Game Information
Game Title: Super Mario RPG
Platforms:
- Nintendo Switch (Nov 17, 2023)
Trailer:
Developer: Nintendo
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 84 average - 98% recommended - 46 reviews
Critic Reviews
Ars Technica - Andrew Cunningham - Unscored
For people who haven’t played it in a while, the Super Mario RPG remake is a fun opportunity to revisit a game you remember fondly. For those who are new to RPGs, this game is a great and low-stress introduction to the form, much like the original game was for kids in the '90s. The worst thing I can say about it is that it’s a little short, and for people who know the original, you might come away wishing that there was just more Mario RPG to play. Though that may just be me continuing to pine for the true sequel this game never got.
Atomix - Alberto Desfassiaux - Spanish - 95 / 100
Super Mario RPG is a new example of how to represent old classics in a new way. Nintendo just nailed it, presenting gorgeous graphics and music, and making the right choice on how to make better things such as gameplay mechanics and quality of life improvements.
CGMagazine - Jordan Biordi - 9 / 10
Super Mario RPG is as good today as it was 27 years ago, and this remake simply brings it into the modern day.
COGconnected - James Paley - 90 / 100
Super Mario RPG is so faithful to the original that calling it a remake feels disingenuous. The game is more of a top-to-bottom remaster.
Cerealkillerz - Julian Bieder - German - 8.7 / 10
Square has conjured up a really detailed role-playing game for the SNES that has been rightly dusted off without changing much of the original: The HD textures and slightly revamped battle system bring Super Mario RPG up to date, and the post-game rematches offer a brand new tough challenge. All summed up, this is a remake of a role-playing game as it should be in the textbook; the only downer is and remains the playing time of the main story, which is too short at roughly 10 hours.
Checkpoint Gaming - Luke Mitchell - 8 / 10
Maintaining what made the original so special, Super Mario RPG provides a glow-up to an absolute classic RPG experience, with smart tweaks to combat bringing it firmly into the modern era. It’s an utterly charming experience that sucks you into its gorgeous, colourful world. Still, in sticking firmly to its roots, it just doesn’t provide the challenge or open-world gameplay to elevate it to the next level. If you’re keen on a breezy nostalgic RPG with simple yet satisfying combat, the iconic Italian in a red hat has you covered.
ComicBook.com - Marc Deschamps - 4 / 5
Super Mario RPG has aged fantastically well, with great gameplay, a terrific story, and some excellent characterization. Developer ArtePiazza has added just enough quality of life improvements to refine the experience, while still maintaining the elements that made it a classic in the first place. For those that have never played it before, Super Mario RPG is a very easy recommendation, but those that have played through it a number of times over the last 27 years might find that there isn’t enough new content to rationalize the $60.
Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - Recommended
Super Mario RPG is legitimately one of the best video games ever. The original is timeless, and the Switch remake excels at updating the experience to a definitive sheen while retaining all the personality and memorable moments.
Daily Mirror - Scott McCrae - 5 / 5
While more seasoned players may find the experience a bit too easy until the post-game, Super Mario RPG is a great introduction to the RPG genre for newcomers. It’s also just an incredibly charming game, and it’s a joy to look at from start to finish.
Daily Star - Tom Hutchison - 4 / 5
Overall, this is a great introduction to RPG games and offers a challenge as you push through the title.
It’s got a lovely modern Switch sheen to it but still keeps all the core values of the original, classic game.
Destructoid - Timothy Monbleau - 9 / 10
Super Mario RPG is an all-time classic game that both RPG lovers and Mario fans alike owe it to themselves to play. This Switch remake brilliantly preserves the spirit of the original SNES game, with some great quality-of-life enhancements and a phenomenally redone soundtrack. Longtime fans looking for a more transformative remake may feel disappointed, but when the core game itself has aged this well, it doesn’t suffer in the ways a lesser title would. If you’ve never played Super Mario RPG, or if you simply want an excuse to revisit it, this remake is for you.
Dexerto - Olly Smith - 4 / 5
A new lick of paint and some enhanced accessibility improvements bring the Super Mario RPG remake into the 21st century. While the game was already a great outing back in 1996, new players should have no problem jumping into Mario’s first RPG title, hopefully opening the door for next year’s Paper Mario remake and potentially more RPGs later down the line.
