Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

It's no secret that Mario IS the face of video games, even to this day. It's also no secret that he's been in a vast majority of genres over the years. One of my personal favorite Mario spin-offs, which might not come as a surprise given the username, is the Mario RPG series. The Mario RPG series began with an unheard of union between Nintendo and Square-Enix, then known as Squaresoft, on the Super Nintendo known as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. This game was the start of something exceptional, but how has it aged? The game is 20 years old now after all, it wouldn't be surprising if it didn't hold up. Does Mario still rescue the Princess to this day? Or does Bowser score a critical hit?

Untold Dreams

Super Mario RPG starts off like any Mario game would; Princess Peach, known as Toadstool at this time (man, that was a long time ago), has been kidnapped by the Koopa King Bowser and Mario needs to save her. You actually start the game inside Bowser's Castle and there you are introduced to how different this game is. After the short Bowser segment, Mario is sent flying back to his house. It's there that you realize that this is not your average Mario game, and shortly after that you realize that this is an entirely different threat. The story is not insanely in-depth, but it is more in-depth than a lot of games at that time, aside from other RPGs, and it's enjoyable, even if some things are spoiled before playing or easy to figure out while playing. What's more enjoyable than the story, however, is the writing. The game is quite charming and humorous making it enjoyable to actually talk to everyone you meet. For Mario's first text-heavy game, the writing and story are very enjoyable.

A Leap Forward

Mario RPG combines traditional RPG systems with the action based Mario systems, even affecting the world itself. The world is laid out in 3D and you, as Mario, can run around freely. As Mario, you should be jumping all over the world right? Well you actually can jump here making the game pretty platform heavy as well making it stand out from other more traditional RPGs, even to this day really. The world itself is segmented into small maps that are parts of larger areas that are connected by a map screen. The world boundaries are easy to notice and at some boundaries are little protrusions that are the map exits. Go through and you'll either find yourself on the map screen or another map. This segmented style is kind of jarring at first but lets the area be more detailed than most other RPGs at the time. Your enemies are also visible on screen and they can sometimes be doing something and interacting with the world making things feel more alive than usual. Exploring the world and talking to people was never this fun before Mario RPG made it so.

Like other RPGs you collect items, money and EXP from battles and the world and some items are even found in Hidden Chests, just like hidden blocks in Mario Platformers. Each party member can equip a weapon, affecting their damage of course, and 1 piece of armor, affecting defense, and an accessory that is basically a wild card. Nothing about this is unique or special, but combining it with the way you get around makes things more exciting.

Turn-Based Throwdown

The gameplay in Mario RPG is very unique for the time and many other games have actually tried to replicate it's combat style. You enter battle when you touch an enemy on the overworld, or when a boss or something appears during scenes, and battles are done in a traditional turn-based style...at first glance. Once you start playing, you notice how this game is very unique during it's time and how more interaction with the combat can make all the difference. You'll notice that your menu is not like other RPGs, whichever party member's turn it is you'll find that the menu surrounds them. Don't expect to be able to move a cursor to pick a command, no, buttons are now assigned commands. The A Button is assigned to Basic Attacks, the B button is assigned to defense, the Y Button is assigned to Special Attacks, and the X Button is assigned to item use.

When you attack, you can press the A button again at a very specific point in the attack animation to do another attack and more damage. Each weapon type and character has different timing as well so getting to know your characters is as needed as it is fun. Each Special attack also has a specific command that increases the power of the move and each special move also takes FP, Flower Points. Flower Points are shared among the party, unlike health, and can be increased and recovered by using items. The defensive options are simply defending and running away and none of those really need to be explained. The only thing about defense that needs to be explained is that every attack also has a certain timing for an A button press to lower the damage you take. Items also don't need to be explained, other than the fact that you sometimes get a freebie, meaning it's a free use of an item which is awesome.

There are also weaknesses of course, some enemies are weak against certain attacks, but there are also special things that can happen. For example; the first time you use a fire attack on a certain boss it makes them miss their turn, making things more interesting. There are also a couple of mini-games to play but they are directly linked to the story so I won't be mentioning them here. The game flow is pretty simple and combat and exploration is pretty much all there is but the combat is so interactive that it never becomes boring. The only bad thing I can say is that the game is pretty easy until you get near the end, but even then it never becomes too difficult. Even so, the game is so fun that you shouldn't notice that.

Musical Dreaming

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is one of those astounding accomplishments that came around often back on the Super Nintendo. Just like Donkey Kong Country before it, the entire game is made of 3D models, but unlike Donkey Kong Country, this game actually looks like it and is much better looking. Each enemy looks great, though some are random and kinda hard to figure out, and each character model looks great. There isn't a ton of different effects in battle, sadly, but what is there works and doesn't really get tiring, especially when discovering what your new abilities do and how to use them. Each environment is different and looks great as well, the only complaint is that the art style really isn't Mario, but that's a small complaint when the game looks as good as it does.

Another thing similar to Donkey Kong Country is the fact that music is just as good as the visuals. The music in this game is actually composed by Yoko Shinomura, now mostly known for her work on Kingdom Hearts, and her work here is incredibly strong. Every area is defined by it's music as much as the visuals and, while the battle music does get a little tiring as it's a short looped song, the combat music is fantastic. This is a soundtrack that will be remembered.

A Well Leveled Plumber

In the end, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars remains as great as it was at launch. The fact that you are engaged in every battle and so involved in the exploration means it's not really going to get tiring since you are constantly doing something. Sure the story is pretty standard RPG stuff but the Mario elements and the humorous dialogue more than make up for it. I'll never forget some of the silly lines and the crazy and weird events that happen. It's such a shame what actually came to happen to the Mario RPG line, but where it started was as top-notch as any Mario game made by Nintendo themselves. Squaresoft was a legend, and Mario RPG was one of their best.