The classic Super Mario RPG is being remade for Nintendo Switch, with a release date on 17th November 2023!
The SNES original game kickstarted interest in Mario RPGs, with the hit Paper Mario series following on N64 and later consoles, while the Mario & Luigi series found a home on handheld, but the original Mario RPG was developed by Square Enix has always felt a little bit trapped in some kind of licensing hell. That’s a false perception – it was on the Wii and WIi U Virtual Console, and it was included in the SNES Mini’s selection of classic games – but a commonly held feeling none-the-less.
Many Nintendo fans will have simply hoping that the game would be added to the Nintendo Switch Online library of SNES games, or with rumours of a remake fluttering around in recent times, perhaps a pixel remake similar to Square’s Final Fantasy game refurbishment, or putting the game in the HD-2D style of Octopath Traveler. This effort clearly goes in a totally different, but very welcome direction with sharp 3D graphics, but not so much embellishment to take the game away from its mid-90s origins.
