Super Mario RPG - intro
- 00:04:14
- YouTube
Super Mario RPG - intro
Super Mario RPG is truly an incredible game, from whatever point of view you look at it. It was the last game to be developed by Squaresoft for a Nintendo console before their break with the Big-N in 1996, Square wouldn't return to work on Nintendo platforms until the 21st century. As described, this is an RPG featuring Mario as the main character. In 1996, this truly was an unorthodox spinoff, as the gamers were mostly used to Mario Kart, Dr. Mario and other such titles that did not explore RPG mechanics. So when Squaresoft, the masters behind the Final Fantasy series, as well as the fantastic Chrono Trigger, delievered an RPG based in the Super Mario series, the anxiety was high. Fortunately, the final product is an excellent title which shows the incredible capacities of the SNES, it would be natural to assume Super Mario RPG is a work in progress N64 game, by just looking at its graphics. The mechanics are that of a normal turn-based RPG - we control a growing team of characters, led by Mario, which goes across the Mushroom Kingdom looking for 7 Stars. However, Super Mario RPG is credited with introducing a bigger degree of interactivity in the combat moments of turn-based RPGs, namely with the possibility of increasing your attacking power or your defending capacity with a well timed tap of the button. The graphics are reminiscent of the Donkey Kong Country series while the soundtrack is one of the very best to be written for Nintendo's 16-bit console. Generally, the game places a very high emphasis on humour, as the dialogues and the action are full of elements bound to make the gamer laugh - which is not unexpected on a game featuring Mario. However, as long as I can think, this must be the only game where Bowser nearly kisses Mario! Overall, Super Mario RPG means that it is possible to transport Mario's universe into a whole different technical setting - the biggest fracture of all is the use of jumping which is quite rigid on this title, rather than the free-for-all acrobatics and flying of other Mario games. Even so, Squaresoft managed to create a top-notch RPG and a high quality Mario game. Unfortunatly, the politics of business have their toll. As the game was released in the USA (May 1996), Squaresoft terminated their cooperation with Nintendo, cancelled the work on Final Fantasy 7 for the Nintendo64 and signed a contract with Sony. This meant that Super Mario RPG would never see a PAL conversion and a European release, something which is still dreaded even today, especially when there is no official word yet on making Super Mario RPG available on the European Virtual Console service. Regardless of all that, here's the intro for all of you to watch, enjoy!
YouTube | October 18, 2007
