Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

"This game is one of the best Mario games ever."

Super Mario RPG is one of the first RPGs made regarding Mario. Paper Mario was the second installment in the RPGs of Mario, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was the third. This game is still played by many people even today, and it still remains one of the best and most fun games of all time.

Story: 7/10

The story isn't too good in itself. Like the usual, Princess Toadstool gets captured by, to no suprise, Bowser. Mario rushes off to save her. After Bowser gets defeated once more, his castle begins rumbling, as a giant sword with two heads slams into the top of the castle. This is the Smithy Gang, who work with an old guy named Smithy (why else are they called the Smithy Gang?). Bowser then wants revenge on Smithy for taking over his castle, and he even joins Mario in his quest because he is so desperate to get it back! It is then Mario and the other's mission to stop Smithy from dominating Bowser's Keep, and the world, for that matter.

Gameplay: 10/10

Like always, the gameplay is one of the best parts about the whole game. There is an overworld where you can select a certain area or town to visit. In the areas, you run around encountering several enemies such as Goombas, and flying Koopa Troopas. Run, jump or touch these enemies to enter a battle against them. In battle, you are in a big background battling the enemy you just caught, with sometimes even several more enemies with it. In battle, you press certain buttons to do certain commands. The A Button just attacks with your weapon, and the Y Button brings up the list of spells your party member currently has. You can use these magic spells on the enemy and/or boss. The X Button brings up the Item Menu, in which you can use these items to heal, or to damage an enemy/boss. Finally, the B Button brings up a menu where you can run away from battle (does not work on boss battles), or simply where you can defend yourself for that turn. Up to three party members can be in your party at one time. As you progress through the game, you will encounter many party members that will join you, and many challenging bosses and enemies. This game is very short, however, so be warned of that. Inside towns, you can buy items and equipment for your characters. There are also several Flower Tabs and Flower Jars that will increase your Flower Points up a bit. Overall, the gameplay is really great, like the usual. Also, there are not many, but there are a little minigames to play in this game. They are pretty fun, too.

Although, the max level is not Level 99, like most RPGs. Instead, the max level is Level 30. I know this may not sound like much, but this isn't Final Fantasy. You don't gain 5000 experience per a battle. But, even if you do not gain very much experience or anything on this game, it is still very great. The max HP in this game is also 255, but not 999 or 9999. Finally, the max MP in this game is 99, but not anything like 999. The party members you will get to play as throughout the game are: Mario, Mallow, Geno, Peach and Bowser. Each party member is unique in his or her own way. Each party member will also learn several spells to use, which drains Flower Points by a certain amount on each spell. There are also timed hits in this game. Timed hits are performed when you attack. Right before your attack hits the enemy, press the A button to double the amount of damage! Also, when each character levels up, you get to choose a certain bonus to boost that character's stat, but the stat will still go up even if you did not choose it. You get to choose between Magic, Power or HP. This bonus comes after every level. Also, the higher you are, the more spells your party members will learn throughout the game. Some spells that you will learn require perfect timing to execute properly, and to perform a massive amount of damage. Like I said, this game is really short, but is still really fun. The enemies, characters, levels and bosses are very unique, as well. This is a really great game.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics aren't very bad, to tell you the truth. Like always, the character sprites, from the NPCs to the playable characters were done pretty well, as were the buildings and other things in this game. On the overworld, however, the graphics aren't very great, as they are a bit blurry and stuff. Is there really much to say in this section that would make it more interesting than it already is? I think not.

Sound: 8/10

The sound isn't all that bad, either. Each character makes a certain noise at certain times. An example is when you jump with Mario, you'll hear a simple "Boing!" sound. Another example is when Bowser laughs, or when you collect a coin. You'll hear a roar when Bowser laughs, and a chime when you collect a coin. Sometimes, however, the sounds can be a bit...annoying, but still durable (after all, every RPG has its bad sounds every now and then). Overall, however, the sound is really great, and I think it is yet another thing that makes this game so great.

Music: 10/10

Isn't music always one of the best things in an RPG? Even for Mario. The music in this game is fantastic. An example of great music is when you're fighting Culex, in Monstro Town. The music that plays is the one that plays in Final Fantasy II/IV, when fighting in a boss battle. Another example is when you're fighting against Smithy, the last boss. The music there is not too bad, either. Overall, the music is very great in this game. There isn't too many points where the music is bad in tbhis game at all.

Replay Value: 8/10

The replay value is alright. After beating it one time, then you may want to go back and beat it again, and also play the certain minigames this game has to offer. There are SOME minigames in this game, but not too many. However, they should be enough to keep you a little busy after beating the game one time. Overall, the replay value is alright, and you may or may not beat this game more than one time, depending on your opinion about the game.

Buy or Rent?

Buy this game. Its amazing gameplay, graphics and music should keep you busy for quite a bit. Though it may be a bit expensive (possibly up to $80.00), it is well worth it. It can be found at your local Pawn Shop, most likely. If not there, try eBay.com. They probably have this game somewhere on that site for a cheap price. Overall, you should buy this game. It's amazing, and will keep you busy for quite some time.

Overall: 10/10

Overall, after reviewing this whole game, I give it a score of a ten out of ten. It has very great gameplay, and will keep you busy for quite a bit. I highly recommend giving this game a shot, if you're a fan of RPG games. By ending this review, I say: I hope you enjoyed this review, and I hope it helped you decide if whether or not you should buy/rent the game. Until my next review, folks!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/19/06