Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (or simply Super Mario RPG) is a role-playing video game designed by Square (currently Square Enix) and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996. It is the first Super Mario role-playing game, with an action-command battle system. In this game, Mario, with the help of Mallow, Geno, Bowser, and Princess Toadstool, needs to stop the Smithy Gang, while collecting seven Star Pieces so that peace may return and wishes may be granted once more.

Super Mario RPG's success was limited due to the release of the Nintendo 64 and Super Mario 64 four months later that year. It was one of the last games in Square's original deal with Nintendo, and the final Super Mario game on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was rereleased on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on June 24, 2008; in Europe and Australia on August 22; and in North America on September 1, 2008. The game was also rereleased for the Wii U's Virtual Console in Japan in August 2015, in Europe and Australia in December 2015, and in North America in June 2016. In Europe, the game was treated as an import game, meaning that only the 60Hz mode is supported, and there has been no further localization. The game was priced at 800 Wii Points in North America and Japan and 900 points in other regions. Super Mario RPG is also one of the 21 titles included on the Super NES Classic Edition.

A remake simply titled Super Mario RPG is set to be released on the Nintendo Switch on November 17, 2023.

Prologue
The game begins with a cutscene: Princess Toadstool sits peacefully on a hill outside Mario's Pad, when she is suddenly kidnapped by King Bowser using the Koopa Clown Car. Mario hears her cry for help and exits his house, knowing Toadstool is in peril. He follows Toadstool and Bowser and ends up at Bowser's Keep. After going through the castle, Mario finally catches up with Bowser and proceeds to battle him on the chandeliers. Upon besting him, he is about to rescue the princess when the castle begins to shake. A giant sword named Exor falls from the sky and crashes into Bowser's Keep, destroying the Star Road on the way, whose pieces scatter all throughout the world. The crash sends Mario, Toadstool, and Bowser flying in separate directions, and they all land in different parts of the world.

Mario lands back at his house where Toad has been searching for Toadstool. When Toad discovers that the princess is not there, he asks Mario to go back to Bowser's Keep to bring her back. Mario has no idea where she or Bowser are, but goes to check the castle just in case. But when he arrives, he is shocked by the sight of Exor, who tells Mario that the keep is now property of the Smithy Gang, taken over to help with its quest to rule the world. Exor destroys the bridge entryway Mario is standing in, though he narrowly manages to escape in time. The castle is thus rendered unreachable.

Mushroom Kingdom
Mario returns to his home, where he explains the situation to Toad, who suggests going to Mushroom Kingdom to inform the Chancellor. After crossing Mushroom Way, they arrive to their destination, and enter Mushroom Castle. There, Mario informs the Chancellor, who entrusts him the task of saving Toadstool. As the plumber exits the castle, Mario meets Mallow, supposedly a frog from Tadpole Pond, who was running an errand for his grandfather before the thief Croco stole his frog coin. Mario decides to assist Mallow, and so they both chase Croco to Bandit's Way and recover the coin. When they return, Mushroom Kingdom is dark and overrun by monsters making mischief.

Mario and Mallow enter Mushroom Castle and encounter their leader, Mack, a sword-like member of the Smithy Gang, in the throne room. Mario battles him and wins. After his defeat, a Star Piece remains. Mario takes it, not quite knowing what it is. Those remaining of Mack's minions flee, intending to warn Mack's boss about Mario. With Mushroom Kingdom saved, Mallow has the idea to go to his home, Tadpole Pond, to ask his grandfather for advice regarding the strange series of events that have happened recently. Therefore, the duo departs for there.

Pond to Pipes
On their way, they travel through the Kero Sewers and fight Belome, a big, dog-like enemy. After he is beaten, the sewers are filled with water, and Mario is flushed down Midas Waterfall and along the Midas River, which takes him to Tadpole Pond. Once there, Mallow's grandfather Frogfucius explains to them what happened until then, and also reveals that he is not truly related to Mallow. He tells Mallow to travel with Mario and find his true home. Lastly, he instructs the duo to continue their adventure by visiting Rose Town, where people need their help.

