Mario as he should be much more often
Written: Sep 01 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun adventure, unique characters, plenty of cuteness, gorgeous graphics for SNES
Cons: None. Except maybe that it supposedly inspired that travesty, Paper Mario
The Bottom Line: Sweet, funny, entertaining, good difficulty level, and visually pleasing--what more could you want?
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| happysquirrel's Full Review: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for Sup... |
I'm not a big fan of Mario. While I think the idea of a squat Italian plumber as a superhero is sheer genius, his games tend to bore me. This game was quite the exception. Its plot is surprisingly original, its characters are adorable, its battle system is impeccable, its music is pleasant, and its graphics are stunning, considering it's for the SNES.
Plot-wise, it starts off like any Mario game: Bowser has kidnapped Princess Toadstool (I believe this was also one of the last if not the very last game before they started calling her Peach; she will always be Toadstool to me). Mario must go to Bowser's Keep and save her. They fight.
However, just as Mario defeats Bowser (again), a giant sword comes crashing into the castle and sends them all flying off in different directions. Mario (you) winds up in Mario's Pad, where Toad comes and is very upset that the Princess is still missing. He explains the battle systems and such, gives you items, and tells you to meet him in the Mushroom Kingdom, which of course requires journeying along the perilous Mushroom Way. With some difficulty, you make it to Mushroom Kingdom (even getting your first equipable weapon) and speak to the Chancellor.
Of course, this being an RPG, you shouldn't just speak to the Chancellor. You should speak to anyone you can find. And there are plenty of adorable fungoid people for you to find, all perfectly animated as they pace back and forth in their daily activities. Even the ones that aren't useful are too amusing to pass up; part of Seven Stars' charm, like that of any RPG, is in the cute things extras say.
Once you do speak to the Chancellor, he sends you on your quest to find Princess Toadstool. Shortly after, you meet your first ally: Mallow, a "frog" that can't jump and couldn't possibly look less like a frog. He can, however, make it rain whenever he cries (which is often).
Your journey for the princess soon takes you far, and you meet Geno (real name unpronounceable), who takes the form of a puppet and explains to you that the sword in Bowser's Keep is much more significant than you thought: it has shattered the Star Road, where Geno is from, into the seven Star Pieces, and until these are recollected and the Star Road rebuilt, no wishes can come true.
As you may guess from the fact that the events I have described are all well within in the first half of the game, and I have left out many details, it's a very long game, especially for SNES. Each world is perfectly animated, and Mario is easy to move. Unlike some RPGs, you don't randomly come across a battle ever few moments--the enemies are animated, full size, and therefore often possible to avoid (though you may fight more than you ran into). Another nice feature is that once you've cleared a world, even if you don't level up, all the enemies within it are suddenly extremely easy to beat, though they still give you the same amount of experience. This comes in handy because you level up very slowly, and some bosses are very difficult.
The characters are all loveable: while Mario doesn't talk, he certainly reacts, and Mallow and Geno (besides being extremely useful in battle) have cute personalities. The people you talk to are often comical. You do gain two more very unexpected party members, but I won't ruin the big surprise.
The game has plenty of funny, memorable moments (One character, upon seeing his bride crying, says, "What's this? Are you... leaking, my dear?"). The graphics are stellar, and also the reason that, when the N64 came out and I saw Mario 64's ugly, blocky animation, I thought, "We were so excited... for this? They can do better on SNES!" The sound effects are really cute, and the battle system (fairly typical RPG--press A at the right time to do a Timed Hit, gain experience, use Flower Points for magic, etc.) As for the replay value, I know I've been meaning to pick it up again sometime soon (perhaps after I finish Final Fantasy VIII... no, that wouldn't be soon, would it), though others may not find it as lovely.
For anyone who wants a game that's challenging but not fearfully difficult, cute but not nausea-inducingly so, and free of graphic violence, this charming little journey is the perfect choice.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
happysquirrel
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Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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