Help Mario and his allies defeat the Smithy Gang in this family-friendly role-playing game.
Super Mario RPG will be released on Nintendo Switch on November 17, 2023. We had the chance to check out the game before it’s released.
Here’s what we thought.
Super Mario RPG is an updated remake of the original Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars video game that was released on the Super Nintendo in 1996.
Super Mario RPG is a turn-based role-playing game (RPG) that challenges players to help Mario defeat the Smithy Gang and collect Star Pieces as he works alongside new allies, as well as Bowser and Peach.
Super Mario RPG allows players to complete a linear storyline that will see them travel to different locations around the in-game world as they work to collect seven Star Pieces. Players begin with just Mario on their team, but they’ll be able to partner with four more characters as they progress: Mallow, Geno, Bowser, and Peach.
The game has two difficulty settings: “Normal” and an easier setting called “Breezy.” Players can switch between these two settings even after they’ve started the game.
As players make their way through the game, they’ll be able to battle against a wide variety of enemies and boss characters in turn-based battles. These battles focus heavily on timing, and allow players to deal extra damage and prevent their own characters from taking damage by pressing a button at the right time.
Specifically, when players attack an enemy, they can press a button at the right time during the attack animation to land a stronger hit that damages every member of the enemy’s team. Similarly, when enemies attack players, players can press a button at the correct time to either lower the damage their character will take or even block all damage entirely. While this feature applies to many enemy attacks, certain enemy attacks aren’t allowed to be blocked.
Players can attack enemies with regular weapon attacks, as well as with special attacks that require “FP” to use. The entire team shares the same pool of FP, so players will need to strategically decide which special skills to use and when, based on the amount of FP they currently have available. Players are able to increase the maximum amount of FP they can hold as they progress through the game.
While players will eventually have access to five different characters, they can only have three active characters in their team at any one time (and Mario must always be in the player’s team). While only three characters can be active in battle at once, players can swap characters in and out during a battle to best utilize each character’s skills and attacks based on the situation.
As players perform actions during battles, their Action Gauge will fill up. When the gauge is full, players will be able to perform a Triple Move using the three characters currently in their team. Each possible combination of characters will perform a different Triple Move, so players can use different combinations of characters to try out all of the possible moves.
As players defeat enemies and explore the in-game world, they can collect coins that can be spent on new weapons, armor, and accessories for their characters, which will change their stats. For instance, a better weapon will give a character a higher attack power, while stronger armor will give them greater defense, and so on.
Players can also spend coins on helpful items like healing items, FP regeneration items, and items that will revive a character if they fall during battle, among others. Players can also collect some of these items for free as they make their way through the game.
Finally, when players defeat enemies, they’ll earn experience points that will allow their characters to level up over time, which increases their stats. Each time a character levels up, players will also be able to choose a bonus boost that will increase the character’s regular Attack and Defense, Health, or Magic Attack and Defense.
Super Mario RPG can be a challenging and even frustrating experience in the early portions of the game, when players only have access to Mario and Mallow. However, once players have at least three characters to use and begin collecting better weapons, armor, and accessories for their characters, the game becomes considerably easier and more fun to play.
At the same time, some players may still find the game challenging if they have difficulty mastering the correct button timing during battles that allows them to deal extra damage to enemies and protect their own characters from harm.
Overall, while we mostly enjoyed our time with Super Mario RPG, we weren’t blown away by the experience.
Super Mario RPG features a text-based storyline, rather than voice acting, so there’s a lot of text to read here.
In addition, the game features some puzzles that can be tricky to solve, even for adults, including a logic puzzle. Younger players may need help with these puzzles.
Finally, parents should know Super Mario RPG is quite short by RPG standards. We finished the game in around nine hours when playing mostly on the game’s easier difficulty setting.
Super Mario RPG is a fine role-playing game that becomes more enjoyable once players make it through a challenging portion early on. We liked meeting the game’s new characters and seeing the storyline through to its completion, but once the game was over, we weren’t left wanting more.
We recommend watching the detailed video above to learn more about the game in order to decide if it’s an experience you think your family would enjoy.
Super Mario RPG will be released on Nintendo Switch on November 17, 2023 for $59.99. The game is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB.
Disclosure: Nintendo gave SuperParent a code for Super Mario RPG for coverage purposes.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
