Ricco Harbor
Template:Location-infobox Ricco Harbor is a trading port in Isle Delfino in the game Super Mario Sunshine. Mario can access Ricco Harbor after he has three Shine Sprites and defeats the goop creature that devoured the boat house. A hidden stage is located in this level, at the top of Ricco Tower, which can be reached by the surrounding scaffolding.
The area is located on the part of Isle Delfino that looks like a fin, west of Delfino Plaza. The harbor has a large port built into the cliff face, where there are several buildings and construction equipment. At the end is a marketplace, where a fish market opens after Episode six. In the water are several large ships, and various yachts and personal vessels that change their positions depending on the selected Episode.
In Episode seven, a single Pianta can be seen swimming with a duck ring and until Episode eight, more people join in. Over the water is a vast network of catwalks and platforms for unloading and repairing. There is also a warehouse with some wooden crates behind the level access point, as well as boats with defeated Bloopers in it. Mario meets Gooper Blooper for the first time in this level, once on the vacant marketplace and again on the helicopter landing pad. The landing pad is where Hero leaves at the end episode also.
The place also features a Pianta, who will throw Mario various distances, depending on the selected episode; as episodes progress, he'll throw Mario further than he did in the last episode. That Pianta also has a younger brother who'll do the same thing to Mario, starting in episode 5, all the way up to episode 8.
In Mario Power Tennis, Ricco Harbor is a court which has a gimmicky serve and receiving zones.
Ricco Harbor shares the musical theme of Gelato Beach, Delfino Plaza and Bianco Hills, but in a jazz style, with prominent saxophone and electric guitar instrumentation. It was written by Koji Kondo.
The level's theme song is an unlockable element in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Episodes
Episode 1: Gooper Blooper Breaks Out
The first Episode of this level sets in with a pan shot over the harbor and then focuses on a staple of metal crates at the marketplace. A thick black substance can be seen leaking out of the staple and a white tentacle is idling in front of the crates. Mario has to reach the marketplace first, which is located in the city district of Ricco Harbor. On the way, the player visits a cargo ship covered in goop and also gets a view of Ricco Tower which is also surrounded with the same goop. Mario can wash away the substance and reveal hidden signs which give him Blue Coins when sprayed with water. Mario then finds the city district surrounded by polluted water, which is caused by the substance that oozes from the crate staple, flowing into the ocean. The player should jump on the white tentacle and pull it away from the staple, until it rips off. Gooper Blooper will then emerge from the staple and a boss battle begins.
During the battle, Gooper Blooper tries to flatten Mario with his tentacles. Mario has to pull on his snout which is sealed by a cork in order to clear the first half of the battle. However, if the player tries this right from the start, the Blooper will counter-attack with one of his four tentacles, causing Mario to lose his grasp. Therefore the player first has to defeat some of the tentacles by separating them from the Blooper's body. Mario can do this by jumping on the tentacles, flattening them, and then pulling on them until they rip off. Spraying water in the Bloopers face will cause him to attack with all tentacles at once, and the player can make use of that to time their attacks. If Gooper Blooper is down to one or two tentacles, the player can try to pull on his snout, or they can just cut off all the tentacles to be safe. After that, the snout slaps back into Gooper Blooper's face, leading to the second phase of the battle. The second phase plays just as the first one, with the exception that Gooper Blooper's snout is no longer sealed and a ring of black goop surrounds him. After connecting another attack, the creature rockets into the air and Mario is rewarded with a Shine Sprite.
Episode 2: Blooper Surfing Safari
The introduction scene for the second Episode of this level shows a shot of a wooden platform with three colored Bloopers on top and then cuts to a tunnel leading to an area under the city district, with black slime oozing out. The player has to turn back from the level access point and move over the log bridge next to some wooden crates. On the floating platform Mario will meet Big Daddy who lends him one of his Bloopers. The Player should use it to navigate to the source of the pollution and enter the tunnel.
