It is easy to take for granted these days, series like Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi, the RPG spinoffs of the Mario franchise. However, the series origins were anything but conventional, seeing Nintendo teaming with Squaresoft for one of the company’s first collaborative titles. The result was the first time we got a true story expansion in a Mario game, and a merger of Mario platformer and Final Fantasy RPG battles and storytelling. It was new and different and led to a number of Mario spinoffs that continued the RPG legacy.
Its hard to appreciate how different Super Mario RPG was at the time. It was different not only in terms of gameplay, but also in terms of visuals. The game pushed the SNES to its limits and resembled an early PS1 game more than a SNES title. It added in fan favourite characters like Geno and Mallow and greatly expanded on the characterization of Peach, Bowser, Toad and more. The game had amazing music the likes of which had not been heard on the system before. In short, it was a bold new experience.
What makes Super Mario RPG hold up so well is not just the visuals and music, but the overall gameplay experience. The game was an evolution of Square’s best RPGs that had been on the system up to that point, and even had a bonus boss meant to be one in the mold of a Final Fantasy boss battle. This classic Square experience is lacking in the later Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series, and that makes this game unique. This is not to say that the later games are bad, but rather that they are merely different from what we experienced in this title.
Super Mario RPG is both a time capsule of the 90’s, a hallmark of the Nintendo and Square partnership, and a high point for Mario in general. It desperately needs a direct sequel, as Square Enix owns many of the concepts from the game itself, and Square Enix and Nintendo teaming up again would be a chance to give fans what they want. More appearances from classic characters like Geno and Mallow, and the potential for a lot more to be expanded on. It is an opportunity that should not be missed.
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In addition, I would like to add that there is an active Nintendo retrogaming Facebook community group you can join at https://www.facebook.com/groups/nintendoretrogamers/
For more, visit Retro Gamers Hub (www.retrogamershub.com) for their extensive collection of retrogaming interest groups to choose from.