Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Review

And, at long last, one more of the fans' most-wanted titles arrives. There are a few key games that exist out there, in the realm of possibility, that loyal Nintendo gamers have long desired to see in an encore appearance through the Wii's Virtual Console retro download service -- but we'd almost given up hope for some, since it had been so long. This game, in particular, was first included on the earliest lists of rated-and-ready release candidates almost two years ago, but had since faded away, seemingly forgotten. Perhaps Square Enix hadn't given the greenlight? Perhaps Nintendo was simply choosing not to revisit the title? The conspiracy theories came and went. But now, finally, they can stay gone for good. At long last, Super Mario RPG is back.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is one of the most acclaimed games to have ever worn Mario's name. An adventure/role-playing title, it was the innovative result of a corporate collaboration -- Nintendo lent its main mascot and his Mushroom Kingdom world to Squaresoft, most known at the time for SNES RPGs like Final Fantasy III and Chrono Trigger, and the company did a remarkable job at expanding the hero's hop-and-bop platforming gameplay into a fully-realized role-playing experience. Though many fans in the mid-'90s were skeptical that it could happen, Mario made the transition to the RPG genre in excellent form.

The story begins as any other Mario game, with the Princess getting kidnapped by Bowser and our mustachioed hero heading off in hot pursuit. Things quickly take an unexpected twist, though, when Mario's rescue attempt is defeated by the arrival of another, different villain -- an enormous talking sword that plunges itself into the middle of King Koopa's castle. The weapon, which towers above the top of the fortress and creates the game's central set piece, declares that the Smithy Gang has taken control of the land and there's nothing that any red-capped plumber can do about it. Yeah, sure.

Mario's adventure then takes him on a circuitous route through the reimagined Mushroom Kingdom, as he gathers strength, information and new allies before ultimately challenging the leaders of the Smithy Gang face to face. The core gameplay is based in Mario's platforming roots, as he runs through areas avoiding enemies, jumping around and hitting floating blocks. A key difference, though, is that the game is presented with a different perspective than any other Mario title -- the isometric viewpoint. Sometimes also called the 3/4 view, it displays every environment at an angle and gives Mario the ability to walk or run in any of eight directions within it. Quite a change from just scrolling to the left or the right.

The shift in perspective can be a bit perplexing, as it's sometimes difficult to properly gauge the depth of some elements in the environment. But that's not a game-breaking complaint, and not one that proves to be as annoying as in some other isometric titles. While you're getting your bearings with isometric movement, though, you'll likely run Mario straight into an enemy or two. Which will take you to the next, more RPG-esque phase of Super Mario RPG -- turn-based battles.

As in Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger, battles play out by selecting options from a menu and watching the resulting animations that occur -- you can use a basic attack, strike a defensive posture, unleash a special move or use an item by hitting one of the four face buttons on the Classic (or GameCube) Controller. Special moves are more dynamic and potentially more deadly, but they drain away your flower points (the equivalent to magic points in other RPGs). And your health, of course, is measured by a numbered hit point gauge.

What's different about Super Mario RPG's battle sequences is something that you wouldn't be able to tell just from looking at it in action, though -- it's all about the timing. Mario will do more damage with his attacks if you press the attack button a second time, with the right timing, at the proper point in the attack animation. Likewise, he's able to lessen or even totally negate the damage dealt to him by enemies' assaults by similarly pressing A when they swoop in to take a swipe. The special moves take the theme to the extreme, with some of them requiring repeated, fast-as-you-can button presses to be as effective as possible.

It's an innovative addition to what could otherwise have been a mundane battle system, and it's such a notable element of Super Mario RPG's design that other, more modern role-playing titles have appropriated it for themselves. The spiritual sequel Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games both use it, for instance, and even this year's Penny Arcade Adventures owes a debt of gratitude to Mario for aspects of its timing-based battle elements.

Super Mario RPG's experience completes itself with a compelling story, a humorous attitude and a variety of interspersed mini-games that break up the adventuring action, like riding rolling barrels down a river and steering a runaway mine cart through a Mode 7 racing sequence. The dialogue will make you smile and even laugh out loud on occasion, if you're in the mood for silly mustache jokes and animation tricks. And the icing on the cake is the inclusion of cult classic characters that fans are still supporting to this day, like Geno, the Star Warrior.

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