Development/March 2002
Assumed to be built shortly after the "February 2002" build and just before the E3 trailer build, this version of Super Mario Sunshine is unfinished, basic, and just plain ugly to say the least. Some general differences include F.L.U.D.D. finally getting his refined design, Mario being able to talk to NPCs now, and Yoshi being implemented. However, many things are still outdated, such as the water texture being a holdover from February 2002, and the F.L.U.D.D. meter always being displayed even if F.L.U.D.D. is inaccessible at the time.
Delfino Airstrip[edit | edit source]
The airstrip makes its grand debut, with an amazing total of only three screenshots! There are a few differences to spot however, such as the E3 skybox, an early design for the red boat and a different NPC standing next to it, standard palm trees at the end of the runway instead of the unique dark-toned variant, and Peach having her hair up in a ponytail instead of her traditional style seen in the cutscene.
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The palm trees behind the plane are the normal type seen throughout the game, instead of the different "burnt" looking trees seen here in the final version.
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The boat here is different, having support beams holding up the canopy and little red seats for passengers. The Pianta standing on the pier is also changed, being an orange female seen in other areas, instead of the floral-shirt wearing male who only appears here.
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Rockin' that E3 skybox. Also, Peach has her ponytail up, which she usually doesn't until Delfino Plaza.
Delfino Plaza[edit | edit source]
Dolpic Town finally kicked the bucket, and Delfino Plaza has come to take its place. This version of the plaza is generally the most incomplete version of any stage in Super Mario Sunshine, likely due to being quickly thrown together to replace Dolpic Town for the screenshots that were going to be taken.
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Mario squares off against the Gatekeeper in Bianco Square. The goop here uses an early design, somewhat resembling a cross between Petey Piranha and Gooper Blooper. In the distance, a strange black tree trunk can be seen, and even though it has no leaves, it casts a perfect shadow on the ground.
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Another picture of Bianco Square.
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Bianco Square. Here, some new differences are visible, such as a very simple gold bell, an early design for the TV station, and an unfinished boathouse peeking around the corner. Red Toad can be seen sinking into the goop, however it seems NPCs couldn't get covered in it and be washed off yet, as Red Toad appears perfectly clean.
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Mario stands next to Peach and Toadsworth. The black tree trunk is clear in this image, and appears to have strange, floating pieces of something hanging above it where the leaves should be. Red Toad can be seen in the distance, and seems to be fine compared to the last screenshot. Additionally, there is an unused green sign on the nearby wall that reads "Dolpic". This is actually a leftover from Spaceworld, as the green sign could be seen in Dolpic Town in the trailer.
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Mario and Peach in front of the courthouse. The door is just a flat texture, and lacks any depth.
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Mario swimming in the ocean in front of Bianco Square. The water texture is identical to the one seen in February, and was likely just a placeholder at this point until a better image was created. Strangely, a Strollin' Stu can be seen floating next to a wall in the distance. It's unclear how it got up there, seeing as there are dedicated flying types that exist, and this one doesn't have wings. Most interesting of all, is the ledge close to Mario. It uses an unused texture featuring mushrooms and stars, a motif inspired by the Mushroom Kingdom, which is strange, given that this is on Isle Delfino (and is likely what led to the image being swapped out).
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Mario scaling the walls of Delfino Plaza. Nothing worth noting here.
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A different image of the same buildings. Here, however, we can see much more, such as an early flag design with what appears to be a Strollin' Stu on it, as well as a very early Corona Mountain. Also, the tall tower with the arched opening doesn't have an orange seal yet.
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Not only do Strollin' Stus appear on the plaza's flags, they also infest the streets as well! Here, Mario is being chased by one, while another wanders about as an early NPC watches. We also get a glimpse at an early variant of the brown fruit boats, having a unique curled tip.
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Mario gets attacked by a Strollin' Stu, and takes damage. There seems to be a Strollin' Stu on a nearby roof, as well as a strange reddish object, which might've been an early Strollin' Stu generator.
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Mario finds a Yoshi egg in the lighthouse area. The wall textures here are horribly mismapped, and the texture on the floor is simpler, lacking the extra blue hues. Oddly, Yoshi doesn't need a fruit to hatch, and will come out of his egg simply by touching it.
