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How well does Super Mario RPG hold up today?

I played it for the first time a few years ago and I had a really hard time getting into it tbqh.

Dropped it after 5 or so hours. I really like Paper Mario 1&2 and M&L 1&3 but this did nothing for me.
 
I think it is better than Paper Mario 1 (I haven't played TTYD). I have many fond memories of it, and I think a lot of it has to do with its many memorable characters and phenomenal music. It really does have the Squaresoft golden touch and sets it apart from the later mario rpgs.
 
super fucking well

Fantastic gameplay, stellar localization, great story and one of the best soundtracks to have ever been recorded.
 
Watched/helped some of my kids play it a few months ago. It's more FF:MQ (super easy) than Chrono Trigger (easy). I don't think the graphics have aged all that well either. However, like Earthbound, the game has crazy amounts of charm.
 
I'm playing it with my daughter currently. It's her first RPG and she loves it. It's a great beginner RPG since it's very easy. I'm trying to let her do everything, but some of the platforming is difficult for her so I take over. We're currently at Land's End right before you get to Monstro Town.

It's fun to show her all the tricks and hidden stuff since I've played this game several times.
 
It is a bit basic compared to something like TTYD or Mario and Luigi Super Star Saga but it is a much better game than the recent Mario and Luigi games and obviously recent Paper Mario games.
 
Weird to see all the "basically like Paper Mario but Paper Mario is better" posts. Despite it being pretty damn different from Paper Mario IMO, I'd strongly argue that this game is still better than any of the Paper Mario games. Gameplay, writing, music, world-building for known and new Mario characters, etc. It's fucking awesome.
 
really well.
the gameplay's fun, the original characters and locations and music are all great, and the translation is really humorous.
 
i like the part where croco steals mallow's coin and mallow asks a random toad why he didn't stop croco, and the toad is like "oh sorry, i forgot my bazooka at home" like a little jerk. it was so random it made me laugh pretty hard

that was the first time i ever liked anything a toad ever did
 
I played it again a few years ago. It still holds up great for me. Maybe it's mostly nostalgia. I remember playing through it with my brother and my mom when we were kids. It was the first turn based RPG, or RPG in general I can remember playing. The story and characters are awesome. Bowser was my favorite. The locations and boss fights are memorable. The music has stuck with me ever since I played it as a kid. At least once a week, a song from the game will pop up in my head.
 
Still a good rpg...better than most mario rpgs thus far except TTYD. A remake would be great.
 
The game is simple but has a surprising amount of depth. I think it is one of the best introductory Turn Based RPG games and does a very good job designing bosses which require some amount of strategy and planning. It's not a tough game but it doesn't hold your hand through everything.
 
It holds up really well.

My favorite part is that Mario repeatedly acts out scenarios to convey situations. He doesn't do the silent tip toes, arm raised pose or the gesticulating Italian gibberish.

Super_Mario_RPG_(SNES)_42.gif
 
I played it all the way through 1 month ago and it definitely still holds up. The graphics look a LITTLE dated, but other than that...

-Every character is well-written and charming. From the Mushroom Kingdom guard at the very beginning of the game who "left his bazooka at home," all the way to the Nimbus Land bus driver who gives you a lift to the final area, every interaction is a fun one. although I felt that Moleville was a little lacking in development.
NOTABLE EXAMPLE: Booster and his gang of Snifits.

-The soundtrack is PHENOMENAL. Every track fits its intended mood perfectly.
NOTABLE EXAMPLE: Rose Town. When you first enter the town, there's a bit of a... problem. The ominous music lets you know "something's definitely wrong here." After other story events take place, you fix the problem and the next time you enter the town, the music is SO UPBEAT that you really feel accomplished.

-The gameplay is unreal. I couldn't imagine the concept of "Let's put Mario in an RPG ... but it has to be simple enough for beginners" being executed any better than this. The platforming is never frustrating or tedious, the battles are never TOO tough... It strikes such a brilliant middle ground.
NOTABLE EXAMPLE: Sunken Ship. There are several OPTIONAL 3D/Platforming gimmick puzzles that you can play through if you want, leading to 2 of the best boss fights (and one of the best NPCs) in the game

Anyway, yeah... SMRPG holds up very well.
 
