Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
by Endless Dream

Super Mario RPG was the first role-playing game to feature everyone's favorite turtle-kickin' plumber, Mario, as the main character. Released in the US in 1996, it caught on very quickly. Not only did it feature characters and environments already well-known to gamers, but it was a genuinely excellent game. The opening sequence shows Princess Toadstool getting abducted by Bowser (yes, again) and Mario running bravely off to save her. Within a few minutes of starting the game, Mario finds himself at the castle, battling Bowser high atop a chandelier. Finally, Mario topples Bowser from his perch, and prepares to free the Princess and go home. Suddenly, a giant sword comes crashing down through the roof! Mario, the Princess, and Bowser are sent flying in all different directions; Mario lands in his own house, but what happened to the others? This is the start of Mario's epic quest, which goes beyond breaking blocks and spitting fireballs to the great task of saving the world. Fortunately, he doesn't have to do it alone. With the help of the Princess, Bowser (!!), Geno, a doll come to life, Mallow, a puffy guy who can control the weather, and enough non-playable characters to choke a moose, the quest to repair the Star Road and restore peace to the land will be a little easier. By any standards, this is a great game. Novice gamers will like the in-game tutorial (supplied by Toad) and the easy-to use battle system. Veterans will like the challenging puzzles and the hidden items. There's even a hidden boss to find (Culex, from a Japanese Final Fantasy). And everyone will like the colorful cast, catchy music, sometimes-humorous dialogue and fantastic play control. While not a groundbreaking, intellectual game like Final Fantasy VII, which came out soon after, it's easy to get into and a lot of fun to play. I highly recommend adding this one to your SNES collection. The sequel to this game, Paper Mario, is available for the N64, but is not created by Squaresoft.