This is what awaits you in the new Nintendo game “Super Mario RPG”

We don’t have to explain to any of you who Super Mario is. Nintendo’s best virtual ambassador started out as a supporting character in “Donkey Kong” and has long since become the undisputed king among jump-and-run heroes. With “Mario Kart,” “Mario Party” or “Super Smash Bros.” The mustachioed plumber is also successful in a number of other genres. His first role-playing game was “Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars,” which was only released in Japan and North America in 1996 and is now being released for the Switch with completely new graphics. Here you can find out what the game is about and whether it is worth buying for you.

Identical in content, but much nicer

In the Switch remake of ‘Super Mario RPG’, developer Square Enix continues to adhere very closely to the SNES original, which was released almost 30 years ago. It all starts with Bowser’s kidnapping of Princess Peach and the appearance of a mysterious living sword. The latter has stolen seven star pieces from Star Street, which you must absolutely get back to save the empire. Mario couldn’t do it all alone, so over the course of the adventure he meets companions who support him on his journey. For example, the friendly creature Mallow, who causes a rainstorm when he cries and can even heal his fellow soldiers with his tears. Or the wooden doll Geno that has come to life, which is undoubtedly somewhat inspired by Pinocchio. The companions, as well as the level layouts in the labyrinthine jungle and the other locations, are absolutely identical. Yes, even the dialogue with NPCs is largely exactly the same as in the original.

Anyone who already knows the SNES classic, which was only officially released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2008, should not expect any surprises. But a much nicer audiovisual presentation. Everything is significantly more detailed in the completely new 3D graphics. You won’t find any angular edges or pixel mash here without them alienating the successful style of the original too much. With lightning or fire attacks, the much higher quality effects are also visible. The difference is especially visible in the cutscenes, which in terms of quality are hardly inferior to those of a modern animated film – for example the one in which the doll Geno comes to life. The newly arranged orchestral music is also great, appropriately accompanying almost every scene and battle.

A bit too much retro

Especially since the visual upgrade is visually nice, it’s a shame that Square Enix hasn’t improved much in the sound effects department. Not all dialogues had to be set entirely to music, as is common in 2023. The fact that the dialogues remain completely silent and are not even significantly enhanced with babble sounds is disappointing. The Japanese developer clearly could have done more. What is also annoying at times is that there are smaller “pauses” in the interactive cutscenes, where you often have to wait a while until the next animation starts or the next dialog box appears. This often does a disservice to the already not particularly fast production. Audiovisually, “Super Mario RPG” is still generally very attractive to fans of comic graphics. But you should not expect that the game will reach the level of a current game production in all respects.

Diverse and beginner-friendly

“Super Mario RPG” is not only a one-to-one implementation of the original in terms of the story or game world, but also in terms of the game mechanics and game balance. However, the latter only applies if you choose the “normal” difficulty level. In the remake you now also have a ‘relaxed’ version to choose from. Beginners in particular will have to welcome this, because “Super Mario RPG” is not super difficult at normal level, but later it is far from a guaranteed success. A new addition is a checkpoint system, so you don’t lose much game progress so quickly, even without saving with the manual save points. The progression remains quite linear, but offers some variations. In addition to new areas with new enemy types and bigger bosses, there are also special passages in which you, for example, balance on barrels on the Croesus River with Mario, as well as optional tasks in which you have to play the correct melody for Mushroom Head Toadzart by jumping on jellyfish.

Action-packed round-robin battles

The combat remains front and center and still functions exactly as it did in the original. So they are turn-based as usual, but still offer action mechanics. If you press an action button at the right time, you can block most enemy attacks. This does not always protect you completely against damage, but it does at least significantly reduce the loss of sockets. The same principle is also used for violation. Special attacks such as Mario’s “mushroom jump” can significantly increase damage with the press of a button. Even during normal attacks with equippable weapons such as a Koopa tank or a hammer, such reinforcement is possible and particularly beneficial because it also deals damage to surrounding opponents. The timing is different for every fighter and every attack and is not always intuitive. With returning enemies or during a boss fight you get the hang of it relatively quickly. The typical static properties of a turn-based combat system are successfully softened here, resulting in a relatively high level of dynamism

prospects

You can debate whether the term ‘remake’ fits ‘Super Mario RPG’. Apart from the autosave function and the “relaxed” mode, there are virtually no significant gameplay differences from the original and therefore no surprises for those in the know. The big difference is the stylish new comic graphics, which Square Enix has achieved a huge upgrade without distorting the style of the original. This will spoil the eyes of both veterans and those experiencing Mario’s first role-playing game for the first time. In terms of content, Square could have tried to innovate more daringly. However, that doesn’t change the fact that it is a diverse and varied Mario adventure that was way ahead of its time and is still worth playing today.