Super Mario RPG Switch

[Mike Wheeler]

Happy this was announced. I'm not buying any new video games myself but when that's done I might get. I like how the graphics look true to the original game without looking creepy.

Though why isn't "Legend of the Seven Stars" in the title?

 

[Farrah Goodfairy]

Yes, I'm curious about the lack of "Legend of the Seven Stars" too.

 

[Waluigi Time]

The Seven Stars were sadly demoted from legendary status after the incident

I'm curious what they'll do with the translation this time around, given how notorious the original game was for that.

 

[Farrah Goodfairy]

I'm curious what they'll do with the translation this time around, given how notorious the original game was for that.

What do you mean?

 

[Waluigi Time]

What do you mean?

Ted Woolsey, who handled the English translation, was known for taking a lot of creative liberties in the scripts of the games he translated. For SMRPG in particular this ended up with a lot of oddball one-off names for established Mario concepts.

 

[Fawfulthegreat64]

The fact that it's been 2 hours of this existing and i have not yet waken up is the most surreal thing i've experienced in some time

 

[Fanny]

Ted Woolsey, who handled the English translation, was known for taking a lot of creative liberties in the scripts of the games he translated. For SMRPG in particular this ended up with a lot of oddball one-off names for established Mario concepts.

I said this in discord but I don't care as long as they keep the Bruce Lee line. Absolutely iconic.

 

[Farrah Goodfairy]

Ted Woolsey, who handled the English translation, was known for taking a lot of creative liberties in the scripts of the games he translated. For SMRPG in particular this ended up with a lot of oddball one-off names for established Mario concepts.

Could you give some examples of this?

 

[Waluigi Time]

Could you give some examples of this?

Cheep Cheeps being called Goby, Paratroopas being called Sky Troopa, Beezos being called Shy Away, Yoshi's Island being called Yo'ster Isle (that one's a pretty straight translation from Japanese but the English name was already established by SMW) etc. I think there might've also been some returning stuff in Paper Mario where the connection was more difficult to pick up on because it was translated more faithfully there.

 

[Biddybud]

Not Jeff Beezos!
Somewhat interested.
Looks pretty, nice to see PM/M&L's roots, still don't care for Geno. Hi wiggler I see you girl!

 

[Xiahou Ba]

They better keep the fucking Neosquid name.

 

[The Superstar Saga]

Original characters and diverse Toads are back!

After years of restrictions imposed on original characters ("However, all character designs have to pass a check by our IP team, which is pretty strict.") and diverse Toads ("From the production of Paper Mario: Sticker Star onwards, we were no longer able to graphically represent individual characteristics, such as age, gender etc., in the Toad NPCs") in many Paper Mario games, they've finally returned in the remake of Paper Mario's precursor: Super Mario RPG!

People tried to justify and downplay the restrictions as "just using their updated designs", "after the bullshit they were pulling with SPM, IS needed somebody to smack some sense into them", or the "remedy to Super Paper Mario's failure to acknowledge its Mario heritage".

This remake shows that original characters and Toads can be appropriately updated for modern Mario design while still keeping diverse hair, gender, and shape. Original characters and diverse Toads are an important world-building feature for Mario RPGs like boss battles and soundtrack, as Nintendo is acknowledging them as a key selling point.

"Join Mario, Bowser, Peach, and original characters Mallow and Geno, in an RPG filled with twists and turns."

They always were a net positive and its good to see them back!

 

[Xiahou Ba]

After years of restrictions imposed on original characters

what restrictions on original characters.

i'm completely serious on that question btw. like almost all mario properties recently introduced new and original characters, esp the mario movie, the last mario rpg had plenty of original characters (yes the legion of stationary counts as original characters even if their design is shit), luigi's mansion 3 had its plethora of new characters.

like yes it's worth celebrating that they remade a beloved game that was in dire need of a remake and a way for newer audiences to enjoy but like i'd like to not read slander of people who disagree with you here.

