13. Focus pocus

Tokoyoto on June 28, 2010

I've gotta apologize for the size of the page on this one and 12. I may have mentioned it before (depending on which host you're seeing this on), but 12 and 13 were originally one page–it was massive, though, and Photoshop was slowing to a crawl trying to deal with it. I ended up splitting it into two comics, the second of which you're seeing here. So, it might feel like things are going a little slow at the moment, since I wanted this entire portion of the fight in one strip.

I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't actually played Super Mario Sunshine until today. I'd heard it was rather lackluster (at least by Mario standards), and I honestly skipped most of the Gamecube era (jumping in at the end for Resident Evil 4). Heck, I hadn't played Zelda: The Windwaker until earlier this year. Anyway, I hijacked a friend's copy of Sunshine today and am now playing it on my Wii–and having a blast. As much as I love Galaxy, there's a certain something missing from it that I couldn't put my finger on–and then I figured it out.

Sunshine, like Mario 64 before it, gives you the feeling of walking around a real, living world. It's not just predestined, linear levels to get you from goal to goal–Delfino Isle feels like a vivid, breathing island with a real populace. Each level is actually part of the island, and you really feel like you're existing inside it. I remember getting that feeling from Mario 64–wandering around the castle, racing Koopa the Quick on Bob-omb Battlefield, all that jazz. It wasn't just a series of challenges to overcome, all the levels felt like actual locales you were tackling. I can definitely see how Sunshine is different, though–aside from the use of the FLUDD and Mario's short sleeves, it is admittedly odd to have each level be part of a single area, rather than having each level be its own unique “world” like in previous Mario games. I kinda dig it, though–it makes the whole thing feel more complete, more consistent with itself.

But enough of that tangent. Next comic, Go gets fire power.