Back in the ’90s, Mario was a phenomenon (much like today) and the franchise was a massive hit. It sold like crazy, allowing Nintendo to firmly establish itself at the top. Big N became a giant, and its plumber would become an iconic figure for generations, although they didn’t fully realize it at the time.
Unusually, especially by today’s standards, the company let its license wander off for a few adventures. During that time, one of these adventures was managed by Square, the undisputed master of JRPGs in the ’90s.
The result was Super Mario RPG, a game drastically different from the rest of the franchise, for better or for worse.
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The game was a hit in Japan, selling nearly 1.5 million copies. Unfortunately, this Mario RPG never made its way out of Japan.
Europeans had nothing to sink their teeth into, and Square even had a falling out with Nintendo, preferring to cozy up to Sony instead.
As a result, we had no game, no sequel, no hope of seeing it arrive on our shores… well, that was until now because, for this year’s end, Super Mario RPG returns in a brand-new remake developed by ArtePiazza, a studio renowned for its Dragon Quest remakes on DS and 3DS.
This is our unique and ideal opportunity to lay our hands on one of the UFOs punctuating Super Mario’s history. It’s a strange but fascinating journey.
Super Mario RPG Trailer
Mario in the world of RPGs
Coming fresh out of Super Mario Wonder, a true gaming marvel, jumping into Mario RPG can be bewildering. Gone are the vibrant, almost pastel colors and the grandiose artistic direction, replaced by a much less airy adventure.
Mario RPG presents itself as a classic RPG of that era. Isometric view, a small world map, turn-based combat… the game hardly changed compared to the original 1996 version, except for one detail—the artistic direction of the characters.
Mario, Bowser, Peach, the Toads, and the gang adopt the roundness of their features gained over the years. It’s a delight to see their faces again, especially to play alongside them in a way entirely different from what we’re used to.
While this keeps the game relatively consistent with the recent productions of the franchise, it sometimes feels out of place in the setting. The environments are less magical and colorful compared to what we see in other franchise games.
This remake stays true to its original model, so the settings are more detailed and “realistic,” so to speak. The colors are more “subdued,” and the overall atmosphere is darker than usual.
This creates a kind of disconnect between our heroes and the places they explore, a feeling that persists throughout the adventure, even though we’ll encounter many scenes drawn from the Mushroom Kingdom.
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A plumber true to himself
RPG or not, Mario remains Mario. There’s a big villain, who this time overshadows the ever-present Bowser for a few hours, and the kingdom is in peril. So, it’s up to Mario to put on his overalls and save the world once again.
It’s the routine for the plumber. But here, there are no platforms to navigate, although a few sequences will demand precise jumps. It’s a bit tricky because the isometric view poses a problem for movement and anticipating our jumps. But it’s not a big deal since what reigns here is the classic RPG style.
We navigate through semi-open levels where a variety of monsters roam, whom we must defeat to gain experience and items.
It’s quite amusing to see that, ultimately, RPG elements blend rather well with Mario’s universe. The bestiary is extensive, the items (mushrooms, stars, coins…) are all present, and we encounter mechanics from the main series. Hammer, jumping on heads… Mario knows how to fight.
Being an RPG, we also get plenty of new features, like elemental powers, such as summoning lightning, or the ability to equip three small pieces of gear to boost statistics. However, it remains relatively basic.
The stats simply cover health points, defense, attack, and “mana” (represented by flowers) for using our skills. There’s no need to be afraid; Mario RPG isn’t very complicated and remains extremely accessible.
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An accessible RPG
It’s more talkative than other Mario games and has unique mechanics drawn directly from licenses that Square used to handle back then. We can have a chat with many NPCs, while most cutscenes are silent.
It’s worth mentioning that the game is entirely translated into French and quite well localized, avoiding any glitches or weird expressions, which unfortunately happen sometimes.
Aside from chatting with Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants bustling with life, players can buy equipment and items from various shops or rent a room to sleep and regain health.
RPG enthusiasts are familiar with these mechanics, and the game gently guides newcomers to understand the gameplay mechanics easily.
Mario RPG isn’t too difficult, making it an excellent entry point for those who have never really played an RPG before. Managing equipment is straightforward (three slots and that’s it), and the combat system is very accessible.
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Classic yet entertaining battles
It’s classic turn-based combat where we have to choose an action each turn (attack, defend, use an item or magic…). Each character in our team takes turns, generally with different abilities or approaches to combat. Some prefer confrontation, while others might favor magic or defense, for example.
There are quite a few franchise heroes who will join us during our adventure, but shh, that’s a secret! As for enemies, each has strengths and weaknesses that we must exploit to defeat them and move on. To add more dynamism, the developers included a combo system.
Whenever we take an action (offensive or defensive), we have the opportunity to press a button at the exact moment of impact.
This not only increases damage (or mitigates damage when defending) by stacking stat boosts each time but also fills a combo gauge that triggers powerful bonuses when full. It’s quite enjoyable, especially during tougher battles, like with bosses, who can quickly punish us.
Yes, Super Mario RPG is a good remake
Other novelties are also present besides the obvious graphical, technical, and audio overhaul. For instance, there’s a fast-travel system available on the fly, automatic saves in addition to the classic manual saves, an easy mode, and a bestiary that lists all encountered creatures.
These are nice additions that don’t detract from the original experience. And in the worst-case scenario, if you’re a staunch purist, you can simply ignore these new features.
Otherwise, the game remains identical to its original material. The story, staging, dialogues… nothing has changed, and that’s for the best.
Unlucky Europeans in the ’90s can now enjoy an excellent little game that breaks away from conventions, just like back then, even better in fact. Better late than never!
Conclusion
Super Mario RPG is an excellent remake. The game is quirky and very old-school but has enough quality to deserve our full attention, especially considering the numerous improvements.
With graphical enhancements, character design alignment, and quality-of-life adjustments, Super Mario RPG serves as the perfect entry point for players who’ve never stepped into an RPG world.
It’s accessible and fun, yet still interesting due to its combat combo system and slight strategic dimension. While not an absolute must-have, Super Mario RPG remains a very good addition
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