Super Mario RPG™

I went in half-expecting a cheap nostalgia grab and came out genuinely impressed by how much care went into keeping this thing alive. Super Mario RPG is a ground-up remake of the 1996 Square-developed SNES classic, rebuilt by ArtePiazza (the studio behind several Dragon Quest remakes), and it shows the kind of restraint that is actually harder to pull off than throwing new features at everything. The core premise drops Mario, Bowser, Peach, and two fresh party members into an unlikely alliance after a villain faction called the Smithy Gang shatters the Star Road, cutting off the world's ability to make wishes. It is goofy, self-aware, and genuinely funny in a way that most games claiming to be funny are not, characters pantomime entire scenes when retelling events, Bowser weeps openly when things go wrong, and cakes become sentient boss encounters. The battle system is where Super Mario RPG still earns its keep. Combat is turn-based with a twist: every attack and block has a timing window tied to a button press, and nailing it either amplifies your damage or negates incoming hits entirely. The remake adds a visible exclamation-point cue to help players learn the rhythm, though it fades out once you have it down, so you cannot lean on it forever. New additions include splash damage on perfectly timed attacks, hitting every enemy in a group at once, plus Triple Attacks, a three-character combined move that fills a gauge through well-timed inputs during regular battles. Boss rematches arrive post-game with upgraded difficulty, and they are the sharpest challenge the game offers. The five-character roster, Mario, Mallow, Geno, Peach, and Bowser, each has distinct timing windows and special moves, so swapping the party for specific fights is a real consideration rather than just flavour. The honest criticism is difficulty. On Normal, the main campaign is gentle enough that experienced RPG players will rarely feel pressed, and the lack of a hard mode from the start is a missed opportunity. The runtime also sits around 10-15 hours for the main story, which is refreshing compared to bloated modern JRPGs but will feel short to players expecting a meaty adventure. Some of the overworld traversal sections are the weakest part of the package, light platforming that adds little and can feel like padding between the stronger moments. A handful of writing localisation tweaks have also drawn mild complaints from players who have the original memorised word for word. What the remake absolutely nails is its presentation. The visuals go fully 3D while keeping the chunky, almost diorama-like aesthetic the SNES version was built around, with tiny Mario looking almost absurdly expressive amid detailed environments. The soundtrack option to toggle between the classic original music and the newly arranged score is the kind of quality-of-life touch that costs nothing and earns genuine goodwill. The result is a game that functions as an ideal entry point for anyone curious about turn-based RPGs or the broader Mario RPG lineage, it is accessible, concise, and genuinely charming, while also being the best existing version for returning fans.

Alex · Scout Team

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