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Green Yoshi?! Apparently, Yoshi would've been ridden green, and doesn't seem to need fruit at all, more akin to how he played in Super Mario World.
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The lighthouse base is textured differently. Also, there appears to be a piece of egg stuck under Yoshi in these images.
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Mario is seen riding Yoshi now, but this has an odd side effect on F.L.U.D.D., who now apparently has no water, and has lost his head!
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Yoshi trying to eat a Strollin' Stu outside the fruit market. There are some pineapples strewn about, and in the distance, the Grand Pianta Statue is finally visible. However, while the statue itself is mostly finished, the base it stands on is extremely basic, and lacks any detail whatsoever.
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Yoshi doesn't take kindly to Strollin' Stus, so he and Mario are squashing the competition! F.L.U.D.D.'s missing head and nozzle can be seen here as well, and we get a good look at the first stall in the eastern fruit market.
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Another look at the first stall, but the inventory has completely changed! Likely from before the Grand Pianta Statue is rescued and Yoshi first appears.
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The entire fruit market. It's a mess to say the least, but the vastly different NPCs don't seem to mind. The "black" Pianta under the awning is actually an unused dark purple, but the shadows cause a strange contrast that drowns the color out. The other NPCs also vary, but are mostly just color swaps from the final versions. The only time Delfino Plaza has any crates in the fruit market is the very first scene, and even then, there's only one. The trees here are the ones seen in Pinna Park and Pianta Village, the lighthouse appears to be missing its light, and finally, the green-roofed building in the back is much simpler and a good bit shorter than the final version.
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The other side of the market, by the police station. Not much to say, other than the police being slightly different in color and placement.
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A panoramic view of the fruit market. The Pinna/Pianta trees are clearly visible here, the manholes are flat textures, and the buildings are far simpler in design than they would end up. Also, the distant roofs are textured differently. The curved roof has standard red shingles instead of the green leaf-looking tile, and the roof next to it is using yellow leaf tile instead of the unique yellow shingles.
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A panoramic view of Bianco Square and the ocean beyond. The ugly, unfinished TV station can be seen in greater detail, and the February water texture doesn't look any better. However, we do get a look at what would become the entrance to Sirena Beach, which is a green pipe instead of red, and is very low-poly with a black void inside instead of a colorful splash of graffiti. Also, it seems the distant wooden platform in the ocean hasn't been added yet.
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A panoramic view of the Shine Gate. The giant Shine Sprite is oddly colored, being more of a yellow rather than a gold, and the orange trim lacks the slight fade effect seen in the retail version. The Noki Bay entrance area has Ricco Harbor's compass-like star shape on the ground instead of a Shine Sprite, and the Crate Guy's building is completely flat and has no depth. Furthermore, the unused ice cream cart can be seen to the left of the Shine Gate, Corona Mountain's entrance (and, by extension, the volcano itself) is very green compared to the standard crimson, there's no pipe leading to Pianta Village on top of the Shine Gate, and the stairs leading down in front of the Crate Guy's are mirrored on the other side, causing the white pier to get cut off early instead of running all the way to the Shine Gate's base.
Bianco Hills[edit | edit source]
The old layout from February 2002 is all but a memory now, as the stage has taken on its final shape. However, the old textures and objects are still here, indicating that this was an impromptu decision, akin to Dolpic Town.
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Mario standing by the creek near the start of the stage. Right off the bat, things are off. The old birdhouses and Mediterranean-style buildings are present, but the stage layout has mostly been finalized. There are three logs in the water here instead of one, and the wooden barrier doesn't exist yet. Also, the tightrope strung up between the two buildings at the left is missing a second one under it, as well as the door blocking the path to the lake being absent.
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Mario standing above the arch that houses the big wooden door. Bianco Hills is relatively peaceful in this screenshot, as there's not a lot going on. However, one can point out that the path leading to the big windmill is vastly different, having a large brick bridge instead of a wood bridge with metal grating, and even though the Gatekeeper appears to have been defeated, the pathway is still sunk in the ground. Also, even though the red vines growing out of the windmill can be seen, Petey Piranha is conspicuously absent.
