I loved this game. I love this game. This game is amazing and anyone who likes Mario and/or Final Fantasy should play it. I've replayed this game probably over ten times in my life and I just did it again recently. Why do I love it so much? Nostalgia, mostly, since the game hasn't aged particularly well, what with its dated 90's RPG mechanics. But at the time? It was a powerhouse, not only because it's a fine RPG in its own right, but because it was the first to take Mario and put him in a game with a real narrative. I don't think anybody could have seen this game coming, especially because the king of RPGs, Squaresoft, is the one who made it. But it's not all nostalgia. There's a few reasons I keep coming back to this game in particular.
-Yoko Shimomura is at her finest here. Every track represents the cheerfulness and whimsy of Mario fused together with the fantastical, grand scope of an RPG.
Beware the Forest's Mushrooms
Koopa Castle
The Road is Full of Dangers
Grandpa and the Delightful Tadpoles
Where am I Going?
Fight Against Smithy
-The game oozes charm and atmosphere.
-The timed attacks aren't innovative by today's standards, but back then they were a pretty big thing, and they're still fun to use. Timing spells is still kind of awkward, but it's extremely satisfying to time something right in this game. That extra clunk from Mario's shells, the extra hit from his hammer, Bowser's spike chain remaining in the enemy and protruding its spikes to hit them again and again... you feel like your extra input has done something. I think the sound effects really make it work.
-Beginning the game with a fight against Bowser, only to have him usurped by a greater evil, is great. The Mario and Luigi RPGs play off similar concepts, but never to the extent seen here. Bowser later becomes a full fledged party member in order to take back what Smithy and his gang stole. Bowser's Inside Story played off the playable Bowser concept, but never again has he actually stood side by side with Mario until the very end of the game.
-Smithy's gang has such a presence throughout the game. From the time you're ousted from Bowser's Keep, to the dark and ominous arrow-infested Rose Town, to the strange goings-on in the Moleville Mines, all the way up until the end of the game, you feel Smithy's presence in the world. Bowser seems like a one-note villain compared to him. The Final Fantasy esque "journey to save the world" trope really bleeds into the way this game is set up, and seeing something like that in the Marioverse is so awesome.
-Geno is in this game. The world is so at risk that a being from a higher plane comes down to assist Mario. I absolutely loved his story as a kid, although nowadays I often think they could have explored it more in depth.
-The art style is great. I love the spritework, and, like the game does with its music, the settings are usually creative and a nice blend between fantasy tropes and the weirdness of the Mario world.
I want a real Super Mario RPG 2. Until that happens, though, this game will always be up there as one of the best.