Under the city, Mario will find Big Daddy again, along with a giant Blooper race course. The Player has to race along the track, watching out for obstacles like floating orange blocks, red spikes pointing out of the water, or yellow colored boards which rotate and block Mario's way. If Mario leaves the water, his Blooper will significantly slow down, and any contact with a wall or an obstacle causes him to use an Extra Life.
Mario can actually receive two Shine Sprites in this episode; the first is earned by doing one lap in under 45 seconds, while the other is earned by doing one lap in under 40 seconds. If Mario fails to accomplish those tasks, he'll find himself back at Delfino Plaza. Strangely, he doesn't lose a life when that happens.
Episode 3: The Caged Shine Sprite
At the beginning of this Episode, the introduction scene shows a view of the girder complex above the harbor and then spirals around the big, yellow-framed cage construction which gives this Episode its name. Notable is also that the goop is completely gone and that Klambers begin to appear all over the level from this Episode on. Mario has to move over a ship with a crane that is docked right at the level access point. He then must reach the girder complex by using various cranes with platforms, and climbable girds with Klambers on them. Once he reaches the girder complex, he will get attacked by Wind Duppies and Bloopers which try to throw him off the girders and down into the water. By using special launchpads and probably F.L.U.D.D.'s Rocket Nozzle, Mario can access the big yellow-framed cage from above and collect the Shine Sprite on the inside.
Episode 4: The Secret of Ricco Tower
The introduction scene of this Episode shows a shot of Ricco Tower surrounded with black goop once again, and then cuts to a zoom-in of the opening in the tower's top. Mario has to move to the tower and climb on top of it. He can either do this with the Rocket Nozzle, or he can use Wall Jumps on the bearings around the building to reach the top. From there he can enter Ricco Tower.
Inside Ricco Tower is another secret level. Shadow Mario will show up at the beginning and steal F.L.U.D.D., so Mario has to clear the level solely with his acrobatic skills. The player has to guide Mario over giant rotating chunks of wood, paying close attention to their move pattern in order to avoid falling down into a Botomless Pit. The wooden pieces change their shapes and sizes the further Mario proceeds through the level. At the end, a Shine Sprite awaits. If Mario re-enters this Episode after having cleared it once, he can take F.L.U.D.D. with him into the level and also participate in a Red Coin challenge.
An almost-exact replica of the secret level is found in Super Mario Galaxy 2, as the Twisty Trials Galaxy.
Episode 5: Gooper Blooper Returns
The scene that plays after accessing the level shows a shot rotating around the helipad with Gooper Blooper on top. The area below the helipad is once again polluted with black goop and some Piantas can be seen infuriatingly yelling into the creature's direction. Mario can try to use the Rocket Nozzle to reach the helipad, but he can also talk to a Pianta on one of the metal platforms that were passed during Episode three. The Pianta will throw Mario onto the helipad and right into a battle with Gooper Blooper.
The battle against Gooper Blooper in this Episode plays exactly like the fight in the first Episode, but the Blooper sports also a new technique, which consists of rapidly moving his tentacles over the place like a giant rotor blade. The attack can be avoided by jumping over the tentacles. The battle then continues normally. The player has to cut off the Blooper's tentacles, pull on his snout, avoid the ring of black goop around the enemy and pull on the snout again. After defeating the Gooper Blooper for another time, Mario will receive his next Shine Sprite.
Episode 6: Red Coins on the Water
The sixth Episode sets in with another shot of the wooden platform that was shown in Episode two, until the view tilts over the harbor and its various sea vehicles. Big Daddy has now a big collection of Bloopers and once again he will lend one to Mario in this Episode. Before mounting a Blooper, the Player has to press the big red button on the wooden platform to make eight Red Coins appear all over the harbor's water. They then have to use one of the Bloopers to collect them all within the set time limit. While racing over the surface with high speed, the player has to watch out not to hit an obstacle like a ship while collecting the Coins. If Mario hits an object or runs out of time, he will lose an Extra Life. The Shine Sprite for collecting the set of Red Coins appears above Big Daddy's platform and has to be collected while riding on the Blooper. Because of this it is still possible to lose even after all the Coins are collected.
