Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, released as simply in Japan, is a hybrid adventure/console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) and Nintendo. Nintendo first released the game on March 9, 1996 in Japan and on May 13, 1996 in North America. The game was released around twelve years later in Europe on Wii's Virtual Console on August 22, 2008, making it the biggest time difference between different regions, in Nintendo's history. It came out on the on the North American Virtual Console on September 1, 2008.

Super Mario RPG is the final Mario game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console, as well as being one of the last games Square produced for Nintendo hardware until Chocobo Land: A Game of Dice in 2002. Square mainly developed the game, with direct guidance from producer Shigeru Miyamoto.

Gameplay

In Super Mario RPG, Mario, Bowser, Princess Toadstool, Mallow and Geno fight as allies in the first console role-playing game (RPG) in the Mario series. It contains token similarities to many other Square role-playing games such as Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy series with a story and action-based gameplay based on the Super Mario Bros. series.

Mario's enemies are visible in the field; a battle ensues only if he comes in contact with one. This allows the player to evade unnecessary battles, though some fights are necessary to advance the plot. Avoiding battles also means acquiring fewer experience points, causing characters to take greater, and inflict less, damage from attacks, making battles more difficult.

Battle system

The battles themselves are a blend of platforming elements and traditional role-playing game battles. As well as selecting attacks, the player is usually required to perform action commands to increase the damage done. These consist of timed button presses and other movements (such as pressing at the right moment, rotating the control pad or pressing repeatedly) to determine the power of the character's attack, a concept that was carried over to some later role-playing games such as Final Fantasy VIII. As with many other role-playing games, items are an important tool in battles. The need to perform action commands in between navigating menus requires the player to be engaged in the battle the whole time. However, much of Super Mario RPG's gameplay is outside of monster battles. In the field, the game plays much like an isometric platformer, in which traditional Mario features and new ones, play a key role. There are five characters the player can control: Mario, Mallow, Geno, Bowser, and Princess Toadstool. Each character has a unique set of attacks and techniques.

Plot

Setting

The setting of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is divided into several regions; Mushroom Kingdom, Pond to Pipes, Mole Mountains, Seaside, Land's End, Nimbus Land, and Smithy Factory. There are several different races in the game; many which are regular characters that have appeared in previous Mario titles. There are several towns which are inhabited by a single type of Mario character. The main antagonists and one Geno, one of the protagonists, are extraterrestrials. Early in the game, Mario receives a map of the World from the Mushroom Kingdom's Chancellor that illustrates Mario's location to the player. The player is able see more detail in the regional maps the adventures use when journeying from one part to another. The game begins in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario's home, called the Pipe House, is located here and is placed in a small forested area. The Mushroom Kingdom has a waterfall and several paths connecting to other areas of the game. The pathways vary slightly in appearance and are inhabited with various enemies, such as Goombas and Koopa Paratroopas. There also exists a sewer system, the Kero Sewers, which connects to Land's End. Above ground is Tadpole Pond, an aquatic kingdom ruled by Frogfucius, proceeding into Melody Bay. The Forest Maze is a labyrinth of trees and underground passages. "Beware the Forest's Mushrooms" that plays in Forest Maze became the topic of many forums and subsequently an Internet phenomenon as "Rawest Forest".

In Mole Mountain, the characters travel along the Pipe Vault. Like previous Mario games, the pipe area is inhabited by Piranha Plants. The music in Pipe Vault, "From Inside the Earthen Pipe", references the Super Mario Bros. "Underworld" theme. Further South is Yo'ster Isle, an optional area in the game which is inhabited by Yoshis. Beyond the Pond to Pipes is a rocky region named Moleville that is inhabited by moles. In the Moleville mines, the player can control a speeding mine trolley, flashing through side-scrolling and Mode 7 areas. Booster Tower belongs to Booster and features a gallery of his ancestors. Next to the tower is Booster Hill, a large hill that is the home marathon race of beetles. At the top is Marrymore, the marriage resort with a wedding chapel and inn. In Seaside, Star Hill is a large group of smaller hills resembling a fallen meteor where Stars grant wishes. These stars are scattered along the dark blue rocky ground. The name "Star Hill" is reused in the Japanese versions of Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. Seaside Town is a coastal village. The Sea, also known as "By the Sea", is the site of a merchants shop, several starfish creatures, and the Sunken Ship's haunted hold deep beneath the sea.

