario Sunshine stars isn't just a casual weekend project; it’s a test of patience that has broken even the most seasoned platforming veterans.
The Logistics of 120 Shine Sprites
Most people think you just run through the worlds, beat the bosses, and call it a day. If only. The math behind the 120 total is actually kind of a mess when you look at it closely. You’ve got the seven main stages—places like Bianco Hills and Ricco Harbor—and each of those holds 11 specific Shine Sprites.
Wait. 11?
Yeah, it’s a weird number. You have the eight "Episodes" that are scripted story beats. Then you have two "Secret" Shines hidden in those same levels, plus a reward for collecting 100 gold coins. That gets you to 77. Then you add the Delfino Plaza Shines, the 24 you buy with Blue Coins, and the final boss reward. It adds up to 120, but the journey there is anything but linear.
Unlike Super Mario 64, where you could basically pick and choose which stars to go after to unlock the final boss, Sunshine is a bit of a stickler. To actually "beat" the game and open the path to Corona Mountain, you have to complete Episode 7 of every single stage. This is where Shadow Mario shows up and you chase him around until he collapses. You can have 90 Shines, but if you haven't finished Episode 7 in the late-game levels like Pianta Village, you aren't seeing the ending. It’s a design choice that still frustrates people today.
Why Blue Coins Are the Absolute Worst
We have to talk about the Blue Coins. We just have to.
📖 Related: Catching the Blue Marlin in Animal Crossing: Why This Giant Fish Is So Hard to Find
There are 240 Blue Coins scattered across Isle Delfino. You trade them in at the Boathouse in groups of 10 for one Shine Sprite. This means 24 of your 120 Super Mario Sunshine stars are locked behind a scavenger hunt that feels like it was designed by someone who hates joy.
Back in 2002, we didn't have high-definition YouTube walkthroughs for every single pixel. We had Prima Games strategy guides and messy forum posts on GameFAQs. The problem is that Blue Coins are often context-sensitive. Some only appear in Episode 3 of a level. Some require you to spray a very specific bird or put out a fire on a random NPC’s butt.
If you miss one? Good luck. The game doesn't give you a checklist. You just have to go back through every single episode of every single level, spraying every wall and palm tree, hoping that little blue spark appears. It’s the primary reason most players stop at 96 or 100 Shines and never actually hit the 120 mark. It’s tedious. It’s brutal. Honestly, it’s kind of legendary.
The Levels That Actually Ruin Friendships
Every Mario game has that one "hard" level. Sunshine has about five of them.
Take the "Lily Pad Ride" in the middle of the ocean. To even get there, you have to transport Yoshi across multiple sinking boats using fruit, which is a nightmare in itself. Once you're there, you're on a leaf that slowly dissolves in poison water. If you miss one of the Red Coins, you have to do the entire Yoshi transport mission all over again. It’s peak "Nintendo Hard" design.
Then there’s the Pachinko Machine.
If you ask any speedrunner or casual fan about the Super Mario Sunshine stars they hate most, the Pachinko Shine is always in the top three. The physics in this specific secret area are... let's call them "expressive." Mario bounces off walls with the force of a supernova. You're trying to land in specific slots to collect coins, but the gravity feels like it's being calculated by a different game engine entirely.
👉 See also: Ben 10 Ultimate Cosmic Destruction: Why This Game Still Hits Different
And don't even get me started on the Sand Bird. It’s beautiful, sure. The music is great. But watching Mario slide off the wing of a giant sand-block bird while you're trying to grab the last Red Coin is a core memory for many of us, and not a happy one.
The Secret Stages: Mario Without the Safety Net
The "Secret" levels in Sunshine are actually some of the best platforming in history. These are the parts where Shadow Mario steals FLUDD, and you’re left with just Mario’s basic moveset.
The acapella version of the Mario theme starts playing. It’s just you and some floating blocks.
