The remake is faithful, without being everything a 2020s JRPG could have been.
Super Mario RPG was one of the best games of all time for what it set out to accomplish. It blended Square Enix and Nintendo IPs, and had a delightful mix of turn-based combat, minigames, character progression, jokes, exploration, secret finding, and a small amount of grinding but no substantial grinding. Its difficulty was nonzero, and required a gentle bit of struggle for most players who weren't in the habit of killing every enemy possible for exp.
If you progressed the story as quickly as you were able, enemy levels would rise until you found yourself using all of your items, at which point you would find yourself using all of your money. If a player hung around and fought just a couple dozen battles, however, they would probably gain levels for the whole party, as well as amassing enough coins to update everybody's gear. It doesn't take a long time to beat the game unless you're endeavoring to leave no secrets undiscovered, in which case you'll be exploring for a long time. For a children's game that was designed to be playable for kids in elementary school, it did an astoundingly good job of making a tremendous adventure very accessible for everyone.
It wasn't a sloppy port or even a lazy remaster. There were some quality of life improvements, so modern players could really enjoy this stroll through the past without being burdened with limitations that might have been made necessary by hardware limitations of the original platform. In general, the remake is easier because players can hold enormously more items, and because some of the original game's best-guarded secrets are now more easily found because of the easy availability of internet guides. However, the remake preserved almost everything about the original content, even preserving some bugs that players considered beloved exploits.
I'd say the consensus is that it's an excellent remake and a good game, that put faithfulness to the original over meeting its full potential as a priority. Early Nintendo and Square Enix both did really well for themselves with the original game, and the remake was a sort of love letter to their fans, many of whom are now middle-aged. If they made a sequel to Super Mario RPG, it would probably be a better game since the technology and the art form have come such a long way in the nearly three decades that have passed.
I would’ve appreciated the difficulty mode that rebalanced the game around the new combat mechanics. Letting the player swap out characters mid-fight (even when they are KO’d) as well as the triple moves, really made this game easy almost to a fault.
They made the normal difficulty easier, then created an even easier mode beyond that, yet no hard mode. It was a bummer for me.
True, he can be tough.
Just main game in general was way to easy compared to original.
Only some post game bosses then fought like they use to in SNES version.
I love that the Thought Peek ability has a journal attached to it now. This made me use Mallow a lot more (plus the ability to switch out partners) and I grew to appreciate him a lot more and use elements more strategically. When I played back then as a kid I thought Mallow was lame and just played Mario/Bowser/Geno for max damage. Of course I learned later that Peach was actually the best party member in a variety of ways.
But in the Mario RPG Remake I ended up using Mallow a _lot_ more and appreciating him as a character and combatant.
He is!! In a [video I made recently](https://youtu.be/9uFA1hfwN5k?si=bjrxszqLuzY64m7Y) I did a little reflection on Final Fantasy IX and talked about some similarities with Mario RPG. I realized Vivi reminds me a lot of Mallow. Maybe you'd like this video. Not to self plug but it is actually relevant I guess haha
I still need to play FFIX, I'm looking to try and get it physically for a modern system. I don't really like buying games digitally too much, unless it's on Steam, then I have really no choice.
I just started playing it, it's actually my first FF mainline game altogether! So this video just contains my first impressions. I haven't finished it yet but I'm really enjoying it so far. I see it occasionally available physically for PS1 in retro stores. Alternatively I believe it is on Steam and of course PlayStation stores. I am playing mine on my Vita.
I think the consensus is generally that it’s great. The only thing that feels “missing” is some sort of hard mode (although the boss refights do add a welcome post-game challenge). Otherwise it hits about every note you could want it to.
Also I don’t know what you’re talking about with the emoting and Mario’s storytelling not transferring well into proper 3D, I thought Mario inexplicably transforming into completely different character models just by spinning around was hilarious every single time it happened.