Mario and Mallow then travel to Rose Town via Rose Way. During their journey, they nearly run into Bowser. They spy on him, discovering that he and some of his underlings are trying to get their castle back from the Smithy Gang. After they leave, and Mario and Mallow arrive in Rose Town. The place is under attack: paralyzing arrows rain from the sky. The two seek shelter in the local inn. There, Mario plays with the innkeeper's son, Gaz, and his Mario, Bowser, and Toadstool dolls. As the game continues, Gaz brings out his favorite doll, Geno. However, Mario is knocked out by a stray punch from the toy. While everyone is in bed, a star possesses the Geno doll and walks into the origin of the falling arrows, the Forest Maze.

The next day, the duo overhears Gaz claiming that he saw Geno walk into the forest, and so they venture there. Soon after they arrive, they glimpse Geno, and they follow him into the depths of the Forest Maze. There, they peek on Bowyer, a bow-like member of the Smithy Gang responsible for firing the paralyzing arrows, and Geno, who tries to get back the Star Piece that Bowyer holds. As he is unable to persuade Bowyer, Geno fights him, and Mario and Mallow soon join him. Together, they beat Bowyer and obtain the second Star Piece. Geno introduces himself and reveals his objective to Mario and Mallow: recovering the seven Star Pieces, parts of the Star Road that has been destroyed by Exor. Without the Star Road, wishes cannot be granted. The trio resolve to join forces to thwart Smithy, the leader of the Smithy Gang, and repair the Star Road. However, one of Bowyer's surviving flunkies overhears Geno's explanation, and heads off to inform Smithy.

Mole Mountains
The next stop for Mario's party in their search for the Star Pieces is Moleville. Here, Mario spots Bowser and his troops once more. The number of Bowser's minions has decreased since his time on Rose Way, but Bowser still resolves to get his castle back.

The inhabitants of Moleville are upset because two children, Dyna & Mite, have become trapped in the Coal Mines due to a fallen star. Upon hearing this, Mario ventures inside, and on his way through the vast caves, he is rendered unconscious by a faulty trampoline, an opportunity that Croco seizes to steal Mario's coins. Mario pursues him and his Crook accomplices, and faces off against him. After he is dispatched, Mario and his friends regain what they lost, and obtain a bomb from him that they use to open their way through the mines.

Going deeper, Mario meets Punchinello, who wants to best Mario in order to become famous. Before being beaten, he summons a giant Bob-omb, which explodes but fortunately only covers Mario and his friends with soot. They claim the third Star Piece, which was close at hand. Mario also finds Dyna & Mite, and after they all exit the mines through the minecar railway, the children are safely returned to their parents. As soon as Mario and company leave Dyna & Mite's house, they stumble across Booster's Snifits, who mention that their boss is busy entertaining a "princess from the sky". And so, the party leaves Moleville, both in search of more Star Pieces and because of this new piece of information.

When Mario, Toadstool, and Bowser got launched from Bowser's Keep, Princess Toadstool landed at Booster Tower, home of the maniacal Booster, who wants to marry her and is holding her captive. Distressed due to this development, she cries out for Mario to help her.

After a short trip past Booster Pass, Mario's party arrives at Booster Tower. They see Bowser, alone, lamenting the loss of his keep and the "good old days". Once he becomes aware of Mario, he tries to act tough. At the top of the tower, Toadstool notices Mario as well, and calls out to him. Bowser leaves, feigning indifference, but returns after Mario is unable to open the tower's front door. He decides to help out Mario out of his own free will and breaks the door open. He then joins Mario and his friends by making them honorary members of the Koopa Troop.