This is where the game's movement engine really shines. Mario in Sunshine is incredibly fast. He has a spin-jump that covers massive distance and a dive that can be chained into a slide. Without the water pack, the game becomes a pure test of skill. These stages are often the most rewarding Shines to collect because they feel earned. They aren't about chores or cleaning paint; they're about the "jump and run" gameplay that made the series famous.
Interestingly, these levels also highlight how janky the game can be. The camera in Super Mario Sunshine is notorious. Sometimes it gets stuck behind a wall, and you're just staring at a tuft of grass while Mario falls into the abyss. It’s part of the charm, I guess. Or the trauma.
Is Collecting Every Shine Actually Worth It?
If you manage to grind out all 120 Super Mario Sunshine stars, what do you get?
In Super Mario 64, you got to meet Yoshi on the roof and he gave you 100 lives. In Sunshine, you get... a postcard.
✨ Don't miss: Why Batman Arkham City Still Matters More Than Any Other Superhero Game
Seriously. A static image shown during the credits of the whole cast enjoying their vacation. Plus, a little shirt icon appears on your save file. If you’re playing the original GameCube version, you can talk to a Pianta to get a tropical shirt, but that’s about it.
It sounds disappointing, but for most of us, the 120-star run isn't about the reward. It’s about the mastery. It’s about proving that you can handle the weirdest, most unpolished, most creative game Nintendo ever released. There is a specific rhythm to Sunshine that no other Mario game has. Once you "get" the physics—how the hover nozzle interacts with the dive—it feels better than almost anything else.
What Most People Get Wrong About Sunshine
There’s this common narrative that Sunshine is a "bad" game or a "miss" for Nintendo. That's just wrong. People look at the frustration of the Super Mario Sunshine stars and forget how much the game pioneered.
The water effects were years ahead of their time. The world of Isle Delfino felt like a real, interconnected place, which was a huge step up from the disconnected paintings of the previous era. Every level you see in the distance is actually there. If you're in Ricco Harbor, you can look up and see the ferris wheel of Pinna Park.
The difficulty isn't a bug; it's a feature. Sunshine was released when Nintendo was still trying to figure out how to make 3D platformers challenging for adults while remaining accessible to kids. They leaned hard into the "challenge" side of things.
How to Tackle the 120 Star Grind Today
If you're going back to play this on the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection on Switch or dusting off an old GameCube, here is the reality check you need:
- Do not save Blue Coins for last. If you see one, grab it. If you try to do a "Blue Coin cleanup" at the end of the game, you will lose your mind.
- Master the Spin Jump. If you rotate the joystick and then jump, Mario does a high-spinning leap. It’s more effective than the Hover Nozzle for gaining height and can save you in almost every "Secret" level.
- Abuse the Slide. Mario moves faster on his belly than he does running. Spray a little water, dive, and you can clear the Delfino Plaza hub in seconds.
- Don't ignore the NPCs. Some of the most obscure Super Mario Sunshine stars come from talking to people or doing mini-games, like the watermelon festival in Gelato Beach (which, for the record, is a nightmare of physics).
Ultimately, Super Mario Sunshine is a masterpiece of "weird Nintendo." It’s a game that asks you to clean up sludge, race squids, and navigate floating sand birds. It doesn't hold your hand. It expects you to fail. But when you finally see that 120th Shine Sprite pop out of a chest or appear over a boss’s head, it feels more like an achievement than almost any other game in the franchise.
Don't let the frustration stop you. Just maybe keep a spare controller nearby for the Pachinko level. You’re going to need it.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your progress by episode: Before hunting for Blue Coins, ensure you have finished all Episode 7s to unlock the final boss area.
- Use a checklist for Blue Coins: Since the game doesn't track them individually by episode, use an external tracker to mark off coins as you find them to avoid "The Missing Coin" loop.
- Practice the "Dolphin Dive": Learn to chain dives and jumps on wet surfaces to navigate Isle Delfino significantly faster than walking.