Rating of
4.5/5
A RPG That Doesn't Take Itself Too Seriously
dbarry_22 - wrote on 08/09/17
Super Mario RPG is a turn based role playing game that has a charming story and contains elements from Mario's normal platforming roots which make it a great game that doesn't take itself too seriously.
When I finally got around to playing this game, more than 20 years had passed since it's release. While some elements of the game have definitely shown it's age, that doesn't mean this game isn't still an enjoyable experience with a unique feel. For example, most SNES games use the 16 bits on a 2D approach but this RPG doesn't do that or even the normal top-down approach most RPGs in that day did. It created a 3D environment by tilting the world 45 degrees. While it's not 3D by any means, it has a 3D feel. And while the graphics aren't great, it works and it still holds up reasonably well to this day.
The story isn't exactly what you'd expect. In a Mario game you would think you'd go on a crusade to save the Princess from the evils hands of Bowser. While when you first start the game that is what you're doing, it quickly takes a wacky turn which provides a unique and fresh story in the Mario universe which I really enjoyed. You'll see many familiar friends and foes including Yoshi. What's also nice about this game is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a charming story where Mario has to save the day but interactions with enemies and bosses often have jokes. When Mario describes events that have happened so far he usually dances, jumps, and does other physical acts that are humorous instead of talking.
Traversing towns and dungeons and even fighting enemies have a fresh feel in this game. At the beginning of this review I said this game takes on some of Mario's platforming roots. This means that when you're walking through towns or in dungeons Mario can jump and run. This is good in a couple aspects. First, this game doesn't have random encounters, you have to make contact with an enemy on screen in order to engage in a battle. This means you can jump over enemies or run around trying to avoid them. You can also find a star every now and then and take out a ton of enemies without ever battling them. Doing this can cause you to level up quickly which is quite satisfying. Also, there are question blocks all over the world which provide items and gear and it's fun to try and get them solving some platforming puzzles.
The turn-based battle system isn't overly complicated but it's still fun. First, when you do an attack or skill, there are ways to get a critical hit or get extra damage by either hitting a button at the right time or mashing a button as fast as possible. This makes you feel like you're more a part of the battle. Your party is small. This isn't some grand game where you end up having a dozen or more characters to choose from. You never have more than 3 in your party and you can only swap out a couple of other choices later in the game. Instead of MP, this game uses FP for skills. This stands for Flower Points. You share your FP with your entire party instead of individuals. So if you have 40 FP, you can do a bunch of skills by everyone in your party or space it out over time with just one. I ended up using them for mostly healing but some of the attack skills are pretty good too.
There are also mini-games which helps keep you out of a rut going through the game. This includes Yoshi races, grabbing coins while heading down a waterfall and racing in a mining cart. You can spend a ton of time on these if you want or just enjoy them a bit while you head through the game.
This game isn't crazy long for an RPG. I took my time but definitely didn't 100% the game and I spent 20-30 hours on it. It's well worth the time and it's one of the best SNES games out there.
4.5/5
