This is definitely the most any game has been like Super Mario RPG since 1996. Played about as straight as Metroid Prime Remastered, you get a few quality-of-life improvements, but the majority of the game remains unaltered from its original release.

This was probably the right move, I can see why Nintendo and ArtePiazza didn't want to take any risks given how beloved Mario RPG is, but I personally prefer remakes play around more with the source material and do something different. The Resident Evil Remake is a perfect example of what I mean, marrying aspects of the original that made it so highly regarded while modernizing mechanical and narrative elements. Everyone has different expectations for what makes a remake good, and I feel like it's been a contentious issue this year given the glut of remakes and remasters we've been getting. I wish Super Mario RPG were a bit more ambitious, you know? Don't lock me to 8-way movement, that'd be cool.

This strict adherence to the source material does mean Super Mario RPG never loses sight of the original's charm. Some names have changed, but the script hits about as close as I remember it, Mario's little mannerisms, the way he jumps to verify his authenticity (nobody is more authentic than Mario Mario), all of that is preserved in amber. New additions like the triple attack add a bit more flavor to combat but battles never elevate to anything challenging until the post-game. Even the superboss, Culex, is kind of a chump. Timed button presses are well and good, but the low-level cap and limited number of spells can make random encounters start to feel a little too samey.

Aesthetic upgrades are overall very good. I've seen people compare Super Mario RPG to Link's Awakening's tilt-shifted style, saying it too is going for a diorama look that either hits or doesn't. I see it, though I also think the plasticy nature of the world is far more muted than it was in Link's Awakening and given that the original game already felt like a series of dioramas, I think that style is more suitable here. The new soundtrack is also fantastic, and I never felt compelled to switch to the old OST, though its inclusion is appreciated, and the menus are all very sharp and colorful. I just wish the game didn't look so pixelated on my TV, I'm not sure if it's the software or something with the display, but Wonder looked great, whereas Mario RPG looks poorly upscaled.

This also feels like a much shorter game than the original, I'm just not sure how. Outside of battles taking less time to load into (which is remarkable), it doesn't feel any more or less easy, and I don't think anything was cut. Maybe it's all in my head, but Super Mario RPG feels much brisker in its pacing. I appreciate that, however. I was able to beat it over the Thanksgiving week while trapped in the Circus Circus Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where I was chased after insulting The Orb and its smug incandescence. My Switch may permanently smell like cigarette smoke and I'm pretty sure I got bed bugs, but I was able to roll credits on this, and that's something to be thankful for.

Though I may sound a bit critical overall, I did have a good time with Super Mario RPG. The original game was never as special to me as it was for all the dorks out there that played it in 2003 on Snes9x and started preaching about how it's One Of Tha Best. It's very much an introductory JRPG and by the time I got to it, I found some of what it was doing to be very charming and enjoyable and other parts to be a bit flat and difficult to fully pour myself into. It sure is Super Mario RPG... Sonic the Hedgehog, Donkey Kong 3. Adventures of Lolo 1 and 2, King's Knight, Dig Dug, Chu Man Fu. Harvest moooooon