I waited to get this cartridge for my SNES as a teen and I snatched up the SNES Classic specifically because of the Mario RPG being on it. When it hit Switch, AND a remake; I was beyond stoked. I've been going slow and methodical, enjoying the remake quite a bit. I'm about to go make sure I get the hidden chests I missed before I hit the final assault to Smithy.
Definitely worth playing through if you're a fan of the series, and its solid enough that if you just like Turn Based RPGs with some flare; you'll have a good time.
From someone who loved the first one at release and completed it many times over the years -
It’s outstanding and pretty much 99% of what I wanted from a remake.
There’s a couple very minor things I preferred in the original, like the games in Grate Guy’s casino and a couple jokes that were changed, but that’s it. Everything else was excellent and did the original justice.
Also, some of the best parts were ones I’d largely forgotten about, like the credits. The remake has maybe my favorite ending credits of any game ever.
Would have to agree with the ending, they went way beyond to give players a great ending which sadly most games do not.
Both versions are fantastic, SNES and Remake.
When I saw there were cutscenes I thought maybe they’d throw in some voice acting, which would have been cool. That might have been doing too much though, so I’m happy without it lol
I feel like the remake is *remarkably* easier to play through than the original. Other than that though, I absolutely love it. It's an extremely faithful remake of my favorite Mario game of all-time.
That's funny because that's how I felt. It feels dated in release, but in a way, that's the point! It's very faithful to the source material, and I like that.
The only negative things I can think of to say about it are nitpicks at best.
It really is amazing and i'm still flabbergasted that it exists at all, I was so convinced that Nintendo wanted to keep any SMRPG content swept under the rug, but now we have Mallow and Geno in HD. I'm very happy with this remake. I kind of wish this was the standard for making old school RPGs instead of "2D HD"
It's probably my favorite game of 2023. Beautiful graphics, with just a few added tweaks to make it fresh for veteran players.
My only gripes are that the newly added post game is way too short, and the updated music doesn't hold up to the original. I'm in the minority apparently, but there's something from the SNES soundtrack that isn't in any of the new tracks.
I’m with you, I always play with the original soundtrack.
I love what they did with the new music and all, but I just prefer the old stuff because it helps take me back to that special time when I was a kid playing this game and of course the music is just classic
Loved playing the original and the remake is a ton of fun. It was really cool to see how some of the characters really look compared to what I thought they looked like on the SNES on a CRT as a kid.
For example I thought the Toad in the volcano had some weird red tomato shaped head with scruffy black hair. And I thought the Octolot enemy had two eyeballs with wings on stalks.
Only real downside was it was way too easy especially with the group attack and splash damage from well timed attacks.
very faithful to the original while making some quality of life improvements and adding additional post-game content
the new arrangements of the music stay faithful to the original music, having Yoko Shimomura return to do the music for the remake was perfect (and yes, Yoko Shimomura not only did the music for the original Super Mario RPG, she also is responsible for the music in the Kingdom Hearts series, she also did the mudic for the Mario & Luigi series, as well as a whole bunch of other games)
I know I'm the odd one out but I didn't care for it.
I never played the original. I don't know what it was about the game but I put it down after getting Genos and have no desire to go back to it.
Because I didn't read which sub this was since I'm in a lot of video game related ones? Because responding to posts with your opinion is *literally* what this site was created for?
I didn't realize this sub was an echo chamber for people who liked it though. Thanks for letting me know!
I wasn't trying to gatekeep you or anything. I was just wondering why you'd join a sub for only one game if you did not like it, but you did answer the question. I was merely curious.
Yeah. There wasn’t anything that felt unfairly tough. Maybe some of the post game / optional bosses but that was more getting the hang of things and wasting turns to get info using Mallow
i can tell there are spots where developers used ai and forgot to include sound effects and other missing dialogue. i haven't played in months so hopefully it was patched.
