Super Mario Sunshine
Real Time Control Mechanics:
• Running/Walking
• Jumping
• Lunging/Diving
• Ground pounding
• Spraying water
• Picking up items
• Throwing items
• Climbing
• Grabbing/Pulling
Several of these mechanics can be combined to have different effects (ex. changing direction and jumping yields a side jump, water can be sprayed while running)
Running/Walking: moving the control stick. Tilt of control determines speed. If change directions too quickly, lose control for a second until animation of stopping and turning around plays through. In general, running and changing direction while running are practically immediate.
Jumping: Press A to jump. Can mix with different combinations to perform special jumps.
– Hit A again as touch ground to double jump (higher)
– Hit A a third time before landing from double jump to triple jump (highest)
– Hit A while quickly changing direction to side jump
– Hit A after rotating control stick to spin jump
– Mario can go into a jump while running
– Mario can also spray water while performing any style jump
While in the air, can only perform limited actions, like correcting trajectory slightly or spraying water. Changing horizontal distance while jumping is highly restricted (harder to control). Jumping in general is highly responsive in relation to the when the A button is hit.
Lunging/Diving: Hit B to lunge/dive. Can jump and lunge to go further, or lunge onto sprayed water to slide. Can repeatedly tap B to keep lunging and skip around. Effect of the B button in lunging is immediate.
Ground pounding: Press L while in the air to perform a ground pound. The ground pound isn’t done immediately- Mario has to complete a flipping animation before slamming downwards, so getting the ground pound itself takes about 1/2 a second.
Spraying water: Depress R to fire water. How hard you press determines how much water comes out. Holding down R holds you in place while you pivot to direct water. Feedback fairly immediate, if holding down R, takes a little bit of time to follow your correction. Overall, spraying water and hitting the R button are simultaneous.
Picking up items: Press B near an item to pick it up (takes a little bit of time to actually hold object because of pick up animation)
Dropping/Throwing items: When standing still, press B to place the object you’re carrying at your feet. If running, press B to throw the object. Each of these doesn’t harbor true immediate response because of the animations involved in portraying the actions).
Climbing: When up against certain fencing and trees, Mario can climb by jumping onto or into it. Mario can climb up and down, as well as sideways, and even move around while hanging like using monkey bars. Pressing B while hanging down will have Mario let go, while hitting B while on a fence will have Mario slam it, flipping a gate if he’s on one.
Grabbing/Pulling: Hit B when next to certain objects to grab them and move the control stick while holding B to pull it. These effects are virtually immediate in response to the controller.
Simulated Space:
Mario’s interaction with the various environments in the game is very good; he can run into, but not through, walls and runs correctly on top of various surfaces and platforms. Mario is thrown back when he collides with something and is able to pick up some items (you can tell by their size) and destroy others (like crates) in the game world. Mario can latch onto appropriate surfaces and moves across them differently (climbing is slower with appropriate restricted movement).
Polish:
Super Mario Sunshine employs many polish effects:
- Dust is kicked up while running, changing direction, jumping, ground pounding, and landing
- Mario’s shadow indicates the area where Mario will land
- The controller rumble feature is used, rumbling more when spraying water harder or colliding with objects and enemies at enough force
- Mario leaves footprints and kicks up sand as he walks on sandy surfaces
- Mario leaves sludge footprints behind him if he is covered in sludge and leaves trails of sludge if sliding while dirty.
- Stars appear whenever Mario hits something with adequate force.
- Mario makes splashes when sliding on water or jumping in water
- Water ripples appear around Mario when swimming
- If leaving a body of water, Mario sheds water for a bit after getting out.
- Z’s are generated from Mario when he’s sleeping (if you don’t move him for awhile)
- Sparks emerge from areas where you spray water where it’s effective (spraying an enemy’s weak point)
- When carrying an object, Mario generates sweat drops (like he’s making an effort, carrying something heavy)
- Mario leaves a motion blur when performing certain quick actions (doing a ground pound, spinning).
There are many other polish effects incorporated in the game as well, like reaction sounds and enemy animations.
The Verdict:
Super Mario Sunshine is a game that encompasses all three major aspects of game feel: Real-Time Control, Simulate Space, and Polish. Even though some controls are delayed by animations, the feeling of agency is rarely compromised and control responses are appropriate. The simulated space aids in the immersion by interacting with the real-time controls in plausible ways, and polish helps accentuate Mario’s actions and locations in the space.
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