Super Mario Eclipse

Super Mario Eclipse is a free, single-player arcade-style mod for PC that expands and reshapes Super Mario Sunshine with new content and mechanics. It suits fans of 3D Mario platforming who want a substantial, exploration-heavy adventure that feels both familiar and fresh.

A darker Mario tale with an expanded Isle Delfino

Set in the Super Mario universe, Super Mario Eclipse follows Mario as he tries to stop Bowser and his forces from plunging the world into eternal darkness, which ties directly into the mod’s title. The adventure builds on the vibe of Sunshine’s Isle Delfino, giving you large open-world areas that echo that vacation-like hub while taking the stakes in a more ominous direction.

Classic water-based platforming returns, along with Mario’s companion FLUDD (the Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device). Using FLUDD to traverse, clean, and hover still feels central to movement and puzzle solving, so fans of Sunshine’s core gimmick will feel right at home.

Exploration at the heart of the design

Super Mario Eclipse strongly emphasizes exploration. Levels are structured as broad spaces with multiple routes, hidden corners, and plenty of collectibles that reward curiosity. The mod includes 120 new Shine challenges, which gives players a lot of objectives to chase and encourages revisiting areas to uncover everything.

The variety of environments helps keep that exploration interesting, moving from bright, sun-soaked beaches to more otherworldly planets. This mix of familiar tropical settings and stranger locales keeps the experience from feeling repetitive and supports the sense of discovery.

Gameplay blend from Sunshine, Galaxy 2, and Mario 64

The mod draws on three major 3D Mario entries. From Super Mario Sunshine, it inherits open-ended level layouts and FLUDD-driven movement. From Super Mario Galaxy 2, it borrows gravity-focused mechanics: certain stages rely on gravity-based puzzles that demand spatial awareness and change how you think about platforming, surfaces, and orientation. From Super Mario 64, it channels the more traditional, precise platforming feel that many players associate with classic Mario.

Mario’s trademark moves are intact, including long jumps, backflips, and wall kicks, so series veterans can rely on their muscle memory. On top of that, the mod introduces new mechanics that extend his platforming options, helping stages make better use of verticality and unusual geometry. Controls feel responsive, which is vital when tackling trickier jumps and gravity shifts.

New characters and boss encounters

Super Mario Eclipse does not just add levels. It also offers three new playable characters, expanding your options for how to engage with the world and its challenges. Boss battles get special attention, with both entirely new confrontations and remixed versions of familiar fights. These encounters help break up exploration with more focused tests of movement, pattern recognition, and timing.

That said, the mod stays squarely focused on platforming rather than narrative depth. It does not place much emphasis on character development or customization. Players who mainly look for rich character arcs or RPG-style growth will find relatively little of that here.

Polish that feels close to an official release

For a fan-made project developed by the Eclipse Team, the overall presentation stands out. The environments and characters look well crafted, and the way the different Mario inspirations are combined makes the mod feel like a coherent, unified game instead of a loose collection of references.

Level design invites experimentation: tackling objectives in different ways, testing boundaries, and probing for secrets is consistently rewarded. Combined with the large number of Shine challenges, this creates a robust platforming experience that can keep dedicated Mario fans busy for quite a while.