Breaking Down Pianta Village | A Super Mario Sunshine Deep Dive

The moon rises over the final main chapter of our adventure, let's make it a good one.
Wanna see the next episode of Game Break Down right now? It's live on my Patreon, come check it out! patreon.com/user?u=61202379
Sabertooth Chain Chomp art by Icarus_.art on Instagram
Extramedial Music used in this Video:
Intro: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Stickerbush Symphony
The view from Pianta Village: Pac Man World 2 - B-Doing Woods
Episode Select Screens: Donkey Kong Country - Simian Segue
The Goopy inferno: Undertale - CORE
Trippy Ropes: Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Luigi's Final Smash
Translating the Janitor: Pokemon X & Y - Santalune Forest
The Brochure Page: Mario Party 9 - Battle with Chain Chomp!
Mario Kart 8 in the Cloud: Unknown Song featured in a Japanese Commercial for Mario Kart 8
The Criticism of Blue Coins: Xenoblade Chronicles X - Noctilum
Blue Coin Map: Mario Kart 8 - GCN DK Mountain
Outro: Xenoblade Chronicles DE - Forest of the Nopon
0:00 Sunshine's Approach to Level Themes
2:45 The Entrance
4:20 Chain Chomplets Unchained
11:01 Level Select Screens
11:52 Il Piantissimo's Crazy Climb
15:38 The Goopy Inferno
22:48 Chain Chomp's Bath
27:27 Secret of the Village Underside
34:44 Piantas in Need
38:39 Shadow Mario Runs Wild
42:19 Fluff Festival Coin Hunt
47:18 Regarding Blue Coins...
50:36 30 Blue Coins and 100 Gold Coins
53:29 The Treetop's Secret Shine
54:25 Outro

[@francjirachi]

YOU CAN GROUNDPOUND THE CHAIN CHOMP? My life is changed

[@bcpeters1457]

Same! I am shocked!!! This was one of the most tedious levels ever, and you could just, not deal with it!!!

[@runningoncylinders3829]

Changed Chomp?

[@Teallen96]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that didn't realise you could ground pound the nail back in...

[@JosephShemelewski]

Wow really? I guess the game never really tells you but how did you beat this without doing it?

[@gittonsxv126]

Same, I never knew this!

[@MrMedicification]

Your "Dr. Eggman makes an announcement" reference is not lost on me.

[@espelhodasconstelacoes]

DRRRROPLLETS

[@thisisasupersayin376]

I'm just surprised that there's actually a part of the video about spraying the moon and that's NOT where the reference is

[@Robbie_Haruna]

I have a couple additions to make about some weird obscure things: There is actually a way to refill your water in Episode 4 once you get the chain chomp in the hot spring. While it's true there aren't any bodies of water, there's a mechanic where if ground pound a barrel it's an instant full tank refill, and the barrels on that episode infinitely respawn so you always have a means to fill your tank. One more detail is that when the chain chomp is tied down at the start of the mission the direction he's facing will also be random. Sometimes he'll be facing to the right and bouncing up and down on that crater, other times he'll be facing to the left on the path next to the mean Piantas or to the left, but on the bottom most path in-line with the entrance to the village.

[@vegetavsluigi]

I’ve 100%’ed Super Mario Sunshine more times than I can count because it is the PERFECT summer game, and I NEVER knew you could ground-pound the Chain Chomp’s stake to keep it from moving! This series is a treasure for one of my favorite games of all time, and it almost breaks my heart to see it so close to ending, but I couldn’t be happier that it exists!

[@Steelbleeder]

All sunshine really needed is a blue coin counter for the stage and each level

[@scantyer]

Yep, like spongebob BFBB

[@eligill3640]

I just found this out, saved the game for me. It displays the blue coin count for each level if you hover over the red dot for it on the map screen (ZL on switch, Z on GameCube ) on the bottom right of the screen

[@hanthonyc]

@@eligill3640 it displays WHAT

[@manjackson2772]

​@@hanthonycIt's not as helpful as you might think tbh. If you're following a guide, you're gonna have to check every spot anyway, and if you're not, you're still fumbling around the levels blind and you're never gonna get all 30.

