Almost thirty years after the original, Super Mario RPG returns in an (almost completely) modern way: discover the restoration in our review
Sorry if we took our time as happened with the previous one review of an exclusive for Nintendo Switchbut for the (double) gender of belonging with Super Mario RPG we couldn’t do otherwise. And let me tell you that we are really very, very torn: on the one hand there are those sparks of excellence which, in theory, would instantly crown the title on a now boundless “Olympus of the best”. On the other hand, however, some flaws emerge which lead it to be “just” an excellent product. On the other hand, we know, the “oil and water” effect for what was the first collaboration between Nintendo and Squaresoft (today Square-Enix) remained intact.
Contrary to the scrutiny dedicated to Super Mario Bros. Wonder, we will avoid dwelling on what makes this game more unique than rare; there’s a special especially if you want an appendix. However, it remains appropriate to note the historical-videogame context of this remake: the Big N’s wonder console is as much on its way out now as the good old Super Nintendo Entertainment System was back in the day 1996. Or, to make a comparison with something more recent, we are in a “late 3DS” phase, between remasters, ports and remakes. That said, the very fact of being a Mario role-playing game when the other role-playing saga, Mario & Luigi, was orphaned by Alphadream gives the title an additional value by default.
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The plot of Super Mario RPG plays a lot on the narrative poverty which, to a minimal extent at least, even characterized our previous review subject. The video above is limited to a simple “Bowser has done something else”, but soon the princess in danger excuse takes a completely different turn. The gigantic Exor sword, emissary of the unexpected antagonist Great Blacksmithshatters the Stellar Way and becomes irreparably stuck in the castle of Bowserthrowing Mario, Peach and the King of the Koopas in completely different directions. He will be the mustache, the “honorary frog” Mallow and to the stellar spirit Geno restore the astral plane capable of granting wishes.
Even though this is a plot known to the public for the last twenty-seven years, we don’t want to spoil anything about the expansion that Squaresoft brought to a Mario universe that was still not well defined at the time. We have a “Mushroom Castle”, not Peach’s Castle from Super Mario 64. And in the surrounding area there are not Toads distinguished only by the color of their hair, but a real people who, in some cases, even have names and surnames. The atmosphere you breathe is that of a Final Fantasy in Mario sauce, more than a plumber’s adventure in RPG variant. There’s no shortage of humor (and, with the unreleased Italian localization, shines more than ever), just as the “heart” is not missing. The same one that Intelligent Systems will rediscover next year by dusting off Paper Mario: The Millennial Portal.
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Of course, in terms of gameplay the management of the exploration phases diligently respects the standards of the Kyoto Colossus. There are still limitations typical of RPG maps, such as the impossibility of quickly exiting a watercourse if you do not have the appropriate bank or a very spartan jumping mechanic. However Mario’s mobility manages to make the isometric map much more enjoyable than you can say about a Final Fantasy, an Octopath Traveler or even a random LIVE A LIVE. The imprint of Nintendo (or rather, of Shigeru Miyamoto) can also be felt during turn-based combat, a component that a pre-Pokémon Big N would not have yet fully embraced.
The benefits (and/or variations on the theme) guaranteed by this conceptual crossover succeed in the difficult aim of making the rhythm marked by the shifts much more digestible than expected, now as then. THE action commands, for example, increase the damage output when we press the appropriate button at the right time during an attack. The Super Star appears sporadically in some new areas to allow the player to defeat a slew of enemies in the overworld, counting each victory as a real battle complete with a level increase. Once we reach which, by the way, we will be able to choose one statistic out of three to upgrade. And players sometimes enjoy it occasional refills to life points after an attack, or of items refunded immediately after use.
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Don’t be under any illusions: if you’re abstinent from Mario & Luigi, this adventure is still for you, but it remains first and foremost a Square-Enix production. Notwithstanding that we would never have seen pre-emptive strikes on enemies before Paper Mario, certain role-playing game canons have managed to remain, however. Without a bit of grinding, for example, expect frequent fainting in the team. The statuses include almost all variations on the Final Fantasy theme: sleep and poisoning appear, but also mutism (here “Silence”) and so on. From this point of view, it is a completely “classic” role-playing game: the balance can be broken in favor of the player, but patience is needed.
