Super Mario RPG is a remaster/remake of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Star for Nintendo Switch, a game developed by Square (now Square Enix) and released by Nintendo in 1996, for the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System).
Gameplay
The gameplay overall feels really nice, especially considered that this game is a remake of a game from 1996. The combat system plays really nice, and if you time button presses correctly, you can get combos, which add more damage, and if you time it perfectly, a splash damage attack that hits all enemies. The magic attacks are awesome and creative, the status effects are actually debilitating, and the items have some really cool unique effects, and don’t feel too powerful, or not powerful enough. The exploration is fun and cool, the secrets feel satisfying to figure out, the equipable items are balanced for the amount of work you have to do to get them. The boss fights always have some interesting unique mechanics, whether that be disabling buttons, a timer, multiple bosses, or calling in allies. The only complaint I really have is that the game is pretty easy (having no hard mode), but that isn’t really major, as this isn’t really a serious game. There is also some bonus content after the main game that is a lot more challenging than the base game, so if you beat the game I would definitely recommend doing that.
Story
The story starts when Princess Peach gets captured by Bowser, and is taken to his castle. Mario follows him, and quickly rescues Peach, when a giant talking monster crashes into Bowser’s Keep, and launches everyone out of the castle. The story revolves around Mario, and his party of various different characters that he meets along the way traveling around the in-game world, defeating various talking weapon members of Smithy Gang, the followers of Smithy, a giant talking anvil who plans to take over the world. They must collect all seven star pieces before Smithy does.
Graphics/Artstyle/Music
The graphics are a massive upgrade from the original, being ported to a better graphics system. But where this game most succeeds is in the artstyle. The game looks beautiful, especially considering it was made for the Switch (which is better than the SNES, but still not great by today’s standard), a great example of artstyle in games being more important than graphics. The cutscenes especially look good, seeing as they don’t need to render so many 3D objects, but the gameplay areas of the game still look absolutely great. The music is awesome, being ported from the original, with remastered sounds so it’s not quite as grainy. Some of my favorite tunes are Tadpole Pond (Grandpa and the Upbeat Tadpoles) and Forest Maze (Beware of Forest Mushrooms).
In conclusion, I would probably give Super Mario RPG an 8/10 rating, as the story is great, the gameplay and combos work well, and the Music is great, and definitely solidifies the overall vibe of the game. I would say for sure buy the game if you’re considering, and if you’re not, think about it!
