Opinion: Super Mario RPG Remake

I’m writing words right now that I thought would never be written. Nintendo has not only acknowledged the existence of Super Mario RPG but we also have an honest to goodness remake on our hands. The Nintendo Direct on 06/21/23 (the date this article is being posted) was incredible. They announced a new 2d Mario title, a new stand alone Peach title, and a new Luigi title and so much more. Still the announcement of Super Mario RPG for Nintendo Switch stands out head and shoulders above everything I’ve heard in gaming news in years. New graphics and classic charm. It’s like a dream come true for me. I’ve been a fan of Super Mario RPG for a long time and even call it my favorite game. Let me just throw a bit of info about why this new remake is important to me and why I’m so excited for this release.

First thing: nostalgia. Super Mario RPG was my first true RPG. I’d failed to enjoy the genre trying to play games like Dragon Warrior on the NES despite being feverishly interested. Super Mario RPG was different in a way that let me in on the RPG fun for the first time. It was accessible enough that I could enjoy, but difficult enough that it was a meaty experience. I fell in love with the characters and the story telling and I’ve been an RPG fan ever since.

Second: Narrative. Super Mario RPG was my first “enemies to friends” trope experience. The sour and sweet way that Bowser interacted with Mario throughout the game was electric to me. I was so excited to play as Bowser that I wasn’t ready for the next surprise character. Playable Princess Peach! Having Peach Mario and Bowser on the same team at the same time blew my mind. Of course this isn’t the first time since I’d played Mario Kart, and I mained Peach in Super Mario 2, but this was obviously different. These characters all interacted with each other, they have actual dialogue. Bowser and Peach begrudgingly got along for the sake of the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser fought side by side with Mario because Smithy’s gang made it so HE needed a hero. Not only did Bowser need Mario but Mario needed him too. Those doors weren’t going to break themselves down afterall. This dynamic swelled my heart as a young player and still tugs those strings today.

Third and finally: magic. Super Mario RPG blew open what the idea of a Mario game is to my young mind. While Mario had already been in every genre of game before this it wasn’t as deep as Super Mario RPG. Cameos don’t carry the same weight as a full experience. Suddenly I was aware that a Mario game could be anything. Square created new characters seemingly out of thin air that just make perfect sense. Geno, Mallow, Moletown. All brand new to the Mushroom Kingdom lore but so effortlessly fitting right in. I didn’t just fall in love with Mario RPG, I fell in love with the idea of Mario RPG. The idea that creativity trumps convention and nothing is impossible with video games.

While I’m very excited to see what happens with the future of the game series I’m a bit worried we’ll lose something along the way. While Mario RPG certainly paved the way for classics like Paper Mario; the idea of a Mario RPG has strayed far from what I consider the core Mario RPG experience. So much so that “RPG” doesn’t really even fit the Paper Mario series as a descriptor anymore. I worry that a monkey paw somewhere has curled a finger and our wish for a path to Super Mario RPG 2 has been paved but the result will leave us wishing it had been left alone. I hope that I’m wrong but only time will tell. That said I’m beyond hype for the Super Mario RPG remake and even if this is the last venture for Super Mario RPG I’m happy that it’s come this far and exists to begin with. This game has and will always fill my heart with joy and I can’t wait to play it. Keep an eye out at the end of November for a writeup on the Super Mario RPG remake and how it compares to the original because I’ll definitely be covering it!

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