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Square Enix's legendary SNES game Super Mario RPG returns later this month on the Nintendo Switch, and ahead of the November 17th release, the final round of previews have gone live.
If you haven't already seen our own "hands on" of this upcoming Switch title here on Nintendo Life, the good news is it's shaping up to be something pretty special. In fact, it might just be the most faithful remake we've ever played:
So, what do other critics think of this new version of Super Mario RPG so far? Read on to find out:
IGN: "Super Mario RPG has been able to balance its faithful recreation of one of my favorite games with a willingness to improve it where it counts."
My Nintendo News: "Can confidently say that this is shaping up to be a fantastic way to experience the game, whether you’ve played the original SNES title, or it’s your first time diving into Mario’s first RPG. There have clearly been several quality of life improvements made to the game in order to make it as accessible as possible but the inclusion of the original soundtrack clearly shows that Nintendo want this to be a nostalgic experience for returning players too."
Press-Start Australia: "This is going to be the best way to play Super Mario RPG. Its improvements are small but impactful, and the visual style is as strong as ever."
TechRadar: "If there’s one thing that classic turn-based role-playing games (RPGs) can be guilty of, it’s repetitive, unengaging combat. However, these aren’t issues that players will have to worry about in Nintendo’s upcoming Switch remake of Super Mario RPG."
ComingSoon.Net: "It looks like Nintendo has nailed the Super Mario RPG remake. Whether you’ve replayed the SNES original several times or this is your first go-around, the updated Switch version is a must-play for RPG fans. Featuring more charm than ever, plus some smart updates that keep it feeling fresh, this is everything you could want from a remake."
Will you be picking up Super Mario RPG when it launches on the Switch later this month? Tell us below.
Comments 65
I've played the original over and over and over through the years, including having done a run since the remake's announcement, and can't wait for this.
That said I am kind of hoping the original's an unlockable for beating it or something. Kind of doubt it, especially with the soundtrack option, but would love to have the option to play it either way on the Switch and while I'm prepared to love this one I can't really see it completely supplanting the original for me.
But is it worth $60? Hmm…
Calling it now, this is my GOTY
Once again, I'm just curious about whether the special gauge might make the game a lot easier. Not that Mario RPG was really that hard overall outside of a couple of secret bosses but when I was younger there were a few tricky enemies and bosses that gave me a somewhat tough time. It would be very nice if there's more extra content considering the higher price tag.
This remake better lead to a sequel, give Chihiro Fujioka the wish he desire.
I wonder how the Geno In Smash Now community feels about this
I am amused that TechRadar's comment is a fancy way of just saying 'not repetitive' while kind of simultaneously bashing RPGs as a genre. 😝
I'll be very curious to see the final reviews. I've already pre-ordered the game and looking forward to it!
@mereel from what it seems, definitely not if everyone is calling it extremely faithful. The original on the Wii U was $8 or something like that and all they’re really doing here is updating the visuals, combat, and it looks like there’s a tiny bit of post game content. $60 for an almost 30 year old game with some minor updates is pretty stupid but it’s Nintendo so it’s gonna sell extremely well regardless
@dribLS If someone already has a different way to play the game, full price doesn't seem worth it, but for me I've never played it and it simply seems like a modern high-quality-looking game even if it's secretly not modern. Probably better than most $60 games.
Yes, I will. I can't wait!
Sounds like Nintendo did a good job. Pretty good holiday selection this year. 2d Mario, RPG Mario and Party Wario.
@mereel
Considering the majority of buyers will have never experienced the original, then I would say $60 is fair. It’s practically a new game for most.
I played this when it came out and loved it. I never had a huge desire to replay it though. Unless this gets a steep discount in the future, I'm probably not going to get it. Despite that, I'm kinda just excited it came out and it's good. Happy for you all who've been clamouring for it for years.
Honestly, I don't even need to see any more. I was sold the second it was announced.
wonder if you can get Genowhirl to do instant KOs easier for the remake?