Episode 7: Shadow Mario Revisited
This is the Shadow Mario Episode of Ricco Harbor, and completing it is necessary to open the gate to Corona Mountain where the final boss lurks. The Episode begins with a shot of the ship with the crane, then tilts over to the cargo ship and zooms in on Shadow Mario who stands in front of the ship. Mario has to hunt down the enemy and spray him with water until he gives up. He first flees over the cargo ship and eventually climbs onto the girder complex above the harbor. The player has to watch not to fall off the path while pursuing Shadow Mario. After the enemy goes down, Mario will receive another Shine Sprite.
Episode 8: Yoshi's Fruit Adventure
The introduction scene begins with showing the two big fruit storages made of stone and then pans over to several metal platforms high above the water, with fish jumping between them. The pan shot then comes to a halt over a cage-like construct covered by a slimy Forcefield which has a Shine Sprite inside. As the title of the Episode implies, Mario has to use Yoshi to reach his destination. The Yoshi Egg can be found at the marketplace of the town district where Gooper Blooper was first fought, and the fruits needed to hatch the egg are located inside the two fruit storage buildings nearby. The fruits can be accessed by pressing the two switches atop the buildings. The player then has to use Yoshi's Juice attack which can turn enemies into platforms to navigate across the steel platforms. Using this the player can climb up to the caged Shine Sprite and remove the Force Field to gain access to it. During this Episode, the famous Doot-Doot Sisters are present in Ricco Harbor and can be found halfway through the town, surrounded by fans. Additionally, the fish market at the market place is shown to flourish again.
Episode 9: Red Coins in Ricco Tower
In this level, Mario must replay the The Secret of Ricco Tower level, though this time he must enter Ricco Tower and collect eight Red Coins. If he manages to collect them all before the 1:30 time limit is up, a Shine Sprite will be revealed.
Episode 10: Blooper Surfing Sequel
In this level, Mario must replay the Blooper Surfing Safari level. If he manages to complete the course in 40 seconds or less, a hidden Shine Sprite will be revealed.
Ships
The array of ships in Ricco Harbor changes as the episodes go by. The ships range from small motor boats to Handysize ships and a Submarine. The Number of ships changes from only three in episode 1, to over a dozen in episode 6. However three ships always are in port:
- A Handysize container ship directly in front of the starting point. It is red and black, and appears to be under repair, as there is caging around it that resembles a dry dock.
- Another Handysize ship, it is located to the left of the starting point. This ship appears to be a bulk carrier, because it has it's own crane, and it has several steel beams and pipes as it's cargo. It is blue and white.
- A very small yellow submarine (a possible reference to the Beatles) that is anchored in the middle of the port, this submarine is totally submerged in the first level, and the player can earn a Blue Coin for raising it completely. Hero may be it's captain.
- A small size cruise ship type of recreational Yacht between in the middle of entrance to the port.
Official Profiles and Statistics
Isle Delfino's port city is home to boats of all sizes and a thriving tourist trade. The fish market has the freshest seafood for miles around.
Trivia
- "Ricco" is Italian for "rich", so the name translates to "Rich Harbor".
- Ricco Harbor ("Rich Harbor") can also be a parody play on the name of the Caribbean island Puerto Rico (which, in Spanish, means "Rich Port").
- Hero seems to be the protector of this Harbor for unknown reasons.
- Near the helipad, there is a yellow submarine, which may be a reference to the Beatles song of that name.
- Ricco Harbor can be seen from Delfino Plaza and Pinna Park, and vice versa.
- Because of this, Ricco Harbor makes a cameo in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, where it can be seen from the Delfino Plaza stage.
