And we back in this b-word! What up, what up. π Hope everyone had a great weekend of dying repeatedly in Elden Ring or Lost Ark, because today we going back (how back are we going?) way back.
The last great RPG of the SNES, and one of the rare times 'Square' and 'Nintendo' have collaborated on a project. A true shame seeing as how this joint effort turned out. π
In this edition of Through the Lens π, we will talk about the game that single-handedly increased the life span of a dying console: Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars, Roll it! π½
π© UP TOP π©
Yes, this is the last of my Top 3, and my first favorite game. π What will happen to this series afterward? They shout from the rooftops. We'll see, I'm sure I can find other gems from my childhood to rave about. π
I got this game along with Goof Troop (another amazing SNES classic) when I bought my SNES (when my parents bought it but who's counting?) π. And I remember my young 6 y/o mind struggling to understand how to play a JRPG.
I won't lie and say it was easy or fast - it was a trial. π€ Suffice to say, it wasn't long until I completely fell in love with the game and its systems. This was my first JRPG, you see. And while I consider Chrono Trigger to be a better game in every way (I played CT years after I finished this game) this one is still damn good. Not every game needs to be the best in its genre to be considered good, rightβ
And this game still remains my favorite JRPG despite all I said above. Why? I think you are just programmed to love the stuff that groomed your tastes. So let's take a look at what exactly my tastes latched on to. π
π€ THE COLLAB OF TITANS π€
They formed like Voltron - if Voltron was comprised of two parts, each being a major Japanese game developer. π
In the past, Square and Nintendo were known to collaborate on occasion. This was one of the last true collaborations of these two great gaming giants (it happened right before Square and Enix merged into Square Enix). And the results speak for themselves.
There is even a secret knock-off Final Fantasy boss that you can find in the game - a clear ode to this collaboration. π
For all intents and purposes, this is a classic Square JRPG, but with Mario they took a lot of liberties singly, Mario's world didn't crumble, and even thrived with the deeper exploration Square demanded. I took a lot of liberties with the story to make it work, but I doubt there were many die-hard Mario purists upset about the whole thing. π
But since we're at it, let's explore the presentation of this SNES classic.
βοΈ MARIO AS A CASE STUDY βοΈ
This game oozes Mario. This is funny considering many of the world's elements were invented solely for this game. π
Yes - this is not a canon Mario story. But I'll be frank, I'm not sure if there really IS a canon Mario story. Well, whichever, this incarnation of the character takes a lot of liberties with previously established lore. As Nintendo gave square a free license to do whatever they wanted. π€
Good thing too. The characters are great. The graphics are beautiful to this day. And the music is still head bobbingly good. π΅
I love that Mario never says a word throughout the game. the other characters acknowledge this π and as he constantly pantomimes what he's trying to say. Bowser is also a real sweetheart by contrast to his usual self. And all the new characters hold their own pretty well, as they are all varied and interesting. π€
I also commend Square on seamlessly creating so many unique new characters for a world as established as Mario's.
But regardless of how cute the environment looks, or how badass the music is, if the gameplay doesn't hold up, it's all for naught.
π’ Luckily...
π° IT'S AN RPG?! π°
Yes! Remember this is before Mario Sunshine or Paper Mario, making this the first-ever Mario RPG. So while the idea of a Mario RPG wasn't as crazy as you think - it was still pretty crazy. π
The game takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom, and at the beginning Bowser's castle gets taken over by an even bigger baddy: Smithy. Now, this guy is a part of a conquering alien race that goes from world to world subjugating their peoples. β οΈ
You, as Mario, fight with 2 other companions in classic JRGP turn-based battles. A new mechanic that was introduced in these battles is timed hits! π± This allows for extra damage if you execute an action at the correct time. This addition alone was enough to make every battle engaging. Something Square would incorporate in later RPGs as well.
Each character has an assortment of stats, as well as items. The progression of each is fairly linear (with some minor exceptions) πΉ. Meaning every character will gradually, and linearly, increase in strength as you go through the game.
π Once a character levels up, you get to choose whether you'd like to upgrade his health, attack, or special power. And each level-up gives a different attribute a bonus increase.
You also have a world map to choose where you want to go. π
All these necessary features are there, but I'd be lying if they aren't a smidge hollow (even for the times). This isn't a huge grievance, nor a nitpick, just a statement of fact. The game works despite this, and maybe even because of this. As the simpler systems allow for the game to breath more. So to speak. π
I find this game very well designed. Nothing is overdone or out of place. It knows what it wants to be, and is proud of it.
π LEGACY π
It's hard talking about the legacy of this game without talking about the legacy of Super Mario in general. π
I'd say this game has been largely forgotten through the years. It came out between Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VII, and that's a hard company to keep for the best of games. π
It was also released at the time when the PS1 was starting to take over the industry. So as one of the last SNES releases, it had a hard job capturing audiences. And because it was an "in-between" game, it got largely forgotten by most player-bases. Which, frankly, sucks. Since this game has so much charm to give. π
I love this game to bits. And it will be one of my favorite games for the rest of my life. I just wish more people knew about it.
If you wanna play an old-school JRPG and don't mind emulating, I suggest you give this one a try. It's a hoot! π
Shout-out to the πPIZZAπ gang, π€ gang. π€
π Follow me on my HIVE blog π
Have a great start to your week everyone! π