Land's End, is the last area of land before the ocean, and is split into four sections; mountains, a field, a trackless desert, and an underground. In the caverns underneath Land's End's desert is Belome Temple. At the end of the temple is a pipe that is the only entrance to Monstro Town, which is a town where reformed monsters live. Jagger, Jinx, and a small family of Goombas are among the residents. Bean Valley is a large area accessible from the desert and leads to Nimbus Land. The first area of the valley is on the ground and has orange vegetation and Warp Pipes. Grate Guy's Casino is a secret area accessible from a pipe in Bean Valley and is run by the jester, Grate Guy. Connecting the first area to the second area in the clouds is a large beanstalk. The second area is composed of clouds with beanstalks in a variety of colors. The beanstalks lead to the entrance to Nimbus Land, a floating town in the clouds where cloud-people live. Nimbus is a Latin word meaning "cloud" or "rain storm". Barrel Volcano is a volcano located near Nimbus Land.

Smithy Factory is the final area in the game. Located here are Bowser's Keep, Vista Hill, and the Smithy's titular factory. Bowser's Keep is a castle on a jagged mountain. The keep rests on the largest rock, which resembles Bowser. Bowser's Keep is also the Smithy Gang's base of operations. Vista Hill is a large hill that originally had a long bridge that connected to Bowser's Keep. The bridge was destroyed during the beginning events of the game. A gate connects Mario's world to Smithy's world. The Gate is desolate with dark fog covering platforms connected by bridges against a black, void background. Smithy's world is a dark void filled with mechanical beings and extraterrestrials. Deep within Smithy's world is his Factory, where Mario and his allies have the final battle with Smithy. The Factory references the Airships of Super Mario Bros. 3.

Another area is the Star Road. The characters do not visit Star Road, but it plays an integral role in story. Nintendo's original subtitle for the game was "Secret of the Seven Stars". Star Road was shattered when Exor fell from the heavens. When Mario and Mallow meet Geno, he explains at Star Road that wishes are transformed into stars. When they are granted, they turn into shooting stars and fall down to Earth. But ever since Smithy destroyed Star Road, wishes cannot come true anymore.

Characters

The game's main characters include three of the main individuals of the franchise as well as two original characters. Mario is the main character, and the hero who often saves the world. On his way to find and rescue Princess Toadstool — a common objective from previous Mario games — he meets up with the cloud-like being Mallow, who believes he is a tadpole. As he returns to his home with Mario, he learns the truth, that he is not a tadpole, and he was found floating in a river by his adoptive grandfather, Frogfucius, and sets off with Mario in the hope of finding his true parents. On their search, they meet a being from Star Road, who possesses a young boy's doll, Geno, taking on the doll's name and persona. He explains that he is an otherworldly traveler sent by a higher authority to recover the seven Star Pieces that must be found in order to stop Smithy, the main villain of the game. They eventually run into Bowser, and save Princess Toadstool. Bowser decides to help Mario, so he can reclaim his keep from the Smithy Gang; and the Princess, desperate to help defend the kingdom, sneaks out of the Mushroom Kingdom to join Mario's party.

Story

The game begins with Mario entering Bowser's Castle to rescue Princess Toadstool. During the battle, a giant sword crashes into Bowser’s castle and sends Mario, Peach, and Bowser flying in different directions. Mario finds his way back to the Mushroom Kingdom, where the chancelor insists that Mario recover the princess, then discover the purpose of the giant sword.

Mario leaves the Mushroom Kingdom to aid a new friend of his named Mallow, and when he returns, he finds that the kingdom is overrun by creatures claiming to be part of the Smithy gang. When he defeats them, he finds a mysterious Star Piece. He takes, it, hoping to find out more about it later.

During Mario’s search for the princess, he meets a doll named Geno. He tells Mario that the Star Piece is part of the Star Road, where Geno lives. He must find all of the shattered pieces of Star Road in order to repair it, which are held by members of the Smithy gang. Mario agrees to help Geno in his search.

Mario eventually finds Bowser, trying to reassemble his forces; and the princess, as she is about to be forcibly married to a character named Booster. They both join Mario’s party and help look for Star Pieces.

When they have most of the Star Pieces, they learn that the last one is held in Bowser's Castle. They return to Bowser's Castle, and discover that the giant sword is a gateway to Smithy's factory. They confront Smithy in his factory, and defeat him. They then use the Star Pieces to repair Star Road.

Development

The game was officially unveiled by both Mario creator and producer Shigeru Miyamoto and co-director Chihiro Fujioka at the 1995 V-Jump Festival event in Japan. Miyamoto led talented teams at Nintendo and Square who spent more than a year developing, as Nintendo Power wrote, “the most stunning graphics of any RPG at the time.” The story takes place in a newly rendered Mushroom Kingdom based on the Super Mario Bros. series. A town of mining moles (Moleville), tropical forest (Forest Maze), mushroom castle (Mushroom Kingdom), thundering waterfall (Midas River), giant bean stalk (Land's End), and villages crowded with mushroom people were a few of the exterior locations at the time Square reported the game was about 70% complete in October 1995, when Nintendo Power announced Mario finds himself riding Mode 7 rail cars, which exist in the Moleville mines. Square created all the interior elements such as columns and stairways and exterior elements using Advanced Computer Modeling (ACM) techniques. Special lighting effects create the shadows and reflections that give the 3D elements such a full, realistic appearance.

