Critics are Very Impressed With Super Mario RPG’s Remake
Releasing today, the remake of SNES classic Super Mario RPG, has been praised by critics as a fantastic reimagining of the original by keeping its charm, great characters and fun turn-based battle system. When it was announced earlier this year in a Nintendo Direct, a lot of people were surprised to see Nintendo acknowledging this forgotten gem. Many thought it to be too weird and non-conforming for modern Nintendo to bring back. Well, thankfully, as we can see with games like Super Mario Bros. Wonder, it seems the company is leaning into its creative side now more than it has been for the past decade.
Image by Nintendo
Thankfully, the remake of this cult classic has held up tremendously- with it currently sitting at an 84 on Opencritic with 98% of critic reviews recommending it. The consensus is that the Switch remake is the best way to experience this old-school RPG (which is a good thing considering the inaccessibility of the SNES version). IGN gave the game an 8/10- praising how it brought the experience to a modern audience:
“Super Mario RPG is considered a classic for a reason, and this faithful remake makes it easy for anyone who missed it in the SNES era to see why.”
Image by Nintendo
Game Informer were even bigger fans- giving the game an 8.8/10 in their glowing review highlighting the glowing points of the experience:
“Much of what has changed about Super Mario RPG for the remake beyond the visuals is behind the scenes. The pace is brisker, and my hour count (even after beating the big optional boss) came in lower than the average playtime of the original. The game has been tweaked only slightly to add some new mechanics and make the adventure even more welcoming than it already was.”
Image by Nintendo
So, the Mario RPG remake is a hit- and another reason why remaking older, more niche RPGs can still be a big success. With the critical success of this game, Nintendo continues its year of incredible showings- from Tears of the Kingdom to Pikmin 4 and now Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario RPG. 2023 will be remembered as one of the Switch’s best years yet. Considering the flood of rumors regarding Nintendo’s next console (which many believe to be launching late next year), the Japanese company is certainly ending on a high note if that is the case.
