Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars It was one of the last great games on the Super Nintendo. Launched in May 1996, a few months before the arrival of the successor to Nintendo's 16-bit console, the Nintendo 64, it was a remarkable game for a large portion of the public, as it brought RPG mechanics to the magical world of Super Mario, serving for many, including me, a gateway to the hitherto niche genre in video games.

On the eve of the launch of his remake for the Nintendo Switch, find out everything that happened behind the scenes of this legendary project, the result of Shigeru Miyamoto's desire to put Mario and his friends in an RPG and Squaresoft's desire to develop a game of the genre that would have more impact outside the market Japanese!

The giants' relationship went from bad to worse

Much has already been said about the breakup of the two companies, which with the arrival of the seventh volume of the Squaresoft series, Final Fantasy VII, the chances of him coming out for a Nintendo console became increasingly slim. With the advent of the CD-ROM, Mario's home tried to get into the game by teaming up with Sony to develop the Nintendo PlayStation.

That's exactly what you read: the PlayStation was supposed to be from Nintendo. Unfortunately, due to the sheer stubbornness of the company's management at its headquarters in Japan, it did not become a reality, and Sony ended up playing its device alone, which was a smashing success. 

This rupture is directly related to the fight between Nintendo and Squaresoft, as the developer wanted a platform with more storage capacity, much more than a cartridge could support, and as its partner did not hold back, it took the game to the new competitor !  

The birth of a classic

Super Mario RPG it marked the official end of the many-year partnership between Casa do Cogumelo and Squaresoft, whose fruitful relationship yielded classics that were previously exclusive to Nintendo consoles, such as the giant Final Fantasy. Super Mario RPG has a pretty exciting development story, which took almost three years to finally hit the shelves.

The undeniable talent of the Squaresoft team, combined with the inexhaustible charm of the mustachioed gang, resulted in an RPG that is easy to get into, but with content that is attractive to veterans of the game style. For the first time, a turn-based adventure of this type also started to rely on the player's reflexes, in the same way as the games that put the plumber's name on the map.

This because Super Mario RPG requires timing when attacking and defending. By pressing the button at the moment of impact, the damage caused is greater, and, conversely, the defense will be perfect. Not only does this mechanic happen when you are jumping, but also punching, hammering, in short, it is used for any and all actions in the game. 

And for those who thought it strange that there were elements of platform games only in combat, well, that's not the case: spread across the world of Super Mario RPG, there are the already known blocks and many pipes, and their operation is the same as always. Just jump!

Don't be fooled by these new features, after all, the game brings the same weight as Final Fantasy in its gameplay, with the use of life restoration items, enemies with the most diverse effects that negatively affect your abilities, and, of course, several stages, one more powerful than the other. 

Squaresoft didn't hold back when it came to injecting difficulty into the game, but just the right amount, enough to give even the most seasoned players a nice shake. Even without knowing at the time that this would be the final project of the partnership between the two giants, it becomes clear when playing Super Mario RPG who put all their talent into it.

What is the plot of this debut in RPGs?

Super Mario RPG It is the game that started the paradigm shift in the theme that we see very often today. Once rivals, now Mario and Bowser are united under a common cause, when they face a danger that threatens everyone: the evil Smithy, who has taken the king of Koopas' castle by force, leaving him in the street.

With the arrival of the gang, the supreme star, which reigns over all others, was divided into seven parts, spread across the colorful game world. It's up to Mario and his friends to bring them together!

What's more, this adventure was one of the first to not cast Princess Peach's character as a lady in danger, without the ability to defend herself. Far from it – she is part of the team and uses a frying pan to attack enemies.

Mallow and Gino are newcomers and exclusive to this game. A member of the Cloud People, Mallow found himself separated from his people when he was born, living as a tadpole under the tutelage of the wise Frog; Gino, in turn, is a puppet who came to life after the fall of one of the stars!

Together with his new friends, Mario's great mission will take him to parts of the Mushroom kingdom never seen in other games in the series, not to mention completely new enemies and bosses, such as the clumsy Booster, who lives in a mysterious tower full of traps. .

What to expect from the remake

Announced as part of a Nintendo Direct in June this year, the remake of Super Mario RPG It is scheduled for release on the 17th. Featuring new updated graphics, the new version of the game, now on Switch, will be an excellent opportunity for those who have never played the original version.

That said, for those who already enjoyed the game on the Super Nintendo, there is a reason to play the remake: Mario's first RPG has never looked so good. The original version, as you may remember, used pre-rendered graphics, in the style of Rare's Donkey Kong Country series. There are those who still like the style, but nowadays it is quite dated.

Taking away the visible age of the presentation, Super Mario RPG continues to be an extremely charismatic game full of charm, and its battle system is still one of the best, as it was the precursor to everything we saw in the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series, franchises that emerged after the incredible success of this one. final work of a golden age for Nintendo and Squaresoft.

And stay tuned to the website, as we will have a fresh review of the remake!    

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Source: Nintendo Life, Wikipedia 

Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim (10 / 11 / 23)