With guidance from Miyamoto, Square developed the game in Japan combining parts of its traditional RPGs, Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, with Nintendo's platform games. Square's Final Fantasy series was the model for the battle sequences while the tradition of Super Mario Bros. games demanded a lot of action. During visits to town, Mario talks to people, buys items, and learns secrets just as in a standard RPG, but the 3D graphics show Mario does more than previous RPG characters, even highly animated heroes such as Crono. Mario must dodge a salvo of Bullet Bills in the Sunken Ship, recreate a tune by hopping across musical tadpoles in Tadpole Pond, and hop to turn a huge nut so that it travels along the thread of a bridge made from a giant bolt in the Factory. Mario's ability to jog in eight directions and jump up or down in three–quarter perspective gives him complete 3D motion. Mario's radically new screen perspective is reminiscent of action games such as Equinox, but at the current stage of completion, the mix of adventure and action game play elements placed it in a category closer to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

When Nintendo of America (NOA) received a 60% complete version in November, the biggest surprise was that there was an actual RPG battle system, contrary to what NOA heard earlier. Mario stomping on enemies launches the battle screen sequence. The battle screens, rendered just like the rest of the game, include attack animations of equipped weapons.

Compared to previous Mario games, where characters only moved left, right, up or down, there are four times as many ways to go, the most dramatic change in the character's 15–year history up until that point. Created by SGI workstations, the game's graphics could only compare to Rare's Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest, Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble, and Killer Instinct.

In December, further development delayed the game for the translation as well as improvements to the game play. For example, the Chancellor before named the Mushroom Retainer, was now the "minister". Plans were to continue through February for the North American version, forecasting the release from Winter to Spring..

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is one of only three games outside Japan for the SNES to utilize the Nintendo SA-1. (The other two are Kirby Super Star and Kirby's Dream Land 3.) Compared with standard SNES games, this additional microprocessor allows higher clock speed, faster RAM, greater memory mapping capabilities, data storage and compression, new DMA modes (such as bitmap to bitplane transfer), and built-in CIC lockout (for piracy protection and regional marketing control).

The game's sound effects employed the SPC700. The sound chip's built-in function was not something unique to this game, with a primitive simulation of a reverb effect through a short delay (or echo). The game features 210 sound effects.

Audio

Yoko Shimomura (Parasite Eve, Legend of Mana, and the Kingdom Hearts series) composed the music for this game. She incorporated arrangements of music by Koji Kondo (Super Mario and the Legend of Zelda series) and Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy series) as part of the score. Three tracks from the Final Fantasy series appear.

The Super Mario RPG soundtrack was released on CD as Super Mario RPG Original Sound Version, with the code PSCN-5047 / PSCN-5048. The publisher was NTT. Although it contains 61 songs, the game features 73 tracks.

Super Mario RPG Original Sound Version

Super Mario RPG Original Sound Version is the official soundtrack for Super Mario RPG. NTT Publishing released it in Japan on March 25, 1996. This 2-CD set contains nearly every piece of music that was in the game. Yoko Shimomura composed the music.

Track listing

Disc one (51:09)
Happy Adventure, Delightful Adventure Let's Try In the Flower Garden Koopa Castle (First Time) Fight Against Koopa The Sword Descends and the Stars Scatter Super Pipe House Where Am I Going? The Road Is Full of Dangers Fight Against Monsters Victory		Hello, Happy Kingdom Explanation! A New Partner Still, the Road Is Full of Dangers Invincible Star Fight Against a Somewhat Stronger Monster Here's Some Weapons! Fight Against an Armed Boss Got a Star Piece The Dungeon Is Full of Monsters Let's Go Down the Wine River Grandpa and the Delightful Tadpoles Shock! Sad Song Let's Play "Geno" Geno Awakens Beware the Forest's Mushrooms Rose Town From Inside the Earthen Pipe Welcome! Yo'ster Island	Let's Race Hard-Working Moles Are Good Moles Docaty Mountain Railroad Welcome to Bukki Tower And My Name's Bukki Long Long Ago... Heart Beating a Little Faster Slope

Disc two (52:29)
The Merry Mary Bell Rings Celebrational The Starlight's Flower Sunken Ship Going Shopping in Ripple Town My Paradise -Monstro Town- Fight Against Culex Victory over Culex Conversation with Culex You and Toadofski Create Exquisite Music Let's Do the Fooka-Fooka! (Fluff Fluff) Margarie Margarita Dodo's Coming		Barrel Volcano The Axem Rangers Drop In Koopa Castle (Second Time) Weapons Factory Fight Against Kajidoh Fight Against Kajidoh, Who Likes Transforming Goodbye Geno/Seeing Dreams Through the Window of the Stars Happy Parade, Delightful Parade/And the Parade Draws to a Close... The End!

