The SNES RPG — which launched in 1996 in Japan and North America — already has a healthy fanbase, but for many, this Switch remake will be the first time they’ll be able to dive into Mario’s adventures with Mallow, Geno, Princess Peach, and Bowser. So, for old-timers like us and newcomers, we want to celebrate what makes this game special and get you excited for Super Mario RPG.
With that, let’s-a-GO!
17 Reasons To Be Excited About The Super Mario RPG Remake
This is the first Mario RPG ever
The Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series’ both owe a ton to Super Mario RPG’s existence.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars launched on the Super Famicom on 9th March 1996, with a North American release following on 13th May of the same year. It was the first time Mario had ever ventured into the RPG genre, but make no mistake, this is an RPG with a distinctly Mario twist.
There are platforming segments, coins to collect, and all of the items and power-ups are distinctly Mario — from mushrooms to fireballs. This is also where the timing-based battle system came into play — timing your jumps with Mario in battle meant you could do more damage, and you could also block attacks at the press of a button. It made turn-based combat — which can be a bit of a turn-off for some — feel more interactive.
In a world where many feel like the Paper Mario RPGs have shed their traditional RPG roots, and where AlphaDream (the developer of Mario & Luigi) is no longer, you owe it to yourself to check out where the Mario RPG magic began.
Square worked on the original
Nintendo and Square’s historic relationship is very well documented at this point, and we don’t need to go over it here (including the fallout over a certain disc-based system). But Square and RPGs go hand-in-hand, particularly on the Super NES, so when looking for a developer to create a Mario RPG, there was no better choice.
Do we need to list how many RPGs Square had developed for the SNES before SMRPG even hit shelves? Here’s us being extremely selective: three Final Fantasy games, two Mana games, three Romancing SaGa games, Front Mission, Bahamut Lagoon, Live A Live, and Chrono Trigger.
Square Enix is credited in the trailer for Super Mario RPG, but we don’t quite know whether it’s currently working on the new remake.
It’s pretty short
If you think of RPGs, you often associate them with long run times and lots of levelling. At the bare minimum, you’ll probably need to set aside about 25 hours of your life, and usually, it averages around 40.
Super Mario RPG doesn’t come close to that, however. It’s one of the briskest RPGs out there, and you can finish the game in around 15-17 hours, or just over 20 hours if you want to do everything. That’s for the SNES version, of course — the Switch version might be longer or shorter. But we don’t expect it to take a good chunk out of your life, still.
Playable Peach and Bowser
While Mario will be making new friends in Super Mario RPG (more on those in a bit), this is one of the first games where both Peach and Bowser join Mario and help him save the world.
Peach (called Princess Toadstool in the SNES version) is basically your Final Fantasy White Mage. She’s the best healer, and she’s strong against Holy (light) attacks. She also has bombs to hand, because a Princess definitely needs bombs. She’s a badass and is probably the best party member in the game.
Bowser is the comic relief character of the game, but he’s got some physical prowess to boot. The King Koopa attacks with Chain Chomps and sometimes even throws Mario at the enemies for extra damage. Lots of Bowser’s special attacks call on his allies, like Big Boo, Mokura, and Mechakoopa. Magic is really king in this game, but Bowser is always worth having around for a good laugh.
Geno and Mallow are alive!
Nintendo remembers! Finally.
Mallow and Geno are two brand new characters for Super Mario RPG, both created by Square for the game. If you’re a Smash Bros. fan, you’ve probably had to listen to people beg for Geno (and sometimes Mallow) to be added to Smash, and while that hasn’t happened up until now… think of the possibilities, readers.
Mallow is a frog (We know, he doesn’t look like one, but Mallow says he is, so we believe him) who is an exceptional mage. He’s talkative, clumsy, and very emotional. Geno is the total opposite — a living doll who is the fastest character in the game and a great physical attacker, and a man of few words. These two have been cult favourites since Super Mario RPG was first released, and the idea that many more will be able to get to know them — besides their cameos as either a costume (Geno) or Spirit (Mallow) in Smash — is maybe the thing we’re most excited about.
This was the first isometric Mario game
Sonic may have tried isometric platforming with Sonic 3D Blast, but Mario waited a few more years before it tried taking this unique perspective — and it lends itself to the game’s charm.
Super Mario RPG is the only isometric Mario game we can think of — it helps make the world feel very Mario — cute, quaint, and colourful — and it allows you to see everything on the screen, from item boxes to enemies. It’s a nice little twist on the top-down perspective we’re otherwise used to in classic RPGs.
It stays faithful to the original
Lots of remakes like to do a complete overhaul of the game they’re updating, but from the looks of things, Super Mario RPG is sticking to its SNES template and embracing its roots.
We’ll talk about the visuals and music in a second here but at first glance, not a hair is out of place. It looks like there are going to be more cutscenes this time around — Mario’s introduction, where he leaves the house, is a bit different here than in the SNES version — but on the whole, this is the same game from 27 years ago.