After reaching the tower's top floor, Mario enters Booster's room, which is right before the balcony where Toadstool is held captive. Just then, Booster enters and Mario is forced to hide behind some curtains. Booster and his Snifits look around for the former's Mario doll, and eventually head out to the balcony, with Mario and his friends in hot pursuit. However, they have already made off with Toadstool, and two helpers of Booster, Knife Guy and Grate Guy, battle Mario, but are bested in the end.

Mario races after Booster, who runs up Booster Hill with Toadstool. He attempts to marry her in the town of Marrymore, but Mario disrupts the wedding. Just before he and Toadstool can exit the chapel to head back to Mushroom Kingdom, the creators of the wedding cake, Chef Torte and his Apprentice, angry because of their wasted efforts, fight Mario. During the battle, their cake comes to life and attacks, but is ultimately eaten by Booster. Mario and Toadstool go back to Mushroom Castle, where they are welcomed. She, though, wants to aid Mario in his adventure, and so with the help of her chambermaid, Toadstool is able to sneak out of the castle and arrange for her to remain unnoticed, and officially joins Mario's party. Mallow suggests asking Frogfucius if he knows anything about any missing Star Pieces.

Seaside
Once at Tadpole Pond, Frogfucius tells Mario that he has heard of a Star Piece falling onto Star Hill. Mario finds the fourth Star Piece soon after arriving, away from any member of the Smithy Gang.

Mario's next stop is Seaside Town. There, he hears from the village "elder" that a star fell into the neighboring sea. He asks Mario to get it for him. Mario, knowing that it is a Star Piece, heads there. He goes through the grottoes by the sea and finally sets foot onto shore. Underwater, he enters a sunken ship on the seabed.

Before long, Mario reaches a door that is sealed and can only be opened with the right password. Upon opening the door, he encounters King Calamari, a giant Bloober who caused the ship to sink in the first place.

After conquering him, Mario reaches the lower levels of the ship, and meets Jonathan Jones, the shark owner of the ship. Jones claims the Star Piece for himself as it fell into "his" sea, though Mario is able to win the Star Piece in a duel with him.

Upon returning to Seaside Town, Mario is stopped by the "elder", who reveals himself as Yaridovich, a spear-like member of the Smithy Gang, and who had disguised himself as the town's entire population in order to trick Mario into searching for the Star Piece for him. Yaridovich pressures Mario into handing over the Star Piece and flees, and Mario runs after him. Since Yaridovich's getaway vehicle, the battleship Blade, is unavailable, he sees himself forced to swim away, but Jonathan Jones arrives and blocks his escape route. Cornered, Yaridovich changes into his real form and battles Mario's party, but fails, and the group regains the fifth Star Piece and saves the denizens of Seaside Town. Mario learns from the real elder that, apparently, there is a star in Monstro Town, a settlement populated by reformed monsters located at the far side of Land's End.

Land's End
And so, Mario and his friends move on to Land's End. They climb a mountain and traverse a desert area, but then they are unable to go any higher because the cliff beyond the desert is too tall. So they are forced to take a detour down some desert whirlpools, and at some point end up underground, at Belome Temple. There, they encounter Belome for a second time. The hungry monster tries to eat them, but again is vanquished. After the fight, Mario goes through a Warp Pipe and reaches Monstro Town.

There, he asks Monstermama about the Star Pieces, and after clearing up a misunderstanding, she says that the sixth Star Piece has to be somewhere in the clouds, as there is no place left on land to look for it. To help Mario climb the huge cliff in Land's End and therefore ascend, she calls Sergeant Flutter. With the help of Flutter and his Sky Troopas, Mario and his friends discover Bean Valley. In a Warp Pipe at the end of it, a Shy Away grows a giant Piranha Plant, the Megasmilax, according to someone called Valentina's orders. Mario and company have to beat it to gain access to the giant beanstalk which leads up into the clouds and Nimbus Land.

Nimbus Land
As Mario reaches Nimbus Land's plaza, Valentina, the royal aide, gives a speech to the citizens, in which she says that King Nimbus is ill at the moment and cannot do his business, and introduces the giant bird Dodo as the long-lost Prince Mallow. Though Dodo looks nothing like a local and cannot speak, Valentina claims the "prince" wants to marry her, thus making her the queen of Nimbus Land. She then enters Nimbus Castle, which has been closed to the public.

