

Though that sense of humor has since become a staple of the Super Mario role-playing games that followed, it remains shockingly absent in otherwise great RPGs that treat their narratives as driving forces yet put too much faith in the idea that people will stick around until they get good “eventually.” Super Mario RPG‘s sense of humor and generally lighthearted nature successfully invest you in the game’s plot, characters, and world without forcing the grander story elements to reveal themselves too quickly. In the same ways that good comedy can make dramatic moments land that much harder, Super Mario RPG shows how comedy can help fuel a typical slow-burn JRPG narrative. The same is true of Super Mario RPG‘s humor. This may sound sacrilegious, but the ways that Super Mario RPG‘s world map sections emphasize everything but traditional JRPG gameplay is a trick that too few genre titles have bothered to learn since. Moments between battles are filled with minigames, platforming sequences, and other special gameplay sections designed to keep you firmly in control and engaged with more than just the power level of your characters. Super Mario RPG’s “action” isn’t limited to its combat sequences, though. Super Mario RPG‘s timing-based inputs not only let you feel like an active participant in every action you chose, but it ensured that those actions were no longer merely a reflection of stats, gear, and other mechanics you may not fully understand yet or even care about. Never before had a JRPG been so conscious of the idea that quite a few people were still turned off by typical JRPG turn-based battles. It sounds simple now given how many other games utilize similar concepts, but that seemingly simple concept did so much for a genre still trying to convert curious participants into fans. Press a button right when an enemy attack is about to land, and you’ll mitigate all (or most) of the damage. Press a button at the perfect point during an attack, and you’ll deal bonus damage or trigger a unique effect. Super Mario RPG‘s revolutionary turn-based combat system is designed around the idea that nearly every action can be enhanced by a well-timed button press.

When people talk about Super Mario RPG‘s action, they’re typically referring to its combat system, and rightfully so.