[@Obstagoon862]

@@eligill3640 It's just L on Switch. ZL is the Ground Pound/Center Camera button.

[@mettatonex7221]

I like the one blue Pianta that is actually offended by Il Piantissimo being so thin. When it comes to Piantas, you either get thicc or you get out.

[@Aryanne_v2]

"48 coins hidden in these tall MUSHROOMS. PARTICULARLY the ones on fire" I see what you did there

[@mettatonex7221]

Between bananas and a spiky boi.

[@AdvancePlays]

I always thought the hot spring pianta was meant to be an organic pianta-shaped tree that redirected the spring water through it's roots or something, but looking at it now it's obviously made of nailed together planks! Thanks a bundle, translators😤

[@ShyGuyXXL]

It's a real shame that they never brought back Chain Chomplets. They have such a simple yet appealing design. I always wondered if they were meant to be young chain chomps or a separate breed altogether.

[@Pokemanic33]

Sunglasses bro being the only one to break free of the hive mind in episode 6 reveals the truth: he isn't giving you just any glasses, he's giving you the They Live glasses

[@meowmasterL346]

Them bird box glasses 😎

[@ZachThePillow]

In episode 1, you can get the chomplets to fall in the pool by standing on the small island in the pool of water. They will chase you if you spray them, but stop when you're *in* the water, but not around the water. It's likely a failsafe to prevent them from running in while you're refilling your water, though they didnt account for the island with gramps on it

[@brace7807]

Hi :)

[@squiddler7731]

I was thinking it was possible, but I had forgotten how. I remember that's actually how I originally tried to do it, because as a kid I had no idea I was able to grab their tails and get them in the water that way.

[@WilfredCthulu]

Gotta love how this is like in its own pocket dimension compared to everywhere else in Delfino. Barely seen anywhere else and has those spooky wind sounds when you fall off. Shoutouts to the goopy inferno. Also I think the life counter goes above 99 but it just doesn't show it.

[@supergamer1388]

It doesn't. I've tested that before. Any life past 99 is used only for the health and water refills.

[@WilfredCthulu]

Oh

[@TheInfiniteAmo]

If I remember right, you can get into the spring and then do a spin jump as Mario is soaking wet with water to throw droplets everywhere. I've beaten that level that way a couple times as a kid. Also, the Piantas saying "Oidemase Nandomo" may be a reference to how Hawaiians say "Aloha" for both hello and goodbye.

[@Squidtoken]

It actually IS still possible to refill water after putting the big chomp in the spring. You can ground pound a water barrel and get a refill!

[@freakishtech2310]

That is True though it is limited. Water barrels don't respawn like fruits do in the game. So once all barrels are destroyed. There will no long be anything to refill FLUDD. You'll have to restart the episode to bring them back

[@no-bark4112]

@freakishtech2310 they do respawn, at least on that level

[@michaelmann7816]

​@@no-bark4112 That makes sense, considering they're vital to the intended method of completing the episode, and there's bound to be someone who either couldn't find the hot spring or decided to muck about with the chain chomp.

[@ChompDude]

53:54 "You know what's a great idea? Staring directly at the sun!"

[@pugsandpikachus]

I will never understand how this channel isn't bigger

[@GalekC]

sly cooper got shafted so hard

[@Smg065]

Though Serena Beach is my favorite level, the yellow Pianta child from this level always stuck out in my mind. I remember in one of the missions, she's running around, saying that some day, she'd like to be faster than il-piantissimo. It makes me kinda wish that we'd get to see her fulfill that dream one day. What I find even stranger is she DOESN'T say that during the episode that he's there.

[@xarin42]

27:47 In japan a married couple will sometimes call each other mom and dad (oka-san [お母さん] and otou-san [お父さん]). Maybe to help teach their babies what to call them? I don't actually know the reason. But I've definitely seen it a lot in Japanese media. Edit: seems you basically figured it out on your own.

[@AdvancePlays]

This is a thing with really posh British families too. Like, Earl and Lord level posh. It's also an old American South thing to refer to your wife as mother. It's a weird remnant of certain matriarchal family structure from what I've learned.

