Super Mario RPG

Genre: Isometric Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

When it was first released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996, Super Mario RPG (originally subtitled “Legend of the Seven Stars”) was revolutionary in countless ways. At the time, the genre didn’t enjoy anywhere near the popularity it does today, so for Nintendo to put their star mascot in one was quite a surprise. In addition, this was a rare occurrence of Nintendo giving their licensed characters to another major game company, in this case Squaresoft (now known as Square Enix). What’s more, Super Mario RPG wasn’t just a standard cookie-cutter entry in the genre, but actually revolutionized the genre in multiple ways.

In the years following this release, we’ve seen both the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi franchises act as spiritual successors to Super Mario RPG, with multiple entries in both franchises releasing to great acclaim. However, in more recent years, this has not been the case – Mario & Luigi developer AlphaDream closed down after the release of Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey for Nintendo 3DS (though the last game to feature AlphaDream in the credits would technically be Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which they contributed to). And the Paper Mario series, while still occasionally releasing titles, has strayed away from more traditional Turn-Based JRPGs, with the latest game in the series, Paper Mario: The Origami King, featuring an odd blend of RPG and Puzzle mechanics for its combat gameplay.

With this being the case, it was a surprise and delight for fans of Mario RPGs when Nintendo announced it would be bringing back the game that started it all in a full remake, with the game releasing on Nintendo Switch in 2023.

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“I’m lightning in a bottle! I’m an earthquake in a can!”

Of course, the biggest change in Super Mario RPG’s release on Nintendo Switch is how the presentation has been completely redone from top to bottom. Where the original game used pre-rendered 2D graphics, the Nintendo Switch version of the game remakes everything using fully-3D visuals interspersed by occasional cutscenes. These new visuals are colorful and expressive, and even more detailed… and also extremely faithful to the look of the original game.

In fact, I feel like saying this game is faithful to the look of the original is an understatement. The original release of Super Mario 64 comes from before the days of Super Mario 64, before Nintendo had settled on a standard for how Mario, Peach, and the rest would be depicted in 3D. And by comparison to the way Mario is depicted in modern games, this version of Mario is short and squat, like his character model got squished down to half its usual size. This look isn’t necessarily bad, but it may be jarring to players used to Mario’s modern depictions.

A few stylistic changes have been made here and there. Mario’s Pipe House has been chanced to “Mario House”, Mario no longer gives the two-fingered “peace” sign when completing a battle. However, for the most part such changes are minimal – this is about as faithful as you could expect a remake to be without muddying the waters by bringing remasters into the conversation.

Also reproduced here is the original game’s isometric perspective. While the game’s 3D visuals could theoretically be spun around to view them from any angle, developer ArtePiazza has opted to retain the original game’s perspective, making this a true 1:1 experience with the original, save for a few additions which I’ll detail in a bit.

However, while the game retains the stylistic design of the original game, it has been greatly enhanced here, with wonderful high-resolution detail, lighting and shadow effects, and reflection effects. The characters now feature fluid animation, even at times when they were perfectly still in the original – while waiting their turn in battle, characters now subtly sway in place. And on level-up screens, when one character is leveling up, their comrades will now perform adorable celebratory dances that show their characters’ personality.

All of this is depicted with 1080p resolution in docked mode and 720p resolution in handheld mode. All of this is at 60FPS framerates, though these framerates can occasionally dip, something that’s a bit jarring while the camera is scrolling, making for somewhat jerky movement. It’s a disappointing flaw in what is otherwise arguably a graphical showpiece on Nintendo Switch.

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“You want a music lesson from MOI?”

In addition to the remade visuals, the game’s soundtrack has also been completely remade, bringing back the original game’s composer, Yoko Shimomura (of Kingdom Hearts fame). The combination synthesized and instrumental remakes of the original game’s superb soundtrack are frequently delightful, with standout examples including Battling Bowser, Danger Abounds, Hello, Happy Kingdom, Danger Aplenty, Let’s Take the Midas River, Beware of Forest Mushrooms, Let’s Race!, And That Makes Me Booster!, The Bell Rings Out at Marrymore, Battling Culex (a remake of the Final Fantasy IV boss theme), Let’s Get Fluffy!, Dodo Has Arrived!, Barrel Volcano, Battling Smithy, and Wishes From the Stars.

To this, you might ask, “did you just name half of the game’s soundtrack as standouts?”, to which I would answer… what of it? This game’s soundtrack is absolutely incredible, and the quality of the remake is superb. And for those who preferred the synthesized original versions, you can switch over to the original soundtrack from the menu screen at any time (well, outside of battles, cutscenes, and conversations, at least).

