Super Mario RPG

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Remakes are awful, except when they’re not! See, if a game we like gets remade, that’s great. We’re bringing back gaming history and it’s a nostalgic joyride through the best moments of our younger selves best moments. When a game we don’t like is remade, however, it’s not so great. The industry is falling apart and there’s no new ideas to be found. It’s game over, man.

Ponder the duality of humanity as we take a look at the remake of Super Mario RPG on Switch, a 1996 adventure for the Super Nintendo that saw Nintendo and Square team up for one of the very best – and most whimsical – adventures of the 90s. It definitely falls into the “game we like getting remade” category.

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It’s a typical day for Mario as he strolls on into Bowser’s castle, ready to smack some minions and rescue Princess Peach from the Koopa King’s clutches yet again. This rescue, though, proves to be anything but typical as a massive sword falls from the sky, sending everyone flying and shaking up the Mushroom Kingdom. The sword is part of the Smithy Gang, a group of evildoers worse than even Bowser himself, and they’ve shattered the wish-granting Star Road in their conquest efforts. Mario will have to assemble a party, repair the Star Road and beat the Smithy Gang back to wherever they came from.

That adventure is essentially the ur-example of a combination of a platformer and turn-based RPG; we’d see influences from this game in titles like the Mario and Luigi series and even games as recent as Sea of Stars. Overworld adventuring is Mario to the core, so you’ll run, jump, bop boxes for loot, all that good stuff. There’s also minigames on minigames all over the place, offering prizes, coins and gear for skilled players.

Meanwhile, when combat rolls around, it’s got elements of turn-based battle with some action elements in the form of the now-common Timed Hit system. By tapping the proper button during an ability’s animation, that ability can be enhanced to do more damage, heal more HP or even add more unusual effects. This might not seem too revolutionary now, but it was a big deal back in the day and still makes for an engaging experience.

1996’s Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is a classic, so it’d be no surprise if plenty of modern players have already gotten through it – multiple times, perhaps, given what a fantastic game it remains even today. With that in mind, this remake doesn’t try to fix what’s not broken. By and large, Super Mario RPG (with no subtitle) on the Switch is a note-for-note reprise of the Super Nintendo original, choosing to add rather than replace wherever possible.

So what’s been added, then? Well, the graphics are all-new and extra-spicy, even considering the odd framerate drop on the aging Switch, and Yoko Shimomura’s beautiful soundtrack sounds even more so. There’s also some changes to combat, such as a new combo attack system that charges up as you fight and perform successful Timed Hits. These combo attacks are bombastic and impressive, offering a variety of effects from mass damage to a shield.

As nice as these changes are, though, this system highlights the biggest weakness of Super Mario RPG on the Switch: it’s way, way too easy. The original game wasn’t exactly Nintendo hard, but it could still knock you on your toadstool. Meanwhile, this remake weakens enemies, makes your party stronger, autosaves after every room you explore, offers new and powerful abilities that can be used essentially for free…the works.

Indeed, in one of the most zeitgeist-y moves around, your difficulty options are essentially “really easy” and “really, really easy.” I’m a little shocked there’s not an accessibility menu allowing you to turn battles completely off, but maybe they’ll add it in a patch. Either way, the lack of difficulty stings this game a little, essentially removing all stakes from combat and making it a chore rather than the exciting timing-based fun it used to be.

Still, if you’re willing to overlook the newly oversimplification of the game’s combat, there’s still plenty of that old classic experience to be found in this refreshed Super Mario RPG. This isn’t a game anyone saw coming, but it’s a fantastic late addition to the Switch’s library. Players who missed the original (or weren’t even born yet) owe it to themselves to experience one of the more complementary pairings in gaming history, while returning Nintendo / Square fans are sure to have a great time reliving their favorite moments.