Though Mallow does not realize at first that he is the actual prince, he is told so by Garro, a sculptor for the royal family. Garro agrees to help Mario and Mallow foil Valentina. He disguises Mario as one of his statues, and takes him into Nimbus Castle without arousing suspicion. Once inside, Mario barely escapes Dodo's wrath and Valentina's guards' attention, leaving him free to fight his way through the heavily guarded castle.

On their route through it, Mario's team encounters a giant egg called Shelly, which turns out to contain Birdo, who works for Valentina. After getting the better of her, Mario reaches the rearmost part of the castle and challenges Valentina and Dodo. They run away and Mario gives chase. He intercepts them in Nimbus Land's plaza, engages them in battle, and defeats them. Valentina escapes by flying away with Dodo, falling through the clouds soon after and ending up at Booster Tower, just as Toadstool did before.

Following that, Mallow is reunited with his parents, King and Queen Nimbus. They say they heard a Star Piece has fallen into the nearby Barrel Volcano. Mario's team leaps off the clouds from the royal hot spring zone and fall right into the vent of the volcano. The heroes fight their way through, eventually facing the Czar Dragon, the guardian of the sixth Star Piece. They manage to overcome it and its resurrected form, the undead Zombone. As Mario is about to collect the Star Piece, it is snatched away by the Axem Rangers, five members of the Smithy Gang, who turn tail with it.

Mario catches up with them at Barrel Volcano's vent. Blade, the battleship that failed to take away Yaridovich earlier, arrives then, and the Axem Rangers and Mario's party battle there. The party triumphs over the Rangers, whom are last seen going down alongside an exploding Blade. Mario finally gets the sixth Star Piece.

Smithy Factory
After meeting King and Queen Nimbus again, Mario and his friends take Nimbus Land's royal bus to assail Bowser's Keep, which is unreachable through any other means.

Mario enters the castle, and soon comes across a room with doors to six corridors, of which he has to clear four. Two corridors are action courses, two are fighting areas, and two are puzzle courses led by Dr. Topper. After the required amount of courses is cleared, Mario proceeds and fights a mind-controlled Magikoopa. After he is beaten, the Magikoopa comes to his senses again and assists Mario's party by creating the magic treasure box as well as healing them.

Mario almost immediately reaches the final room of the keep, and gets onto the chandeliers he fought Bowser on at the beginning of the game. This time, the enemy is the Smithy Gang swordsman Boomer, though he is taken care of. The chandelier with Mario's party on it is transported upwards by a Chandeli-ho to the highest tower of the keep. There, the party finally enters combat with Exor, and manage to thwart it. Upon its defeat, Exor inhales Mario's party with its mouth, which acts as a portal to Smithy's dimension.

Mario, Mallow, Geno, Bowser and Toadstool are brought to Smithy's Factory, his base of operations for the invasion of Mario's world. In this gloomy dimension, Machine Mades abound, metallic copies produced en masse of Smithy Gang members that Mario has faced before: Mack, Bowyer, Yaridovich, and the Axem Rangers. Along the way, they fight Count Down, a giant clock which is controlled by the bell-like Ding-A-Lings.

They also battle the duo of Cloaker and Domino, and one of their pet snakes. Nonetheless, even with the help of the snake, they are bested by Mario. Mario and company then enter the production lines of the Factory proper. There, they have to challenge the Factory's Clerk, Manager, and Director before meeting the Factory Chief. The Factory Chief uses the Gunyolk in battle, but Mario's team still overcomes him.

