Super Mario RPG for Switch was one of the most anticipated releases of my life, and hot DAMN did it deliver. I've played the original probably close to a dozen times at this point, and this game felt like meeting an old friend for the first time all over again. It's faithful in a way that feels remarkably respectful of the source material; you can tell they got people who love Mario RPG to work on this.
This isn't just a straight remaster, either. Everything that's different feels changed for the better. The new mechanics serve to make the old battle system feel fresh, even if they do make an already easy RPG even easier. New cutscenes and dialogue were added to make the plot more cohesive and give the general party more screentime, which is greatly appreciated for how text-light the original is. The new text fits right in with the original Woolsey translation that was left mostly untouched aside from a few updated names (RIP Mack and Yaridovich). I can't think of a remix I dislike, and even my least favorites still break even in my book. The new character models resemble the janky, prerendered 90's look of the originals, recalling a time when the Mario series was still finding itself while looking stylish as all get-out.
I dunno what to say other than that this game impressed me on all fronts. This is hands-down the best ground-up remake I've ever played, and any complaints I have are incredibly minor next to everything it does well. Going back and talking to every character, rediscovering secrets, and finding new ones reminded me how lucky I am to have such love and care poured into one of my favorite games. I believed for the longest time that even seeing the likes of Geno and Mallow again was impossible, so seeing Mario RPG back in the limelight brings a tear to my eye. I hope Nintendo gets the memo that we want more Mario RPGs like this.
This isn't just a straight remaster, either. Everything that's different feels changed for the better. The new mechanics serve to make the old battle system feel fresh, even if they do make an already easy RPG even easier. New cutscenes and dialogue were added to make the plot more cohesive and give the general party more screentime, which is greatly appreciated for how text-light the original is. The new text fits right in with the original Woolsey translation that was left mostly untouched aside from a few updated names (RIP Mack and Yaridovich). I can't think of a remix I dislike, and even my least favorites still break even in my book. The new character models resemble the janky, prerendered 90's look of the originals, recalling a time when the Mario series was still finding itself while looking stylish as all get-out.
I dunno what to say other than that this game impressed me on all fronts. This is hands-down the best ground-up remake I've ever played, and any complaints I have are incredibly minor next to everything it does well. Going back and talking to every character, rediscovering secrets, and finding new ones reminded me how lucky I am to have such love and care poured into one of my favorite games. I believed for the longest time that even seeing the likes of Geno and Mallow again was impossible, so seeing Mario RPG back in the limelight brings a tear to my eye. I hope Nintendo gets the memo that we want more Mario RPGs like this.