Ranking All 120 Shine Sprites From Worst to Best (Under Construction)

Greninja The Mario Karter

Greninja the Water/Dark Ninja
Pronouns
He, Him, His
Nobody has ever done something that involves ranking the 120 Shine Sprites in Super Mario Sunshine, so I will probably be the first one to rank all 120 of them. This will be based on how much I like or dislike getting the Shines in question. With that said, let's rank the Shines.
120th: Lily Pad Ride (Delfino Plaza).
Nobody is surprised that this is the worst Shine Sprite in the game. The level itself has you riding a lily pad down a river filled with water that instantly kills you if you touch it. There's a pipe at the end, but it just sends you back to Delfino Plaza, which is a very evil move, even by Nintendo standards. The biggest problem with this Shine is how you access the level it is in. You have to take a certain fruit to Yoshi, use the sewer system to get to a lone island near Pinna Park, wait for a boat, jump on a lone platform with a banana, eat the banana so Yoshi doesn't run out of juice, jump on the boat that goes to an island with yellow goop, have Yoshi spit juice at that goop, and finally jump into the pipe. What possessed them to design this drawn out process is beyond me.
119th: Pachinko Machine (Delfino Plaza).
This level is also infamous for being difficult for the wrong reasons, but it's a bit higher due to the fact that it's relatively easy to access.
118th: Corona Mountain Blue Coins (Corona Mountain).
Corona Mountain is already an infamous level for the final level in the game, and the Blue Coins are a very good reason why. You have to ride a boat to get to these Coins, but the problem is that the boat is extremely sensitive to water sprays.
117th: Father and Son Shine! (Corona Mountain).
This is basically the previous entry, but you aren't going for the Blue Coins. However, you still have to deal with the extremely sensitive boat, so it's very low on this list. Also, the final boss is pretty easy if you know what you are doing, making the final boss pretty underwhelming.
116th: Roller Coaster Balloons (Pinna Park).
Pinna Park has some of the worst Shines in the game, and the worst one from this level is Roller Coaster Balloons. You have to pop 20 Bowser Jr balloons within 3 laps while on the roller coaster. Since you don't have a cursor to tell you where your rocket is going to hit, you have to rely on luck to even hit some of these balloons.
115th: Red Coin Chucksters (Pianta Village).
If you think Secret of the Village Underside is bad, wait until you have to collect the Red Coins. This is even worse, because you not only have to pray the Chucksters don't kill you, and you have to do this in 1 minute and 30 seconds.
114th: Secret of the Village Underside (Pianta Village).
This is one of the most infamous Shines in the game, and it's mainly because the Chucksters are implemented in the worst way possible. Someone thought it would be a good idea for the Chucksters to throw Mario at the angle he makes proportionate to them. Also, getting to the area requires getting a fruit from the opposite side of the map and bringing it to Yoshi, followed by a series of tricky platforming.
113th: The Secret of Ricco Tower (Ricco Harbor).
Some of the secret levels are exercises in frustration, but the worst one is The Secret of Ricco Tower is the worst secret level due to its poor handling of slopes. Completing this level all comes down to luck. This level wouldn't be so bad if Sunshine's physics engine handled slopes better.
112th: The Sand Bird is Born (Gelato Beach).
Gelato Beach has a story in Episodes 2 to 4 alluding to the Sand Bird. The fourth episode ends the story with one of the most frustrating Shines in the game for new players. You have to navigate the Sand Bird as it constantly moves to get seven of the Red Coins and then wait on said bird to get on the tower for the last Red Coin. To make matters worse, the Sand Bird can turn, making it easy for first time players to die.
111th: The Manta Storm (Sirena Beach).
Sunshine is infamous for recycling bosses. You fight Petey Piranha, Gooper Blooper, and the Gatekeeper a combined ten times throughout the whole game. I don't personally mind these bosses too much, since they're fun to fight. However, I can't say the same for the Phantamanta, which is the hardest boss in this game, and it's from my least favorite level in the game, Sirena Beach. The Phantamanta will split into smaller segments as you spray it, eventually taking up a good portion of the stage as you fight it. Whenever these segments hit you, you take damage and are fling in a fixed arc, potentially leading to combos. Additionally, each individual segment leaves a trail of electrified goop behind, which can make navigating the level for health a death sentence. I'd rather have a bunch of repeated bosses that are fun to fight over an annoying boss like this.
110th: Red Coins on the Water (Ricco Harbor).
Red Coins on the Water is a really frustrating Shine, which forces the player to ride a super fast Blooper to collect eight Red Coins within 2 minutes. This wouldn't be too bad if the time limit wasn't so strict, but the biggest problem is the way the Bloopers work. They are very fast and hard to control, and colliding with any obstacle will result in instant death. It doesn't help that you can't dismount from them, so you have to make a life or death jump to get the Shine Sprite while on the Blooper.
109th: Red Coins in Ricco Tower (Ricco Harbor).
This level isn't as bad as The Secret of the Ricco Tower because you can use FLUDD, but it's still a bit frustrating to complete, and you have to collect the Red Coins within 1 minute and 30 seconds.
