Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

aka: Super Mario RPG, Super Mario RPG: La Leyenda de las Siete Estrellas
Moby ID: 6692
SNES Specs
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Description official descriptions

Super Mario RPG is a console RPG starring none other than Nintendo's popular character Mario. This game starts off like almost every other Mario game, with Bowser kidnapping Princess Toadstool. However, when Mario goes to Bowser's Keep to save her, a giant sword made by the evil Smithy crashes into the castle and sends Mario, the Princess, and Bowser flying to separate parts of the world.

The game plays much like a traditional RPG: Mario and the members of his party gain experience points by defeating enemies. These experience points can increase the team's maximum number of hit points and flower points (magic points). The battles are also turn-based, but this time there are timed attacks and defenses. Timed attacks allow you to inflict more harm than normal to an enemy. Timed defenses, on the other hand, allow an enemy to inflict less harm than normal. You are only allowed to have three out of five team members on your party at a time. Mario is always in your party, regardless. Your team members can also purchase more weapons and abilities, along with better armor.

Spellings

  • スーパーマリオRPG - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (SNES version)

69 People (57 developers, 12 thanks) · View all

Directors
Event Design
Battle Design
Lead Programmer
Battle Programmers
Menu Programmer
Graphic Coordinator
Lead Character Design
Monster Character Design / Character Supervisor
Visual Effects / Plot Assistance
Map Data Coordinator
Background Map Design
Battle Background Design
Assistant Map Data Coordinator
Background Map Graphics
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 90% (based on 39 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.1 out of 5 (based on 134 ratings with 8 reviews)

The first RPG I beat is also my favorite!

The Good
This game is brilliant. Whoever came up with the idea to do an RPG based on Mario and Co. was a genius. And while that may be a cliche, this game manages to make cliches charming and funny all over again.

Easily the best thing about this game is it's humor. Mario is typically silent, expressing himself only in facial animations and jumps...yes, by "jumping." There are a decent number of characters, and it is one of the few games that let you control Bowser as a playable character on your team.

The story, while your typical roleplaying tale, is really well done even if not Final Fantasy caliber, and the Mario setting works perfectly for it. As an RPG, the game manages to not only emulate the classic control scheme well, but even introduces some new gameplay mechanics that add to the experience. Instead of summoning monsters, you can do suped up versions of typical Mario moves, like Fireballs and Super Jumps. It is even possible with one of the moves to continue it indefinitely, if you are skilled...

The Bad
This game is near perfect. I'm sure some can knock it for not having a mature, world ending story, or characters that seem to live on for eternity even though they died...basically, it's not Final Fantasy. But what you do get is a very enjoyable Mario adventure.

The Bottom Line
Mario's best game on the Super Nintendo. While Paper Mario may be a quasi-sequel to this game, this is still hands down the best and the one Mario game everyone should play at least once.

Now if only Nintendo would release it for GBA...

SNES · by STU2 (52) · 2005

Why does it seem like just because sqaure made a game means it's good?

The Good
This game starts out good with familiar characters like Mario, Bowser, Princess Toadstool, and Toad, but pretty much everything else stinks.

The Bad
The game’s opening scene is overblown with a fight with Bowser as you’re falling from a chandelier why is it that squaresoft loves things in games where people still fight even though they are in immense peril.

The game’s party members are stupid the only familiar character who joins is Bowser, Luigi doesn’t even appear whatsoever and one of Bowser’s moves belief it or not is to throw Mario corny, yes.

The humor which is very funny in good Mario RPG’s like Paper Mario and Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door (Fear My Accounting!) and Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga (I have Fury!) there is barely any cause square takes things too damn serious!

The Bottom Line
All and all if you want a Mario RPG play Paper Mario for the N64 or Mario and Luigi for the GBA or Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door for the GC.

SNES · by Classic Nigel (108) · 2006

The best "Super Mario" game I've played

The Good
It had amazing graphics and sound. The story was very humorous and thrilling. The battles were challenging, especially the boss battles. I enjoyed each setting. There were many hidden treats, such as Link, Samus, Yoshi, the Lazy Shell, a casino, Yoshi's Island, and a battle in another dimension against Culex. You could fight as Bowser, Princess Toadstool, Geno, or Mallow along with Mario. There were enemies from almost every other Mario game. The game had many RPG elements, such as level-ups, many items, the ability to use three different characters in battle, many special attacks, and strange characters.

The Bad
It would have been better if you could use all five characters in battle. You have to control Mario outside of battle; it would have been better to control other characters. Some boss battles could be frustrating.

The Bottom Line
The first and best Mario RPG. A great adventure. One of the classics.

SNES · by gamewarrior (5040) · 2004

[ View all 8 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The SNES version of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Cameos

There are lots of cameos and game-related appearances in this game: Link is sleeping in Rose Town Inn, Samus Aran appears in a bed at the Mushroom Kingdom Castle, models of Arwings from Star Fox and F-Zero racecars can be seen in Hinopio's Shop, Final Fantasy IV's boss music plays while fighting Culex and last, but not least, there's a boy in the Mushroom Kingdom playing on a Gameboy!

Cut content

There were a number of enemies which were designed and coded for the game but didn't make it into the final version. The related links section has a site that contains pictures and information on these enemies (as well as other things).

Dialogue

Mario doesn't have any dialog in this game. Not one word. He will however nod his head yes/no and act out previous events in order to explain things to other characters. He'll even dress up for the occasion.

Exor

A big misconception (poor dialog?) with this game is that the giant sword's name is "Smithy". That is incorrect.The sword's name is "Exor". Smithy is the person who made the sword and head honcho of it as well as several other of the enemies.

Awards

  • Electronic Gaming Monthly
    • March 1997 (Issue 92) - SNES Game of the Year runner-up + Role-Playing Game of the Year runner-up + SNES Game of the Year runner-up (Readers' Choice) + Role-Playing Game of the Year (Readers' Choice)
    • November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #26 (Best 100 Games of All Time)
    • Feb. 2006 (Issue #200) - named #103 out of 200 of the "Greatest Games of Their Time"

Information also contributed by Big John WV, Mark Ennis, and WildKard

Analytics

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Suicide Squad.

Wii U added by Michael Cassidy. Wii added by gamewarrior.

Additional contributors: Apogee IV, atadota, Sciere, Alaka, gamewarrior, samsam12, Thomas Thompson, FatherJack, Chamemo.

Game added June 14, 2002. Last modified January 30, 2024.