Mario has always been gaming’s renaissance man. Whereas most video game series fit into a particular genre and stick with it, Mario has been the vessel with which Nintendo stretches their creative muscle. Not only are the core Mario platformers ever evolving with their ideas, but Mario and his world have found their way into pretty much every genre the medium has to offer. Mario Kart is the most famous of Mario spinoffs, but the mustachioed hero has also found his way into puzzle games, party games, and virtually every sport under the sun. Mario’s versatility was put to its biggest test on the Super Nintendo way back in 1996, however, with the release of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
At the time, the story-driven, dialogue-heavy RPG genre seemed as far removed from the instantaneous fun of the Super Mario series as you could get. But Nintendo and Squaresoft (now Square-Enix) made the oddball combination work. And work beautifully.
Though initially conceived as a more traditional RPG in both gameplay and setting by Square (Mario was originally to ride a horse and use a sword), Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto was intrigued by the concept of the game, but not the direction, and took matters into his own hands as a creative consultant to find a balance between making the game more Mario-esque, while simultaneously making it unlike any Mario game that had come before (or since). The end result is a game that subverted both the RPG genre and the Mario series, and even toyed with gaming conventions themselves. A humorous story filled with oddball characters (even by Mario standards) and completed with an interactive battle system, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars proved to be one of the brightest highlights in a series that has never had a shortage of highlights.
Sadly, despite winning critical acclaim and becoming one of the most beloved Mario games and RPGs of all time, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars proved to be a one and done. With Square and Nintendo going their separate ways shortly after the release of Super Mario RPG, everything that the game brought to the Mario series seemed locked in that moment in time, never to be revisited. Though the game’s DNA can be felt in its spiritual successors Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi (and the many indie RPGs it inspired, such as Undertale), Super Mario RPG is one of the exceedingly rare Mario games to never get a sequel. And with Square bizarrely getting the rights to the unique characters and elements Super Mario RPG brought into the Mario universe, they seemed destined to obscurity. Fans have begged Nintendo to include the character “Geno” in Super Smash Bros. for two decades now, only for their wishes to go ignored by willingly deaf ears.
After twenty-seven years and repeated disappointments, fans of the beloved RPG had understandably given up hope that Nintendo and Square would ever remember Super Mario RPG. That is until that fateful morning in June 2023, when during a Nintendo Direct, Nintendo revealed a full-blown remake of Super Mario RPG for the Nintendo Switch, an announcement that brought many fans to tears (myself very much included). Released on November 17th 2023, the Super Mario RPG remake proved to be everything fans could’ve hoped for and more. It’s the same Super Mario RPG we know and love (sans the “Legend of the Seven Stars” subtitle), only it looks and sounds better than ever, and even includes a few meaningful gameplay additions and tweaks to make this classic feel even more timeless.
The story begins the same as it always does, with Bowser absconding with Princess Peach, and Mario setting out to rescue her. Mario immediately finds himself in Bowser’s Castle (referred to here as “Bowser’s Keep”), instantly letting the player know something is different. Just as Mario defeats Bowser and is about to rescue the princess, a massive sword descends from the sky and plunges into Bowser’s Keep, resulting in a tremendous earthquake that sends the trio of Mario, Bowser and Peach into different regions of the Mushroom Kingdom.
It turns out the giant sword is “Exor,” a servant of an evil blacksmith from another world named “Smithy.” The Smithy gang – an assortment of anthropomorphic weapons created by Smithy – plan to take over Mario’s world. After the Smithy Gang take over the castle and Bowser’s army, Exor destroys the path to Bowser’s Keep, meaning Mario will have to journey across the world to find entry into the castle. Things are even more dire than Mario realizes, however, as during its descent into Mario’s world, Exor slashed through the Star Road, shattering it into seven Star Pieces. The Star Road, it turns out, is where people’s wishes go in order to be granted. With the Star Road broken, people’s wishes can’t come true.
