Super Mario Sunshine is back (I can’t believe it either), so it’s time to pay your respects to the best 3D Mario game ever. Yes, I said it. One-third of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars Collection, Super Mario Sunshine sees everyone’s favorite plumber get roped into mandatory civil service for a crime he didn’t commit. Similar to other Mario titles, players will venture to exotic levels in search of Stars, now called Shines. These Shines are tied to various missions throughout each world, which you will chronologically unlock as you complete them. Additionally, levels also contain secret Shines, along with one tied to gathering up 100 Gold Coins.
If you’re a completionist like me, then you’ll want to obtain every Shine available in the game. Here’s how to obtain every Shine in Super Mario Sunshine’s first world, Bianco Hills.
Episode 1 – Road to the Big Windmill
The first and easiest Shine of the level. Head down the road from the start and then make your way over the large white wall to your right. Once on the other side, you’ll see an entire area absolutely coated in brown sludge. Head to the left where the hill begins to rise and approach the large amalgamation of brown paint. You won’t be able to clean the entire area of paint as the paint piranha plant will spew out rolling balls of sludge that coat the ground. Instead, just clean off some space near the water’s edge and spray the clump of paint until the Piranha Plant emerges. This is just a repeat of the battle at the airport, so spray the monster’s mouth when it opens three times to kill it and produce the Shine.
Episode 2 – Down with Petey Piranha!
From the start, run down the path and cross the small river via the bouncing wire. Make your way up the windmill, following the rotating path around the structure. If you need to refill on water, there’s a sprinkler at the base of the corkscrew path. Keep ascending until you reach a large set of vines blocking your path. Use the hover nozzle to glide around them and then wash away the bright red M besides the dancing Pianta. This will award you the first Blue Coin of the game. Now ride the windmill to the top and jump onto the roof.
Doing so will trigger your first boss fight with Petey Piranha. This battle is quite simple as all you have to do is fill his mouth with water until he falls over. Once knocked down, jump over its stomach and perform a ground pound (Left Trigger + A in the air) to squash him! Do this two more times and the boss will be vanquished, allowing you to grab the first Shine.
Episode 3 – The Hillside Cave Secret
Next up is your first of many Secret missions. When the level starts head the same direction you did last time and stop at the bouncing wires by the lake’s edge. Jump onto this wire and follow the path across the entire lake until you reach the hillside. Use the extra height provided by jumping on the wire to hop onto the area where the arrow sign is. Head right and perform a back jump to reach the wire above you. This is done by running forward, then quickly altering your direction and hitting A. Once on the wire, turn around and enter the cave entrance next to the arrow sign.
Shadow Mario will appear and strip FLUDD away, forcing you to use just your natural platforming abilities. When the level starts, jump up, and the sliding blocks slowly until you reach the top. Ground pound the nail to your right to earn a 1-Up Mushroom before proceeding against the sliding block floor. Be very careful here, because falling will mean restarting the entire platforming area from the beginning. I find the left side to be the absolute safest route, but you can just try jumping across the blocks. After that, wait for the first sliding block to pass by and run to the other side before you’re pushed off.
The last portion is just some spinning stars, but there is a 1-Up Mushroom above the second one. Perform a very careful backflip jump to obtain it and then go grab the Shine.
Episode 4 – Red Coins of Windmill Village
For this mission, you’ll need to collect 8 Red Coins around the small village near the start of the map. Slide down the path towards the river and then use the bouncing wire to reach the large wall on the right. The first Red Coin will be on the wall, so quickly grab it and make your way across the wire. The second Red Coin is on the roof adjacent to your position. You can then find the third wire between the two jump wires directly below you. Now use the jump wire to reach to the next level of wires and grab the Red Coins on either end of this bounce wire. Just be careful because a wind monster will form and try to slam into you.
Just three coins left! Head to the center and hop onto the large fans with wooden platforms sticking out on either side. You can either try to reach the Red Coin via the hover nozzle or shoot the white fans in the center to rotate the platforms until they’re under the Red Coin. You can then find the second coin at the top of the building near the back and the eight one under an arch along the large white wall. After you gather the final coin, a Shine will appear above the tallest pole in the village.
