Playing Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the first time, my experience can only be summed up with one word: delightful. As the precursor to both the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario series, Super Mario RPG still stands tall amongst both series. Squaresoft nailed the RPG elements, making it accessible to first timers while rewarding those who'd grown up playing the genre, but there's so much for Mario fans to revel in too!

This is the first Mario game where Mario, Bowser, and Princess Toadstool have personalities, and this shines through in the dialogue and the physical comedy. Mario frequently acts out scenes throughout the game, and Bowser is once again Nintendo's funniest character. And Mallow and Geno aren't half bad either, fleshing out this version of the Mushroom Kingdom while adding a bit of Squaresoft humour in with Nintendo's own. The dungeons are short and sweet, and the various jumping challenges and hidden items kept me rooting around the Mushroom Kingdom until the very last hour. There's so little to dislike here.

The biggest praise I can give this game is that I was grinning throughout my 15 hour playthrough, and I could hardly put the controller down. Nintendo and Squaresoft's first collaboration is one of the Super Nintendo's, and Mario's, finest outings. Both Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario have carried the torch for long enough, and have suffered in recent years as a result, so I think it's time to hand the reins back to the original Mario RPG.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is a delight from start to finish. 1996-era Squaresoft's interpretation of Mario starts very traditionally (Princess Toadstool abducted, Mario to the rescue) and then goes to some truly amusing and unusual places (gentleman pirate sharks, kingdoms in the clouds, whatever the hell Belome is). A Mario experiment done in good faith, with Squaresoft at the top of their game.

This was my first time playing Super Mario RPG in at least ten years. I was expecting it to be a positive nostalgia trip (and it was), but it's been long enough that a few things felt like surprises. Bowser's anxiety and bravado was funny as ever, but also sort of sweet; the Princess' attitude rejecting her traditional damsel in distress role was refreshing; The Axem Rangers are still a perfect boss battle.

Super Mario RPG hasn't aged quite as gracefully in mechanics (the platforming is pretty wonky) or visuals (the pre-rendered 3D doesn't look so hot in 2018), but the world, characters, humor, sound design, and gameplay basics absolutely hold up. 20+ years later I'm still part of the "bring back Geno!" chorus.

Mario's surprisingly storied history as a role-playing game franchise began with Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Playing it in 2018, it's easy to see it as the hallmark of things to come. Mechanics such as timed button presses in combat, and the integration of Mario's signature platforming into the game's overworld would make their return in the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi franchises, the latter of which is very near and dear to my heart. The signature humor of the Mario RPGs is also present and accounted for here: it's a joy seeing these characters animate and cavort across the screen, with a surprising depth of physical comedy for the SNES. And, of course, the tunes of Yoko Shimomura are a constant delight.

What makes Super Mario RPG truly special, however, are the additions it makes to the Mario universe. Sure, having Bowser and Peach... ahem... "Princess Toadstool" join the party is always fun (and this may be one of my favorite incarnations of the perennial damsel), but Geno and Mallow are unique characters that add a fresh flavor to this game. And the NPCs are so lively! Croco, Booster, the various members of the Smithy gang... what's not to love?

Super Mario RPG is as fun and ambitious now as it was over 20 years ago. This (probably) non-canon game offers a unique perspective that pays an incredible homage to what both Squaresoft and Nintendo are (probably) best known for. Better yet, neither contribution feels cheap or phoned-in; SMRPG is the genuine experience, mixing level-ups and power-ups with Mushrooms and Toadstools. It's completely fun, incredibly creative, wonderfully weird, and still ranks highly as a must-play for RPG fans, or simply Nintendo enthusiasts.