Digital Trends - Giovanni Colantonio - 3.5 / 5
Super Mario RPG isn’t necessarily an improvement over the 1996 version, but it’s at least a more approachable experience for kids.
Eurogamer - Christian Donlan - 4 / 5
The game that kicked off Mario’s RPG adventures retains its charm in this cheerful remake.
Eurogamer.pt - Vítor Alexandre - Portuguese - 4 / 5
In the end it’s a very balanced and successful proposal, a meeting of forces between Square and Nintendo that worked well. Perhaps the greatest merit of this remake is to fulfill the mission that the original lacked, to leave the Japanese exclusivity and reach the whole world, with a presentation that reveals care and at the same time fidelity to the primitive design.
Everyeye.it - Riccardo Cantù - Italian - 8.5 / 10
Ultimately, the remake of Super Mario RPG presents itself to the appointment with fans in an exceptional graphic design that cloaks the same gameplay that had propelled the original Legend of the Seven Stars into the Olympus of the best JRPGs in the history of the medium.
GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 82%
In some ways the developers could have been more courageous concerning innovations, because beside graphics and new arranged score there is not much really new stuff. But playing it safe is fine, because with that Super Mario RPG is a beautiful looking role playing game with a great mixture of round based combat and action elements.
Game Informer - Kyle Hilliard - 8.8 / 10
Much of what has changed about Super Mario RPG for the remake beyond the visuals is behind the scenes. The pace is brisker, and my hour count (even after beating the big optional boss) came in lower than the average playtime of the original. The game has been tweaked only slightly to add some new mechanics and make the adventure even more welcoming than it already was. The result is an experience that only shows its age slightly and rewards longtime fans and newcomers alike.
GamePro - Dennis Michel - German - 85 / 100
A loving and timeless new edition that shows what a banger we had to do without in Europe in 1996.
GameSpot - Steven Petite - 8 / 10
Super Mario RPG is an overtly faithful recreation of the Super Nintendo hit, and this charming adventure has aged quite well.
Gameblog - KiKiToes - French - 7 / 10
Super Mario RPG is a great remake. The game is atypical and very old school, but has enough quality to give it our full attention, especially since the improvements are numerous.
GamesRadar+ - Dustin Bailey - 4 / 5
It’s maybe the most Mario has ever felt like a psychedelic dream sequence
God is a Geek - Adam Cook - 9 / 10
Super Mario RPG is a carefully crafted remake of a classic, shining new light on a game that many will have missed, adding only when necessary and taking nothing away in the process.
Hobby Consolas - Álvaro Alonso - Spanish - 85 / 100
Super Mario RPG is the perfect combination of classic Final Fantasy role-playing and the outpouring of originality and sense of humor of the Mario games. As a remake it’s a bit short, but for us, who couldn’t play it in its original version, it’s quite a gift.
Super Mario RPG is considered a classic for a reason, and this faithful remake makes it easy for anyone who missed it in the SNES era to see why.
IGN Italy - Mattia Ravanelli - Italian - 7.5 / 10
Consider Super Mario RPG as a textbook: if you want to know how Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi were born, you’re in the right place. If you’re looking for a great Mario RPG, you’ll find an outdated game.
IGN Spain - Raquel Morales - Spanish - 9 / 10
Nintendo recaptures the magic of Super Mario RPG, where nostalgia and brilliance go hand to hand thanks to a gameplay with subtle changes that really works.
LevelUp - Pedro Pérez Cesari - Spanish - 9 / 10
ArtePiazza understood what elements needed to be improved to deliver a remake that went beyond better graphics. This is Super Mario RPG for a new era and a new audience, with improvements that bring it closer to modern standards. It’s hard to say that the remake will replace the gem that is the original, but it’s another jewel that deserves to sit alongside it.
Metro GameCentral - GameCentral - 7 / 10
An excellent remake of a historically important game, that often gets forgotten. The price is off-putting but beyond that this is a breezy and charming adventure that’s perfect for RPG neophytes.