108th: The Goopy Inferno (Pianta Village).
This Shine is pretty frustrating to get due to the fact that you have to navigate under the stage just to get to the center. Also, if you touch the fiery goop, you're helpless. The problem is how big the stage is, meaning it can take a while to find FLUDD.
107th: Eely-Mouth's Dentist (Noki Bay).
This shine sounds cool on paper, but it's very frustrating in execution. What puts it this low is the fact that you're underwater and how you control. You have to use FLUDD to go up, and you have to slowly sink to go down, which takes forever. You also lose health while underwater, since you rely on Coins to breathe.
106th: The Watermelon Festival (Gelato Beach).
Yup, another infamous Shine in this game. The Watermelon Festival has you rolling a very sensitive watermelon down a hill to get it to the cabana for a Shine Sprite. What makes this frustrating is that the beach is filled with Cataquacks, and the slightest bit of force will cause it to burst like a balloon.
105th: Noki Bay's 100 Coins Shine (Noki Bay).
This is the worst 100 Coins Shine in the game. Noki Bay is notorious for how much climbing you have to do, and not only is this tedious, it's also annoying. Anyway, this problem makes getting all 100 Coins in Noki Bay a pain.
104th: The Secret of Casino Delfino (Sirena Beach).
This secret level is pretty annoying to navigate, but getting to it is what puts it in this spot.
103rd: Red Coin Winnings in the Casino (Sirena Beach).
Corona Mountain is already an infamous level for the final level in the game, and the Blue Coins are a very good reason why. You have to ride a boat to get to these Coins, but the problem is that the boat is extremely sensitive to water sprays.
102nd-100th: Noki Bay Blue Coins (Noki Bay).
Noki Bay's Blue Coin Shines aren't as bad as its 100 Coins Shine, since there aren't as many Blue Coins as there are normal Coins, but some of them can be pretty annoying to find. Some of the Blue Coins are in poisonous water, which will kill you on your way
99th-97th: Sirena Beach Blue Coins (Sirena Beach).
Sirena Beach's Blue Coins are a pain to get, as not only are there episode specific ones as in every area, you also have to do a lot of spraying, especially for the ones in the electric goop.
96th: Sirena Beach's 100 Coins Shine (Sirena Beach).
Getting 100 Coins in Sirena Beach can be a pain, especially in the first episode.
95th: The Shell's Secret (Noki Bay).
This level isn't too bad at first, but then it starts to fall apart as you progress.
94th: Red Coins on the Half Shell (Noki Bay).
Basically number 95, only you have FLUDD to collect the Red Coins. However, you have a pretty strict time limit to collect them.
93rd: Red Coins in a Bottle (Noki Bay).
Yup, another Noki Bay shine. Getting the Red Coins in this level wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that you are underwater. Some of the Red Coins require FLUDD to obtain, and using him underwater can be pretty annoying, since you slowly sink to the bottom. Also, you have to collect Coins to replenish your health.
92nd: King Boo Down Below (Sirena Beach).
The only good thing about this Shine is that you don't have to go to a frustrating secret level. Otherwise, this episode is pure luck, meaning it can either end really quickly or drag on forever. Also, the battle against King Boo is boring, but at least it isn't unforgivably annoying like Phantamanta is.
91st: The Hotel Lobby's Secret (Sirena Beach).
Oh god. Another secret level. Thankfully, it isn't as bad as the Secret of Casino Delfino. You have to traverse across disintegrating sand blocks, and it can be pretty annoying.
90th: Red Coins in Boo's Big Mouth (Sirena Beach).
It's number 91, but you can use FLUDD to collect the Red Coins. Seeing a pattern here?
89th: The Yoshi-Go-Round's Secret (Pinna Park).
Did you miss Pinna Park? Well, this spot returns there for The Yoshi-Go-Round's Secret. The rotating blocks can be pretty annoying to navigate, and it's rather easy to die here.
88th: Red Coins in the Hotel (Sirena Beach).
Navigating the Hotel in Sirena Beach is pretty annoying due to its layout, and Red Coins in the Hotel is a good reason why. You have to collect all eight Red Coins within 5 minutes. Because of the layout, you don't know where some of the Red Coins are, and if you go into the wrong room, you have to do it all over again.
87th: The Red Coin Fish (Noki Bay).
Returning to Noki Bay once again, the Red Coin Fish is an annoying Shine to get because not only does the fish like to move around, it also splits into pieces. Oh, and this is an underwater Shine.
86th: Uncork the Waterfall (Noki Bay).
Yup, another Noki Bay Shine. You have to climb the entire level just to defeat a Monty Mole and uncork the waterfall. As I've mentioned before, this level is annoying to climb up, and one slip up will likely cost you time, if not a life.
85th: Yoshi's Fruit Adventure (Ricco Harbor).
You haven't seen Ricco Harbor in a while either. In order to complete this Shine, you first have to unlock Yoshi. There is a Yoshi who asks for a durian, and getting this durian is pure luck, and so it getting it to stay on the dock. You then have to kick the fruit to Yoshi so he can spawn. Afterward, you must navigate behind the helipad to the Juice Generator, but this is easier said than done, since the platforms move horizontally. In order for them to move vertically, he must eat a coconut or banana.
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7th: Wiggler Ahoy! Full Steam Ahead! (Gelato Beach).