[@mimmikibilly]

I witnessed it as well.

[@lukers9819]

​@@AdvancePlaysI grew up in Michigan and my parents always refer to each other as Mom and Dad, but only in front of my brother and I. So I don't necessarily think it is a Southern thing. Either way, I don't know how they never slipped up in front of us and called each other by their first name. I would mess up constantly with my wife!

[@markymark2791]

I'm from the south, and I've heard older couples say this as well.

[@gastonnoone982]

I've been looking forward to this video for weeks now! Can't wait to watch.

[@YourLocalMedic]

I would love to see you do super Mario Galaxy galaxies once this series is over

[@Suukisan]

SAME

[@ImmaFarmerInMalaysia]

He's not doing two Mario games back to back

[@user-sv3xp7cl2u]

@@ImmaFarmerInMalaysiathis is literally his second time doing this series how could you know that

[@ImmaFarmerInMalaysia]

@@user-sv3xp7cl2u He said as much during a stream if I remember correctly. He doesn't want to do two games of a series back to back during this formative time for his channel because he doesn't want to be funneled into making content for one series

[@coolchameleon21]

i love pianta village. the village underside is one of my favorite places in the game bc i think it’s very creative and unique. i love the giant mushrooms that grow out of a seemingly bottomless chasm, the giant palm trees you can climb on, the jungle gym structure under the stage, the nighttime themes, the missions (besides the chuckster level), the fluff festival, the NPC dialogue. it’s just such an immersive and creative level that makes you feel like you’re part of the isle delfino community. at this point in the game i didn’t even care about the bowser plot line anymore, i just wanted to help the villagers

[@thelegendofzelda3459]

The fluffl festival was by far my favorite. There's something about the song they use for the festival that just makes me smile and happy. Plus giant dandelion fluff floating throught the sky that you can hitch a ride on, what's NOT to love about that?

[@andyn46]

Today’s my birthday, I listened to this video while tanning by the pool and ngl the ambiance was perfect

[@Arthur2light]

The Goopy Inferno is my favorite mission in this game. The story of the mayor saving the village. The filling of helplessness, and the clumping of the underside are all great. The best part is when you get FLUDD back and you can clean all that fire goop is awesome.

[@Caleb10938]

I got your Noki Bay video in my KZbin recommendations and it was so good I had to binge the rest of this series. I was a little disappointed when I saw it was finished, but I understand that quality and analysis of this level takes time. Suffice to say, I was very happy to see this notification!

[@minakoarisato1506]

Same❤

[@henryluczak6218]

Every time you release a new video, I rewatch the entire series 🤣 I really hope you continue videos like this once you finish with Sunshine

[@depsurrel5084]

On the note of "has anyone ever 100%'d Sunshine without a guide" I did it as a kid. I don't know how, nor do I remember how I did it (I couldn't replicate this as an *adult*), but I *distinctly* remember having 100%'d the game as a kid.

[@VideoSysL]

I would not really call it a translation error, more of trying to get the flower/nose pun across in English but not having a great option. I’m honestly surprised they did not rewrite the joke.

[@elijahkeay3906]

I love how this level looks. It does feel kind of like this games version of a sky world mixed with a jungle level. Something about this entire little town sitting atop this huge tree over a bottomless pit is so cool - climbing around underneath it and hanging just above the void

[@blackdot105]

Wish there was another Mario game with a constant theme. It'd be nice to learn all about an expanded biome.

[@joshslater2426]

Every time we get a new analysis on a Sunshine level, it always feels great. I already love Sunshine for its worldbuilding, but this series always helps me find even more details to appreciate.

[@thinkingfubuki]

I'm less than 2 minutes in and "One coin, two coin, red coin, blue coin" is perhaps my favorite joke in the video

[@Dave_Art_R]

The janitor may also be referring to "big plant" as a translation of "Big Pianta", so we have 2 possible translation errors: 花 (hana) (flower, nose) Pianta (plant) Which also make sense as it's a big Pianta but also is coming out of his nose.