Luckily for Mario, he won’t be alone, as he gains four valuable allies during his adventure. Princess Peach and even Bowser himself join Mario’s team, alongside two characters unique to Super Mario RPG: Mallow and Geno. Mallow is a cute and fluffy fellow who believes himself to be a frog. He possesses powerful weather-based magic and wants to become brave like Mario. Geno is an otherworldly being on a mission to repair the Star Road, taking possession of the body of a doll which makes him something of a cross between Gandalf and Buzz Lightyear. So Mario and his friends (and Bowser) go on an adventure to recover the seven Star Pieces in order to repair Star Road so people’s wishes can come true, before the Smithy Gang can get control of them to make Smithy’s dark desires a reality.
Super Mario RPG was the first story-heavy Mario game, and appropriately, it’s as charming as video game stories get. Though Mario is his usual, silent protagonist self, the game brings out so much personality (and humor) from its characters, both new and returning. Princess Peach wants to prove herself a hero, tired of being in the damsel-in-distress role. Bowser’s personality as a self-conscious, insecure bully (depicted heavily in The Super Mario Bros. Movie) was first developed here. Mallow is the sensitive kid who wants to prove he’s not a crybaby. And Geno is the sagely mentor guiding everyone through the journey. Along the way, you’ll encounter a parade of quirky characters both good and evil, from wise old frogs to would-be gangster crocodiles to a hairy, beetle-obsessed manchild named Booster. Even the Smithy Gang are mostly a bunch of weirdos. For the first time ever, Super Mario RPG gave players a peak behind the curtain of the Mushroom Kingdom and gave gaming’s best series a fairytale story to go with it.
Of course, when it comes to old school, turn-based RPGs, the genre was mainly comprised of two halves: the story, and the battle system. And much like Super Mario RPG injected a unique dose of personality and humor into its story, it similarly subverted the traditional RPG battle system with Action Commands, one of gaming’s more subtle innovations which brought the RPG genre up to pace with the action of the Super Mario series.
Preparing your characters for battle is much simpler than most RPGs. Instead of a host of equipment to keep track of, each character simply has a weapon (for attack), armor (for defense) and an accessory (which grant various bonuses). Each character has hit points, while they share a collective pool of “Flower Points” (used for special attacks). Gain enough experience points and you level up, where players can further boost a character’s hit points, physical attack and defense, or magic attack and defense (now accompanied by the best victory screen in gaming). It’s a simple format that hides a lot of depth.
While typical RPGs of the 90s saw players simply select moves and items from a menu and watch the action play out, Super Mario RPG made its battle system more interactive through Action Commands, timed button presses that, if performed correctly, make Mario and friends’ attacks stronger and reduce the damage inflicted by enemies when on the defensive. Most attacks see the player time a button press just before making a hit, while others may involve button-mashing, twirling the control stick, or holding a button and letting go at the right second. It may sound like a small bit of interactivity injected into the genre, but it ultimately made a world of difference in making Super Mario RPG more fun (and timeless) to its contemporaries.
The battle system has even been improved in this Nintendo Switch remake with a few new mechanics added into the mix. Notably, performing an Action Command correctly will cause splash damage to the other enemies on the battlefield, in addition to building up a new meter. When filled, this meter allows the player to perform brand new Triple Moves, a kind of super attack that changes depending on which three party members the player is currently using (complete with cinematic flair). These new inclusions add a whole new layer to the battle system, making it even more fun than ever before.
Another seemingly small (but actually quite big) change comes in the ability to swap party members mid-fight. Though you can still only use three of the five characters at a given time, and Mario must always be present as in the original, you can now swap the other two party members out at any time. This is a very important change that means the player can now alter battle strategies as necessary, instead of being locked into the team you went into battle with.
Other, smaller changes have been made, such as each party member providing a passive bonus when in the active team (Mallow provides a boost to magic attacks, while Bowser increases physical defense, and so on). The battle system of the Super Mario RPG remake should be seen as a perfect example of how to update a classic, while still retaining what made it special to begin with. The same could be said for the game as a whole, as everything fans loved about the original is still intact, but with those little added bits and pieces to make things a little more accessible to modern audiences. Players can now revisit previous locations via the pause menu instead of having to backtrack an area and traversing the world map. Players can hold more items, and there’s even a storage box present for excess items. And now there are clearer visual cues for when to perform Action Commands. Things of that nature.