We know what we're getting, just hurry up and let Nov 17th get here!
@blindsquirrel I did play the original, and could now if I feel like it, but even for me it will practically be a first time affair, as it has been so long since I last played it, I forgot pretty much everything.
@blindsquirrel $40 would be fair. $60 is just a rip-off for what is basically a remaster.
@Zeroo
Then don’t buy it, vote with your money. For me, and plenty of other people this is the only opportunity to play the game. And from that point of view it seems like a new game and not an old remaster.
It amazes me how people clamor for these old games to be remade yet always complain when it comes time to pay for said remakes.
@blindsquirrel They are usually not the same people. While I didn't clamour for a remake, I am glad it is happening, and I am still getting it. And I don't think 60 bucks is a rip-off. So...
Removed - unconstructive feedback
@dr-gorgo what are you babbling about?
@LikelySatan this article has a dumb headline - what does “The previews are in” even mean??
Hm...not really interested in that one to be honest.
I know it's a classic but the combat just doesn't look very fun in the videos I have seen.
@Lizuka If anything, they’d most likely put the original in the SNES library for the Nintendo Switch Online service.
Is there much new content though?
@cmbaum "these are thoughts that certain outlets have had based on what small amount of time they spent with the game." A preview typically happens before a review. Previews can help with tentative opinions on things like performance, etc. Early previews show confidence in a release, and it's generally viewed as a bad sign when early looks at games (especially ports to the Switch) are not allowed. A recent case would be MK 1.
@cmbaum …It means the previews for the game are in. It’s pretty self-explanatory.
It’s the most beautiful Mario game I’ve ever seen.
For me worth every penny. Game of the year.
This will also be a collectors item.
I want to play this game but I'm not spending more than £30 to do so. If Metroid Prime remastered was £30 why is this more? I get it's a remake not remaster but still, it's an N64 game
@Archius9 so, it's a SNES game...
I'm really excited to play this, but not the remake. It's just got me jazzed to play the original sometime soon. I'll save me dabloons for buying fresh vegetables from the local artisanal organic market.
@LikelySatan ah thanks, think I confused my Paper Mario with this. I’m even less likely do pay that now
@Archius9 that seems to fly in the face of what you were suggesting, but mmmmmmkay.
@LikelySatan how? I confused this with N64 paper Mario. I’m not paying full price for a SNES remake but if still feel unwilling if it was N64 as well
@Archius9 Like many have said. This will likely be a better game than many other $60 games. But if you're not interested then that's fine. I've beaten Super Mario RPG dozens of times and I will gladly hand over $60 for this remake that I've been waiting for for years.
@Archius9 Metroid is great but it casts a much smaller net so having a smaller price tag helps bring more people in.
Mario is Mario. Nintendo don’t need to worry if people are going to pay the premium for Mario games. At any rate this is a complete remake and it certainly doesn’t look cheaply made so full price makes sense honestly
@NotoriousWhiz fair enough. I may wait for a pre-owned. I recently itemised my backlog across switch and steam and it’s over 200 games so I think this might have caused me to reign it in a bit
@LikelySatan @TheImperfectInsider
I am very aware and generally agree but it still comes across as a weird phrasing. To give a poor analogy, it’s like saying reviews are in of movie trailers, which is how it comes across at first. Why not just say something like “promising early buzz”? For the record, I grew up with this game and played it again a couple years ago and know it could literally have been released for the first time this year and you wouldn’t know it is 30 years old. It’s guaranteed to be fantastic IMO
@mereel Yes - I replayed the original a few years ago and this game holds up incredibly well over 30 years. I think it’s one of the best games ever made and with a fresh coat of paint it would be considered one of the best games on the switch had it been released for the first time this year
@Archius9 I guess Nintendo remaking a SNES game to work with modern sensibilities is more exciting and worthwhile because it takes a ton of work. Like Link's Awakening, from GB to Switch but hopefully much better than that turned out (imo). But I don't know, money is different for everyone.
