When it comes to remakes of classic games, one of the main concerns is whether the game maintains the balance between keeping the aspects of the original game and adding in new modern features. Much to my surprise, the Super Mario RPG Remake manages to do just that.

Staying True

Super Mario RPG stay faithful to the original title, retaining the text-heavy role-playing elements with unique expressions, tones and humour for each of the characters. The main storyline remains unchanged, you can see Bowser going back to his antics of kidnapping Princess Peach while Mario sets off to rescue her.

Even with the dramatic encounter with Bowser in his castle, and the sudden appearance of a giant sword in the sky, all these elements unfold with the same sense of excitement as in the original game.

In addition to the story, the composition, performance, and overall atmosphere of each scene are entirely consistent. The enhanced graphics make the giant sword thrusting into the castle more impactful.

With the dialogue, as mentioned earlier, the game uses unique expressions and word choices, even containing a lot of humour. Due too the extreme nature of some of the content which includes dark humour and era-specific satirical jokes, players can rest assured that everything is still retained.

An example being Mallow having the skill Thought Peek, where you can check the enemy HP and weakness, that also has an additional feature of allowing to see what the enemy is thinking with some funny or dark humour.

But of course, not every word has been kept exactly as it was back then, one of the more notably one being the tutorial. Nevertheless, even with these changes, all of the content has been produced to carry the atmosphere at that time.

In short, the subtitles in this game place a significant emphasis on the tone and atmosphere, and retains the original title’s flair, making it a delightful experience for players who loved the original game.

You can see a lot of different characters appearing in the game, including Mario himself, party members, and enemies drawn from the series or created specifically for this game. One of the major charms of these characters are their humorous and endearing actions and expressions.

Mario, for example, often uses exaggerated pantomime actions, and scenes where he explains situations through mysterious imitations are identical from the original game. Due to the graphics improvements, this aspect has been further strengthened.

For me personally, it feels like they’ve made the game even more enjoyable, and it’s a relief to see Mario with more varied movements, dancing in the game and making it feel like this was what the developers intended to portray these performances back then when the technology was limited.

Upgrades People!

To make things more simple and convenient for new players, the Super Mario RPG remake have changed and added in new features, one of which is the battle system. The battle system has undergone significant changes, with the addition of “Action Commands” where timing the button press during attacks or continuously pressing it enhances the action.

The button timing is visually represented by a “!” symbol, and pressing the button at specific moments gives additional damage to enemies or triggers additional effects.

In the original game, it did not have this feature which might’ve been difficult to execute, but in this remake, it makes it so that it’s much easier to click on it. Seeing the game become more convenient to play while maintaining the exhilarating battles is genuinely satisfying.

Successfully executing Action Commands in consecutive battles accumulates a chain count and fills up a gauge, and also gives a buff for the entire team, but failing it once will reset it to zero. The battle music then becomes more lively which heightens the excitement of the battle when Action Commands are input smoothly.

Mario and the team can also have access to a special skill called Triple Move which can be used by accumulating the Action Gauge. It not only has a special animation, but also acts as an ultimate move for the team. Different combination members have different kinds of skill and the effect also will be different, like Star Riders from Mario, Mallow and Geno dishing out huge amounts of damage while a team consisting of Mario, Peach and Mallow will heal and revive all team members.

Aside from  that, each item has a set quantity that can be carried. The same type of item is stacked together as a single entry, and if items exceed the carry limit, it will automatically be sent to the Storage Box in Mario’s house. Which is a very nice quality of life improvement, as in the original game, the same type of item couldn’t be stacked and would occupy separate slots, and once the slots are full, the system will automatically discard it.

Additionally, you can check back the enemy list once you meet them, and also there is the auto save function so you don’t need to go to the save point to save. You can also select the level directly from the map.

Fresh Coat of Paint

The graphics have definitely improved, and they even create some of the scenes into animation sequences. For me personally, the addition of backgrounds have been very satisfying. One that comes in mind is Moleville, where you get a sense of amazement just from the view of the moving cloud. The place perfectly captures the setting of the mining town, showcasing the high altitude in an indescribable way.

Verdict

Super Mario RPG makes its transition onto a new stage on the Nintendo Switch, bringing in a pefect balance between faithfully preserving parts of the original game and adding completely new elements with modern game specifications.

The original Super Mario RPG was a game that added in many varied gameplay elements and provided intuitive gaming fun. By adding new elements and slight changes in a way that doesn’t feel out of place, the game is more intuitive and convenient to play. Whether you’re a new player or someone who’ve played the original, you can smoothly immerse yourself in the world, highlighting the inherent fun of Super Mario RPG.

However, since the game altered the original 2D concept of Mario Games, casual players might have a hard time adjusting to this new RPG style of Mario.