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 However, many things are still outdated, such as the water texture being a holdover from February 2002, and the F.L.U.D.D. meter always being displayed even if F.L.U.D.D. is inaccessible at the time.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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.