Super Mario RPG Review:
Taking 25 years to Beat A Classic

I think one of the reasons why Mario games feel timeless is because of their joy. There’s a quality of whimsy that it has kept, even as the series moved from its 8-bit to the modern era. The colors are always bright, the music stays cheerful, and there’s always a sense that, no matter what happens, things will turn out okay. You can put down your Nintendo console for years, pick up a brand new game in the Mario franchise, and you know you’ll be exploring a world of wonder and magic.

It’s why when I got Super Mario RPG for Christmas last year, my mid-thirties self felt a surge of innocent excitement that had been in hiding for decades. Finally, finally, I was going to beat a game that I had wanted since I had been a child.

What Is Super Mario RPG?

Super Mario RPG originally came out in 1996 for the Super Nintendo console. It was a departure for the Mario brand, mimicking popular turn-based RPGs at the time like Final Fantasy 6. It starts with the classic story of Mario attempting to rescue princess peach, but then escalates as a villain from outside the usual cast of characters crashlands on Bowser’s castle. From there, the story slowly escalates from the typical ‘the princess is in danger’ to a full on ‘we have to save the kingdom’ that you would get from that era.

The combat is again, classic turn based, but is jazzed up with the usual mario flare. The music is bright and cheerful, the colors pop, and combat is kept punchy due to adding in timed button presses for attacking and defense. A great example is when you use one of Mario’s high jump attacks. He comes crashing down on top of a foe’s head, but if you time hitting the action button for when Mario connects, he bounces back up to hit again. And again. And again, and again, and-

Is The Game Good, Or Was It A Brand Cashing In On A Genre?

Super Mario RPG is, to put it right out there, absolutely delightful. I was worried that when I came back to it I would find it childish or too simple… and I just didn’t. The combat is fun and engaging, always kept entertaining by your attempts to make every attack a critical hit and make your special moves hit twice as hard. The music is peppy and fun, and the jokes still manage to land all this time with me in my mid thirties even as I enjoyed them as a pre-teen.

There are some sequences of the game that are beautifully cartoonish, such as having to stop a wedding and suddenly having to fight a sentient cake as a boss battle. A big reveal that a character was adopted by frogs and isn’t actually a frog is played for laughs so well that I laughed at it as a 38 year old as well as a 12 year old. The quicktime reactions added to a turn based game really gives the slower style of game a shot of adrenaline. Honestly, it's just a really, really good game. Having it on the nintendo switch, where you can put it away or take it back out at any moment is icing on the cake.

Of course, there is always the concern about this game being a cash grab on nostalgia, a quick flip. I can safely say after beating the game that Super Mario RPG feels absolutely authentic while also including so many quality of life improvements that they feel as though they should have always been there. The sound and graphic quality has been improved, the game auto-saves, and little indicators about when to time a block or attack have been added. There’s even been post-game content added on for people who want a challenge.

Why Didn’t You Beat It Years Ago?!

My first experience with Super Mario RPG was when I was probably 12. It was a birthday sleepover for someone in my boy scout troop, and they had a super nintendo, which I didn’t. They had gotten the game for their birthday, and we decided to marathon it. Probably 5-6 of us were laughing and watching, swapping the controller when someone got a game over.

We stayed up late, way way too late, trying our best to get through the game. I remember us getting horribly stuck in the forest, and when we finally found the boss of that region, getting absolutely demolished multiple times. We absolutely cheered in surprise as we got new party members we never thought we’d get to play as. I believe we got up to the cake boss and had gotten crushed with pastry attacks by the time we all passed out. It was an amazing experience, a marathon event that was really really fun and also bittersweet because well… I didn’t have a SNES. When was I going to get to play the game again?

I had one chance to play on a friend’s console later, but couldn’t quite get very far thanks to life getting in the way. For literal decades, this was a game that had gotten away from me and I didn’t think I would manage to play properly ever again. When it was released for the holidays last year and it ended up in my grasp, I could hardly believe it.

…I could also hardly believe it when I had beaten the game in about 15 hours. How did a game I remembered slapping the hell out of me and my friends be so fast?!

A few reasons. One would be that the game is easier than it was in its original form, although maybe not for the reasons you think. Yes, I’m an adult and have a better brain, but they didn’t so much turn down the difficulty than just signpost how to play better. If you play Super Mario RPG without using the reaction prompts to block or hit harder, the game is hard. However, with one of the updates to the remaster being giving better prompts to the player in combat… with a little practice, you can handle fights that should have been a real classic struggle of juggling huge hits from a big enemy.

I don’t think it’s a dealbreaker, but for some it might be. It’s relatively short for a classic RPG, and a little on the easier side. They did add post-victory content that ups the difficulty if that’s what you like, and it's a nice little bonus.

The Joy Of Childish Things

As a review, this is an odd one to write for me. There is no doubt in my mind that this is a great game. If you like classic RPGs, this is a slam dunk. If you like Mario, this is a slam dunk. It’s fun, I’m really glad I had a chance to play, and while part of me is sad it was over so soon, it doesn’t outstay its welcome in a world where many modern games draw out the final act. It somehow still felt fresh to me while also being nostalgic; the only question is if the $60 price point is going to be too much for you.

In the end, playing Super Mario RPG was amazing because it reminded me that games can be joyful, happy things. Not that other games can’t be fun or enjoyable when they aren’t in bright primary colors - I have already played too much Space Marine 2 this month - but there’s a simplicity here. There is no discourse around this game that came out 20+ years ago. There is no uproar about balancing or rebalancing or if a battlepass is fair. It’s just a Mario game that’s an RPG, and it’s fun to play at the end of a long day.

For a few wonderful hours, I was the twelve year old with a controller again, smiling like a fool for having the chance to play a video game. For me, that made it a game worth buying.