Super Mario RPG: Armageddon is a difficulty and content mod for Super Mario RPG. It rebalances the entire game and adds a lot more post-game content, such as more FF bosses, two boss rushes, and even some special guests!
Reviews View More
(yeah i played this for remake hype, let's GO)
This is an excellent romhack for SMRPG that adds new mechanics and an insane amount of additional content to the game. It is significantly more challenging than the base game, so I would definitely recommend the "Normal" mode version of this hack for your first playthrough.
This isn't a simple level or graphics hack that can be done with an editor - clearly a ridiculous amount of custom ASM went into this to make it work. Almost every item and equipment is brand new, including every spell and attack animation for each character. The level hacking isn't as extensive, but there are a few new areas and modifications to existing maps, often changing subtly to reveal a new exit once you complete a certain event. Every weapon has 2 timings you need to hit when attacking, and the damage bonus is so significant that you need to master this to overcome the later challenges of this game - which is where the majority of the difficulty comes from. There are new music tracks, new dialog, status effects, and even new custom events and cutscenes, with the party having scripted interactions with some new NPCs on occasion, which is quite impressive for an RPG hack. Health values and damage numbers have been increased by a factor of 10 or so as well, pushing the feel further into the Final Fantasy realm from the Mario RPG realm, and it works. There are also loads of fun references to Final Fantasy games, Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, and other RPG franchises.
The core progression of the game remains mostly the same up through the final boss - although you'll have plenty of opportunities to play with the new weapons and abilities along the way. But the "real" game begins after that, which involves hunting down a ton of optional bosses and challenges scattered throughout the world. NPCs in Tadpole Pond and Mario's Pad will help you discover what to do next, and there's quite a bit. Note that you'll probably max your party's levels before beginning this "post-game" section. However, there's still a solid power progression in the end-game, mostly through equipment and items that are unlocked as you take down bosses. It's always fun to see what new accessory drops and how it might give you a new strategy. I'd say this "post-game" portion will take longer to go through than the original game itself - I spent probably 10 hours progressing from the beginning to the original final boss, then another 20 hours or more exploring the post-game and fighting new bosses.
That all said, a few of the post-game fights can be pretty long and tedious. A couple of times I would find an effective strategy that would work on several different bosses in a row with little change. Savestates aren't really necessary, but some boss fights can be like 20 minutes long, and when you lose due to a single mistimed defend near the end, you'll feel the burn.
Overall, don't let the infamous difficulty intimidate you - any fan of SMRPG should check this out simply because it is a beautifully crafted hack with extensive interesting changes.
This is an excellent romhack for SMRPG that adds new mechanics and an insane amount of additional content to the game. It is significantly more challenging than the base game, so I would definitely recommend the "Normal" mode version of this hack for your first playthrough.
This isn't a simple level or graphics hack that can be done with an editor - clearly a ridiculous amount of custom ASM went into this to make it work. Almost every item and equipment is brand new, including every spell and attack animation for each character. The level hacking isn't as extensive, but there are a few new areas and modifications to existing maps, often changing subtly to reveal a new exit once you complete a certain event. Every weapon has 2 timings you need to hit when attacking, and the damage bonus is so significant that you need to master this to overcome the later challenges of this game - which is where the majority of the difficulty comes from. There are new music tracks, new dialog, status effects, and even new custom events and cutscenes, with the party having scripted interactions with some new NPCs on occasion, which is quite impressive for an RPG hack. Health values and damage numbers have been increased by a factor of 10 or so as well, pushing the feel further into the Final Fantasy realm from the Mario RPG realm, and it works. There are also loads of fun references to Final Fantasy games, Pokemon, Kingdom Hearts, and other RPG franchises.
The core progression of the game remains mostly the same up through the final boss - although you'll have plenty of opportunities to play with the new weapons and abilities along the way. But the "real" game begins after that, which involves hunting down a ton of optional bosses and challenges scattered throughout the world. NPCs in Tadpole Pond and Mario's Pad will help you discover what to do next, and there's quite a bit. Note that you'll probably max your party's levels before beginning this "post-game" section. However, there's still a solid power progression in the end-game, mostly through equipment and items that are unlocked as you take down bosses. It's always fun to see what new accessory drops and how it might give you a new strategy. I'd say this "post-game" portion will take longer to go through than the original game itself - I spent probably 10 hours progressing from the beginning to the original final boss, then another 20 hours or more exploring the post-game and fighting new bosses.
That all said, a few of the post-game fights can be pretty long and tedious. A couple of times I would find an effective strategy that would work on several different bosses in a row with little change. Savestates aren't really necessary, but some boss fights can be like 20 minutes long, and when you lose due to a single mistimed defend near the end, you'll feel the burn.
Overall, don't let the infamous difficulty intimidate you - any fan of SMRPG should check this out simply because it is a beautifully crafted hack with extensive interesting changes.