Super Mario RPG Arranged Tracks

Super Mario RPG Arranged Tracks is a remix album of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars by Yoko Shimomura. It was released by NTT Publishing.

Track listing

Disc one (16:33)
Seeing Dreams Through the Window of Stars Mushroom Kingdom Arranged The Drunkard Song Arranged Beware the Forest's Mushrooms Arranged Mesmerizing Mammories Medley

Reception

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars received very good reviews, including an 8.75/10 from Electronic Gaming Monthly,, and audience-made "best game of all-time" lists consistently feature the game, such as 26th on GameFAQs and 30th at IGN. Japanese audiences also received Super Mario RPG well with 1.47 million copies sold, making it the third best selling game in Japan in 1996.

Though various aspects of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars have received somewhat mixed opinions, the setting of the game have been well received overall and have garnered praise for the quality of the graphics and visual style in particular. Nintendo Powers review claimed the excellent 3D graphics helped the game appeal to a much wider audience than most traditional RPGs. In March 1997, Nintendo Power nominated the game for several awards, including "Best Graphics", in a player's choice contest, though Super Mario 64 won "Best Graphics". 1UP.com praised the graphics, stating that they "are the best seen on the Super NES. Electronic Gaming Monthly stated that "the graphic element is strong enough to resemble a Mario title but still retains the role-playing theme at the same time", and commented that the "graphics of Mario RPG is typical of Nintendo, using clean and colorful graphics along with nice animation. RPGamer called the backgrounds "beautiful" and stated that they "perfectly bring the Mushroom Kingdom and surrounding areas into 3D. IGN gave it a 9.5 out of 10.

Legacy

Officially, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars does not have a direct sequel. Considered to be its thematic and, according to Adam Sessler of X-Play, a “spiritual sequel”, two successive RPG-themed Mario series, the Paper Mario series and the Mario & Luigi series, followed certain conventions established in the original. For example, the use of "Flower Points" instead of Magic Points, timed action commands during battles, and the collection of the seven stars. In fact, Nintendo originally titled Paper Mario as Super Mario RPG 2. Square's involvement in the original game made direct sequels legally impossible without Square's permission, involvement, or both, so Nintendo changed the title to Paper Mario. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga did feature the Geno doll, with "Regardless of the above-mentioned, the copyright of Character "Geno", reserved by SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD." in the end credits after the typical "All Rights Reserved by..." portion.

Some of the game's team members, including some from Square, went on to work on the Mario & Luigi series. These developers include the two directors Yoshihiko Maekawa and Chihiro Fujioka, as well as music composer Yoko Shimomura. However, they provided different styles and mechanics than those of Super Mario RPG.

Various locations and characters from the game appear in the children's book Mario and the Incredible Rescue released by Scholastic in 2006.

In the June 2008 issue of Nintendo Power, Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars was revealed to be the #2 "Readers' Most Wanted" Virtual Console title (second to Earthbound); in the next issue, it had moved down to third place.

Rerelease and rumored sequel

On Wednesday, November 8, 2006, Mark Bozon of IGN provided an updated list of 2007 video game titles for Wii and wrote, “When it comes to gathering clues for potential Virtual Console titles, Nintendo isn't always the best source to get answers from. The company has its priorities during this holiday season, and for that reason fans have been looking elsewhere for details in regard to what the Wii's unique retro catalog will offer. The ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) has already helped us confirm multiple titles expected to hit Wii early next year, and we've received an updated list just this morning.” This listing was later removed.

On November 23, 2007, RPG Magazines issue number 5 wrote, “Square-Enix is considering bringing back Super Mario RPG by making a sequel on the DS. The sequel would include more characters from the Final Fantasy universe.” However, there has been no such confirmation from either Nintendo or Square Enix.

On May 30, 2008, Nintendo released information that Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars will be released on the Virtual Console in Japan in June 2008 for a price of 800 Wii Points. On June 13, 2008, the OFLC rated Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for release in Australia. On June 24, 2008, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was re-released on the Virtual Console in Japan.

On August 22, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was released for the first time in Europe, as part of the 3rd Hanabi Festival alongside a re-release of Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels on the European Virtual Console after being available for a limited period during the first Hanabi Festival. It is notable that like Super Paper Mario, some lines have been changed to reflect their meaning in British English. Croco no longer refers to Mario as a "persistant bugger" early on in the game and instead refers to him as a "persistant pest" to avoid issues with the British English meaning of the word bugger. Also, certain animations, namely those for the "Fire wall" and "Static E!" attacks were dimmed to avoid possible seizures.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was released on the Virtual Console in North America on September 1, 2008 under the distinction of being the 250th Virtual Console game released in that region.

References

External links

• Games by Year 2000-1996 at Square Enix