There are many video game projects that combine together genres and characters that may not initially make sense, but then happen to create something truly special. Super Mario RPG is such a project and it quickly became one of the flagship titles on the Super Nintendo console.
Audiences accepted Mario and friends in an RPG world and developer Square Enix (then just Squaresoft) were the very best at the genre during the 1990s. Super Mario RPG was such a success that it’s still a title where sequel discussion comes up every so often. A return to Super Mario RPG could be an inspired decision, but it’s also maybe a lost cause at this point.
10 Should Happen: The Original Is Still One Of Nintendo’s Most Popular Games
Nintendo has put out a lot of hits since the days of the Super Nintendo, but despite how far they’ve come there’s still constant dialogue over Super Mario RPG. New Nintendo consoles continue to feature online services that include retro games and Super Mario RPG is always an SNES title that’s requested. The same was true with the SNES Classic, which fans would have revolted against if Super Mario RPG wasn’t included. This level of support speaks to how much of an audience there still is for a sequel.
9 Should Move On: There Are Other Mario RPG Series
There may not be an official Super Mario RPG 2, but the Nintendo 64’s Paper Mario was developed under that title and meant to be a successor of sorts. The Paper Mario franchise has turned into its own entity that’s progressively phased out hardcore RPG elements, despite them still being present. Nintendo has also released the more traditional Mario & Luigi RPG series of games, which are a unique entity, but still pull a lot from Super Mario RPG. It seems unlikely for another Super Mario RPG title to get released when there are already other series doing comparable things.
8 Should Happen: The Switch Has Better Hardware Than The Super Nintendo
The video game industry was in a much simpler place during the ‘90s and the scope that’s currently possible in an RPG is on a whole other level to what could be done on the Super Nintendo.
It’s for this simple reason that there are such possibilities behind a Super Mario RPG 2. The sequel could be deep in a way that the original couldn’t possibly imagine, feature a much grander story, and even be set in a fully 3D world. Nintendo’s Switch has ample features that could enhance the experience.
7 Should Move On: Nintendo And Square’s Relationship Has Changed
A significant factor in what makes Super Mario RPG so special is that it’s a collaboration where Square uses Nintendo’s characters. Square and Nintendo had many partnerships on the Super Nintendo, but the gaming industry has since gotten a lot more crowded. Square Enix still produces game for Nintendo consoles, but they’ve become more of an ally with Sony, who has received most of their biggest offerings in the past years. This doesn’t mean that a Super Mario RPG 2 is impossible, but just considerably more unlikely now that a lot of Square Enix’s business comes from beyond Nintendo.
6 Should Happen: Mario And His Universe Has Grown Larger
Part of the joy of Super Mario RPG is that it spreads the wealth to Mario’s supporting characters and it allows players to control Super Mario staples like Princess Peach and even Bowser. Many new characters have been introduced to the Super Mario universe since Super Mario RPG’s debut. It’s tempting to think what a new Super Mario RPG game could do with more modern figures like Waluigi, Bowser Jr., and Rosalina. Even Luigi doesn’t get to jump in on Mario’s fun in the original game.
5 Should Move On: It Came Out Over Two Decades Ago
The video game industry is currently in an interesting place where nostalgia holds a lot of power and there have been a lot of revivals of dormant properties, especially when it comes to popular video games from the ‘90s. This seems like it could help out the changes of a Super Mario RPG 2, but many of these revivals have been in the form of remakes, not sequels.
Additionally, revived properties like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon have still infrequently released new entries in their series, whereas there hasn’t been a new Super Mario RPG since 1996.
4 Should Happen: There’s More To Explore In Its Story
Super Mario games keep it relatively simple when it comes to their storylines and they tend to return to the popular narrative well where Mario needs to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. Super Mario RPG wonderfully subverts that trope and features a surprisingly intricate story that feels appropriate when it comes to Square’s RPGs. Mario needs to unite with friends and foes alike to take down the threat of Smithy, but such a rich world is crafted in the game that there are many other story angles to explore in a sequel.
3 Should Move On: It’s No Longer As Groundbreaking
Super Mario RPG is a great Super Nintendo game, but a lot of its charm has to do with how it was such a creative anomaly for its time. At that point it was a radical idea to shift Mario into an RPG and games in general hadn’t progressed to the modern standards. There are now many more examples of franchises that shift genres and what once seemed like a deep RPG now comes across as somewhat shallow. Super Mario RPG is still an achievement, but a sequel feels less fundamental when contemporary RPG titles have done even more.
2 Should Happen: Fans Still Ask For Mario RPG Characters To Return
A new Super Mario RPG is in such demand that fans are willing to tolerate any token of gratitude, even if it’s not a new game. Super Mario RPG uses many established Super Mario characters, but it also introduces new allies like Mallow and turned-to-life doll, Geno. Geno is always one of the most popular guest fighter suggestions whenever a new Super Smash Bros. game is announced. Super Mario RPG’s characters have made such an impression on fans and taken on a life of their own that is also proof of why the game needs a real sequel.
1 Should Move On: Nintendo’s Library Of Characters Has Expanded
Super Mario RPG still gets sequel attention because it features some of Nintendo’s most beloved characters. Super Mario is still arguably Nintendo’s biggest property, but they’ve slowly incorporated new and memorable protagonists into their history. It’s easier to be hungry for a Super Mario RPG 2, when there are few other alternatives, but now there are dozens of characters that could get an RPG spin-off. If Super Mario and Raving Rabbids can get a crossover tactical shooter, then an RPG based around F-Zero and WarioWare isn’t any crazier.