There is a scene early in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars where Mario, along with his new friend Mallow, a “frog” who looks like a cloud of cotton candy in pants, is chasing a thief. Toad, faithful servant of the Mushroom Kingdom, reports seeing it and then scoffs at the question of why he didn’t stop the thief himself: “Because I forgot my bazooka at home! My God”.
It would be a throwaway line (Toad’s big gun never materializes) if it didn’t so efficiently set the tone for the playful, sometimes downright unhinged experience of Super Mario RPG—A rare case of a much-loved but never-remade game that Nintendo finally brings to Switch nearly 30 years after its initial release. Today, the game remains wonderfully unchanged and surprisingly fun, a testament to how special it was then and still is now in the era of Nintendo’s flagship achievements.
When Super Mario RPG arrived for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996, the franchise model was already practically established: 2D side scrolling, power-ups and platforms. mario role playing game broke that mold, introducing an isometric 3D art style and turn-based encounters. Players teamed up with Peach, Bowser, and two original characters to face a threat greater than a kidnapped princess. A never-before-seen collaboration between Nintendo and Final Fantasy creator Square (later to become Square Enix), the game would continue to inspire the much-loved paper mario series.
He Change version of mario role playing game It keeps the original game intact with some quality of life updates, such as a new easier mode, team attacks, updated visuals, and a modern soundtrack (although you can turn on the old music if you prefer). Mario is on his usual mission to rescue Peach from Bowser’s loving clutches when a giant, talking sword cuts through the castle, sending the three flying. With the world order disrupted, Mario searches for seven stars to defeat the villainous Smithy and his spiky lackeys.
Unlike other Mario games, the task is not always so simple. mario role playing game It’s full of ridiculous side quests (collect beetles, overfeed Yoshis, search for ghost flags) and strange mini-games that add to the gameplay. One of the best absolutely absurd sequences in the title involves Mario chasing Peach, who is strapped to the back of her captor, a bearded weirdo named Booster, up a hill, dodging barrels and henchmen as she rushes to a chapel to marry against their will. It’s not just that the only way to save her is to sneak into the chapel where everyone else trying to get married has been rudely kicked out, find her dropped wedding paraphernalia, and fight an evil cake; Overall, it’s strange for a Mario game of its time. Even today, such a comical plot is unimaginable considering that the stars involved are jealously guarded by their creator.
Nintendo is careful with its brand, especially when it comes to its mustachioed plumber. mario’s strength It’s your sympathy; when the company brought him to big screen this year, they did it with great personal involvement and star power. The film exists within a carefully constructed reality of what Mario will or won’t do.
Super Mario RPG, where Peach’s tears are licked from her face (“salty!”) and Mario can outstay his wallet’s welcome and lock himself in a hotel suite, sometimes feels like a fever dream of a game, or some type of unlicensed homebrew. It’s hard to find anything else in the Plumber’s forty-odd years of gaming history that compares. However, even as a hotel squatter, Mario retains his integrity. The manager forces Mario to work as a bellhop until he can cover his expenses. Where else can Nintendo teach you the value of an honest day’s work?
