Super Mario RPG facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars |
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| Developer(s) | Square |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Programmer(s) | Fumiaki Fukaya |
| Artist(s) |
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| Writer(s) |
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| Composer(s) | Yoko Shimomura |
| Series | Mario |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is a fun role-playing video game (RPG) made by Square and released by Nintendo. It came out in 1996 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). This was the last Mario game made for the SNES.
The game's story is about Mario and his friends. They must defeat a bad guy named Smithy. Smithy crashed into their world and broke the Star Road into seven pieces. These pieces are called Star Pieces. Super Mario RPG was the first RPG in the Mario series. It used ideas from Square's other RPG games, like Final Fantasy.
In the game, you fight enemies in a turn-based system. This means you take turns attacking, like in a board game. You can have up to three characters in your team. The game also uses a cool 3D-like view. This made exploring and jumping feel new and exciting, just like in other Super Mario games.
Super Mario RPG was very popular. People loved its funny parts and its cool 3D graphics. It even inspired other Mario RPG games, like Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi. These games kept some of the same fun gameplay ideas. The game was later released on Wii and Wii U Virtual Console. It was also part of the Super NES Classic Edition. A new version for Nintendo Switch is coming out in November 2023.
Contents
How to Play the Game
Super Mario RPG mixes ideas from Final Fantasy with the fun jumping and exploring of Super Mario Bros. games. Like most RPGs, you spend time exploring and fighting monsters. When you're not fighting, the game feels like a 3D platformer. You can jump and hit floating question blocks, just like in other Mario games.
You can see enemies on the screen as you explore. A battle only starts if Mario touches an enemy. This means you can sometimes avoid fights if you want to!
Your team starts with just Mario. As you play, you'll meet new friends and your team will grow to five characters. In battles, Mario and two other characters fight together. You can switch characters in and out when you're exploring. Each character has special attacks and moves. For example, Princess Toadstool can heal your team. Geno and Bowser have strong attacks that do a lot of damage.
Battles are turn-based. You choose what to do each turn: attack, defend, use an item, or use magic. A cool part of the game is "action commands." These are timed button presses you do during attacks or special moves. If you press the button at the right time, your move becomes stronger! This idea became a big part of later Mario RPG games.
Game Story
Characters and Places
The game takes place in a world with many different areas. There are mountains, forests, and water. Each area has its own type of people or creatures. For example, the Mushroom Kingdom is home to Toads. Moleville has moles, and Monstro Town is full of friendly monsters. Yoshi and his friends live on Yo'ster Isle. Nimbus Land is where cloud people live. Bowser's Castle is also important. It has a special door to Smithy's world.
The main hero is Mario, as usual! At first, he wants to save Princess Toadstool from Bowser. But then, the Smithy Gang invades the world. This gang is led by Smithy, a robot blacksmith who wants to take over everything.
Mario gets help from new friends on his journey:
- Mallow: A cloud boy who thought he was a tadpole.
- Geno: A wooden doll brought to life by a star spirit.
- Bowser: His army left him because they were scared of Smithy. He joins Mario to get his castle back.
- Princess Toadstool: She gets lost when Smithy arrives and later joins the team.
The Adventure Begins
One day, Mario goes to Bowser's castle to save Princess Toadstool. But during their fight, a giant sword named Exor falls from the sky! It crashes into Bowser's castle and breaks the Star Road. The Star Road is a path that helps people's wishes come true. Mario, Princess Toadstool, and Bowser are all sent flying in different directions. Seven Star Pieces are scattered everywhere.
Mario lands back at his house. He learns he needs to find the princess. When he goes back to Bowser's castle, Exor has destroyed the bridge, so he can't get in. Mario heads to the Mushroom Kingdom. There, he meets Mallow, a "tadpole" who needs help getting a special coin back from a thief named Croco. Mario helps Mallow.
When they return, the Mushroom Kingdom is taken over by the Smithy Gang! Mario and Mallow defeat the gang's boss, Mack, and find a mysterious Star Piece. Mallow and Mario go to Tadpole Pond to get advice from Frogfucius, Mallow's grandpa. Frogfucius tells Mallow he's not a tadpole and should join Mario to find the seven Star Pieces and his real parents.
