Super Mario RPG (Nintendo Switch Remake): Exactly What You’d Hope For — Game Review
I already reviewed the original Super Mario RPG years ago, so my original thoughts likewise apply to this newly minted remake that excises the Legend of the Seven Stars subtitle. If you’re a fan of the Mario RPG games, chances are you’ll fall in love all over again with this carbon copy (using that word in a positive manner, for once). Save a few minor changes, it’s a faithful translation right down to every last one of its hidden treasures, wacky character designs, tongue-in-cheek lines of dialogue, and more.
Developer ArtePiazza (known for working on Dragon Quest titles with Square/Square Enix) imbues SMRPG with new life while also upholding the indomitable spirit of the SNES classic. Luckily none of the outré character designs were outright altered, instead refreshed with a new coat of paint viz. gorgeous graphics and a cutesy art style. Players have the option to switch between the classic music and the modern soundtrack, and wordless cutscenes were added, too (where the original’s narrative events were more awkward in the overview).
The gameplay remains fundamentally unchanged, facilitated by improvements. Timing techniques and special moves are both clearer to execute due to an added signifier in the form of a vivid exclamation point. The battle system’s most dramatic change is the “gauge,” found in the bottom left corner during battle. Successfully executing timing techniques, in both attack and defense, accrues gauge points, and accumulating 100 gauge points allows Mario and co. to perform a triple attack. These triple attacks differ depending on the combination of the game’s five party members (there are six triple moves in all, since Mario cannot be swapped out to reap more potential combinations and there can only be three party members in battle at once).
Thus arriving at my greatest point of contention: as a deviation from the SNES version, this remake is very, very easy. But I find myself torn, all the same. Is it because the original was considered too difficult, and the makers sought to appease younger players with this remake? Or is it because I grew up with the original, having subconsciously learned all of its ins and outs like the back of my hand? The answer could be both, but it’s difficult to truly know in regards to the latter. More lenient than triple attacks is the ability to continue battle after the initial three party members have died. The game even provides the chance to revive said defeated members with the final two.
However, some additional post-game content refutes that argument, as it feels tailor-made for hardcore players. After defeating the optional, pixelated Culex and completing various ancillary tasks, you can rematch six of the game’s bosses, who return stronger and smarter, usually because of a specific gimmick. Jonathan Jones can only be defeated using Mario and without the aid of items, requiring the player to execute as many defensive timing techniques as possible, or else you’ll lose all of your health and die. Punchinello’s unstoppable defense must be penetrated by turning his own Bob-ombs against him. You can’t let Bundt’s five candles light, or he’ll use an insta-kill move that wipes out your whole party.
This extra content was a blast and contains a real sense of adversity, requiring strategy, grit, and patience for success. What follows the six rematches is another rematch, this time with “3D Culex.” If you thought the original Culex battle was hard, look out. Fighting the Final Fantasy demon is an arduous task (even after earning maximum level), but conquering him produces an unparalleled feeling of achievement, which proves exactly the kind of genuine hardship absent from the main game.
There’s not much else to say about this Super Mario RPG remake that I haven’t already hashed over before. Its overworld bits are still much less stellar than everything else the game has to offer but thankfully only constitute a small portion. It’s a beat-for-beat remake, so, if you loved the original, your love will rekindle with the experience of this faithful, new-age translation.
8/10