Episode 5 – Petey Piranha Strikes Back
That overgrown Piranha Plant is back, so it’s time to fight this boss a second time. Located near the windmill village, Petey is actually passed out on the hill to the north of the village. However, before initiating a battle I suggest cleaning all the brown paint from the village. This is where the main fight will take place and the last thing you want is to deal with is sludge monsters while fighting Petey. Once you’ve cleaned the entire village, use the buildings and bounce wires to the cliffside covered in paint.
When you reach the top, clear out some space near the broken portion of the fence and then run through the bouncing group of pink floating pig balloons. You will need to manually aim and fire one of these at Petey who is sleeping in a gap adjacent to the fence. After hitting Petey, he will begin flying around so hop down to the village, grab another one of there balloons and chase the big ominous shadow. When Petey stops, fire the balloon at him to knock this plant to the ground. Now just fill it with water and ground pound Petey’s stomach when he falls backward. Repeat this process two more times to earn the Shine.
Episode 6 – The Secret of Dirty Lake
This is another secret mission where Shadow Mario steals FLUDD from you. To get to this area, head towards the windmill, but avoid swimming in the lake as the water will damage Mario. When you reach the windmill, run along the corkscrew path until you’re at the back of the structure. Directly across from the windmill you should see a cave with some logs floating in the water. Jump and use FLUDD to hover across to the cave entrance so you can access the secret level.
Similar to the previous one, you’ll need to navigate a lengthy obstacle course to reach the Shine. The first hazard is a group of red and blue platforms that will flip. For this, just be patient and go to the left side since that’s the safest route. Make sure to nab the 1-Up Mushroom on the spinning star before performing a wall jump onto the cube. This cube will begin to rotate with Mario on it, so always try to reach the top to ensure our lovable plumber doesn’t fall to his death. Now just avoid the pushing blocks and step onto another rotating cube. You’ll want to stay to the left side of the cube, as it will pass by another 1-Up Mushroom you can easily snag. Navigate the last set of flipping platforms to reach the Shine!
Episode 7 – Shadow Mario on the Loose
For this Shine, you will need to knock down Shadow Mario by spraying him with water until he falls over. This is pretty easy to do, as he’ll just run around the windmill village. Occasionally, he will perform a wall jump to get on a roof, but this enemy immediately jumps back to ground level so don’t even bother chasing him. Just keep spraying him with FLUDD when you’re right behind him for a quick and easy Shine. If you are having trouble with this, Shadow Mario will just stand still if you’re far enough away. Use this opportunity to line up a shot with FLUDD and douse him with water until he starts running. Keep repeating this process until Shadow Mario admits defeat.
Episode 8 – The Red Coins of the Lake
The final episode of Bianco Hills tasks you with gather 8 Red Coins scattered above the tightropes over the lake. While this may seem tricky at first glance, these coins are all quite easy to obtain. From the start, make your way onto the white wall and then hang a hard left along the top of the wall. Jump across the platforms until you reach the first bounce wire. Jump up top and grab the Red Coin in the middle of the wire. Now follow this wire up and jump off to grab the second Red Coin on the lower wire to your left.
Before continuing upwards, jump down and swim towards the Red Coin in the middle of the lake. Climb onto the floating leaf and use FLUDD to propel yourself under the coin so you can jump up and grab it. Now use FLUDD to hover up to the lower platforms right beside you and grab the fourth Red Coin. No make your way back to where you snagged the original Red Coin and follow the ascending wires until you reach the fifth and sixth Red Coins. Be careful, because wind enemies will spawn, so be prepared to dodge them when they stop moving.
The seventh coin is at the end of this first chain of wires, but you’ll need to bounce high into the air to grab it. Finally, launch yourself to the other platform directly across from you and follow the wire to get the eighth and final Red Coin that’s above you. Now just grab the Shine to complete Bianco Hill’s final episode!
Secret Shines
There are three secret Shines you can earn in Bianco Hills. When you load up the level, select The Red Coins of the Lake and then head to the two different caves you previously visited. Each of these will now have a big red button in front of you when you arrive and Mario will now be able to use FLUDD. Ground pound the red button to start a timer and spawn eight red coins scattered throughout this level. You will have roughly a minute to get all eight before the clock hits zero. This is pretty easy with FLUDD so grab all eight in both secret zones to earn an additional two Shines. The final Shine is obtained by collecting 100 Gold Coins, which are found from killing enemies, just lying around, or completing mini-tasks like making all the flowers bloom at once.
These Shines aren’t necessary and are only there for those who want to 100% Super Mario Sunshine.
