In order to celebrate Mario's 10^th anniversary in the Nintendo universe, the game maker made an alliance with RPG giant Squaresoft and created Mario's last adventure in the 16-bits era: Super Mario RPG, the Legend of the Seven Stars. The result is technically impressive but might leave some RPG lovers wanting for more.

Graphics: 10/10

When writing a review of Final Fantasy VI, I said it was the epitome of 16-bits graphics. That's because I completely forgot about Mario RPG. When I first saw pics from the game, I thought it was a preview for the upcoming Nintendo 64. 

The graphics in this game are the best of the 16-bits era, surpassing many early 32-bits games – even Final Fantasy VII in some ways as characters aren't as pixelated. The environment in completely in 3D and characters can move 360 degrees – at times you can see them shake their heads violently, even better than in FF VI. Unlike FF VI, Mario RPG's use of 3D offers much smoother graphics – the mine cart run looks more realistic than the escape from the Magitek plant. Even Bowser's kidnapping of Princess Toadstool looks better, although the team’s falling into Smithy’s plant was a bit overdone. In a few instances, you can see the COMPLETE overworld map, which was quite an accomplishment for 16 bits – you usually can only see as far as your airship. Only the Donkey Kong Country series was able to achieve that. Super Mario World doesn’t count since you had to press start to actually see the map. 

Cities are very-well drawn and town folks interact nicely with Mario. Unlike many games, there is diversity; the people inside the Mushroom Kingdom don't look like the ones from the Nimbus Kingdom or the Mole people – there's even a city of Monsters where you can interact with Thwomps or Koopa Troopas. House have realistic proportions (inside vs outside) and perspective is logic. Finally – for the few times it happens – weather affects the screen; in Final Fantasy VI, Zozo's rain doesn't seem to make the city any darker than other towns, although the town itself had darker colors to begin with.

Inside battles, we can see that Square learned from Chrono Trigger. Enemies come in very close contact to you (although they don't touch you as in Phantasy Star IV). They are very-well drawn and detailed and move very fluidly – one of them is a bow and throws arrows in a very orderly manner. Valentina, on her side, has even an… explicit way of taking damage. Their magic too pushes the SNES to its limit by filling up the screen entirely. Finally the backgrounds in which you fight are dependent on where you are; in the final battle there are creepy-looking rocks as you have been dropped underground, whereas fighting in Smithy’s Plant show the metallic floors on which you walk. 

On the ally side, each character possesses many different weapons, each with a different move – Mario's hammers differ among each other, and the Princess’ gloves look different too. Some of them, like Geno's guns and Bowser's doll throwing, actually touch the enemy. Special mention to Princess Toadstool's arsenal: a fan, an umbrella, a pan and a slapping glove.

Finally, magic/technics push the SNES to its limits. Being a Mario game, you have some classics like Mario's fireball (its strongest form looks impressive) and his jump. Bowser's also look impressive, especially the Bowser Crusher (the mechanical doll he throws in Super Mario World). But the best ones are Geno's, which take the whole screen like his flash and beam.

(Little cameo: There is a room in Booster's Castle where you can revert back to Mario's 1985 alter ego, showing you the incredible improvement in graphics).

Music: 6/10

Since the game was co-produced with Square, I was expecting Final-Fantasy quality music. It's not to that level, but it's still enjoyable. 

Since it's a Mario game, there are some classical tracks you can hear like ordinary zones, underground and battle against Bowser (Super Mario 3). They have a nice modern touch – especially Bowser’s theme, and the underground theme’s synth rocks! – although they aren't life-like orchestration like other Square games. 

Most other tracks are (and it's not meant to be a bad thing) cartoonish like Earthbound – as opposed to “serious” and dramatic/epic music like Final Fantasy IV’s The Dreadful Fight or Dragon Quest VI’ At the Castle. The ordinary battle theme is quite addicting and joyful, and the “ordinary” boss music has an interesting jazzy flavor. The boss battle against Smithy's spawns is more elaborate but still in line with the light spirit of Super Mario's tracks. That track is probably the most elaborate one; most of them loop after 30 to 45 seconds usually, which was a little disappointing after FF VI. I found most of them to be unmemorable. 

Sound effects are as real as they can get for a 16-bits game. Mallow’s cymbals sound realistic-ish, Princess Toadstool’s slapping gloves sound genuine (although her frying pan could have been improved) and Bowser’s ball-and-chain weapon has enough bite to it (his laughter is good too, reflecting his huge size, but Kefka’s was much more memorable). For magic, Mario’s fireballs sound “bigger” as the level increase, Mallow’s thunder sounds realistic and Geno’s beams sound “magical” as they should. There is also a neat distinction between regular and frog coins, which is nice.

Finally, adding to the “cartoonish” tone of the game, you will often hear the “last part” of a character that dashes past you (you know, the whistling sound. You won’t hear the sound of their legs giving them the push). 

Slight negative: the sound effects in the mine cart run are quite annoying, especially the “mushroom boost”.

Addictiveness: 9/10

If you like sidequests, Mario RPG is one of the best games for that of the 16-bits era. 