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“Perhaps it’s time you told us your story!”

One element of the game’s presentation that has remained largely untouched is the story, which strikes a good balance between epic and whimsical, never taking itself too seriously, but being sufficiently emotional or stirring when it needs to be.

The game starts in much the same way most Mario games end – Bowser has kidnapped Peach, and Mario shows up at Bowser’s castle to defeat the villain and save the princess. Only just as Mario is about to untie Peach and escort her home, a massive sword plunges into the castle, scattering the three characters and destroying the bridge leading to the castle.

We soon discover that the sword, which has eyes and a mouth, is a member of Smithy’s Gang, a group that has shattered Star Road and is now wreaking havoc across the lands below. Being the plucky hero he is, Mario gradually gathers up an unlikely team of allies to take on Smithy’s gang, restore Star Road, and save the kingdom.

This plot may not seem especially noteworthy from this description, but it works magnificently well due to how well-written and likeable its characters are, how funny the game is, and how often it subverts expectations. Starting the game at the end of a typical Mario adventure only to show that Mario’s just getting started with something much greater in scope than he’s used to is just a taste of some of the Mario conventions that this game upends.

In addition, this game makes hilarious use of the “mute protagonist” trope, with Mario apparently being the only major character in the game who can’t speak, but is asked to communicate with others. Rather than just having characters respond to him as if he spoke when we didn’t see him say anything, Mario communicates through pantomime, even transforming into other characters to recount events to them. And frequently throughout the game, he’ll be asked to prove that he actually is Mario, which players do by, what else? Jumping. Like I said, this game has a great sense of humor, and playing through its story will surely keep a smile on your face.

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“You better watch out, this guy knows about Timed Hits Action Commands!”

The gameplay is another area that has remained mostly untouched, though there are a few additions and enhancements.

The Timed Hits from the original game are back, this time renamed as Action Commands. The original release was revolutionary in that players could time button presses to the use of attacks or when receiving damage to increase damage dealt and decrease damage received, something that influenced later games, including 2023’s Sea of Stars.

In the Nintendo Switch version, this element is further enhanced, and if your timing when pressing the button is perfect, you can do even greater damage with your attacks, as well as hitting other enemies with a bit of damage on top of it, and you can block incoming attacks well enough to reduce damage to zero. This game also adds a counter that tracks how many times you successfully use these Action Commands, which enhances the effectiveness of these moves even further the higher it counts up.

In addition to this, players also now have a gauge that gradually fills in the lower-left corner of the combat screen, and once it reaches 100%, players can unleash a powerful Triple Move involving all three characters in your active party.

Oh, speaking of which, you can swap out party members mid-battle, one of many quality-of-life improvements added to this game. There’s also an auto-save whenever you’re on the map screen in addition to save blocks, there’s a fast travel feature, a few additional control options, and a brand new easy mode, just to name some of the biggest changes.

None of these changes or additions drastically changes the game. Arguably, some of the new battle options make the game easier, but Super Mario RPG was never an especially hard game to begin with. For the most part, these changes just remove inconveniences and make the game more enjoyable and more accessible.

And what we’re left with is an absolutely superb RPG with a lot of variety, a lot of personality, and fun little things hidden away throughout its estimated 12-20 hour quest (depending on how much of a completionist you are). Yes, compared to most JRPGs, Super Mario RPG is somewhat short, but it also doesn’t feel like it has much in the way of padding. This is an enjoyable adventure from start to finish.

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“You’ve heard of wishing upon a shooting star?”

In the end, Super Mario RPG on Nintendo Switch is a faithful remake of a classic game that has already aged wonderfully, but the updates to the graphics, the music, and the gameplay make it even better. While no one is going to claim that this is an especially difficult or profound entry in the genre, it is nevertheless a truly delightful and highly-influential RPG that should serve as a great entry point for newer players looking to try out the genre, and it is such a joy from start to finish that even veterans of the genre should consider it a must-play. The amount of character, humor, variety, and pure inspiration on display here is just as impressive now as it was when the game first released. Do not miss this game.

tl;dr – Super Mario RPG is a remake of the 1996 classic SNES Isometric Turn-Based JRPG that’s extremely faithful to the original while adding completely modernized graphics and music, as well as new gameplay features. This is a great remake of a great game, and while it’s somewhat short and easy for a JRPG, it is so enjoyable throughout its 12-20 hour adventure that any fan of the genre should consider it a must-have, and players wanting to try their first RPG should consider this an excellent entry point. Either way, this game is outstanding.

Grade: A

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