[@TheNadnerb]

Another thing about Episode 5 is that the starting position is a little further back than in the others. I presume it’s so more of the mushrooms are visible to clue the player where the episode’s objective is, but it’s almost like the game is inviting us to do Yoshi Skip. “Hey look, go to the mushrooms right away! Don’t bother with the village!”

[@Gulliblepikmin]

11:28 To me, the Pianta Village area logo looks like the bark of one of the area's giant trees.

[@hiimmloom]

The pacing of this video in particular was very entertaining, great job! Love the bits like "I was just eaten by a big golden dog, let's check the map a bit huh?"

[@TheStarsUniverse]

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far. Thank you for giving Mario Sunshine as much love as I've always felt it deserves. I love your game break down format and am so excited to have discovered your channel! You're doing great!

[@eepyJay]

YESSS your video came at the perfect time my friend thank youuu! I ❤ Sunshine and I feel like Pianta Village gets overlooked cos its right at the end of the game and imo is a bit less upbeat and energetic I wanna live there...anyways, another fantastic video thank you so much! I don't want this series to end 😢

[@rockinslugz]

I love this series so much

[@jack-lynmartinez7692]

What a ride. I loved this series. It scratched something in my brain that I didnt know I needed itched. Its the easter eggs that arent your typical "lore". Great series.

[@padillac16]

I’m so glad to be here in time for the newest episode, this series has kept me coming back for more Even if it isn’t my favorite world in the game game-design wise (that climbing/crawling jungle gym area on the village’s underside was the bane of my existence for a while), Pianta Village definitely has great theming and character work, since we’re getting to see the Piantas at their home and help them save it just as we did with the Nokis; I especially love the Mayor, since he’s one of the few side characters in the game to be proactive at reacting to the problems Bowser Jr. is sending their way and tries to help his people as best as he can Edit: That reference at 17:39 actually made me choke on my food, that was hilarious

[@mandalorianmanic9525]

No clue why this video came across my recommendations, but by golly am I happy to have done so. A really fun deep dive into a game I haven't played seriously in almost two decades (geez...) and really well made, too! My favorite section was about blue coins finally both justifying and defending my almost-forgotten distaste for them, but a grounded idea of "engaging with the world, if it could have been done better" is a great take, but it immediately reminds me that the *880* moons from Odyssey are the same or far worse design, which becomes vastly less excusable being made 15 years later... but that's just my irritation with that entry. :P Good video, have a like and a sub!

[@Suplup]

I was not expecting this hour long deep dive to be released today but I'm sure glad it was I have some mindless grinding to do in my video games and learning about the wonderful and intricate pieces put into this level will help pass the time nicely

[@flare90]

My favourite thing about seeing these in my timeline is knowing that the next one is now on my Patreon!

[@mario4154]

17:36 Pheonix casually letting the droprrrlets hit the earth made my day. Love your sunshine deep dives, definitely one of the best channels ive found in recent times. Good sense of humor goes a long way especially if its not interrupting like a skit or cutaway

[@espelhodasconstelacoes]

too good lmao

[@RipVanFish09]

OOOOOOOO YES. Time to learn about more little things that I never knew, even though I've played this game to death.

[@livingdollgyaru]

YES IVE BEEN BINGE WATCHING THIS SERIES

[@Suukisan]

OMG SAME

[@SZvenM]

These videos always put me in such a good mood. Love this game and love your commentary on it. Good work, as always :)

[@ginger_queen8108]

"uploaded 11 minutes ago" welp, there go my plans for today :P

[@PTp1ranha]

It's a 1-hour video, how long is this this supposed to take you?

[@MonotoneTim]

your day is an hour long?

[@janmagtoast]

Ive never heard anyone call the flamming chomps hotdogs. Thank you, I will never call them anything else now

[@kendallmonge649]

As someone who has an obsessive interest in every facet of Super Mario Sunshine, and as someone who thought I knew it all, I've learned SO MUCH from your series, all while laughing at the perfectly placed jokes and puns along the way. This series is probably my favorite thing to ever exist on KZbin. I look so forward to every new episode, and I'll be sad when it's over, but wow, this has been a treat.