The five heroes at last meet Smithy himself in the basement of the Factory. Smithy constantly creates weapons with his hammer and the Smelter. On top of that, he holds the seventh and last Star Piece. Refusing to give it away, he engages Mario and his allies in battle. Despite employing the Smelter to create Shypers to aid him in battle, he is soon defeated. Enraged, he slams the floor with his hammer and the floor gives way, and Smithy, along with Mario and company, falls down to a dark area below the Factory.

Furious, Smithy changes into his real form for the final battle. With his hammer, he has the power to transform his head into five different forms, all with special abilities. However, after a long battle, he is trounced and destroyed by Mario and company.

Conclusion
With all seven Star Pieces restored, Geno thanks the others and says goodbye, before leaving his doll body and returning to his original form. The Star Road is restored, and Mario, Mallow, Bowser, Toadstool, and the Geno doll are returned to Mario's world. Exor dissolves into nothing.

Each of the seven Star Pieces shows the events that follow after the defeat of Smithy: As the credits roll, there is a parade featuring most of the game's cast. In his only appearance in the game, Luigi leads the parade as its grand marshal.
 * Mallow is crowned the prince of Nimbus Land.
 * Bowser repairs his keep with the help of his minions.
 * Jonathan Jones looks out at the sunset from the cliff where the Yaridovich battle took place.
 * Croco is seen racing the Mushroom Derby against Yoshi. Though he loses the race, he is consoled by Boshi, and the two walk off together (seemingly establishing a friendship).
 * Frogfucius and his student both attend a concert held by Toadofsky.
 * Valentina and Booster hold a wedding, with Dodo presiding over the ceremony. In spite of that, Booster runs off and Valentina follows, leaving Dodo confused.
 * Mario and Princess Toadstool return to Mushroom Kingdom, thanking the player for all of their hard work.

Gameplay
Mario traverses an overworld filled with NPCs and enemies. If he touches an enemy, the player is taken to a turn-based battle with said foe and possibly other foes.

Worlds are broken up into levels which must be traveled to using the map screen. Usually, Mario must complete an objective before he can progress to the next section of a world. During the adventure, the player occasionally must play a minigame in order to progress.

Battle system
Mario fights with two of his four partners at a time; they can be switched outside of battle. The characters have many stats that grow as they level up:
 * HP, or hit points, show the amount of damage a character can take. When it reaches 0, the character is knocked out and unable to fight unless revived. Having the entire party knocked out ends the game and the player automatically restarts from their last save.
 * Speed affects how often and in what order the character fights. Characters with a high speed attack before any other allies or enemies, and could attack multiple times before another character attacks once depending on their speed.
 * Attack is the physical strength of the character. Combined with the character's weapon, it adds up to a final value that affects how much damage they deal to an opponent with physical attacks.
 * Defense, combined with the character's armor, reduces the amount of damage a character receives from an enemy's normal physical attack.
 * Magic Attack affects the strength of a character's special skill.
 * Magic Defense is similar to defense, but only protects against enemies' special skills, not regular attacks.

Every time a character levels up, they can choose one of three groups of stats to gain a bonus point in: Attack and Defense, HP, or Magic Attack and Magic Defense. Depending on the character's level, the amount of bonus points given to a group of stats is boosted. Starting at level 2, the order of the boosted bonuses is magic, HP, and physical which then repeats cyclically. All of the party members require the same number of experience points to reach the next level. The maximum level each character can reach is 30. The specifics of the party's level up progression is detailed here.

Battles begin by moving into an enemy on a main game map. In battle, characters have four options:
 * Attack, which allows the character to perform a basic attack using the weapon they have equipped.
 * Item, which allows them to use one of the items they have on themselves, an ally, an enemy, or a group of allies or enemies depending on the item. Occasionally, an item is used without being consumed as it normally happens, called a "freebie" by the game.
 * Special, which allows the character to use one of the special moves they have acquired by leveling up.
 * Etc., which gives the character the option of defending, ensuring they receive less damage if they are hit by enemy, or running away, which may or may not be possible depending on the enemy being fought and random chance.