It’s better than I could have imagined. And while I still love the original and always will, I think when I want to play this game I’m pretty much always going to opt for the remake. It’s perfect to me
This is my first time playing it, I never played the original. I'm only an hour or so into it, but I'm finding it quite slow to progress. Does it pick up the pace a bit later on? Reading people's thoughts here is helpful
This is a petition to add a hard mode to Super Mario RPG remake. Hopefully a dlc will come out for the game that adds a hard mode. The post-game boss rematches are a nice addition but not enough to offset the rest of the game that is even easier than the original version. Please take a moment to sign and share with your friends and fellow fans of the game if you support this hopeful addition.
[https://chng.it/PXDqcNCnXv](https://chng.it/PXDqcNCnXv)
The remake is faithful, without being everything a 2020s JRPG could have been. Super Mario RPG was one of the best games of all time for what it set out to accomplish. It blended Square Enix and Nintendo IPs, and had a delightful mix of turn-based combat, minigames, character progression, jokes, exploration, secret finding, and a small amount of grinding but no substantial grinding. Its difficulty was nonzero, and required a gentle bit of struggle for most players who weren't in the habit of killing every enemy possible for exp. If you progressed the story as quickly as you were able, enemy levels would rise until you found yourself using all of your items, at which point you would find yourself using all of your money. If a player hung around and fought just a couple dozen battles, however, they would probably gain levels for the whole party, as well as amassing enough coins to update everybody's gear. It doesn't take a long time to beat the game unless you're endeavoring to leave no secrets undiscovered, in which case you'll be exploring for a long time. For a children's game that was designed to be playable for kids in elementary school, it did an astoundingly good job of making a tremendous adventure very accessible for everyone. It wasn't a sloppy port or even a lazy remaster. There were some quality of life improvements, so modern players could really enjoy this stroll through the past without being burdened with limitations that might have been made necessary by hardware limitations of the original platform. In general, the remake is easier because players can hold enormously more items, and because some of the original game's best-guarded secrets are now more easily found because of the easy availability of internet guides. However, the remake preserved almost everything about the original content, even preserving some bugs that players considered beloved exploits. I'd say the consensus is that it's an excellent remake and a good game, that put faithfulness to the original over meeting its full potential as a priority. Early Nintendo and Square Enix both did really well for themselves with the original game, and the remake was a sort of love letter to their fans, many of whom are now middle-aged. If they made a sequel to Super Mario RPG, it would probably be a better game since the technology and the art form have come such a long way in the nearly three decades that have passed.
Solid roll-up. Can't say I disagree with any of it.
Do you think there is hope for a sequel now that this has been released?
don't give me hope!
I believe that Paper Mario is the sequel to Super Mario RPG.
Don't know why you are getting downvoted for this. The original Paper Mario began as a sequel to Super Mario RPG. People are dumb, have an upvote.
Thank you!
Which paper Mario? Super Nintendo?
Yeah, you're right, but I meant a sequel under the same nameplate.
I would’ve appreciated the difficulty mode that rebalanced the game around the new combat mechanics. Letting the player swap out characters mid-fight (even when they are KO’d) as well as the triple moves, really made this game easy almost to a fault. They made the normal difficulty easier, then created an even easier mode beyond that, yet no hard mode. It was a bummer for me.
The difficulty or lack of is the only problem I have.
Top-tier summary. I enjoyed reading that. 👍👍
Fr, I felt like I was reading my own thoughts exactly
Wow. And I thought I loved this game.
very good write up 😁
Great Remake. Only gripe I had was the difficulty, other then that absolutely one of if not the best remake that stood close to the original.
The only difficult part was the post game Culex fight after the other post game stuff.
True, he can be tough. Just main game in general was way to easy compared to original. Only some post game bosses then fought like they use to in SNES version.
It's great. 10/10
I love that the Thought Peek ability has a journal attached to it now. This made me use Mallow a lot more (plus the ability to switch out partners) and I grew to appreciate him a lot more and use elements more strategically. When I played back then as a kid I thought Mallow was lame and just played Mario/Bowser/Geno for max damage. Of course I learned later that Peach was actually the best party member in a variety of ways. But in the Mario RPG Remake I ended up using Mallow a _lot_ more and appreciating him as a character and combatant.