[@tadness121]

17:54 Toki Tori 2 does this, actually. The water droplets on your character after exiting water will make bare patches of soil sprout grass which camouflages you and other creatures from predators. It's a fantastic little touch in a great open-world puzzle game.

[@koopanique]

Absolutely amazing video... The worldbuilding, the lore, the level design, the gameplay, all these elements intertwine in the commentary in a way that makes this piece of art a blast to watch. I cannot wait to explore the other videos of this series

[@thelanktheist2626]

Okay you should lowkey do Galaxy and/or Galaxy 2 when you’re done

[@Suukisan]

FR

[@blackdot105]

Highkey

[@rwl1966]

I have been waiting for this video for so long can’t wait to watch!

[@atlev]

I love you! tysm for making these

[@pinaseraphina]

This is such a great series! Thank you for showing Sunshine so much love

[@trippy5519]

these videos have been really well made and great to watch, appreciate the effort

[@WaddleDee105]

Incredibly thorough video as always!

[@beedlebshuy6046]

Fun fact: if you use hover nozzle on a nighttime mission where the river is full of water, go to the edge of the river and use hover nozzle to place yourself JUST outside the fence gate there sitting on top of the flowing water. Then if you back up you will fly to the bottom of the map and can run around looking at the village from above

[@pikmaniac1557]

Love these videos. It’s clear that you love the game.

[@ZenModeYT]

When this series is finished I would LOVE a complied version of the whole thing. It’s become one of my fav series to listed to when working! Keep it up friend :)

[@DocWorm]

i LOVE how you add little challenges into these videos. That you have little challenges and analysis along with fun facts make these the most enjoyable deep dive video game videos I've watched.

[@meg6476]

I can't get enough of these so I hope when you complete this series you will consider doing another one! Thank you for your high quality videos and interesting commentary!!! ❤

[@dogscratch]

I love these videos so much, it's like every time I look at it, there's always something new to learn about this game, it's so wonderfully fascinating!

[@itsScoots]

You've done such great work with this series and it's clear you really have a love for it as even very niche solutions to some episodes that speed runners might take you've even included those. Fantastic breakdown of these levels man ❤

[@CaptainToadsworth]

your videos are great, i love this series!

[@concordjuniper33]

I don't think I've EVER seen this happen to anyone else, but there was one time I was casually racing Il Piantissimo, won, and then, when he showed up, instead of giving me his normal dialogue, he said the line that female Pianta says if you talk to her instead. I don't know why it happened, but it made for a hilarious character change, making him look like he really cares that much for his competition!

[@Z1mm3h]

dude your voice was made for videos like this never stop ! new fav channel to fall asleep to

[@Rubbly]

Love this series! Great work!!

[@spitzyspeaksjp]

As per usual man, you absolutely ATE this episode. I've never run to a Patreon page so fast. Your energy, editing, and delivery have consistently been killer, and my little bilingual heart soared at the hana = nose/flower investigation! Between that and teasing the Delfino Plaza episode for Patrons, you've got me!!

[@fernando98322]

Lowkey one of my favorite levels to just chill and goof around

[@thehypist2587]

I’m so happy you did this series, Sunshine is one of my favorite games despite its flaws and you absolutely did it justice. I’d love to see you do similar breakdowns for other games in the future!

[@TheDMan2003]

I always love the voice line when Mario touches the fire goop. Just the sudden cry of “MMMMAAAAMAA!!!” followed by panicked gasping is just hilarious to me, to the point where an extended version has basically become a meme.

[@dasutanehineri]

this videos only been out for four days but ive already rewatched it repeatedly. ill be sad when this series on mario sunshine ends, but i am looking forward to other content! i love your sense of humor lol

[@PICADALOL]

Your videos are really on point!

[@michaelvitale8810]

you are making some incredible videos!

