It was always a weird one. Back in 1996, seeing Mario in a turn-based battle system felt like a fever dream, mostly because Square—the masters of Final Fantasy—were the ones pulling the strings. When the Nintendo Switch Mario RPG remake finally dropped in late 2023, the biggest fear wasn't whether it would look good. We knew it would look gorgeous. The real anxiety was whether that quirky, specific 16-bit soul would survive the jump to high-definition 3D.
Honestly? It did. Better than anyone expected.
The original Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was a miracle of licensing and creative friction. You had Nintendo’s polish clashing with Square’s obsession with stats and melodrama. This wasn't just another platformer. It was a world where Bowser becomes a disgruntled party member and a wooden doll named Geno searches for star pieces. It shouldn't have worked then, and it’s even crazier that it works now.
The Combat Secret Most People Miss
A lot of people think turn-based combat is boring. They’re wrong. Well, usually they’re right, but not here. The Nintendo Switch Mario RPG handles "Action Commands" with a level of precision that makes most modern RPGs feel sluggish. You aren't just selecting "Attack" from a menu and scrolling through TikTok while the animation plays out. You're timing a button press exactly as Mario’s hammer hits the top of its arc.
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Do it right, and you deal splash damage to every enemy on screen. Screw it up, and you’re just plinking away at a Goomba’s health bar.
This remake added a new "Triple Move" mechanic. Depending on who you have in your party—maybe Mallow and Peach—you trigger a unique cinematic attack. It’s flashy, sure. But it also adds a layer of strategy to your party composition that the SNES version lacked. In the original, you basically just kept Bowser or Geno in your squad because they hit like trucks. Now, the game actually encourages you to swap characters mid-battle.
It's fast. It's snappy. It makes 1996 feel like 2026.
Why the Art Style Polarized Fans Initially
When the first trailer hit, some purists groaned. The original game used pre-rendered sprites that gave it a distinct, "chunky" plastic look. It was moody and strange. The Nintendo Switch Mario RPG opted for a cleaner, more toy-like aesthetic. Some felt it looked a bit too much like Link’s Awakening on Switch.
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But once you’re actually playing it, you realize the developers at ArtePiazza (who handled the remake) were obsessed with the source material. They kept the isometric perspective. They kept the bizarre enemy animations. They even kept the way Mario communicates through frantic charades because he doesn't have a voice actor.
The music is where the real magic is, though. Yoko Shimomura, the original composer, came back to rearrange the entire soundtrack. You can toggle between the original MIDI-style chipsounds and the new orchestral versions. If you choose the modern tracks, you'll hear "Beware the Forest's Mushrooms" in a way that’ll probably get stuck in your head for the next three weeks. Sorry in advance.
The Geno Obsession and the Square Enix Problem
We have to talk about Geno. For decades, a subset of the Nintendo fandom has treated this character like a religious icon. He’s a celestial spirit inhabiting a doll, and he shoots literal finger-bullets. For years, he was trapped in a legal limbo between Nintendo and Square Enix (formerly Square).
His inclusion in the Nintendo Switch Mario RPG wasn't just a port; it was a verification that this weird partnership still has legs. While he’s still not a permanent fixture in the Mario universe—you won't see him in Mario Kart anytime soon—the remake polished his "Geno Whirl" move to perfection. If you time it perfectly, it still deals 9,999 damage. That’s the kind of mechanical fan service that makes a remake worth the $60 price tag.
Changes That Actually Matter
- Difficulty Settings: The original was famously easy if you knew what you were doing. The Switch version adds a "Breezy" mode for kids, but it also adds post-game boss rematches that are genuinely punishing.
- The Journal: A new scrapbooking feature tracks every monster you meet. It’s filled with flavor text that maintains the SNES version's legendary sense of humor.
- Inventory Management: You can now carry more items, though the game balances this by making certain healing items rarer in the wild.
What Most Reviews Get Wrong About the Length
You'll see people complaining that the game is too short. "I finished it in 10 hours," they say.
They’re missing the point. The Nintendo Switch Mario RPG is a masterpiece of pacing. Modern RPGs are bloated with 80 hours of "fetch this herb" or "kill 10 rats" quests. Mario RPG doesn't do that. Every room has a new puzzle. Every town has a unique mini-game, from the Midas River falls to the Beetle Race in Booster Pass.
It’s a "weekend game." You start it Friday night, you’re in the middle of a volcano by Saturday afternoon, and you’ve saved the world by Sunday dinner. In a world of infinite live-service games, that brevity is a feature, not a bug.
Is the Nintendo Switch Mario RPG Worth It Now?
If you grew up with the SNES, you already bought this. If you’re a younger fan who only knows Mario from Wonder or Odyssey, this might feel like a culture shock. It’s a slower game. It’s a game where you have to care about "Flower Points" (the game's version of Mana) and whether your equipment increases your magic defense.
But it’s also the funniest Mario game ever written. The dialogue is sharp, self-aware, and occasionally a bit dark. Seeing Bowser cry because he lost his castle and has to join Mario’s team is a character arc we rarely get to see anymore.
Steps to get the most out of your playthrough:
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First, don't sleep on the Action Commands. Practice the timing until the yellow exclamation point disappears—that’s the game’s way of telling you that you’ve mastered the rhythm. Second, talk to every NPC. The writing is the real star here, and a lot of the best jokes are hidden in optional dialogue trees. Finally, save your "Frog Coins." You’ll find a vendor in Tadpole Pond who sells endgame gear that makes the final stretch much more manageable.
Once you beat the main story, go back to the various towns. The new post-game content features souped-up versions of bosses like Punchinello and Bundt (the sentient cake). These fights require actual strategy—you can’t just mash the A button and hope for the best. It’s the ultimate test for anyone who thinks Mario games are just for kids.
The Nintendo Switch Mario RPG isn't just a nostalgia trip. It's a reminder that when Nintendo gets weird, they usually get it right. It’s a polished, vibrant, and deeply strange adventure that hasn't lost an ounce of its charm in thirty years. Get through the opening hour, recruit Mallow, and you'll see exactly why people have been screaming for this remake since the Wii era.