Developer: Squaresoft Publisher: Nintendo Release Date: May 13th, 1996
What do you mean Bowser’s not so bad? Who the F**K is Smithey?!
Hot damn it’s good to see Squaresoft and Nintendo getting along together again. Of course, some of you may not remember the rough spot in the companies’ history – it wasn’t pretty to say the least.
And one of the best examples of this reunion is the re-release of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the Wii. This is a favorite even among the RPG elitists.
Interested? You damn well should be. Hit it!!
By now, like ninety-percent of the world’s population knows who Mario is. Hell, my grandfather knows who Mario is – and he’s 93!! People who’ve been dead for twenty years know who Mario is. Ted Kennedy knows who Mario is – I don’t know where this is going…know what? I’m gonna stop now.
Most of SMRPG was produced by Squaresoft. But you can see Shiguru Miyamoto’ hand prints all over this game (he was the person with whom Square worked the closest). As the last Mario game on the SNES, no expense was spared – and it showed.
This game could have been programmed using 8-bit toothpick technology and still been a hit. Luckily, crisp 3-D graphics had been compressed to create one of the most stunning SNES games of the time, ranking up there with the Donkey Kong Country series. An isometric view was used to great effect. Unlike many of Squares turn-based RPGs, Mario didn’t just walk around until he came in contact with an enemy, no sir. He had to run, jump, dodge and race his way through the regular worlds, giving this take on RPGs its own distinct ‘Nintendo’ feel.
The main draw to this game was that the character had a chance to play through and interact with the story as some of the most recognized characters in the Mario universe – Mario, Princess Peach, Toad, the various Koopas and Goombas, and dozens of others. New faces such as Mallow and Geno compliment their baddie counterparts the “Smithey’ gang perfectly. The big payoff, however, was the chance to play as Bowser – this was the first time gamers got to do so making it a pretty huge deal. And it was worth it. Bowser is a badass in the game. The turn based combat was complimented by the series’ signature strikes, great special moves that highlighted the things you knew superstar characters could do but were never privy to (with outstanding visual effect I might add) and a time-based button press for all offensive moves that added that extra dose of power to your characters. Leveling up your character and upgrading weapons/moves, while standard in most RPGs, were a beautiful thing when added to the Mario universe. So, after a grueling boss battle, you prayed to whatever deity you believe for their weapon/special power and the opportunity to hit that next level (you got to choose between health, striking power or a special attack upgrade). For the hardcore gamer, the chance to go back and build up your characters in different ways was a BIG reason for another play through. And maybe even another.
The story has the Princess kidnapped…again. And Bowser has been kicked out his castle by the extraterrestrial cutlery that took her- no joke. So in order to return everything to normal for everyone involved, you have to step out into the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. Seven areas make up the Super Mario RPG world – Mushroom Kingdom, Pond to Pipes, Mole Mountains, Seaside, Land’s End, Nimbus Land, and Smithy Factory. Each with its own distinct feel from the rest, each with its own hidden areas and little secrets. Each done in their own stunning CGI graphics and mood-setting music. The sound in the game was a nice blend of grandeur and minimalism. No character actually spoke throughout the game. Small, simple sounds had huge effect. But musical scores were almost overdone. And not in a bad way either. This odd combination of sound design instantly set the tone for levels and the bevy important moments you expierience through your progression. A very underrated aspect of the game I think (isn’t it always?).
It really says something when a Mario role-playing game is not only an influence of its own series down the line, but also an influence of a RPG juggernaut like Final Fantasy (go through FFVIII after playing this and see if you can spot the commonalities). There have been other role-playing games starring Mario – but without that special Sqaresoft touch, they’ll never be as good as this first effort. *SIGH*
So what else is there to say? If you’ve played this before, pick it back up – you know you want to anyways. And if you haven’t, then you have problems…go see a therapist.
Then fire this up. Nutjobs.
Durka!!
Then: 10 out of 10 Now:10 out of 10