There are tons of things to do in this game, spread out through the game and not clustered at the end like Chrono Trigger. There are numerous “frog coins” hidden everywhere – you sometimes have just one chance to get some – with which you can buy very useful and rare items. If you have enough dexterity, you can get special prizes for using Mario's Super Jump at least 30 and 100 consecutive times (speaking of the jump, I read that its strength depends on how often you use it rather than your level). 

When you go back to Bowser's Keep, a few of the doors have action-packed challenges like a 3D rendition of Donkey Kong's barrel throwing (you even have to face him at the top of the room), trying to make your way on invisible floors and (very) slow-moving platforms lying just above lava. There are also tons of hidden treasures everywhere which can only be found by jumping right under them. They may contain coins, frog coins or other useful goodies.

As with other Mario games, there are also time trials. Be it by climbing up a hill by jumping on flying koopas, escaping a mine in a cart or walking on donut lifts, you will get prizes if you can make it under a certain time. Speaking of time trials, you can also race Yoshi against his nemesis Yoster. Finally, you can also challenge yourself on a water-based barrel run, both for time and coins collected.

Story: 8/10

It was just another typical day in the Mushroom Kingdom: Princess Toadstool was sitting quietly in the garden, Bowser was passing by to kidnap her and Mario came to the rescue. 

However, something else happened after the rescue this time: a giant sword surrounded by stars came down from the sky and inserted itself in Bowser's keep. Rushing back from his Pipe House after being ejected from the Keep, Mario finds out that “Smithy's Gang” has seized the castle and destroyed the Eastern Access to it. So he has to walk all the way around the world in order to defeat the Gang...

On his way back there, he meets Mallow, an orphan “tadpole” who will be looking for his parents (if they are alive); Geno, a visitor from “abroad”; Princess Toadstool, who doesn't want to be kept locked inside the Mushroom Kingdom Castle; and Bowser, who will make an unlikely alliance with Mario in order to reclaim his castle. 

Despite having a story that's a little childish –

Speaking of humor, I believe this is the strongest point in the game's scenario. Some lines like Booster's “Are you leaking, my dear?” (to a sobbing Princess Toadstool), Mallow's “Who do you think you are? Bruce Lee?” (to Mario, who wants to rush and rescue someone) and some of Valentina's line will get stuck in your head. On Star Hill – where you see people's wishes – you find obvious ones like “I want to be as good as my brother Mario” (I wonder who that is...); you also see more serious ones like Mallow's parents wishing for their son's safe return. A special mention to the Axem Rangers, who make funny comments when they are destroyed (the pink one complains about her leaking makeup), and the Hammer Brothers, who sound like Robert Deniro in Taxi Driver. Let's not forget about King Nimbus, who's a COMPLETE Mario groupie, making the Queen embarrassed.

Depth: 7/10

Despite a simple storyline RPG veterans might find uninteresting and simple – I finished the game in a week – Square and Nintendo have nonetheless gave it enough depth to make it worth your attention. 

I'm still amazed at how many previous Mario games references were put without being annoying. You see old enemies like the piranha plants, Shy Guy, goomba, koopa, Magikoopa, Thwomp, Birdo, the Hammer Brothers... Of course, Toad is around and gives you advice throughout the game to make your life easier – your Mario RPG 101 teacher if you will. 

You also see the Mushroom Kingdom from another angle, which is refreshing for a change. Although not as big as the one in Super Mario 3 – it was divided in eight parts – it offers more interactions. You also learn that the Star Road is what makes your wishes come true. Without it, neither of Bowser's dearest wishes (kidnap the Princess and reclaim his castle) will come true, forcing him to join forces with Mario (or is it the opposite?) 

Finally, there is enough character development around Geno and Mallow to make these characters enjoyable. Geno is on a quest to repair the Star Road, whereas Mallow, when he learns that he's not a tadpole (!!), goes on a quest to find his parents. He eventually finds them, and they give a big hand to Mario's party in their quest.

Difficulty: 4/10

Overall, this game is pretty easy. Once you master timed hits – hit the attack button just as you’re about to attack/being attacked by the enemy – you can virtually avoid any physical attacks and do 100% critical attacks, physical or magical (that’s the secret to get 35 to 100 Super Jumps). In short, you can almost take away the Hammer Brothers (the first boss) in two rounds.

Reaching the maximum level (30) is also pretty easy, making level grinding a little less tedious. Speaking of leveling up, it's very easy to gain level when you find an invincibility star. You just run around and knock enemies – including bosses if you run quickly enough – and gain easy experience. Once in a while, you can even double your experience by finding Yoshi (with savestates, it's a given). Oh, and allies not in your party fighting still gain experience and therefore level up.

However, for players not used with Mario-style games like me, the game can be challenging at times. Climbing up by jumping of the flying koopas requires both precision and 3D perspective that was hard to master at the time. Same thing inside Bowser's keep: if you don't jump in a timely manner, you will burn your behind and lose a try. The quiz doors (counting barrels, answering general questions about the game, playing solitaire) are also challenging for everyone.

Finally, there's an annoying feature about magic: it's shared. Flower points are a pool used by EVERY member, so plan using your spells ahead and bring plenty of restoring items.

In short, Super Mario RPG is a must-try for both platform and RPG lovers. It incorporates an excellent mix of both, has out-of-this-world graphics (for the time) and has a very good sense of humor. It was able to include many references to past Mario (and other Nintendo) games that will evoke fond memories and humor that's not found in many games of the time.