For example, unlike the simple combination of suits and pins from Mario & Luigi, they also have a place here weapons alternatives to hammers, in addition to locker room and to the occasional accessories. The latter vary from simple immunity to a specific status to the possibility of increasing the level more quickly, then passing through the Campanella Ring to know in which room a secret chest block is hidden. In general, though, you’ll want to approach the game with an open mind. And this is true whether you come from a platformer background or whether you love role-playing games. This is not a “failed platformer” like Mario & Luigi, also because the timing of the action commands is rather severe.
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Of course we are no longer in 1996, when this game served as an introduction to Squaresoft ten times better than the unfortunate Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. We are in 2023, in a world now accustomed (on a global scale) to the dedication required by Japanese role-playing games. This may be why, therefore, there are different places quality-of-life changesas the easy mode. Not that this is of much use: we didn’t get a single game over before the last 20% or so of the game, even on normal difficulty. The action commands, if successfully chained together, fill the indicator in percentage terms three-way moveswhich vary based on active party members and operate (again) similarly to Final Fantasy invocations.
The development team, aka the talented division of Square-Enix ArtePiazza, preferred to ensure a certain balance with a couple of tricks. The first, most obvious, consists of strong enemies who occasionally appear among the ranks of the adversaries. These are much tougher and more aggressive variants of regular enemies, which drop Frog Coins (a very rare secondary currency) once defeated. After the final battle, they then become accessible bosses’ rematches: Much more difficult versions of the previous fights, full of attacks with damage output in the four-digit range. And, of course, a certain guest of honor serves as an optional boss. Twice.
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What you’ve heard about the game is true: there is a multitude of secrets to discover. There is also no shortage of Easter eggs, such as Terra’s Magitek armor from Final Fantasy VI in Booster’s Tower. Never object blockswhich as already mentioned Square-Enix has merged with the design of the chests of its series, also appear in invisible version. At least initially, the Campanella Ring created specifically to find them can do little. There are some hidden above others, and which require you to climb up previously opened blocks. Nothing to actually cry foul about, but the “and how was I supposed to understand that?!” moments. they will be truly numerous.
At the same time, the secondary activities, pseudo-minigames (like the Wedding Church) and actual minigames. Everything is perfectly contextualized during the adventure, but nothing stops the player from spending a few coins on beat your own records. Rewards range from Frog Coins topermanent expansion of Flower Points, or the magic points shared by the team we alluded to previously. And, of course, some of these optional tests are also located in secret places… are you starting to notice a pattern? The game exists halfway between the accessibility of a Mario and the dedication required by a classic role-playing game. It’s up to you to decide if he is a crossroads o one limbo.
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The new interface for the overworld menu is, without fear of overestimation, simply applause-worthy. In the adventure menu there are various items, among which there is no shortage of options to personalize the experience. Not only the modern soundtrack can give way to its 1996 counterpart at any timebut the same can be said of the choice of difficulty, not binding in any way. Speaking of music, there’s an easy-to-understand extra about it, but you don’t talk about it until you’ve seen the credits at least once. Check the menu after the final battle, what do you think?
For completionists, then, there is something to speak of: in fact the monster list, a true Final Fantasy style bestiary (we swear that sooner or later we will stop making comparisons, ed.) to which Mallow can contribute whenever he takes part in a clash with Clairvoyance magic. The travel notes, however, contains the salient points of the story, narrated alternately by Mallow and Geno. If we want to talk about quality-of-life changes, it is not only possible return to the title screen at any time, but there is also a alternative map with which you can travel more comfortably between worlds without necessarily leaving the area you are in. As if it were a level selection screen, in a nutshell.
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We cannot praise enough the care that Square-Enix has put into the presentation of the title. Or at least, some small flaws on the graphics front there is. On the one hand we have a very clean reinterpretation of the original, betraying the isometric view with pre-rendered cutscenes only when they go well with the narrative (with Kingdom Hearts style subtitles and a typically pre-Wonder absence of dubbing). The pantomime with which Mario tells other characters about past events has not aged a single day, and the HD textures on…