Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

"Oh, I'm never gonna put this game down. It's just too... AWESOME!"

Once upon a time there was a time where Nintendo and Squaresoft was awesome. Not to say that they suck now, but you get my point. Anyway, I'm sure we all know that Nintendo made Mario, a platforming epic, and Squaresoft made Final Fantasy, an RPG legend.

Then, the two of them got together and made a game. A game which would be known as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. This game probably got me into RPGS, since I cannot recall playing an RPG before this game.

The story starts off simple, starting from Peach getting kidnapped (again), by the hands of Bowser (again), and Mario goes off to save her (again). Fortunately for us, the game cuts us the "OUR PRINCESS IS IN ANOTHER CASTLE" crap and moves us to Bowser's Castle. When Mario finally catches up to Bowser, they fight. Unsurprisingly, Mario kicks the sorry koopa's tail and comes THIS close to saving Peach. That is, until...

We see a giant sword in the sky, apparently belonging to the "Smithy Gang", and it stabs Bowser's Castle. This sends the Seven Stars, Bowser, Mario, and Peach flying in different directions. This starts the (awesome) story of Super Mario RPG.

Along the way, we meet 5 different party members. Mario, of course, is the leader. He's the generic silent RPG hero speaks using actions instead of words. Most of the time he has the ability to morph into things, fly in the air sprinkling fairy dust and perform plays with other characters. This leads to hilarious cut-scenes. Mallow, as we meet early in the story, is the newest recruit. He has the power to control the weather, although he believes he is a tadpole, when he is in fact, made out of clouds. Weird. Geno is a doll, possessed by a spirit on a mission to repair the Star Road, because the Smithy Gang's sword broke the road while it was crashing down into Bowser's Castle.

Even Bowser and Peach join the party, Bowser because he wants to steal his castle back, and Peach because she decided to be proactive and not sit in a castle all day long. I'm not exactly sure if this is actually the reason, but playing the game says that it is.

Along the way you will meet a lot of other characters, both colorful and having their own personality. Most of them are bosses, while others are friendly people who will help Mario on his quest. One of these bosses are... well, it's something you'll find out.

The sound in this game is great, but not on the level of other Mario games and Final Fantasy. The songs are nice, however, most of them aren't very memorable. The sound effects range from getting a 1-up, collecting coins, jumping, to stomping on enemies, so no complaints there.

The graphics in my opinion are probably on par with Donkey Kong Country. It's 3D-ish, and is pleasing to the eye. This not only applies to the backgrounds, but the characters, and enemies are 3d-ish as well. They all look great, and I couldn't ask for a better looking game.

And I've saved the best for last. The game play. The game play is by far the best aspect of this game. This game mixes a Mario-style platformer with the magic of Squaresoft, and this is what we get. On the field, Mario jumps and runs on a isometric field. Just like in true Mario fashion, there are blocks that can be hit, and platforming elements that everyone loves. There are platforms that move when you step on them, and treasure boxes that can only be hit by punching them, Super Mario Bros. style.

Unlike a lot of other RPGS, you can see enemies on the field. When you run into them, the battle starts. This is where things get interesting. In battle, you have four different options, each one using the buttons: A B Y X. Attacking, defending or running away, using items and using special attacks, respectively. The thing that makes this game so awesome is action commands. If you press the A button at the right time when you attack, you can do even more damage than a regular attack. When you are getting attacked by physical attacks, pressing the A button will reduce the damage you take from the enemy. If you time it perfectly, you'll nullify the damage! There is a lot of attacks that require practice to guard, so it's never the same with every enemy.

Special attacks are an entirely different story. They require action commands, however, each character has his or her own set of special moves, making each one distinctively different. Each one of them requires different action commands, ranging from repeatedly tapping the Y button, holding it to charge up power so you can fire your GENO LAZOR at enemies, or rotating the control pad. Some of them just require you to push the Y button, but usually it won't tell you to, so you need to push the Y button to get more of a benefit out of those attacks. But just like attacking, they too have a timing aspect, so experiment!

Like every other RPG, you gain EXP to level up. When you reach a certain level of EXP, you'll level up and will be able to choose which stat you want to upgrade. You can choose to level up Attack and Defense, Magic attack and Magic defense, or boost HP so you can last longer. My only gripe with this is EXP is a little low, but any more than what it gives would've probably made this game too easy, I suppose.

A cool thing with this game is that sometimes when you defeat an enemy, a flower will come out, and will give you a random benefit. It will range from restoring that character's HP, give the character another turn, or increasing defense or attack. If you get a LUCKY! from a flower, that means you will be able to play a game of chance to double your Exp, or coins gained in that battle. You can only have three party members in your party at once, but the party members who aren't in your current party will also get EXP and gain levels.

The "MP" in this game are FP. You can't gain FP by leveling up, but you can increase your maximum FP by consuming Flower Tabs and Jars, and finding flowers in treasure boxes. Special attacks consume FP, just like using magic would consume MP.

Final Words/Thoughts

Rating System: Take these 4 numbers, add them up, and divide by 4.

Story: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 10/10

Overall: 8.75, rounding up

This game is probably one of my favorite RPGs, right up there with Final Fantasy V, VI, Earthbound and Paper Mario. It introduced me to the world of RPGs, and I can be glad to say that I don't regret buying this game. You should buy it, if you're a fan of both Mario and Square RPGs. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

On a side note, I'd like to point out that adding Birdo to any game is a formula to success.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/10/09

Game Release: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (US, 05/13/96)