It's the mid 90's. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System has begun to settle after years of quality content, and recent years of quality RPG's like, among others, Final Fantasy III and Chrono Trigger from Square. But lo, a game was soon to be released that would be unlike anything else at the time. It would be an RPG designed around mechanics usually found in a Final Fantasy game, with some new twists. And rather than a medieval land of magic and fantasy, the game would feature the story and style of...Super Mario? That's right, I am of course talking about the one and only Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars! Who would have guessed that a Mario-style RPG that many wrote off as a gimmick would be one of the coolest games on the console! Released late in the SNES's lifecycle on May 13, 1996 in North America, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was a major hit, and a stellar RPG that lead to some notable spiritual successors, as well as having a profound impact on myself as well as many others.
When I was a wee lad, I went with my folks to a family friend's place, where they had a Super Nintendo with a bunch of games I had neither heard of nor seen before. Many I didn't get to experience at the time, but the two that they did play were...instrumental in my love for the Super Nintendo, and by extension and by no exaggeration, my love of gaming. The first one I'll talk about another time...but the other one was Super Mario RPG. I sat back in awe as they turned on the console and began a new game, and I witnessed the opening cinematic with our lovable plumber in pursuit of Bowser after he kidnaps the Princess. Mario enters the Castle and proceeds to immediately fight Bowser on the tops of two massive chandeliers.
The way the game played was entirely new and unusual to me, as I had never seen nor played an RPG before this. The methodological approach was different and intimidating, where it looked like a thinking-game of sorts. You could take time to think about what to do, and every decision seemed crucial to your survival. Planning out strategies to outbid and outlast your opponent in a chess-like match. You were like a director to a play, ordering "attacks" or "magic" or "items" to different members of a small troupe. It was so cool. I loved it at first sight. That was what an RPG was to me, and what it always has been since I saw Super Mario RPG. That is the impression that game left on me. It was strange...yet engrossing. But it didn't stop there, oh no.
Fighting Bowser was one thing...but then defeating him and then having a GIANT FREAKING SWORD crash into the castle with the title screen appearing, implying that the true game had only just begun, was enough to have my proverbial pants effectively shat. Mario goes flying out of the castle, only to land in his conveniently-placed house with a green pipe as a roof, and then...that was it. They turned off the game...but not before quickly showing me a later part in which, get this, BOWSER JOINS YOU. Yes, as a kid, the knowledge that you could pseudo-play as FREAKING BOWSER was the final touch. It was a tease, to be sure, but somewhere, somehow, I had to play this game again. However, it would be a long wait. For one reason or another, it would be years before I had the chance to play Mario RPG again. The times I tried to rent it from Blockbuster it was already out, and purchasing it wasn't exactly in the cards. These were the Dark Times.
Enter Microplay.
Do you remember this store? If you lived in St. Albert, this place once resided where the bike shop now is Downtown. A place I miss dearly, in retrospect. It was a favourite of mine to visit as a kid, as it specialized in video games new and old. A ton of games I remember seeing, but never playing, were here in some capacity, and I remember a few conversations I had with other kids who frequented it. Anyways, a feature of the store was the sale of used games, and you could put your name on a waiting list for games that were not in stock at the moment. Naturally, when I learned about this, the first game I brought up was Super Mario RPG. I was #5 on the list. And so I waited! But the months wore on...and eventually, all I had on my mind was this game. So I took to alternative means. On the rise was this unusual internet service called...eBay. A quick and easy search lead to what I was seeking! A fascinating service, indeed. Which, sadly, does not have the appeal it once did when concerning retro games. Nowadays, those prices are a bit much, to say the least. In any case, I managed, after years of searching, to finally get a copy of Super Mario RPG! The hunt was absolutely worth it.
So Mario RPG is pretty great. And when I say great I mean awesome. Like really awesome. It's graphics and music are fantastic, with a decidedly more elaborate and colourful Mario-style setting and tone. The character models, and especially the environments, have a hint of this clay-like look, and it translates surprisingly well on the SNES. The music was composed by Yoko Shimomura, who also composed the music for Street Fighter and Kingdom Hearts! The tunes she is responsible for will be stuck in your head for ages, as they still are for me (*cough* Forest Maze Theme *cough*). You'll come across Goombas, Koopas, and plenty of Toads in your quest for the Seven Stars, and you'll meet plenty of new faces and enemies as well. Smithy, Exor, Booster, Mallow, and of course the most beloved of them all, Geno.
Geno is in reality an ethereal God-like entity who is tasked with descending to the world below to help fix the Star Road, from which the Seven Stars have been taken from. Geno inhabits a young Toad's doll, and breathes life into it, becoming a key party member. Geno's nature is not unlike that of Gandalf's from The Lord of the Rings, with both being higher entities inhabiting mortal bodies to aide others. And something else: they're both BADASS. Geno has an attack he learns later on that, when triggered, effectively deals 9999 points of damage to an enemy. Geno Whirl, baby.
When I say "triggered," I mean in how user-input interacts with combat outside of menu decisions. Mario RPG puts a spin on the typical RPG gameplay elements that it incorporates, with chief among these being button presses that add to either a characters attack on an enemy, or defence from an upcoming blow. When timed right, these button presses can greatly effect a battle, adding that little extra oomph to finish off an enemy, or even when timed right, saving a party member. Character's magic also utilizes this timing mechanic in different ways for each attack, like in the aforementioned "Geno Whirl," pressing the attack button at the precise moment is only when it will deal the 9999 damage, otherwise, it's weak as fire balls. It's a minor system, but it offers a far greater amount of player engagement in what would otherwise be pretty systematic battles. Because of this, combat is fun, yet tactical. It's an innovation that has been carried over, and improved upon, by the other Mario role-playing series: the Paper Mario games, and the Mario & Luigi games. Oh, and I'm using this moment to shout-out those games as well, since their freaking amazing. I'll get to those another time. Mario RPG is also unique in that it never received a direct sequel after all these years. Fan petitions have tried for even a remake, but sadly, the ship seems to have sailed. Still, the fans continue, and many including myself wish for Geno or Mallow to appear in the Smash Bros. series at some point. It would be a perfect opportunity! Hear that Square Enix? Don't be a dick about your properties! Ahem.
But in the meantime, that's Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. It's a game that, too me, never really gets old, and I find myself constantly nostalgic for it whenever it's brought up. It is, if I think about it, probably my favourite game on the Super Nintendo. Fantastic. Just simply fantastic. The memory of the hunt in particular is one that will never leave me. This is a game that defined my love of RPG's, and my love for the pursuit and hunt for the games that have captivated and intrigued me. This is, in my mind, where it all began. Where the nostalgia became apparent. And ha, I wasn't even a teenager yet! I suppose THAT'S the power of this game! But hey in any case, thanks for reading! I appreciate it if you were able to sit through my rambling, and I hope my story had some positive impact!
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