simulation translated two interviews about the development of Super Mario Sunshine, which was to be released in 2002. Both reveal some pretty interesting details about his FLUDD mechanic in the game and how Mario’s short-sleeve look came to be (thanks, time extension!).
The first of these interviews appeared on Nintendo Dream and took place between Mario creator and producer Shigeru Miyamoto, Sunshine producer Takashi Tezuka, and the game’s director Yoshiaki Koizumi. We discuss the trials and tribulations of bringing a unique Mario game to the GameCube, a system that is still relatively new when the game is in development.
Director Koizumi took inspiration from the GameCube’s “L” and “R” buttons, which reminded him of “the water pistol he used to play as a child,” which is believed to be the origin of FLUDD. According to Miyamoto, FLUDD caused Nintendo a bit of concern.
“There was a pretty serious discussion at Nintendo about the FLUDD water tank. Was it really appropriate for Mario to use such a tool or item? I mean, it was OK for Luigi, so… (laughs) ”
I agree, Miyamoto-san! If Luigi can use Poltergest 3000, Mario can use Flood. Another of his funny anecdotes about Super Mario Sunshine concerns Mario’s new look. Miyamoto said the team “tried to give him a tank top.” And while Tezuka was generally reserved about drastically changing Mario’s design, he eventually agreed to shorten his sleeves.
Koizumi hopes FLUDD will pave the way for “more outlandish and unusual action for Mario”, stating in an interview:
“Mr. Miyamoto said he wanted the GameCube Mario to be wild, but when I showed him a toy like a pump, I realized that he was worried about what would happen. The image of him doing his job and spraying water everywhere is pretty wild, isn’t it?”
FLUDD definitely gave us a very different Mario experience in Sunshine that is often featured by Italian Plumber fans. But this game holds a special place in the hearts of many people.
In the second interview, GSLA Archive (and found in the middle of the page), the trio also revealed that they tried to give Mario a Hawaiian shirt.
However, the interview goes into more detail about the FLUDD tank, including the fact that the device originally had 10 different nozzles. Koizumi notes that many of these can be found and used by multiple items, zelda game:
“Mario Sunshine has hover nozzles, rocket nozzles, and turbo nozzles, but there were originally 10 types. The reason is that the overall play style of finding different items and using them in the right situations felt more like a Zelda game. ”
The concept of cleaning up in a Mario game may have seemed a little strange. The team was wary that this might not be appealing.
Despite how rare FLUDD is, it has become the most iconic part of Super Mario Sunshine, super smash bros Series as part of Mario Attacks. It’s still the perfect Mario summer vacation game, and if you have a Switch, you can at least experience this strange and wonderful adventure through Super Mario 3D All-Stars (if you’re lucky, get a copy. If you can!).
What did you think of the FLUDD mechanism? Are you a fan of Super Mario Sunshine? Fill in the comments with your thoughts!