Nintendo Life - Alana Hagues - 9 / 10
Super Mario RPG is here in all of its weird, wonderful glory for a new generation to experience, and sets a new standard for how to do a faithful remake right. Delivering a beautifully preserved, pure experience for fans of the original and an accessible entry-point for genre newcomers, the game’s infectious charm, writing, and polished gameplay do so much to elevate this beyond what might have been merely a simple RPG starring Mario.
Super Mario RPG is a superb remake that perfectly captures the essence of the SNES original. This is not always to its credit, as elements of its platforming in particular have not aged as well as they could have, and the ability to block enemy attacks with Action Commands serves to make the times you can’t feel far more punishing. However, these are minor frustrations that do not tarnish the overall experience in any significant or lasting fashion. Its beautifully remastered visuals and soundtrack, witty dialogue, and engaging combat make Super Mario RPG a modern classic that is more than worth your time.
PCMag - Will Greenwald - 4 / 5
Super Mario RPG for Nintendo Switch is a great-looking and faithful remake that brims with the original release’s charm and wonder.
Press Start - James Mitchell - 9 / 10
Super Mario RPG is a strong remake of an already stellar game. It successfully focuses on improving the original in all the right places: a faster and snappier battle system, strong quality-of-life improvements and more difficult optional content. These improvements combine with the game’s already quirky charm to offer an experience that easily eclipses the original. While it’s overly simplistic compared to other RPGs, that’s ostensibly the point. Super Mario RPG is an oddball piece of Nintendo’s history like no other, and that alone makes it worth experiencing.
RPG Site - Scott White - 8 / 10
This brand new remake of the 1996 classic recaptures a lot of what made the original game great while infusing it with modern updates that will be great for new players but may turn off fans of the original.
Siliconera - Brent Koepp - 9 / 10
In 1996, Square teamed up with Nintendo to make Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Nearly three decades later, the SNES classic is getting a much-deserved second chance with the excellent Super Mario RPG remake on the Nintendo Switch.
Spaziogames - Valentino Cinefra - Italian - 8.7 / 10
Super Mario RPG, with its faithful remake, is a vintage yet iconic game that defined the SNES era, offering a fresh and playful adventure that continues to inspire generations.
Stevivor - Matt Gosper - 9.5 / 10
Super Mario RPG is made in reverence to the original, bringing it to a new audience while also reminding returning players what was so great about it in the first place.
The Games Machine - Daniele Cucchiarelli - Italian - 8.9 / 10
The first Mario’s RPG is still one hell of fun. Even after almost 30 years it offers a fun and fresh adventure, with many little surprises. A not particularly high difficulty level allows it to be playable even by an audience not familiar with the genre, but veterans may find it a bit too forgiving.
TheSixthAxis - Reuben Mount - 8 / 10
There is a lot to love in the Super Mario RPG remake. An adorable art style, deceptively deep combat, an excellent updated soundtrack, and genuinely funny skits and writing all make this game as much of a joy to play as the SNES original. If you can look past the simplicity of the game overall, and the occasionally frustrating experience that is the jumping puzzles, this is a stellar addition to the Switch’s already stacked library.
TrustedReviews - Ryan Jones - 4 / 5
Super Mario RPG is a gorgeous reimagining of the SNES classic. Those looking for a dose of nostalgia will be pleased that this is a faithful remake, with just enough tweaks to make it more accessible to a new generation of gamers without diluting the magic of the original.
Twinfinite - Zhiqing Wan - 4 / 5
At the end of the day, I’m glad I got to play this refined version of Super Mario RPG. It’s a game that garnered quite a bit of critical and fan acclaim back when it first released in 1996, and the 2023 remake is a loving recreation that will appeal to both longtime fans and newcomers alike. While I wish it could’ve been just a little bit more streamlined, it’s hard to complain too much about a game that just makes you smile and feel good for playing it.
VG247 - Alex Donaldson - 4 / 5
Though it can be a little easy, the Super Mario RPG remake scratches all the right itches – even a few decades on.
Video Chums - A.J. Maciejewski - 8.5 / 10
Super Mario RPG is a faithful and super-cute remake that takes an already great game and simply makes it better. As you’re jamming out to the new tunes, discovering secrets, and appreciating the new mechanics and visuals, you’re bound to have an excellent time. ⭐
Wccftech - Nathan Birch - 9 / 10
Super Mario RPG is a lovingly-crafted remake that retains the original’s peculiar off-brand charm, appealing combat, and varied level design while subtly tinkering with numerous elements to make the game more palatable for modern players.