Replayed it last year. I won't say the gameplay is amazing or anything, but it still holds up pretty well after all these years. The dialogue and characters are pretty funny which is helped by the story never taking itself seriously.

Also that Yoko Shimomura soundtrack.
 
It holds up really well.

My favorite part is that Mario repeatedly acts out scenarios to convey situations. He doesn't do the silent tip toes, arm raised pose or the gesticulating Italian gibberish.

Super_Mario_RPG_(SNES)_42.gif

One of my favorite things about the game. Mario pantomime when he talks was great.
 
I played/finished it for the first time around 2010 or so... I've never been a fan of prerendered graphics, but they're pretty good in this game considering the age and technology at the time. Had a great time with it, has some genuinely challenging battles, and like other cross-company titles, is something unique that may likely never happen again.
 
fairly standard late gen square snes rpg "but with mario!".... can be a fantastic or meh thing depending on what you want

personally it was my favorite take on the genre merge and i hope they get around to doing a legit sequel some time. but like i said it was golden age square's take so it's more of a product for its time more than anything else
 
I wish there was a true sequel to the game. The other 2 Mario RPG series are fine, but I enjoyed the art and cast of SMRPG more.
 
Not as good as Paper Mario IMO, but still worth checking out.

I kind of like how weird and un-Mario the world is. Gives me the same vibes as SMB2 (USA) and Mario Sunshine.
 
Never played it before, tried it earlier this year. My expectations were unreasonably high from always hearing about it in the same conversations as Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and FF6.

I got as far as the Yoshi races and lost interest.

The biggest problem was that there was basically zero challenge to it. Plot and characters didn't really grab me at all either.

I don't think it was really anything about the age of the game that bothered me, though. I wasn't put off by the graphics or UI or controls. Maybe the combat is a bit simpler than modern RPGs have become, and the timed hit system isn't as novel now as it would have been then, but otherwise <opinion>it just seems like not a very good game to me.</opinion>
 
It holds up really well.

My favorite part is that Mario repeatedly acts out scenarios to convey situations. He doesn't do the silent tip toes, arm raised pose or the gesticulating Italian gibberish.

Super_Mario_RPG_(SNES)_42.gif

While we're on this, my fave part about the game is that one time Mallow had to hold Mario back so he wouldn't beat the crap out of a kid shit talking him.

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It's still one of my most beloved games of all time. The other Mario RPGs felt very goofy in a very Mario way (which is great, don't get me wrong) but this one blended its goofiness with the epic quest to save the world RPGs are usually known for. I'm not saying every Mario RPG should be like it, but I certainly enjoyed the Smithy Gang and their subversion of Bowser's villainy with a greater cosmic evil a hell of a lot. It managed to up the stakes and provide a fantasy epic while still being cartoony, lighthearted and humorous the whole way through.
 
I had a serious nostalgia attack recently, not sure what made me pick this game up but I know in the back of my mind it's always been one I've regretted not finishing. I played it way back before the n64 as a rental from blockbuster video, I remember getting stuck in the sunken ship and never playing again but for whatever reason I've always held it high in memory. I am seriously excited to replay/finish the game and I am glad to have added it to my growing retro collection.

If it had not been for the super famicom I was drooling over/purchased I may have never returned to Mario RPG, I owe it to the famicom lol.
 
I have not played the Paper Mario Series yet, but I love the Mario & Luigi games and this game still holds up in its charm and personality compared ot the best of that series. The villains are some of the best in the jrpg world and it is overall a quick game to beat but remember for weeks after you beat it. I'd highly recommend it
 
What is the battle system like?

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Imo, the writing, characters, and combat are all amazing. Paper Mario's combat is essentially an evolution of this one's but this one is still a lot of fun! It's just an all around fun experience.

Its not hard but there are save spots around the game. They arent too far apart either. Play it! Its my favorite of all time :P
 
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