Many of these options can be improved by the use of action commands, most commonly the "Timed Hit" which helps them in many ways when the player presses any button at the correct time. Depending on the timing, these commands can increase physical damage by 1.5x if done okay, or 2x if done well. They can also block half damage from physical damage if done okay, and all of it if done well. Magical attacks can be timed as well for more damage. However, enemy magic attacks and some physical attacks cannot be blocked in this manner. Attacks that can be blocked are indicated by stars flying out of a party member when they are hit.

After defeating an enemy, the character who defeated it may receive a Bonus Flower that gives them a special bonus.

Special moves
Mario's party members have special moves that are unique to the character which they learn by leveling up. When they join the party, they start with one special move except for Princess Toadstool who starts with two special moves. Flower Points are required to perform these moves and the available FP is shared between all of the members. These Flower Points are not raised by leveling up, but by using special items such as the Flower Tab. Stronger special moves unlocked at higher levels typically require more FP to use. Enemies also have access to moves that use FP. Some of these moves have elemental properties that can be nullified with certain armor and accessories. If an enemy uses all of its FP, the message "Monster's FP is gone!" appears on the screen. In addition, enemies have special attacks which do not use FP but do more damage than their typical physical attacks.

Status effects
Both Mario's party members and enemies can inflict status effects, depending on the attack. For some status effects, they wear off after enough time passes. At the end of the battle, all status effects are cured. Certain accessories nullify negative status effects.

Mario
Hero of the Mushroom Kingdom and the main protagonist of the story. Mario attempts to rescue Princess Toadstool from Bowser again, but is sent flying by Exor crashing into the keep. Now he must go on an entirely new adventure as he fights off Smithy's army of mechanical minions and recovers the Seven Stars. He is the one who navigates the overworld, and he cannot be switched out for any other of his teammates.

In battle, Mario uses powerful attacks, hitting his enemies with various Hammers, Koopa Shells or simply attacking barefisted. His special attacks involve jumping and fire magic. If Mario ever falls in battle, his allies can still fight on and win the battle for him.

Mallow
Mallow is the first partner that Mario meets, joining Mario during his first visit to Mushroom Kingdom. He is, at first, believed to be a simple tadpole from Tadpole Pond even though he looks nothing like one. He was raised by Frogfucius who found him floating in a basket as a baby. Later, when Mallow and Mario visit Frogfucius, it is revealed that Mallow is not a frog and that his real parents are out there, somewhere. Later in the game, Mario and his party visit Nimbus Land, whose citizens are all of the same species as Mallow. There, Mallow discovers that he is a prince and his parents are King and Queen Nimbus.

Mallow has a variety of attacks useful for attacking all of the enemies at one time. He has powerful control over the weather: outside of battle, when he cries, a heavy rainstorm starts. In battle, he can summon things from lightning to snow to a healing rain. In addition, he has a harmless but useful attack, Psychopath, that shows how much HP an enemy has remaining and a quote from the enemy's mind when the player manages to do a Timed Hit.

Geno
Geno is the second to join Mario's crew. He is an agent from Star Road, sent to retrieve the Seven Stars and repair Star Road while also battling the Smithy Gang. While his real form appears to be a small star, he takes possession of Gaz's doll, as well as its name, as a physical form. He then meets with Mario and Mallow in the Forest Maze while fighting with Bowyer, and he chooses to help Mario in his quest since they have the same objective.

Geno is incredibly powerful and has a variety of offensive attacks, one of which (Geno Whirl) can deal 9999 HP of damage to regular enemies, Yaridovich clones, and Exor.

Bowser
The ruthless leader of the Koopa Troop and Mario's arch-nemesis, Bowser starts out as an enemy, but joins as the fourth party member in due time. He kidnaps Princess Toadstool and fights Mario as the first boss of the game. But then after getting thrown out his own keep by the Smithy Gang, Bowser becomes determined to take it back with his remaining minions, though they all eventually desert him. After meeting Mario and his new friends at Booster's Tower, he decides to use them to get his keep back under the pretense of making them honorary members of his army. This marks the first time in the series where Bowser joins Mario's side.

