This game was and still is one of the best games of all time. A true Masterpiece.
I have the most memories of this game than any other game from that era. I still play it to this day. The game has a certain charm to it that makes it so memorable. Is it the fantastic music, AMAZING graphics (for its time), wonderful story, great level design, wonderful characters or intuitive battle system? The answer is: All of the above.
Here is a breakdown.
Game Play/Controls/Battle System: 10/10
The game controls perfectly. It mixes Mario elements with Square elements. By holding Y you can run. Which is an example of a "Mario" element. When you touch an enemy, instead of random battles occurring all of a sudden, you go into the battle sequence which is a lot like the battle sequences from the Final Fantasy games. The only difference is the "Timed Hits" which takes some elements from the Mario games. To do a Timed Hit you simply do an attack and then follow it by the A button. They're very hard to explain. The Game Play/Controls/Battles system are amazing.
Graphics: 10/10
Imagine, it is the year 1996 and the N64 is on the horizon and not that many games are coming out for the SNES. Then comes along Super Mario RPG and because of the graphics people can swear this is an N64 game. The graphics, for being a SNES game, are perfect. Newcomers to SMRPG may look at screen shots or game play of this game and swear its an N64 game. Amazing graphics. Period.
Sound/Music: 10/10
The sound is so clear. The music is so memorable. There is nothing else to say on this part.
Overall Score: 10/10
This game is perfect. I have been playing this game for the past 10 years and it NEVER gets stale. I recommend this to any RPG fans with a SNES. If it comes to the VC I recommend you buy it because It's well worth $8. This is one of the best games of all time.
-Lunar52