It may be one of those RPGs you won't stop playing after you get done with Final Fantasy.
The Review
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You should know by now that RPG spinoffs of popular franchises leads to cruddy results. Nintendo was one of the companies who dared to try. And try they did. This game, stays true the Mario formula, adds tons of fun mini-games, and has some quality RPG gaming.
The story starts out simple, you're Mario (obviously) and you're searching for Princess Peach after she was kidnapped by Bowser. (obviously) This the part where you will be wowed by the visuals (even right now, it still looks great) The way Mario comes out to look so 3-D in a 16 bit game is amazing.
This where you'll be explained the ropes of the battle system. You have four commands that follow the 4 face buttons on your controller. Attacking, defending, escaping, skills, and items. Attacking is actually quite intuitave. You're not being forced to wait for your character to just hit the enemy. But if you can time it correctly, you can tap the A button at the right time and ensure a critical hit. Though, it only happens the half the time, it does keep you on your toes.
Another thing that makes these battles so exciting the way the skills are pulled off. You can't just stare at your magic effects run wild, you have to button mash the right buttons or time it right to deal some pretty strong damage. So you better be quick with those fingers, otherwise, you may end up pulling a damage percentage of 15.
Back to the story, you find Bowser holding Peach hostage. You go into a little battle with him, this part is actually easy, that soon something happens to Bowser's castle. A strange giant sword, pierces through the castle, seperating you, Bowser, and Peach. The sword was sent by a force that was meant to break up the seven magical stars which are now scattered across the lands.
Mario thinks that he must rescue the princess, but there's far more to that. You are soon entrusted with the task of retrieving all the 7 stars from 7 bad@$$ bosses. Each boss requires skill, observation, and strength to beat. Now what would a turn based RPG be without any cool allies. Instead of the usual cliche' with the androgynous guy, spiky haired guy, big guy who's really a softey, or the warrior chick, woman who knows devastating magic but lost her memory, or the woman who escaped from her homeland to find a new destiny.
You get accompanied by a cast of bizarre characters. Should I mention Mallow who thinks he's a frog but looks a lot like a cloud with pants on? Uh, I guess not.
The platforming in this game is what really sets it apart from regular RPGs. On the non-battle field, you are given the ability to jump. There are certain parts in the game that allow some platforming action that makes the game stick to its roots. There also ways to find hidden items to help you beat down those bosses. Should I also mention the old-school warp tunnel levels that allow you to relive the days of Mario on the NES. Yes, you'd like that.
You get lots of crazy weapons and the chance to upgrade your character every time he levels up by either Health, Magic, or Strength. Be careful not to constantly choose the same one though, otherwise you may end up regretting that choice you made to power up your Health instead of your Strength to beat down that boss.
The game provides a good length, as long as you're not rushing through the whole thing. And there are tons of mini games worth mentioning here. Like the barrel jumping, cricket capturing, mountain race, or trolley driving in the mines. There's so much fun to be had. You can even act like a bad guy and steal everyones belongings. Most of the time they won't care, but some people may get on to you.
This game can satisfy both RPG fans and Mario fans. It's delightful to see that Nintendo put together a game that both groups can enjoy. Oh Nintendo, how dare you put out another game that we just can't stop playing.