So we’ve completed Super Mario RPG. It took us a few months & I’d place it here in my list of best Mario RPG games:
- Paper Mario: The thousand year door (GameCube)
- Paper Mario (N64)
- Super Paper Mario (Wii)
- Super Mario RPG (SNES)
- Paper Mario: Colo(u)r splash (Wii U)
It’s interesting that Super Paper Mario is above Super Mario RPG as the SNES game is closer to the gameplay of the games in positions 1 & 2. I think there are a few reasons for this. First of all, we found the platforming in the N64 game a bit awkward due to the digital controls & isometric view.
We also missed the polish and tuning that we’d become accustomed to in the N64 game & especially The Thousand Year Door. For example we missed the sidekicks and the extra options they gave in attack & defense when in battle. Also something that made the game more difficult was the effects of items only showed on the equip screen. When in battle we had no idea what items like “Able juice” or “Rock candy” did. In the end we looked up the effects of all the items & printed out a double sided A4 sheet that we’d reference mid-battle.
So in the end, the game engine that would have been superb when it was launched has been improved and streamlined in later releases. Who’d have thought?