Summary
The announcement of aSuper Mario RPGremake took many fans by surprise when it was revealed at the June 2023 Nintendo Direct. This fan-favorite classic SNES title was the foundation for Mario’s foray into the RPG genre, spawning successors like thePaper Marioseries as well as theMario and Luigiseries. While the Paper Mario series is still ongoing despite straying from its RPG roots, the closure of developer AlphaDream has put an end to theMario and Luigiseries for the time being, butSuper Mario RPGcould be a sign that Nintendo is looking to reinvest in moreMarioRPG titles.
The original release ofSuper Mario RPGon the SNES in 1996 came at a time when RPGs were in their golden era and titles likeChrono Trigger,Final Fantasy 6, andSecret of Manapopulated the console space. Mario’s first outing in the genre showed that there was a lot of potential for quirky and unique RPGs starring the iconic plumber, and the floodgates for more RPG spin-offs were opened. Now thatSuper Mario RPGis making a comebackvia a remake, it’s the perfect time for Nintendo to revive theMario and Luigiseries and repeat Mario’s RPG spin-off heyday.
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Super Mario RPG Could Warrant a Mario & Luigi Revival
Following the success ofSuper Mario RPGandPaper Mario, Nintendo brought a new series of spin-off titles to its handhelds starting with the release ofMario and Luigi: Superstar Sagafor the Game Boy Advance in 2003. Following a similar style of gameplay asSuper Mario RPGthat put players in control of the brothers,Mario and Luigi: Superstar Sagawas another successful RPG spin-off for the franchise. The success of the title warranted an entire series of sequels for future Nintendo handhelds includingMario and Luigi: Partners in TimeandMario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Storyfor the DS, as well asMario and Luigi: Dream TeamandMario and Luigi: Paper Jamfor the 3DS.
Unfortunately, interest in the series steadily declined with 3DS remakes ofSuperstar SagaandBowser’s Inside Storyfailing to perform as expected, leading to theclosure of series developer AlphaDream in 2019. In recent years, Nintendo seems to be shying away fromMarioRPGs given the decline of theMario and Luigiseries, with even the most recentPaper Mariotitle,Paper Mario: The Origami King, heavily scaling back its RPG elements. However, the announcement of aSuper Mario RPGremake gives fans a glimmer of hope that an RPG spin-off revival is just around the corner for theMarioseries.
What makes theSuper Mario RPGremake such a good sign for future RPG spin-offs is that it was originally developed by RPG powerhouse Square Enix. As such, Square Enix owned the rights to the game’s original characters, meaning Nintendo would need to get their approval in order for a remake to happen. If Nintendo is willing to unearth this SNES relic and go through the hoops of collaborating with Square Enix to get it remade, it likely means Nintendo recognizes that there is an audience forMarioRPG spin-off games.
This remake is likely a chance for Nintendo to test the waters for aMarioRPG revival before committing to producing more spin-offs in the genre. One of the biggest hurdles a newMario and Luigigame will have to overcome is finding a suitabledeveloper to replace AlphaDream. While it’s unclear which studio is behind the development of theSuper Mario RPGremake, Nintendo could be giving a studio a trial run at developing aMarioRPG before giving them the reigns to theMario and Luigiseries.