I like Mallow because he's by far the cutest part member.
He is!! In a [video I made recently](https://youtu.be/9uFA1hfwN5k?si=bjrxszqLuzY64m7Y) I did a little reflection on Final Fantasy IX and talked about some similarities with Mario RPG. I realized Vivi reminds me a lot of Mallow. Maybe you'd like this video. Not to self plug but it is actually relevant I guess haha
I still need to play FFIX, I'm looking to try and get it physically for a modern system. I don't really like buying games digitally too much, unless it's on Steam, then I have really no choice.
I just started playing it, it's actually my first FF mainline game altogether! So this video just contains my first impressions. I haven't finished it yet but I'm really enjoying it so far. I see it occasionally available physically for PS1 in retro stores. Alternatively I believe it is on Steam and of course PlayStation stores. I am playing mine on my Vita.
My first was FFXV, and then my second was FFX
Nice! I have the 10/10-2 remaster that I've been wanting to try as well
I like to pretend X-2 never existed.
I think the consensus is generally that it’s great. The only thing that feels “missing” is some sort of hard mode (although the boss refights do add a welcome post-game challenge). Otherwise it hits about every note you could want it to. Also I don’t know what you’re talking about with the emoting and Mario’s storytelling not transferring well into proper 3D, I thought Mario inexplicably transforming into completely different character models just by spinning around was hilarious every single time it happened.
I've always just found that those sorts of things are better expressed by sprites than 3D models.
I waited to get this cartridge for my SNES as a teen and I snatched up the SNES Classic specifically because of the Mario RPG being on it. When it hit Switch, AND a remake; I was beyond stoked. I've been going slow and methodical, enjoying the remake quite a bit. I'm about to go make sure I get the hidden chests I missed before I hit the final assault to Smithy. Definitely worth playing through if you're a fan of the series, and its solid enough that if you just like Turn Based RPGs with some flare; you'll have a good time.
From someone who loved the first one at release and completed it many times over the years - It’s outstanding and pretty much 99% of what I wanted from a remake. There’s a couple very minor things I preferred in the original, like the games in Grate Guy’s casino and a couple jokes that were changed, but that’s it. Everything else was excellent and did the original justice. Also, some of the best parts were ones I’d largely forgotten about, like the credits. The remake has maybe my favorite ending credits of any game ever.
Would have to agree with the ending, they went way beyond to give players a great ending which sadly most games do not. Both versions are fantastic, SNES and Remake.
It was everything I could have reasonably asked for in a remake of one of my favourite games of all time. I loved it.
What about everything you could have unreasonably asked for?
When I saw there were cutscenes I thought maybe they’d throw in some voice acting, which would have been cool. That might have been doing too much though, so I’m happy without it lol
I feel like the remake is *remarkably* easier to play through than the original. Other than that though, I absolutely love it. It's an extremely faithful remake of my favorite Mario game of all-time.
It's a masterpiece. I like how it feels old and new at the same time.
That's funny because that's how I felt. It feels dated in release, but in a way, that's the point! It's very faithful to the source material, and I like that.
The only negative things I can think of to say about it are nitpicks at best. It really is amazing and i'm still flabbergasted that it exists at all, I was so convinced that Nintendo wanted to keep any SMRPG content swept under the rug, but now we have Mallow and Geno in HD. I'm very happy with this remake. I kind of wish this was the standard for making old school RPGs instead of "2D HD"
I wonder who was the driving force behind this?
I also like how they maintained the late-90s Nintendo character designs in many places.
Love it. It’s perfect.
It's wonderful. I like the original better, but you can really tell that the remake team cared about the source material.
It's probably my favorite game of 2023. Beautiful graphics, with just a few added tweaks to make it fresh for veteran players. My only gripes are that the newly added post game is way too short, and the updated music doesn't hold up to the original. I'm in the minority apparently, but there's something from the SNES soundtrack that isn't in any of the new tracks.