Additional changes are simply done for the love of the game, such as the inclusion of an in-game journal (where Mallow and Geno log the events of their adventure) and a monster list that includes every monster Mario and company encounter, complete with their statistics, animations and ever-humorous descriptions. Additions such as these weren’t necessary, but infinitely appreciated. They’re a gift to the fans.
Another element that set Super Mario RPG apart from other RPGs of its day were the barrage of mini-games featured in the adventure. While RPGs often have sidequests, they tended to feature more of the same gameplay, but Super Mario RPG is constantly throwing fun mini-games the player’s way, each of which changing up the gameplay throughout Mario’s quest. The infamous Yoshi racing mini-game makes a return (now with those aforementioned visual cues to ease things a bit), the mine kart ride, composing music with tadpoles, and the trip through a river which looks like something out of Disneyland are all left beautifully intact. The best Mario games are the ones that are constantly introducing fun ideas up to the very end, and the transition to the RPG genre didn’t get in the way of that mentality. Super Mario RPG remains one of the most varied Mario games of all time. It’s as much a variety show as it is an RPG masterpiece.
The game has, naturally, been rebuilt from the ground-up. Though everything remains in place from where it was back in 1996, the game looks beautifully up-to-date for the Nintendo Switch. The isometric overworld and its locales are still as dreamlike as ever, but now with modernized graphics, a wider range of color, and some truly stunning lighting. You’d never know Super Mario RPG were a remake just from looking at it. It’s one of the best-looking games on the Nintendo Switch. It’s a gorgeous game.
One of the most iconic elements of Super Mario RPG has always been its musical score, composed by Yoko Shimomura (composer of Street Fighter II and Kingdom Hearts, among others). The soundtrack has always been one of the most beloved in not just the Mario series, but in gaming as a whole (personally, I may place it second of all time, behind only Donkey Kong Country 2’s soundtrack). Much like the visuals, the music of Super Mario RPG has been made anew. All the iconic themes are still intact, only now with the advantage of a full orchestra and big band instruments. From the merry music of the Mushroom Kingdom to the dastardly themes of the Smithy Gang and everything in between, the soundtrack to Super Mario RPG soars even higher than ever. It’s Yoko Shimomura’s best work, made even better. And if you happen to be feeling nostalgic for all the tunes in their original form, players have the option of switching to the classic soundtrack at any time. It’s a win/win.
Another fun little detail is that, while the graphics and music have been updated, the majority of sound effects are the same as they were on the Super Nintendo (Bowser’s laugh and Yoshi’s more modern sounds are the exceptions). Super Mario RPG was always one of those games with sound effects that were distinct to itself, and something would have felt off if they were changed here. So to have the classic sound effects alongside modernized visuals and music was a perfect way to blend the old alongside the new.
This is everything a remake of a classic should be. Super Mario RPG on Nintendo Switch is the same game we all know and love, but it has never looked, sounded or played better. It’s one of the most legendary Mario games and RPGs brought to a whole new level (there’s even a host of post-game bosses, new to the remake, waiting for those who complete the main adventure). It’s somehow both a remake of the original game, and a love letter to it.
Super Mario RPG on Nintendo Switch feels like a dream. The one Mario game we thought would never really be acknowledged again, brought back in full force. It felt like such an impossibility for so long, that it often felt surreal simply playing through it. It’s a pitch perfect remake of one of Nintendo’s all-time greatest achievements. Aside from a few name changes to a handful of characters and items, it’s the same beautifully weird and timeless adventure we’ve always loved. Twenty-seven years later, it’s still gaming’s greatest fairy tale, one of the funniest and most charming video games ever made, and the closest thing to playing a Disney movie. Now maybe Nintendo and Square can finally get to work on a sequel! Okay, one miracle at a time…
It may no longer boast the subtitle of “Legend of the Seven Stars.” But Super Mario RPG on the Nintendo Switch is still, quite simply, a legend.
10
Wizard Dojo 
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