this is my third time with this game but first time with the remake, and I am very pleased how faithful it is.

it is scary because part of me worried certain things would be removed not even because they are bad or dated but because Nintendo really seems to sand the edges of their games sometimes, like just the fact mario is in his little rpg model speaks to how faithful it is, the final fantasy, zelda, Metroid, and other references are still there, I know it may be silly to focus so hard on that but the way mario rpgs have gotten so dull in the past decade removing any fun unique original design in favor of the typical mario universe we see in EVERY mainline game, really made me worry about their willingness to experiment especially with spin off games, which I feel only now they are realizing.

game is still mario rpg for better or worse with 2 or 3 things to make it easier not super huge on the additions but its whatever this game is a really good introductory rpg for people wanting to get into the genre hopefully, with a fun little adventure with wacky new places I super recommend this even if you haven't played the original

If this is what Bethesda has to show after 8 goddamn years, then they're really fucking ruined. The technical abomination (as in some sort of deformed experiment a crazy scientist put together) this game presents is beyond forgiveness, and the soulful storytelling just doesn't have the strength to carry it as it's oh so poorly written. The same storyline (or at least bullet points) in the hands of a non-amateur writer would shine bright, but this is not the case here. I generally don't delve into details in these reviews, and to be honest, there are too many to remember right now (maybe I should've taken notes), but to me, the most heart-crushing things were the size for quality tradeoff in world-building (something Bethesda hadn't done yet, even in Fallout 76); and the constant immersion killers, may they be the abysmal facial expressions, the terrible character animation, recurring glitches from 17 years ago; outdated menuing; or just "things not working the way they were supposed to." I could see behind the veil at all times, and that is so very sad.

The Elder Scrolls is my favorite RPG franchise of all time, so... please: hire a fucking writer. Ditch this fucking engine.

Oh, the one-liner review? Sure: a great game given to the wrong hands. Perhaps in an al- oh wait, those are spoilers. Yeah, if you have Game Pass, avoid them, the story is kinda thrilling to watch for the first time.