Not only one of the best Mario games, but one of the best RPGs
This review may or may not contain spoilers about the game, story, plot, etc.. You've been warned.
+++Good Points+++
+ Jaw-dropping graphics - easily the best graphics on the SNES
+ Gameplay is smooth and 4 button layout in action scene is perfect
+ Nice cast of characters from essential Mario figures to some new ones
+ Some nice off-beat moments and mini games are a nice addition to RPG action
+Exploring/navigating with world map is easy
---Bad Points---
- Only 5 playable characters; 2 of which aren't Luigi or Yoshi
- Enemies seem to do a lot of damage; stats don't seem very balanced
Here it is, the very first Mario RPG to ever grace the world. At the time, people didn't know what to expect, Mario in an RPG? They thought it would probably be to out of place for him, boy were they wrong. Teaming up with Square, Nintendo produces out of the most recognizable and best game let alone RPG. The game is loads of fun whether you hate RPGs or love them. One of the best games the SNES has.
The story of story is a typical Mario game. There's these 7 stars and they get stolen and you have to save them in addition to taking out your new nemesis. And yes I said new nemesis, Bowser isn't your enemy in this game. Anyways the story is really detailed and it'd take me awhile to explain the whole story, but you'll have to play yourself to find out.
Let's start off right with the gameplay. Let me just say it's the best gameplay in a SNES RPG. Most turn-based RPGs just let you choose your attack and wait for it to happen. Mario RPG adds some innovation to and lets you hit the action button at the proper time while you hit an enemy to allow more damage to be done. This is where the game requires some timing and a little skill in order to be able to trample your enemy. Another thing I loved was how the action buttons were set up. During a battle take the 4 buttons on the front of a SNES controller and give them all an action (A - fight, B - ETC., Y- special, and X - items). Just press the button of the action you want and there you go, let the game do the rest. It's nothing spectacular, but it's a little thing that I personally like and it's better than scrolling up and down through your options like Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI. Other than those 2 things, the gameplay is pretty ordinary for a RPG.
Graphics and audio is probably the highlight of the game. Don't get me wrong, I don't believe a game with good graphics makes a game good, but Mario RPG just has stunning graphics. They're amazing, and they're in 3D! You may not think 3D graphics is such a big thing, but keep in mind, this is the SNES and the PSX and N64 were just coming out so this was amazing. Anyways the graphics are great and all the places you explore are detailed and nice to look at. Now music is just amazing as well, you're not only treated to some nice happy tunes, but there's some darker songs and everything in between. The music always sets the mood whether you're in a dark scary cave, or strolling along clouds (and yes there's a part of the game where you are walking on clouds). All in all, graphics and audio, big, big, big, big, plus.
Even though this game is great and everything, there's a few things that annoy me. For one, although the characters are nice with a nice balance of old and new characters (Geno FTW), there just didn't feel like enough. I would've liked to see Luigi and Yoshi in there because I felt them and Mario, Peach, and Bowser, are all essential characters you think of when you think Mario. Geno and Mallow are awesome too, but I can't help to feel there should be at least 1 and maybe 2 other characters that are new. 5 characters feels a little short-coming, but maybe there wasn't enough room on the SNES cartridge to handle, but it still annoys me. Fortunately, Yoshi at least makes a nice cameo.
Another thing that annoyed me about this game was how much damage enemies did. One thing I think is weird is how your characters don't seem to get a lot of HP. In most RPGs by Square my characters got a good amount of HP (e.g. Chrono Trigger - my characters reached highest HP at 999; Final Fantasy VI - I have characters over 1000 HP), however in Mario RPG none of any of my characters got above 200 HP. This is a problem when a lot of enemies can do a good amount of damage and you have to constantly east mushrooms or use Peach to heal your players. Towards the end of the game, it becomes essential to have Peach for healing reasons which annoys me because I like RPGs where any party selection you have should be ample to fight enemies/bosses. This is probably the biggest flaw in the game for me, but I look past it because the game is really fun and the gameplay is great so I just am optimistic about the situation.
All in all, Mario RPG is a fun and classic game. The game has a nice story with excellent gameplay and nice graphics and music on top of it all. It's one of the best games on the SNES and many fans of this game (like myself) always come back to playing it again to enjoy the fun it brings and to see some old characters like Geno and Mallow who will probably never see again. But seriously get this game. And Nintendo, bring Geno back.