This Is The Hardest Shine Sprite To Get In Super Mario Sunshine

Super Mario Sunshine is one of the most beloved entries in Super Mario history, and you can now find this title in Nintendo's Super Mario 3D All-Stars for Nintendo Switch. While some might have preferred Nintendo to produce Super Mario Sunshine 2 — or at least include Super Mario Galaxy 2 in All-Stars — gamers can now revisit the glorious sun-soaked adventures of Sunshine. Or can they?

Memories have a nasty habit of tricking audiences into believing false histories. Think Delfino Island is all fun and games? Sure, most Shine Sprite challenges are a blend of challenging and enjoyable, but Super Mario Sunshine has its fair share of missions that are downright sadistic. If you plan on taking a relaxing stroll through Super Mario Sunshine, you might want to avoid this Shine Sprite. Unless you don't mind giving your sanity a good stomping, that is.

Water is everywhere in Super Mario Sunshine. You can swim through water, shoot water, and surf on top of it. The game stresses water's importance with all the subtlety of a rampaging Chain Chomp, so of course the hardest Shine Sprite makes you curse water's name.

The Lily Pad Ride secret level frequently tops gamers' "hardest shine sprite" lists. The level is tucked away on an island and blocked by orange goo. You need Yoshi to clear a path, and if he touches water, you have to hatch a new Yoshi. Once you get rid of the gloop, you are presented with a lily pad floating on top of poison water. But, you wouldn't know it's deadly unless you read the missible signs — or jumped in and died.

To collect this notorious shine sprite, you have to float the lily pad down the water and grab eight red coins. The lily pad eventually disintegrates, so you are on an invisible and strict timer — either get the coins on your first try or start over from scratch. But it gets better.

A pipe waits at the level's end. This pipe exits the level, forcing you to retrieve Yoshi, travel to the island, and start over. Since many people don't nab all the coins before the end, they face a daunting choice: lose a life or lose another 15 minutes to the lily pad.