 

[The Superstar Saga]

what restrictions on original characters.

i'm completely serious on that question btw. like almost all mario properties recently introduced new and original characters, esp the mario movie, the last mario rpg had plenty of original characters (yes the legion of stationary counts as original characters even if their design is shit), luigi's mansion 3 had its plethora of new characters.

like yes it's worth celebrating that they remade a beloved game that was in dire need of a remake and a way for newer audiences to enjoy but like i'd like to not read slander of people who disagree with you here.

"Since Paper Mario: Sticker Star, it's no longer possible to modify Mario characters or to create original characters that touch on the Mario universe. That means that if we aren't using Mario characters for bosses, we need to create original characters with designs that don't involve the Mario universe at all, like we've done with Olly and the stationary bosses."

Restricting original characters to only real world objects, is still a restriction. People's statements are people's statements, I did not alter their statements other than bolding emphasis. I'm not slandering anyone.

But yeah, it's great that all the new fans who came in on the Switch will get to play it. Also great the mainline games like Odyssey and Luigi's Mansion 3 are bringing more creativity too!

 

[Xiahou Ba]

It's mostly talking about making a new Mushbert or an elderly, fat Koopa with a mustache, there's nothing that restricts on making completely new characters otherwise we wouldn't see those bizarre weirdos (like the snowman) in Mario Golf: Super Rush or Mario's family in the Mario movie. Heck, Mario + Rabbids kinda puts a screw to the entire mandate thing by making the fucked up Lumas with Rabbid faces on them.

Restricting original characters to only real world objects, is still a restriction. I'm not slandering anyone.

Okay but the game also came with Vellumetals, Olivia, and Olly. What we're seeing here isn't really a restriction, it's a deliberate design choice (a bad one, that I can agree with, I don't like the Toad infestation either and it's a Paper Mario problem primarily, not a series wide one). As for the slandering part, I was referring to your post talking about "people" who "justified" and "downplayed" the restrictions when in actuality, people aren't really into it hence why it appears like they're justifying or downplaying what you perceive as a bad design choice.

Super Mario RPG is a remake of an older title, so it gets a pass. We also did get Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions and the Bowser's Inside Story remake not too long ago, the Superstar Saga remake even kept the fucked up Boomerang Bros (albeit renaming them) and the BiS remake even introduced new characters (those diet guys idk their names).

 

[Mcmadness]

A remake re-uses old character designs = original characters are back.

 

[Borp]

It is kinda weird that the whole "no new original characters" thing seems to largely apply to Toads. It'll also be weird and pretty unfortunate if this rule is still in place and Mario RPG was some kind of special exception just because it's a remake of an existing game.

 

[Dingodile]

are you sure that no new original characters isn't just a bunch of bullshit?

because I saw a ton of unique characters in the new Mario games revealed today

 

[Xiahou Ba]

It is kinda weird that the whole "no new original characters" thing seems to largely apply to Toads. It'll also be weird and pretty unfortunate if this rule is still in place and Mario RPG was some kind of special exception just because it's a remake of an existing game.

Technically Superstar Saga Bowser's Minions also cut unique designs for Toads as well as Mario Party Superstars (both kinda remakes of older games) but in the former's case, AlphaDream was operating on a deficit and wanted to reuse as much assets as possible.

 

[winstein]

Now obviously, this is NOT confirmation of anything, but someone on Discord brought up an interesting observation...

...in that this game might be developed by NDcube. The cited reason is the general UI for their games, and perhaps the graphical style.

I am not sure a comparison might help in elucidating how I feel about it, but here they are:

If NDcube really did this, I think it's great for them! It's nice for developers to break their mould, like how Mario Kart developers did a fighting game (ARMS) or the Animal Crossing developers did a shooting game (Splatoon). Certainly it's a remake, but what if (what if) NDcube might step up as another Mario RPG developer?

NDcube is one of the most underestimated developers, especially among the hardcore crowd because they develop casual-focused party games, so like despite Mario Party being a heavy-hitter in terms of selling a lot, they tend to be dismissed as an essential member of Nintendo's team. Not that I think of it, because I believe that NDcube provided a crucial diversity within Nintendo's offerings and they are a positive contributor to the team.

