Review: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

The year is 1996. Cartridge gaming is becoming scarcer due to the advent of CD technology. It's at this point in time that Nintendo's SNES is nearing the end of it's life cycle. About to be overshadowed by its younger brother, the N64, coming out in just a few short months, Nintendo wants to give their beloved gaming system a glorious sendoff.

To this end, they decide to use one of their flagship franchises, Super Mario, in a completely different way. Teaming up with Square (which later became Square Enix), Nintendo threw Mario into the unfamiliar world of turn-based RPGs.

Square, already very proficient in this genre with juggernaut franchise Final Fantasy under their belt, took to this concept with great ideas. Utilizing all the power of the SNES, they were able to produce a 32-Bit masterpiece with enough style and gameplay to earn the hearts of gamers everywhere.

Stylish Action:

Geno's radiant Geno Flash

This game has a lot of it. From the very beginning, Mario can use "Timed Hits" to increase both his offense and defense, leading to at least some measure of skill required to get through the game with style. In addition, each of the five party members has their own unique set of special skills, complete with beautiful animations to accompany them.

Square's expertise gained from their previous RPGs, combined with the active nature of Nintendo's previous Mario games gives us a fantastically balanced system of a Player's skill and strategy

Music:

Forest Maze Theme

As you might be able to hear from the embedded MP3, this game has a wonderful soundtrack. The song I placed here, the Forest Maze Theme, is perhaps one of the best, and most well known, songs of the entire game. I encourage everybody to listen to it while reading this review.

Apart from the Forest Maze, every locale has their own specific music to help establish the atmosphere. A funky and upbeat song plays while visiting Mario's steed, Yoshi the dinosaur, mirroring the happiness that the Player and Mario are feeling. While later, a slow dirge, punctuated by mechanical clanking, plays as Mario and friends make their way through the Factory dungeon.

As a bonus for those with their own modicum of musical talent, a minigame is present at Melody Bay, near Tadpole Pond. There waits gifted composer, Toadofsky, continually in search of inspiration for his next song. The Player can help the composer by jumping on tadpoles in a recreation of a musical score, using notes (from top to bottom) Mi, Re, Do, Ti, La, So, Fa.

All in all I would call this some of the finest music composed for video games, let alone on something as old as a SNES cartridge.

Story:

 The game kicks off in typical Mario fashion, with Bowser kidnapping Princess Peach Toadstool, and Mario springing into action to save her. Things take a turn for the unexpected when a massive sword crash lands into the middle of Bowser's keep, throwing Mario, Boswer, and Peach in random directions all throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.

It turns out this mighty sword, known as Exor, is actually a member of the insidious Smithy Gang. Acting as a gate for the rest of the Smithy Gang, Exor destroys the bridge to Bowser's keep before helping other powerful members into the Mushroom Kingdom.

In all of this commotion, Mario meets new friends, as well as new enemies. Eventually learning of the Smithy Gang's dastardly agenda, Mario and his companions set out to stop Smithy and resolve their own goals at the same time.

Fortunately, despite the somewhat dark tone that Smithy and his Gang bring to the game, it is on the whole quite lighthearted. Many enemies will eventually become reluctant allies after a heart to heart with Mario, the extraordinarily gifted mime.

Mario and company try to recap the entire story for an audience in game, with hilarious results

The light-hearted nature and general silliness that is rife throughout much of the game gives Players a relaxing Mario tale, filled with tongue-in-cheek humor and shounen coolness.

Challenge:

Originally designed for children, this game can be easy to those that take advantage of all the small gameplay quirks. Mario can find a piece of armor that all but grants invincibility to a lone party member in exchange for all of their offensive power. Likewise, many of the characters have unique special attacks that can make playing through the game a breeze.

“I am matter... I am antimatter... I can see your past... I can see your future... I consume time... And I will consume you!” - Culex, before throwing down the gauntlet

However, for those that want it, the game can offer some real challenges. One such challenge is the optional boss, Culex.

Hailing from the far off land of Vanda, Dark Knight Culex comes to the Mushroom Kingdom's dimension to battle its strongest champion. He finds this champion in Mario, and proceeds to open a can of whoop ass the likes of which this game never sees elsewhere.

And on top of that monstrous fight, there are even more optional bosses. One, a pint-sized martial arts master named Jinx, can give even the toughest of Players a shock when they see how immensely powerful he can be.

Then there are the game-spanning sidequests of finding all of the secret chests (appearing only when Mario hits them open by jumping) and landing 100 Super Jumps in a row. The latter of these challenges comes with its own special equipment, giving bragging rights to any players skilled enough to complete it.

Overall, with the low cap of only 30 Levels of experience for the party, the game's challenge remains consistent throughout the game; occasionally giving sharp increases of difficulty for the Players that want it, while remaining easier for those that want less of a challenge.

Replayability:

Super Mario RPG is a somewhat short game. A fast gamer could complete it in about ten hours or so, depending on the thoroughness that they employ throughout their playthrough. This means that anyone wishing to experience the game again need only devote a few days to the game before completing it.

This is great news for replayability. After finishing the game, Player's can go through again, while trying out different battle strategies or techniques, and to find any of the secrets that they missed the first time (and believe me, this game is filled with secrets).

Overall:

It will probably come as little surprise to most people, if they've read through any of this review, that I absolutely adore this game. First playing through it at the tender age of five, and last playing through it at the equally tender age of 19, I have enjoyed this game for most of my life.

That's why I'm giving Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars a big Thumbs Up and a recommendation for each and every gamer out there to try this game. Available on the virtual console nowadays, any modern gamer can play through this excellent title with just a few dollars.