Bowser does not have as great a variety of special attacks as the other members of the team, but he boasts incredible physical strength.

Princess Toadstool
The fair ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Toadstool is the last to join Mario's team. She is kidnapped by Bowser at the beginning of the game, and, right when Mario rescues her, is sent flying off. After falling from the sky, she is discovered by Booster and held in his tower. Booster attempts to marry her, but she is eventually rescued by the heroes and returned to Mushroom Kingdom, apparently to stay. However, with the help of her grandmother, who disguises herself as the princess, Toadstool is able to sneak away to accompany Mario on his quest.

Her special skills are mostly defensive (with two crowd control spells in her mix) and healing, not offensive. Her healing skills can be incredibly useful, she can resurrect a fallen partner, and she can make a battle against tough foes and large crowds easier by putting them to sleep or by muting spell casters.

Locations
Mario and his party visit many places spanning over seven main areas during the course of the adventure. They travel in a clockwise fashion across the world. To progress through hostile environments, Mario has to reach the level's exit found at the opposite end or beat a boss. To unlock levels past friendly locations such as towns, Mario needs to progress the story by interacting with other characters. Level descriptions in gray indicate that they cannot be accessed from the world map.

Midas River course
After Mario and Mallow beat Belome, they are swept away by a giant wave and fall into Midas Waterfall. During this portion, Mario can collect coins, Frog Coins, and enter caverns. By pressing, Mario can swim upwards slightly. After reaching the bottom, Mario is taken to the barrel-jumping event on the Midas River. Here, he can collect coins while jumping onto barrels floating on the river and avoid fish. Failing to jump onto the next barrel when Mario's current barrel is about to collide with it makes Mario's barrel move to the side. At the end is a Toad which exchanges the coins that Mario has collected for Frog Coins. Mario can retry the whole course for thirty coins.

Melody Bay
Located next to Tadpole Pond is Melody Bay. By playing various melodies taught to the player using the bay's tadpoles, Toadofsky gives Mario cards he can use at the Juice Bar.

Goomba thumping
In the Pipe Vault, Mario can play Goomba thumping for ten coins. In the minigame, Mario must jump on as many Goombas and Gold Goombas as he can in thirty seconds, while avoiding Spikeys. The enemies emerge from Warp Pipes and move faster the more points Mario accumulates.

Mushroom Derby


On Yo'ster Isle, Mario can participate in the Mushroom Derby. When Mario arrives to the island for the first time, Boshi has taken over the event and only allows one-on-one races with him. To challenge him, Mario must get Yoshi Cookies from a Yoshi. During the race, the player has to alternately press and  to the music's tempo. Additionally, the player can press to feed Yoshi a cookie, making him automatically dash for a bit. Winning this race allows all of the Yoshis to join the Mushroom Derby. Past this point, Mario has the option to bet cookies on Yoshi. He can improve the odds of Yoshi coming out as the victor by riding him.

Moleville Mountain
After collecting the Star Piece in the Coal Mines, Mario must ride a mine cart to exit the mountain. During the ride, the player can:


 * jump by pressing, so as to avoid pits and collect Mushrooms and coins;
 * brake by pressing either or, to avoid derailing and losing time in the case of the mine cart going too fast before turns, especially sharp ones;
 * make use of the mushrooms they collect by pressing, that way giving the cart a speed boost;
 * honk the cart's horn by pressing or, though this has no actual effect besides the sound.

Later, the moles open a path directly to the mine cart and charge Mario ten coins to ride it. Alternatively, Mario can wager thirty coins and beat the record to get fifty coins.

Beetle Race
By purchasing a Beetle Box and returning to Booster Hill, Mario can play Beetle Race. As he runs up the hill, he must catch beetles of differing rarities while bouncing off barrels and Booster's Snifits to reach them. He can bring the beetles he has collected to Beetles Are Us and exchange them for coins and Frog Coins.