The only RPG series I can stand playing (this and the Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi series). The Switch is going out with a bang for sure!
@FishyS i mean almost everyone buying the game knows that it’s a remake. A port/remaster/1:1 remake will always be a new experience for new players but that doesn’t make it something design with modern game design in mind. Mario rpg was a great game but it’s a product of it’s time, so it should be priced as such
Let me turn off splash damage. Other than that little thing, it looks amazing.
I'm in the same boat I don't want splash damage... that's my only concern with this remake don't want it to be to easy
@Zeroo A remake is not "basically a remaster".
Sigh As usual there are people disregarding the efforts and costs of development...
The starting price (so in several countries you can get it for lower even at launch, in fact I've preordered a physical copy discounted, you could use the vouchers digitally etc.) is more than justified considering this is a remake so built from the ground up with completely new assets including beautiful visuals and new cutscenes that is faithful, but at the same time adds a couple of mechanics to the battle system, lets you switch between the new and original soundtracks, adds a monster list and has postgame boss rematches!
@Lizuka Seriously doubt the original is included in the remake, but hopefully it will eventually come to NSO at least like Link's Awakening did.
@Croctopus While I can see where you're coming from, the addition of postgame boss "rematches" - between quotes because we know for sure there's at least one completely new boss - will most likely make this much more difficult than anything in the original except for the hidden boss despite the area damage and special moves.
@JohnnyMind What?! I thought they just pressed the "remake" button on a big machine and a fully completed, packaged, and ready to ship game came out!
Forgot to mention that thanks to this remake Super Mario RPG will be translated in several more languages, too!
Editing this as I've just learned in another comment section here on Nintendo Life that you can even change your party in battle and they also added a sound player.
@Bret Ha, great comment!
@Zeroo
I’m paying $50, getting it at JNL Games. I always get my preorder in the mail the day after the release date.
I hope they will seriously consider a sequel to this game and one that will be released within 2-3 years.
@JohnnyMind it’s the old favourite. “Developers are underpaid and treated like crap!!!” Followed a week later by “I’m not paying that, guess I’ll wait for a deep discount…”
Shopto.net has it for £42. Perfecto
Good to hear it is as good as I hoped for. I gladly pay the asking price for a game I like. And thankfully I like almost every game I buy. Videogames are just very well made nowadays.
Everyone fight over whether its worth 60$: "IT IS" "NOOOO" "YESSS" "NAAAAAAAAH"
Me: It has Mario correct? I haven't played it before correct? It looks fun correct? Ok take my money.
I mean... I paid $70 of birthday and saved up allowance money in 6th grade when this originally came out, so I really don't feel too cross about $50 via Game Voucher in 2023...
@Lizuka perhaps an easy alternative although they’d never do this is to have a “classic” filter where it’s just a pixelated clay looking overlay. I wouldn’t be surprised if we did see the original pop up on the SNES channel at some point though
@mereel Get REEL. Of course it is!
@mereel
Why would it not be? It's Super Mario RPG. Have you looked up the cost for an SNES copy lately?
@nimnio
I didn't know that ages were listed on here. Honestly, I'm in my 40's. This game was at least sixty dollars back then, so it's basically nothing to me by any comparison. I will definitely be getting it once I finish Star Ocean 2nd Story R, and have no problem paying sixty dollars for this.
breathes, wishes we would stop using blanket statements to generalize each other by age, culture, etc.
So many good memories from back when I first played SMRPG in 1999! Got it on a local rental shop, the game came with a cleared save file labeled as "Diego". Erased it, started a new file and managed to reach Forest of Illusion. It was one of the most magical moments in my early gaming life, getting lost in the trunk maze, following Geno to reach the exit, getting my ass kicked by Bownyer... then years later I finally managed to beat Smith and Culex.
One of my favorite games ever!
I still have not played this game but have it on backlog via the SNES classic. I am planning to play the original while there is discourse around the remaster.
Never played the original. The graphics are just awful!!! (Don’t hate me 😅) Looking forward to it on switch.
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