Finding More Stars
Next, they go to Rose Town. There, they meet Geno, a star spirit who has taken over a wooden doll. They fight a creature named Bowyer and get another Star Piece. Geno joins Mario and explains that the Star Pieces are parts of the broken Star Road. Geno's job is to fix the Star Road and defeat Smithy so wishes can come true again.
The three heroes then go to Booster Tower. Here, they find Bowser, whose army has left him. Bowser doesn't want to, but he asks Mario for help to get his castle back. Mario agrees, and Bowser joins the team. They save Princess Toadstool just before she's forced to "marry" Booster. It turns out Booster didn't understand what a wedding was; he just thought it was a fun party!
After being rescued, the princess goes home. But she soon decides to join Mario's team, with her grandma taking her place in disguise. After finding five Star Pieces, they search Nimbus Land. They learn that a bad guy named Valentina has captured the true rulers of Nimbus Land. Her sidekick, Dodo, is pretending to be the prince.
A statue maker realizes Mallow is the real prince! Mario disguises himself as a statue to get into the castle. They defeat Valentina and Dodo. The king and queen, who are Mallow's parents, tell the group that a star fell into a nearby volcano.
The Final Battle
After getting the sixth Star Piece from Barrel Volcano, Mario's team learns that the last piece is with Smithy in Bowser's castle. They fight their way through many enemies to enter the castle. There, they discover that Exor, the giant sword, is actually a gateway to Smithy's factory! This is where Smithy makes his robot army.
Mario and his friends cross into the factory. They find the heart of the factory and defeat Smithy! This stops his army from being made, and Exor disappears. The collected Star Pieces are used to fix the Star Road. Geno goes back to the Star Road. Bowser rebuilds his castle with his army. Mallow becomes the prince of Nimbus Land. Mario and Princess Toadstool return to the Mushroom Kingdom to celebrate their big win!
How the Game Was Made
Super Mario RPG was created because Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario, wanted to make an RPG game with Mario. Square also wanted to make an RPG that would be popular outside of Japan. They started working on it in early 1994.
The first step was to decide how the game would work. They chose the 3D-like view to make the world feel alive. To make it feel like a Mario game, they added more action and movement compared to Square's other RPGs. Most of the game was built in 1995, when they added the programming, story, and graphics.
Shigeru Miyamoto and Chihiro Fujioka showed the game for the first time in Japan in 1995. Miyamoto worked with teams at both Nintendo and Square for over a year on the graphics. The game's world was a new version of the Mushroom Kingdom. Developers used advanced computer tools to create buildings and outdoor areas. Special lighting made shadows and reflections to improve the 3D look.
The game's music was made by Yoko Shimomura. She used some music from Super Mario Bros. by Koji Kondo and three songs from Final Fantasy IV by Nobuo Uematsu. Shimomura feels that the music for Super Mario RPG was a very important moment in her career.
Game Releases
Super Mario RPG was the last Super NES game that Square released in America.
The game was later released on the Virtual Console for Wii in Japan in 2008. It came out for the first time in Europe and Australia in August 2008. It was released in North America in September 2008. Super Mario RPG was also released on Virtual Console for Wii U in 2015 and 2016. It was also included in the Super NES Classic Edition in 2017. A new version of the game for Nintendo Switch is planned for November 2023.
What Came After
Super Mario RPG doesn't have a direct sequel, but it inspired other games. The Paper Mario series and Mario & Luigi series are like its "spiritual successors." This means they are not direct follow-ups but share many ideas. For example, they all use "Flower Points" for special moves and have timed action commands during battles. They also often involve collecting seven stars.
Many people who worked on Super Mario RPG later worked on the Mario & Luigi games. Yoko Shimomura, the composer, also made music for all the Mario & Luigi games. The character Geno even made a small appearance in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
Even though Geno only starred in Super Mario RPG, he is a very popular character. Masahiro Sakurai added Geno as a costume for a Mii Fighter in the Super Smash Bros. fighting game series.
Remake
A new version of Super Mario RPG was announced for the Nintendo Switch in June 2023. It will be released on November 17, 2023. This new version will have full 3D graphics, updated gameplay, and new versions of the original music by Shimomura.
See also
In Spanish: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars para niños
