The plot of this game starts out as just about any, but not all mind you, other Mario game starts out with Princess Toadstool (Peach) being kidnapped by the evil Bowser and Mario rushing off to save her. It does not take long at all for Mario to infiltrate Bowser's Keep and reach the crazed turtle. In fact the very first boss fight is Mario vs Bowser. Just as Mario is about to rescue the Princess a massive sword crashes through Star Road shattering a part of it into 7 pieces (stars) and cuts into Bowser's Keep. The chaos sends Mario literally flying back to his pad while Bowser and Peach are sent flying in different directions. Upon his return to Bowser's Keep Mario discovers that this sword is a part of a new gang known as the Smithy gang whom are bent on taking over Mario's world. Before he can do anything about it, the sword destroys the bridge to the keep forcing Mario to seek an alternate plan. Along the way, Mario makes new friends in the form of Mallow, a cloud prince who thinks he's a tadpole as he was raised by his "grandpa" who is a frog, and Geno a mysterious entity who possessed a doll to find the star pieces and fix Star Road. Mario also makes "friends" with the least likely of characters, Bowser. Princess Toadstool also lends a hand to the heroic plumber and together the team is, after an incredible journey that I am not going to really get into, defeat Smithy and restore peace to Mario's world.
Mario RPG is the result of Nintendo and Square (Now SquareEnix) teaming up to create a Super Nintendo masterpiece.
The gameplay itself is a smash up between the classic role playing style of Square and the platforming style that was in just about every Super Mario game of the time.
What this did was create a game that casual and intense RPG players and fans of platformers could all enjoy. There are several areas in the game where platforming is put to the test (Namely a sky bridge that you can race across by jumping) and the turn based RPG fighting system and free will give the game it's RPG element. There are a ton of optional things you can do in the game such as unlocking the Grate Guy's Casino or choosing not to return a wallet to a citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom. Yes they are little things, but it is those little things that help to make Mario RPG what it is. As I mentioned above, the main group of villains is not Bowser and his gang as usual, but the Smithy gang. This would be the only gang that this group would appear in as I think they are actually all owned by Square as Geno and Mallow are. Anyway... The Smithy gang mostly weapon based enemies as can be seen just from looking at them. Characters such as Mack
with his swordlike appearance make multiple appearances throughout the game, but not quite as themselves... You'll have to play the game to figure out what I mean. Again, sadly these enemies and Mallow for that matter never were heard from again following this game. Geno on the other hand was seen in a later in Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga for the Gameboy Advance. He was also apparently supposed to be in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but something happened between Nintendo and SquareEnix and as a friend of mine says caused R.O.B. to take his place. Apparently some coding for Geno may exist in the disc somewhere. I don't know if that's a fact or not but it's fun to think about what could have been. Moving on...
As I mentioned the gameplay of this game is a mash up between classic platforming and classic RPG styles. They actually work very well together and I could not find anything wrong with how this game played. It's smooth outside of battles and it's smooth inside battles. Timed hits, which deal extra damage to enemies or heal extra HP, work flawlessly if you time it correctly. I never felt the need to rage about the fact that I felt I should have been rewarded a timed hit when I didn't get one. The battle sequences themselves are, as mentioned, turned based. Characters can use either regular physical attacks, special attacks, items, or an attempt at running away (Not in boss battles for that one).
The "mana" of this game are Flower Points(FP) and there are various items that will increase or restore your FP. Even the special attacks have times hits. As with most RPG's you are able to equip weapons and armor that you find throughout the game. Each character also has an ultimate weapon. One of which appears in Super Smash Bros Brawl...
Yup Princess Toadstool's frying pan debuted in this game. You also gain experience and level up as you would normally do in most RPG's. There is a sense of customization as well as each time you level up you have the opportunity to further increase either a character's attack, special attack, or HP.
The soundtrack of this game is in one word amazing. Right from the get go the game does not hold back at all. Bowser's Keep, Mario's Pad, Booster's Tower, it doesn't matter where you go in the game, the music is simply fantastic for the SNES console. I guess one should expect that given the fact that Yoko Shimomura, the composer of the music for the Kingdom Hearts and Street Fighter II, composed the music for this game.
Graphically, this is a game that pushes the Super Nintendo to it's limit. The graphics are simply outstanding for it's time. You could say that this game was the best 3D game graphics wise to come out on the Super Nintendo. I know I feel that way. Every area is detailed and offers a lot of life.
Personally I do not find many RPG's to have a high replay value. This one however I feel differently on. Mario RPG has so many hidden chests, little comedic dialogues, and hidden bonuses that, unless you are using a step by step guide, are all impossible to find in one play through. On top of that, the story itself actually becomes quite gripping. This time around it's not just about saving a princess in distress. It's about saving the world from a gang bent on world domination through war. While playing you will become attached to some of these characters and even end up feeling bad for some of them while getting a generally warm and fuzzy feeling when you destroy others. It's something that many people felt would not able to be done with these characters, but wound up being done beautifully. So what do I rate this game?
Graphics: 9.5 out of 10. The only reason this is not a ten is due to the fact that there are just a couple areas where the platforming gets a bit difficult due to the fact that it is virtually impossible to determine on how much of an angle you need to jump. Not a gameplay issue to me though as opposed to a minor graphical one.
Should be an easy jump right? Wrong.
Soundtrack: 10 out of 10. I actually have this soundtrack downloaded on my Ipod. It is that good of a soundtrack and I think it is the best the SNES has to offer and that's saying something given the fact that games like Chrono Trigger are on the same system.
Gameplay: 10 out of 10. The controls are responsive to the touch, the timed hits are nice and crisp, and the platforming is nice and smooth. What more can you want from a game that takes two elements and smashes them together?
Replay Value: 10 out of 10: Tons of hidden goodies and a compelling story have had me coming back to this game since I got it for my birthday way back when.
Overall Rating: 9.8 out of 10. This game is a must play. If you have ever played a Super Mario game or any RPG then you will LOVE this game. I have yet to find someone who does not and do not plan on it.
Sadly the legacy of Mario RPG truly ends with this one game. There are no direct sequels and while there were reports of Mario RPG II coming out for the Nintendo 64, it never happened and Paper Mario was released instead. The Smithy Gang, Mallow, and Geno remained largely hidden from the world. Then with the Wii virtual console, the game was released in 2008 as the 250th game on the Wii Virtual Console. To this day people, myself included, would love to see a true sequel for this game, but as it stands now, Mario RPG will continue to stand alone as the masterpiece of two companies working together to create one amazing game. Thanks for reading and if you have a Super Nintendo or a Nintendo Wii, I strongly suggest trying this game out if you have not done so already.
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