[@CassiusStelar]

Oh my God speculative biology and evolution is so fucking cool and your depiction of a "Chomp Wolf" is so fucking cute

[@mr.gameandwatchfan4243]

This just might be my favorite channel now. You legit got me into sly cooper because of your sly 2 breakdown series, and you've been tackling my favorite mario game which is a treat, especially learning things I didn't know before like the whole dang language hidden in there. Also I believe that weirdly placed 1-up mushroom is meant to be grabbed by yoshi's tongue? I might be misremembering

[@raethestar44]

I learn so much from these videos, and I love the delivery of the jokes, like they’ve just been slipped in there! So sad it’s almost over, but so excited for Defino Plaza! I would love to see this series done to similar games like Luigi’s mansion 🙏

[@chadking8396]

Was that a particular mushroom shout out?

[@RipVanFish09]

I think so!

[@Wupar]

I'm glad to hear someone else defending the blue coins. So many people get salty about how, despite being so cryptic a lot of the time, they're entirely optional and the only reward they give is a postcard, but that's the beauty of them: You can engage with them as much or as little as you want. It's a video game, and you have the freedom to engage with the game in whichever way is the most fun for you, and you can still see the credits either way. As someone who's been 100%ing this game without a guide every summer for probably almost 15 years now, I actually love how many blue coins they are, and how hidden many of them are. The tradition of replaying a game every year COULD get really stale and rote, but because I could never possibly hope to memorize all 240 blue coins and their individual spawn conditions, it's always like a test of what I do happen to remember on any given trip around the sun, and the things I remember or forget are never the same every time. For example, one year I forgot that M on the floor of the boat in Ricco Harbor that's covered in black goop, one year I forgot the blue bird in Pianta Village, and so on. There's a sort of panic/thrill that comes with thinking you've done everything in an area just to see that you only found 28 or 29 blue coins, and the subsequent satisfaction of finally finding the missing coins after tons of retracing steps and testing out various ideas. Compare to Super Mario 64 where there are only a handful of truly "secret" or obscure objectives, so it's much more straightforward to breeze through that game with all 120 stars if you've already done it once before (and no shade on SM64, I love both it and SMS, there are obviously pros to both styles of collectible design depending on your tastes or mood). I guess for some people, the blue coin hunt would ultimately amount to a bunch of tedium, but for me, it's an opportunity to spend even longer in the familiar world of my favorite video game ever, just soaking it all in and getting mentally invested in it. It's cozy, relaxing, sometimes aimless, but never without an ultimate destination. It's almost like a vacation in video game form, and I think considering the theme of the game, there isn't a more complimentary gameplay formula.

[@SrTNick1]

That's how I beat The Goopy Inferno as a kid too! Man I love this game

[@sageadenekan1869]

Aww man this guys probably one of my new favorite KZbinrs but I’m definitely gonna go through his entire discography in a week or two.

[@sabbers11]

I love these videos so much! Keep up the good work! :>

[@xVocaluka]

These are fantastic videos thank you

[@noondaze]

Great vid, can't wait for more!!

[@thdremily]

been looking forward to this one!

[@healthyminds9279]

Congrats on having the best Mario Sunshine series on youtube.

[@sebs7272]

Literally my fave series of all time rn. LETS GOOOO MORE MARIO SUNSHINE RAHHHH

[@Nothing2150]

My day is made. Thank you for this.

[@Alex-xk5xt]

i dont even like this game but these videos are so good your enthusiasm is infectious

[@BlueGuy98]

This series is amazing! I've never seen anyone go so in depth about this game. Mario Sunshine may not be the best Mario 3D platformer, but it's certainly the most unique, and I love revisiting it every summer. This series reminded me what I love about this game!

[@NintenJoeGamer]

These are the kinds of videos that I love to just put on my second monitor and listen to while I play another game

[@porkchopboost]

Very good vids, keep it up!

[@islandplace7235]

this is my favorite new series, feels like a vacation each episode

[@JosephShemelewski]

Probably the best level confirmed. Trick question they're all great levels

[@KisiroKitsune]

I love your talk at the start about how the unified level themes make Delfino feel so alive. I totally agree.

[@ChrisDiMeo]

I love the prehistoric chain chomp, the artist is incredibly talented!

[@XredXdevilsX58]

day is made! one of my favorite series going on right now!