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An early Piranhabon can be seen here, using the same black lips and head petals from February, as well as a platform with the grapevines growing on it, also from February. For some reason, banana palms are using shadows from the standard palm trees.
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Located up by where Petey Pirahna sleeps in episode 5, this platform does exist in the final version, albeit with four other platforms surrounding it, and with a blue coin instead of a Shine Sprite. Interestingly enough, this Shine Sprite is always sitting out in the open here, and would remain so for quite some time.
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Here, Mario dangles from a tightrope in the heart of Windmill Village. A Piranhabon can be seen soaring high over the stage, almost as though it's going to land in the creek and dissipate. The building on the right is shaped differently, as well as the starting area, which is far simpler and lacks the fountains and NPCs.
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Mario interacts with another tightrope, this time safely tiptoeing across as more Piranhabons bounce above his head. In this picture however, we can see an unused, fluorescent green Pianta, dancing jovially at the base of another birdhouse. The lone Shine Sprite is also visible in the distance, hovering just above the aforementioned platform.
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Pokeys don't normally appear on this wall, and the lone Shine Sprite is yet again visible.
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Mario attempts to approach the Gatekeeper as it hurls more Piranhabons at him. The goop is shaped identically to the one in Delfino Plaza, and appears to run into the water untouched. Some grapevine platforms can be seen in the distance, and while they do appear there in the final game, they're never grouped together like this.
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Mario fighting another Gatekeeper.
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Mario obtaining the Shine Sprite from Petey Piranha inside the big windmill. Nothing too important to make note of, but the HUD is absent during the cutscene.
Ricco Harbor[edit | edit source]
Ricco Harbor has undergone very few changes since February, and it mostly just includes the rest of the map finally being added in.
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The unused freight ship with the logs can be seen in the distance, as well as Pinna Island, which is missing the amusement park and seems to still be connected to the main island by a little land bridge.
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The crane next to Mario appears to have it's wheel rendered incorrectly, as half of the outer rim appears invisible here.
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The metal grate Mario is clinging to is suspended by nothing, and is magically floating in mid-air! Also, the glitchy crane wheel is visible again.
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Mario's getting some serious Beatles vibes in this image, standing next to a yellow submarine. Here, we can see the old goop texture from February still intact, as well as an early red and yellow buoy off in the distance.
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In this image, the helipad hasn't been added yet, and is instead replaced by a square set of girders. We can also just make out Gooper Blooper's black tentacle protruding out of the crates at the end of the harbor.
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Five bloopers ambush Mario atop the girders near the helipad area. Even though the angle of the camera here would normally enable one to see Delfino Plaza, it seems to be completely missing.
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The early goop can be seen very clearly here. The switches atop the fruit machines are both parallel, indicating they might not have worked at this point.
Gelato Beach[edit | edit source]
Gelato Beach finally shows its face, and is a lot emptier feeling than the final version. However, it's mostly done at this point, which is strange compared to the other maps which are only about halfway done.
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Mario riding Yoshi in Gelato Beach, with F.L.U.D.D. missing his nozzle again. The Shine Tower is using one of many early designs, this one having a solid, brick center with columns wrapping around 90% of the structure, with a large protrusion on the backside. The tilting mirrors are also of an early variant, having blue rings on the bottom based on how many Plungelos are on top. Lastly, the two banana palms to the right are unusually short, and a blue Cataquack appears on the higher ledge, where they don't normally reach.
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Mario desperately tries to escape a blue Cataquack. The Sand Cabana is unfinished here, and one of the short banana palms can be seen behind it.
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A wide shot of the coastline.
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Mario stands on the leaves of a banana palm next to the first mirror. The early Shine Tower can be seen again, but we also get a good look at the hut next to it, which is very basic, and has an early NPC standing on the platform.
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Mario dukes it out with the three Plungelos on the third mirror. The back of the Shine Tower is visible, as well as the ground below it, neither of which are texture mapped very well. The Sand Bird egg can be seen resting in a large nest, right where the trampoline is in the final game, and the yellow pier leading out to the Surf Cabana is far simpler in design compared to the finished product.