A month after the side-scrolling Super Mario Bros. Wonder hits Switch, Nintendo will return to the Mushroom Kingdom for Super Mario RPG, a remake of its 1996 cult-favorite collaboration with SquareSoft (now Square Enix).
Ahead of the remake’s upcoming release, we’ve compiled this comprehensive overview of everything we know about Super Mario RPG, including its release date, price, gameplay updates, and more.
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Super Mario RPG Release Date and Price
Super Mario RPG will be released on November 17 exclusively for Nintendo Switch. It costs $60 USD.
Super Mario RPG Trailer
The official Super Mario RPG trailer was revealed alongside the game in June. More recently, Nintendo released an official gameplay trailer. Check them out below:
Super Mario RPG Gameplay Updates
Nintendo has largely kept the gameplay systems of the original Super Mario RPG in tact: Playtime will be split between exploring the world via isometric 3D platforming and turn-based combat encounters. You’ll still battle with three characters at a time from its playable roster of five: Mario, Bowser, Peach, Geno, and Mallow. Fighting will still be initiated by bumping into enemies.
While the recipe is largely the same, Nintendo has mixed in a few new ingredients:
Action Gauge
Successful Action Commands (timed button presses during attack or defense actions — a staple of the original game) will now fill an Action Gauge (seen in the lower-left corner of the screenshot below). Perfectly timed attacks will result in damage being done to all enemies.
Triple Move
When the Action Gauge reaches 100%, you can perform a powerful, three-person attack. The specific attack will vary based on the combination of characters in your party — each possible grouping will seemingly have a unique Triple Move.
Boss Rematches
After completing the game, you’ll now be able to go back and fight stronger versions of some bosses. According to a post on Nintendo’s Japanese site, these rematches are only available “if certain conditions are met after the ending.”
Monster List
A Monster List has been added to the remake. Nintendo’s description suggests something similar to a Pokedex: the list fills up by fighting monsters and includes information on their status and weaknesses.
Easy Mode
A new way to play Super Mario RPG, Easy Mode is for those looking to progress through the story with as little friction as possible. Nintendo notes this mode changes nothing about the story and can be adjusted mid-game. Easy Mode makes it easier to level up and defeat enemies.
Original and New Music Options
You’ll be able to switch between the original background music and the new soundtrack. Both were composed by Yoko Shimomura.
Super Mario RPG Story
In Super Mario RPG, the Mushroom Kingdom is invaded by the Smithy Gang, a group of sentient weapons from another dimension. In the process of crash-landing at Boswer’s Keep, the Smithy Gang breaks the wish-granting Star Road into seven pieces. This is where you come in, collecting star pieces to repair Star Road and chasing the Smithy Gang out of the kingdom.
Super Mario RPG stars five playable characters: Mario, Bowser, Peach, Geno, and Mallow — the latter two are original characters designed by Square.
Super Mario RPG Preorder
You can preorder the Super Mario RPG remake from any of the major online retailers. You can also preorder the game from the Nintendo eShop, but it isn’t a physical copy.
How to Play the Original Super Mario RPG
There are currently two ways to play the original SNES release of Super Mario RPG: with a cartridge on Super Nintendo or on the SNES Classic Edition. Super Mario RPG was also released on the Wii and Wii U eShops, though both digital storefronts have since closed.
(The initial North American release was titled Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Swords. The subtitle, absent from the original Japanese release, has been dropped for the remake.)
In our Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Swords review (for Virtual Console), we awarded it a 9.5, calling it “a classic, deep, fun and cult-appealing installment in the Mario series that no Nintendo gamer should go without playing.”
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.