Among Nintendo fans, there are a few wish list items that you’ll regularly hear before every Nintendo Direct. Some of the most common are news on Metroid Prime 4, the announcement of a “Switch 2,” or a remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. (Please, sweet gaming gods, let that latter one happen.) And for a long time, another one has been a remake of the 1996 SNES game Super Mario RPG. During the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, that particular wish came true.
Unless you were gaming in the mid-90s or are the boutique type who bought an SNES later, you might not know exactly why a remake of Super Mario RPG is a huge freaking deal. Hell, the main reason I know about Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is because I have a friend who frequently talks about how it’s one of his favorite Nintendo games of all time. A lot of gamers feel this way, which gives Super Mario RPG a king of cult classic status.
But for whatever reason, it often gets overshadowed in the Mario canon. Perhaps because it was released super late into the SNES’s life cycle—the N64 came out a mere three months later in Japan. Or perhaps it’s because no subsequent Super Mario RPG games were ever released, making it sink into the background of an IP dominated by several “sub-series” of games. However, SMRPG is credited for laying the groundwork for what I’d argue is the best sub-series of Mario games: Paper Mario. In fact, the first Paper Mario game would come out four years later on the N64 (also pretty late into that console’s life cycle).
There’s another reason to be excited about this remake and the original’s legacy. Super Mario RPG was developed not by Nintendo, but by Square—which we know now as Square Enix. As such, Super Mario RPG uses turn-based combat which takes a lot of influence and elements from Square’s most famous series, Final Fantasy. And the game’s 1996 release places it at a fascinating juncture for Square’s output: Final Fantasy VII would release the following year.
So, basically, we have an RPG made by Square Enix in their prime, but it’s Mario. And it was the first Mario game where Bowser is an ally. Hell, there are still not very many Mario games where Bowser is an ally! He’s in your party, fighting alongside the Marios and Peaches of the world. Truly a delight.
Once you learn the background of this beloved game, it’s no wonder that so many people have been yearning for this remake. As someone who never got the chance to play the original because I never had an SNES, I’m downright delighted to finally be getting my chance.
(Featured image: Nintendo)