Thank you for reading.

 

[Biddybud]

It's no secret most characters represent different feelings & actions.
Less varied Toads promotes more varied species, no?
But anyway if the rule is to have spinoffs stick with canon, it makes no sense to me, because SPM and OK are way different than normal.

 

[Fawfulthegreat64]

Now obviously, this is NOT confirmation of anything, but someone on Discord brought up an interesting observation...

...in that this game might be developed by NDcube. The cited reason is the general UI for their games, and perhaps the graphical style.

I am not sure a comparison might help in elucidating how I feel about it, but here they are:

If NDcube really did this, I think it's great for them! It's nice for developers to break their mould, like how Mario Kart developers did a fighting game (ARMS) or the Animal Crossing developers did a shooting game (Splatoon). Certainly it's a remake, but what if (what if) NDcube might step up as another Mario RPG developer?

NDcube is one of the most underestimated developers, especially among the hardcore crowd because they develop casual-focused party games, so like despite Mario Party being a heavy-hitter in terms of selling a lot, they tend to be dismissed as an essential member of Nintendo's team. Not that I think of it, because I believe that NDcube provided a crucial diversity within Nintendo's offerings and they are a positive contributor to the team.

Thank you for reading.

Speaking of the UI, I think this UI is incredibly bland for a Mario game, both in the Mario Party games and SMRPG. Something about it feels like it's trying to fit in more with the Switch menus than a Mario game. Really think there's a sore lack of The Mario Font here at least, but also just bevel effects, star patterns, gradients, all that stuff that makes it feel distinctly Mario. On the SNES, it makes sense that fonts can't get too crazy without looking like an eyesore of pixelated mess, but I think there's a good reason for the surge of cartoony Mario UIs in the N64 & GCN era and it sucks they've dialed that back again to basic fonts and minimal flashiness.

I know people are massively tired of "back in the GCN era this and that" but come on. The UIs were peak back then. They screamed MARIO at you at the top of their lungs and were unashamed of that. I love Super Mario Odyssey to death, but compare even its UI with that of 64 and especially Sunshine & Galaxy and it's clear which ones evoke the whimsy of the Mario series more. But that's not something to fault this remake specifically for, it's more of an unfortunate trend among the series in general. The Mario UI flair still exists but far less commonly.

 

[Borp]

Mario RPG didn't have much of a battle UI to begin with, so this one's not bothering me.

I wanna know what that percentage thingie on the left is for.

 

[Mangoaxe5]

Ted Woolsey, who handled the English translation, was known for taking a lot of creative liberties in the scripts of the games he translated. For SMRPG in particular this ended up with a lot of oddball one-off names for established Mario concepts.

In his defense Woolsey had to deal with both deadlines, and censorship. At the time Woolsey's translations/localizations were very good, and for the most part still hold up today.

 

[Xiahou Dun]

Speaking of the UI, I think this UI is incredibly bland for a Mario game, both in the Mario Party games and SMRPG. Something about it feels like it's trying to fit in more with the Switch menus than a Mario game. Really think there's a sore lack of The Mario Font here at least, but also just bevel effects, star patterns, gradients, all that stuff that makes it feel distinctly Mario. On the SNES, it makes sense that fonts can't get too crazy without looking like an eyesore of pixelated mess, but I think there's a good reason for the surge of cartoony Mario UIs in the N64 & GCN era and it sucks they've dialed that back again to basic fonts and minimal flashiness.

I know people are massively tired of "back in the GCN era this and that" but come on. The UIs were peak back then. They screamed MARIO at you at the top of their lungs and were unashamed of that. I love Super Mario Odyssey to death, but compare even its UI with that of 64 and especially Sunshine & Galaxy and it's clear which ones evoke the whimsy of the Mario series more. But that's not something to fault this remake specifically for, it's more of an unfortunate trend among the series in general. The Mario UI flair still exists but far less commonly.

After seeing a real example of a horrible generic bland ui showing up in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, I'm hardly bothered by this