New visuals and soundtrack retain original’s charm; Bonus battle damage mechanics; Lots of character variety ;

Battles a bit simplistic and repetitive; Some frustrating mini-games and puzzles; Quite short for an RPG with not enough incentives to replay;

Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars was the first time Mario found himself in an RPG, and it's one of the best SNES games ever released. The Nintendo Switch remake, simply called Super Mario RPG (SMRPG), is an incredibly faithful and fun overhaul that replaces pixelated, pre-rendered sprites with sharper and more detailed 3D graphics. It’s not a lengthy RPG, and the remake adds little besides remixed boss fights and a few gameplay tweaks, which makes the $59.99 price tag a bit stiff. Even so, this is a wonderful release that preserves the original game's boundless charm, earning it our Editors' Choice award for anyone who likes Mario or console RPGs.Stop Smithy, Save the Kingdom As Mario’s first RPG adventure, SMRPG starts off seemingly simple: Bowser kidnaps Peach, so Mario must rescue her. However, matters get upended when a giant sword is thrown into Bowser’s castle, sending the three characters flying across the land. The giant sword’s face announces that the castle...

Super Mario RPG for Nintendo Switch is a great-looking and faithful remake that brims with the original release's charm and wonder.