WellPlayed - James Wood - 8 / 10
Super Mario RPG is a gorgeously realised remake that brings the classic turn-based adventure to modern audiences but stops just short of recapturing the magical uniqueness of the original.
XGN.nl - Luuc ten Velde - Dutch - 8 / 10
Super Mario RPG is a strong remake from Nintendo thanks to the updated graphics, music and animations. It shows that the 1996-game is a timeless classic due to it’s great story and memorable cast of characters.
Thanks for making these review threads. I always enjoyed these types of threads from reddit, so I’m glad to see them here.
I loved the original and have played through it a few times. I’m unsure if I can justify $60 for 10 hours of a game I’ve played a few times though.
Is it really 10 hours for other people? My game file usually says around 50-60 when I’m done. I think they said 10 hours is if you blitz the main story and do no side content… do people play any rpg that way? If so, I at the very least recommend a full playthrough this time. There is alot of great side content in this, and most other, rpgs.
Mario rpg is really a 20ish hour game for most people. Maybe a little less. I’m not even sure what you would spend your time doing for 3x the time. Even completionist entries on hltb are only 25 hours
It’s a shorter rpg for sure, doesn’t make it bad, my favourite rpgs are shorter.
I mean, I do tend to play around and have fun with video games. I don’t have a checklist and just run to the next thing on the list. I don’t use walkthroughs, so any puzzles or unclear mechanics are gonna stump me for a bit as I work them out. And any time there is combat based levelling, I’ll usually grind out a few extra levels, I’m always way too strong for the part of the game I’m at, but I still find it fun.
It was kind of the normal way to play games back when MarioRPG came out. The internet wasn’t super useful yet. And while walkthroughs and stuff did already exist, it wasn’t considered normal to use them to play a game yourself, just to look up one part if you got too stuck.
This is the cherry on the top for a fantastic year at Nintendo.
But you kids will not know the joys of playing your SNES on a dying CRT, with mono sound and no Internet or game guides to help you.
-.-
I taught my nieces to always go in blind first, and only resort to looking stuff up if you are so stuck that you fear you would otherwise quit the game. We’ll see if they are able to continue with it as they get older and have more sources of videogame advice in their life.
Going in blind always makes games more fun. And helps you build the skills to figure it out yourself, rather than just follow what someone else did. Doing it yourself is way more rewarding, and a useful transferable skill.
Thanks, dad.
Do any of the reviews mention anything about the UI? One of my issues while watching the first released videos and clips of this switch version was how boring and basic the UI was looking. Wondered if that was just a gripe on my end or if it effects some of the people to actutally play it. I understand it’s a small complaint but it can really change how a game is for me.
Yeah. That seems to be a trend in recent years. UX is extremely utilitarian and does not mesh with other game aesthetics. Even when those UX elements are on the screen all the time. It’s very jarring to see a colorful game with a distinct palatte of textures being overlayed with grey, modern boxes and white arial text without any background textures to it.
It makes it feel like I’m playing a bad emulator or fan remake.
Thanks for the insight. I’ll stick with the original, then.
I think he meant in general, not specifically this remake
Can’t wait to play it on plane!!!
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This (along with DK Country) was one of the games I was jealous of as a Sega Genesis kid growing up (then Nintendo from the N64 onward) and never really had much chance to play later. It’s nice to be able to finally play through it (legally) with a nice shiny modern coat of paint. As someone who never did play through the original, having this version be essentially 1:1 to it is appreciated, but I do also feel like they could have maybe added more for those who do know the original well. At least it’s not a Pokemon BDSP situation where the devs already had a much improved version to borrow from and just directly remade the poorly-received original versions.
I’m sure once us crazy fans get the chance to really dig into it, we’ll find lots of little things they did. The original game had alot of hidden easter eggs, no way did a new team spend that much time on it without adding a few of their own.
And some of the updates and refreshes of side content mechanics might make some of them a bit more accessible to a wider crowd than they were in the original, effectively adding content to the players that weren’t able to succeed originally. There was some pretty tough stuff in the original for people willing to endlessly practice.
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