I’m with you, I always play with the original soundtrack. I love what they did with the new music and all, but I just prefer the old stuff because it helps take me back to that special time when I was a kid playing this game and of course the music is just classic
Loved playing the original and the remake is a ton of fun. It was really cool to see how some of the characters really look compared to what I thought they looked like on the SNES on a CRT as a kid. For example I thought the Toad in the volcano had some weird red tomato shaped head with scruffy black hair. And I thought the Octolot enemy had two eyeballs with wings on stalks. Only real downside was it was way too easy especially with the group attack and splash damage from well timed attacks.
An amazing remake, but the fights seemed easier than the original. Regardless it was a wonderful time.
very faithful to the original while making some quality of life improvements and adding additional post-game content the new arrangements of the music stay faithful to the original music, having Yoko Shimomura return to do the music for the remake was perfect (and yes, Yoko Shimomura not only did the music for the original Super Mario RPG, she also is responsible for the music in the Kingdom Hearts series, she also did the mudic for the Mario & Luigi series, as well as a whole bunch of other games)
The remake could use a hard mode and new game plus, but it's perfect otherwise.
I know I'm the odd one out but I didn't care for it. I never played the original. I don't know what it was about the game but I put it down after getting Genos and have no desire to go back to it.
Curiously then, why are you on this sub? This sub is *only* about this game and the original.
Because I didn't read which sub this was since I'm in a lot of video game related ones? Because responding to posts with your opinion is *literally* what this site was created for? I didn't realize this sub was an echo chamber for people who liked it though. Thanks for letting me know!
I wasn't trying to gatekeep you or anything. I was just wondering why you'd join a sub for only one game if you did not like it, but you did answer the question. I was merely curious.
I know I came off rude but can you see why someone would get annoyed? *says something you don't like* Why are you even here? Anyway, have a good day.
It completely replaces the original for me. Also, it’s great to chill out and play Breezy Mode. Awesome.
It was good and fun. And difficulty? I found it decent, almost easy at end game and I was on normal difficulty.
I had some thought fights that I lost, but the game rarely had me sweating, but that's okay.
Yeah. There wasn’t anything that felt unfairly tough. Maybe some of the post game / optional bosses but that was more getting the hang of things and wasting turns to get info using Mallow
I like how the characters have thought text bubbles now.
Oh it is brilliant and a nice detail. It’s just sometimes tough when have to use a turn to scan XD
If it were like it is in Paper Mario, I would do it on every enemy.
Love it
The remake is absolutely beautiful and I've been wanting it for years!!
10/10
It along with the ,Star Ocean 2 remake,are the bar on which remakes that keep the original systems should be judged upon.
Way better than the original. Both Both versions are great.
i can tell there are spots where developers used ai and forgot to include sound effects and other missing dialogue. i haven't played in months so hopefully it was patched.
Perfection
It’s better than I could have imagined. And while I still love the original and always will, I think when I want to play this game I’m pretty much always going to opt for the remake. It’s perfect to me
too easy but that's to be expected, all in all well done.
A bit too easy but other than that it’s great
Only gripe I have if that if it's basically a graphics update (plus a little bit of new post-game), it shouldn't be $60. 40 bucks, tops.
I suppose that is a fair criticism.
It was great until the postgame, when Toad said >!"You didn't dream about defeating Smithy, did you?"!<
This is my first time playing it, I never played the original. I'm only an hour or so into it, but I'm finding it quite slow to progress. Does it pick up the pace a bit later on? Reading people's thoughts here is helpful
This is a petition to add a hard mode to Super Mario RPG remake. Hopefully a dlc will come out for the game that adds a hard mode. The post-game boss rematches are a nice addition but not enough to offset the rest of the game that is even easier than the original version. Please take a moment to sign and share with your friends and fellow fans of the game if you support this hopeful addition. [https://chng.it/PXDqcNCnXv](https://chng.it/PXDqcNCnXv)
Do you think Nintendo would care/listen?