Game Information
Game Title: Super Mario RPG
Platforms:
- Nintendo Switch (Nov 17, 2023)
Trailer:
Developer: Nintendo
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 84 average - 97% recommended - 32 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.
GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 82%
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Chrono Trigger is at least double the play time If you go after all the endings and get all the secrets and do all the side quests, to say nothing of the opportunity for grinding to level your characters that you just don’t get with SMRPG since you max out at level 32 iirc. You can do everything there is to do in SMRPG in a day. A long-ish day, but a day nonetheless.
To each their own, but if you see an arbitrary grind to max level as offering more value, it's exactly why people like me find more value in games that don't have one, as that's the way that games can be arbitrarily made to be "longer" that I was talking about. I've played Metal Gear Solid so many times that I've easily gotten over 100 hours out of it, but that doesn't make it a 100 hour game. It's just a quality short game.
I’ve never actually made it to max level, I just grind until I can solo Lavos with Crono, which I can usually consistently achieve by around level 70. It’s not an arbitrary grind, I have a specific goal in mind.
But that's no different than me just replaying Metal Gear Solid or setting an arbitrary goal for myself in any other game. That's just you enjoying that game and wanting to replay it in some different way, which is fine. You can replay Super Mario RPG as many times as you like too. The arbitrary grind is more of a modern thing that developers derived from systems like Chrono Trigger's that have been around for decades that they weren't thinking of in Chrono Trigger, but they didn't add tons of content to Chrono Trigger by having a high level cap. You just chose to power level against the same content over and over again.
Right but there is in-game content that gives you an incentive to do so. If you want to get all the endings, you have to solo Lavos with Crono. And in my opinion it’s the best ending of the game, because you get to talk to sprites of the devs and it’s a really cool kinda 4th-wall breaking way to tie everything up at the end. Is it repetive? Sure, but so are 95% of the games that are coming out today.