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SUPER MARIO RPG LEGEND OF THE SEVEN STARS Company: Nintendo/Square Released: May 1996 Genre: Turn-based RPG Graphics: 10.0 Control: 9.0 Sound/Music: 9.0 Storyline: 9.0 Review by: Corbie Dillard ©2008 SUPER-NES.COM

To be perfectly honest, when I first heard the news that Nintendo had teamed up with Square to create an RPG using its' Super Mario Bros. characters, I was a little skeptical to say the very least. I mean honestly, how good could an RPG be set in the Mushroom Kingdom with a bunch of Super Mario characters thrown in the mix. Well, to put it bluntly, utterly amazing, that's how good. Not only do you get all the familiar sights and sounds from the Super Mario Bros. series, but you also get the added fun of a really creative turn-based rpg. But how does this all work together? Super Mario RPG sports amazing visuals. Not your everyday type of amazing, more along the lines of "drop a load in your shorts when you see them" type of amazing. Graphically Super Mario RPG has no equal on the Super NES. Period. It sports a beautiful rendered look to it and has some absolutely incredible detail in just about every area of the game. The towns looks great, the characters look great, and it's nice to see a Mario world with such a polished look to it. Super Mario RPG has to be the most colorful game ever created for the SNES and it's a true testament to just how powerful a console the Super Nintendo really is and also just just plain fun to look at. If ever there was a game that truly tapped into the inner strengths of the Super Nintendo's graphics engine, this game is definately it. From the moment you begin playing Super Mario RPG it's clear that you're playing a Super Mario game. The soundtrack, although remixed, contains many of the classic Mario tunes from years past and brings a certain feeling of nostalgia with it. What you'll also hear are some really great new tunes that just add even more excitement to an already appealing game. It's worth noting to those expecting a Final Fantasy or Zelda-type of soundtrack that Super Mario RPG is, after all, a Super Mario game and the music in the game reflects that perfectly. Overall I was very impressed with the soundtrack in this game and it was a relief that Square didn't go off the deep end and try to make the soundtrack too much like their other rpgs and decided instead to leave the Mario-style tunes intact. Even though this is a Super Mario game, you're not gonna stomp your way through this one. Well you will do some stomping, but the majority of the combat in Super Mario RPG is turn-based, as most would expect from a Square-developed rpg. Compared to other Square rpgs, Super Mario RPG has a fairly toned down turn-based battle system. You can select from four different commands: Attack, Defend/Run Away, Items, and Special. Attack allows you to perform your character's standard attack, which can change depending on what weapon you currently have equipped. Defend/Run Away allows you to either defend against enemy attacks, or run away, which you sometimes can do and sometimes can't. Special attacks allow you to perform powerful special moves but these do require Flower Points, which each character has a limited supply of so you want to use these moves only when absolutely necessary. For the Super Mario Bros. fans out there, fear not, because there is also a lot of running and jumping involved in the game to keep fans happy. Everything seems to come together perfectly in this game and it's safe to say that Square did an outstanding job in bringing the world of Super Mario into the world of an rpg. Whether your a Super Mario fan, a role-playing game fan, or both, you're in for a real treat with Super Mario RPG. It has something to offer almost any type of gamer. It has the great Super Mario running and jumping, it has a very easy to pick up turn-based combat system, and it has a great storyline to tie it all together. Just don't make the mistake of prematurely dismissing this game because of it's cute looks. This is a very challenging rpg and one that will give even a die-hard rpg player a run for their money. Spectacular graphics, a very catchy Mario-style soundtrack, and a lengthy quest are all great reasons to own this game. A true classic.