I appreciate how Gelato Beach tells a story with its first four Shines, but I am very disappointed with how the Sand Bird pays it off. However, we get a very good boss fight right before the Sand Bird, so it isn't all bad. The Wiggler boss is very chaotic, and you must spray sprouts to create sand structures to knock over the Wiggler and ground pound one of his segments. I do feel bad for interrupting Wiggler's nap, hence why he's angry.
6th: Il Piantissimo's Crazy Climb (Pianta Village).
Easily the best Il Piantissimo shine in the game, due to how well thought out the level design of Pianta Village is.
5th: Down with Petey Piranha! (Bianco Hills).
This is the most iconic Shine in the game, and for good reason. Meeting Petey Piranha is a very good introduction on how to use FLUDD offensively, as well as introducing the game's tendency to brutally dispatch bosses.
4th: Petey Piranha Strikes Back (Bianco Hills).
The rematch with Petey Piranha is even better than the first fight with him, since he will fly around the stage, and you have to shoot him down in order to even attack him.
3rd: Mecha-Bowser Appears! (Pinna Park).
Although Pinna Park has pretty bad levels, this is its best level. This fight is basically the most fun boss in the game, and if you're skilled enough, you can defeat the robot in one loop. It's just intense and climactic in a way that no other Shine is.
2nd: Shadow Mario Runs Wild (Pianta Village).
Pianta Village is already a fun level to traverse, and Shadow Mario Runs Wild is its best Shine, as well as the best Shadow Mario Shine in the game.
1st: The Caged Shine Sprite (Ricco Harbor).
This is basically the best Shine in the game, as it's the Goopy Inferno, but far better since you don't have to navigate the whole area to get FLUDD. It also represents everything good about Super Mario Sunshine.
 
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in my opinion father and son shine isnt nowhere near as bad as say the goopy inferno or that king boo fight though still bad. the boat is annoying but i worked thru it when i was just watching a vid in the background and then after the boat its a cakewalk
i really dont think sand bird and secret of the village underside were that bad either... sand bird was fine once i was told to stay on the neck once it rotates, and getting to the subarea in the latter is annoying yes but the subarea itself is fine though you do have to wait a lot

also??? are you going to make a new thread for each separate part???? just keep all of them in this specific thread please
 
I don't see what's so irredeemably hard about the Pachinko shine that caused it to become such a meme. It took me 2 tries to beat.

Granted, it is a poorly constructed challenge compared to the rest of the game. I died on my first try because I was totally blindsided by the wonky physics and was given barely any time to adapt to them as a result. I quickly got the hang of it all on my second try, though, carefully dosing my water supply and using the pegs as platforms to cool down the hovering ability, ultimately completing the challenge without much straining. And with Joy-Con drift to boot. It was still a very tedious endeavour, so I understand ranking it lower than other missions, but like, it wasn't that bad. Vinny from Vinesauce easily beat it on his first try on a blind playthrough in a live stream, and everyone in the chat went insane about it. I was bracing for a much more grueling experience.

The Lily Pad mission can eat shit though. That is just straight up bad design. Why does the water kill you? Why can't you backtrack with the pad? Why is that pipe at the end, when none of the other sky-high pocket dimension missions have it, and why does it lead back to Delfino Plaza as if you didn't have a return button?
 
also??? are you going to make a new thread for each separate part???? just keep all of them in this specific thread please

Good suggestion. I was originally going to split it, but I thought that would be too much filler, so I decided to condense all 120 of them into one thread. My next thread will be about ranking the 72 levels in Super Mario World.
 
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