Super Mario RPG Review

Instructions

Welp, time for my second review. This time it’s for Super Mario RPG, a turn-based RPG game that features Mario and friends. If you’re just reading this to find out if this game is worth $60, here’s a straight to the point answer with no spoilers. Yes. Absolutely. If you want to avoid spoilers, just click off of this. I warned you. Anyway, on to the review. Gameplay wise, this game is really fun. From everything to the overworld to the battling. One of my favorite things about this game is that it’s not just “walk to a battle. Fight. Walk to another battle. fight.” There are tons of fun puzzles and challenges scattered throughout the overworld. There are even little minigames in between stages. (I have a complaint about the way the stages are laid out, but I’ll get to that later.) And on to the battling. The battling is really cool. You can use attack, use items, defend, run away, and more. You can even block attacks! Or at least… most of the attacks. This is a very, very, very unpopular opinion, but I HATE unblockable attacks in RPG games. I like games to be entirely based on skill. Not based on “oh shoot I gotta beat this battle before he uses the special attack.” I just personally don’t see the logic in that. I don’t see how this games the game any funner. Just more frustrating. You have no idea how mad I was after beating the Axem Rangers, and then finding out there was a second phase. I wasn’t mad at the second phase part, I was mad that the only attack it had was a unblockable laser that depleted your whole party’s health. Someone, please PLEASE tell me how anybody can find this “fun.” This is EXACTLY why I liked Mario and Luigi. Pretty much 70% of the time, the game was based on skill. I’m done being whiny about this. The combat is usually really fast and fluid. You also feel the need to battle most of the enemies. LOOKING AT YOU, COLOR SPLASH. It’s very satisfying and is definitely one of the best RPG combat systems ever. Or just one of the best RPGs in general. The bosses are pretty cool too. They all are very unique and have their own personalities. My three favorites being Smithy, Bowyer, and Croco. I’m not gonna cover EVERY boss, so I’ll just do those three. Let’s start with Croco. He has an AMAZING, design, cool attacks, and you get to fight him 2 or 3 times throughout the game. Bowyer is cool because he brings 3 new mechanics to the table. One, he can completely block of the buttons you can use, and two, the fight is where you first use Geno () and three, it’s the first fight where you use a special move. And finally, we have smithy. I have a big complaint about him, yet he still stays my favorite boss in this game. Good stuff first. He has a really cool design, and the second phase is really creepy. I also had SO SO much fun trying to beat this guy. And on to the complaint that made me consider making Exor my favorite… He is NOTHING of what a “Final Boss” should be. In the first phase, he is literally a FREAKING METAL SANTA CLAUS WITH A HAMMER. Oh, but that’s only the first phase, right? Surely in his second form he looks more final boss-y. Aaaaaaand it’s the same thing except with no beard and he can change his head into different shapes. I was honestly really disappointed when I fought this guy. All I could think of was “Exor would be a cooler final boss fight.” And another thing I don’t like is that I beat him first try. I BEAT HIM FIRST TRY. This is usually a reeeaaally bad thing when it comes to a final boss in an RPG. Smithy was a good villain, not a good final boss. And onto my final complaint. The overworld. I’m the kind of guy who likes it when all the worlds feel real and connected. Not just little red circles on a world map. The game isn’t linear by any means, but if there was at least ANYTHING more interesting than a world map, I’d be happy. I think I was being to whiny on that one, but I think it’s true. Mario Wonder absolutely PERFECTED making a world map that felt fun to explore and find little secrets, and I just wish Nintendo kept that here. Anyways, that’s the end of the review. Hope you enjoyed. FINAL SCORE - 8.5/10