Port Ricco : quais, bateaux et eau turquoise devant le volcan de l'île Delfino

Ricco Harbor: market, surfing and Gooper Blooper in Delfino

1361 words | Reading time : 6 minute(s)

LocationPort RiccoMéga Bloups

“Ricco” means rich in Italian: a direct nod to Puerto Rico. The second major level of Super Mario Sunshine, Port Ricco piles up a fish market, a fruit machine and a huge scaffolding site. This guide breaks down both fights against Méga Bloups, the cult-favorite mini-game where you surf on Bloups and the eleven Shine Sprites waiting to be collected.

Port Ricco (Ricco Harbor in English) is the second major level of Super Mario Sunshine, Mario's sun-drenched adventure released on GameCube in 2002.

A trading port buzzing with life on Isle Delfino, it packs in a fish market, a fruit machine and a vast scaffolding site. It is also where Mario surfs on Bloups and takes on the slimy Méga Bloups clinging to the docks.

Contents

Port Ricco, the second stop on Isle Delfino

In Super Mario Sunshine, Port Ricco is the second main level that Mario unlocks, right after the game's very first world. You reach it from Delfino Plaza, the central plaza that connects every corner of Isle Delfino.

The game came out on GameCube in 2002 (October 4 in Europe) and its soundtrack is signed by Koji Kondo and Shinobu Tanaka. Episode after episode, Port Ricco reveals itself as a working trading port: cluttered quays, cranes and water everywhere, inviting you to clean as much as to glide.

A trading port teeming with life

What strikes you right away in Port Ricco is its density. The level piles up working-world settings: a fish market with baskets and crates you can hose down, wooden walkways and docks jutting out over the water.

At its center stands a fruit machine: hammer its big buttons with a ground pound and Mario sends random fruit flying out. Just what you need to supply Yoshi, whose egg demands one very specific fruit before it will hatch.

Finally, the whole back of the harbor is taken up by a huge construction site: Ricco Tower, a dizzying tangle of metal girders, wire mesh and cranes. This structure doubles as a climbing course for several Shine Sprites and gives the level its look of an industrial zone still under construction.

Méga Bloups, the boss clamped to the docks

Port Ricco's star enemy is Méga Bloups (Gooper Blooper in English), a giant, slimy squid. You face him twice: in Episode 1, “Méga Bloups the Polluter”, then on his comeback in Episode 5, “Méga Bloups Strikes Back”.

The fight sticks in your memory because the monster stays clamped to a dock from underneath, showing nothing but his head plugged with a cork and his sticky tentacles. You have to grab each tentacle and pull to neutralize it, then yank the cork out of his mouth in one sharp tug.

This slimy creature is not exclusive to the level: Méga Bloups returns in other Mario games, where he has become a recurring face of the series' aquatic showdowns.

Méga Bloups, a giant white squid with round eyes
Méga Bloups clings to the docks of Port Ricco: the boss guarding this port of call.

Surf attitude: the surfing race on the Bloups

Port Ricco's most iconic moment remains its surfing mini-game. In Episode 2, “Surf Attitude”, a Pianta offers Mario the chance to ride a Bloups like a board to race across the water. These racing Bloups (the Blooper Racers) speed down water lanes at full tilt.

The challenge is a race against the clock: you have to finish the course within the time limit without falling in the water, or your mount deflates. The same mechanic comes back in Episode 6, “The Red Coins of Port Ricco”, to scoop up coins along the water.

Beware of one common myth: contrary to what you sometimes read, you do not face the mysterious runner Il Piantissimo in Port Ricco. That sprinter only challenges Mario at Gelato Beach, Noki Bay and Pianta Village. Here, the only real stopwatch is the surfing.

Port Ricco from one country to the next: the nod to Puerto Rico

The name Port Ricco is no accident. “Ricco” means “rich” in Italian, so the whole thing evokes a “rich harbor” — and above all a nod to Puerto Rico, the Caribbean island whose name means exactly that: “rich port” in Spanish.

The localization actually played with that name from one country to the next. In Italian, the harbor becomes “ Porto Giocondo ”; in German, “ Porto d'Oro ”, meaning the “golden harbor”; and in Spanish, a delicious “ Puerto Espresso ” that drifts toward coffee. So many colorful variants, all keeping the harbor spirit while changing the joke.

Eleven Shine Sprites and a guided tour of the harbor

Like every major world in Super Mario Sunshine, Port Ricco has eight numbered episodes, but eleven Shine Sprites to collect in total: the eight missions, one Shine Sprite for 100 coins gathered and two secret Shine Sprites hidden in the scenery. You can also dig up 30 Blue Coins to trade in.

The run mixes registers: after the two fights against Méga Bloups and the surfing races, Episode 3 frees a “caged Shine Sprite” locked behind bars, Episode 4 climbs to “the secret of Ricco Tower”, and Episode 7 brings back Shadow Mario who has to be hosed down.

The high point of the level is still Episode 8, “Yoshi's Endless Appetite”: you have to hatch a Yoshi with the right fruit, then use his juice to turn fish into platforms and reach one last Shine Sprite perched high above.

Port Ricco at a glance

French name Port Ricco
English name Ricco Harbor
Game Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube, 2002)
Position 2nd main level of Isle Delfino
Boss Méga Bloups (Episodes 1 and 5)
Iconic mini-game Surfing race on the Bloups (Episode 2)
Content 8 episodes, 11 Shine Sprites, 30 Blue Coins
Other languages Porto Giocondo (IT), Porto d'Oro (DE), Puerto Espresso (ES)

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FAQ

  • Which level of Super Mario Sunshine is Port Ricco?
    It is the game's second main level, a trading port on Isle Delfino that you reach from Delfino Plaza.
  • Who is the boss of Port Ricco?
    Méga Bloups (Gooper Blooper in English), a giant squid clamped to a dock, fought in Episodes 1 and 5.
  • Do you face Il Piantissimo in Port Ricco?
    No. The runner Il Piantissimo only challenges Mario at Gelato Beach, Noki Bay and Pianta Village. In Port Ricco, the only timed event is surfing on the Bloups.
  • Where does the name Port Ricco come from?
    “Ricco” means “rich” in Italian, and the name nods to Puerto Rico, whose own name also means “rich port” in Spanish.
  • How many Shine Sprites can you collect in Port Ricco?
    Eleven Shine Sprites in total: eight for the numbered episodes, one for 100 coins and two secret Shine Sprites. You will also find 30 Blue Coins there.
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