Beetle Mania
After Mario and his party rescue Toadstool in Marrymore, the player can return to Mushroom Kingdom, enter the inn, and talk to a young Toad in the corner. After talking to him several times, he offers Mario a minigame, Beetle Mania, for five hundred coins. In the minigame, the player controls a beetle, who must fire yellow stars to destroy red Koopa shells and so gain points, while avoiding the shells and the red stars they produce once they are destroyed. Also, these red stars can destroy other shells, allowing the player to start chain reactions and obtain even more points. If the beetle is hit, it can recover by repeatedly pressing the fire button before a countdown to three can finish.

Battle with Culex
In Monstro Town, there is a sealed door. Mario can only open it with a Shiny Stone, which he can get from a girl mole in Moleville if the player gives her fireworks, sold by a mole man in the same town for five hundred coins. The player can then open the door and meet Culex, whom can be battled. Upon his defeat, he rewards Mario with the Quartz Charm.

Sergeant Flutter race
After Sergeant Flutter and the Sky Troopas arrive at the huge cliff past the desert in Land's End, Mario is timed on how fast he can scale the wall by using the Sky Troopas as platforms. By doing so fast enough, Sergeant Flutter gives him an item.

Grate Guy's Casino
Grate Guy's Casino is a location which offers several minigames to win coins. To reach and enter it, Mario has to get the Bright Card as a prize for winning Knife Guy's minigame twelve consecutive times in Booster's Tower, and also find the secret entrance to the casino in Bean Valley. The three games available at the casino are a slot machine, blackjack, and "Look the other way".

Surprise Box locations


In this game, Mario can discover hidden treasure boxes known as Surprise Boxes, scattered throughout Mario's world. There are thirty-nine Surprise Boxes in total. The player is directly told about these Surprise Boxes by an elderly Toad in the basement of Mushroom Kingdom's item shop. A friendly Chester in Monstro Town tells Mario how many Surprise Boxes are yet to be found.

Inns
Inns allow Mario and his party members to heal their HP and FP for a small fee. They are indicated by a spinning star sign by the door. The inns at Marrymore and Nimbus Land provide extra services for additional coins, while Mario's Pad and the lone bed in Monstro Town can be used for free by turning off the Fungi Light.

Shops
Throughout the game, there are shops Mario can purchase items and equipment from. They are generally indicated by a spinning Mushroom sign, a wooden counter, or both. They are found in every town and populated area, and some can even be found in remote places, such as in the Sunken Ship and Barrel Volcano. Tool shops sell weapons, armor, items, or some combination of these: the selection of goods that each shop has is unique. Special shops offer for sale one-of-a-kind items, function differently than the typical tool shop, or both.

Frogfucius
By talking to Frogfucius at Tadpole Pond, Mario can get hints on how to progress in his adventure, or general advice that can come in handy.

Friendly NPCs
Many friendly characters are found in the world's various communities. They can be spoken to by standing next to them or standing across the counter in the case of shopkeepers and innkeepers, and pressing. Mario can stand on the heads of other characters, but this usually has no effect.

Bosses
Mario encounters many adversaries during the course of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars; the main antagonists are the Smithy Gang.

Unlike the Paper Mario series, there are no defined "chapters" or "chapter bosses"; here, any significant enemy with higher HP is considered a boss. Most bosses have distinct battle music (Smithy Gang leaders have a special theme) and a "fading away" or otherwise-distinct defeat animation. The party's HP and FP are usually fully restored after defeating a boss.

Quotes

 * "Mario! Let's say you and I get hitched in a few years, okay? Just... give me time to grow into my mother's wedding dress." - Toad child
 * "Stick for a body, head full of straw, give me a scarecrow, rah, rah, RAH!" - Belome
 * "Hmmm... Drink punch...eat cake...? It sounds...complicated. I don't know if I can muster the energy to do it... Let's walk through it once! It's wedding rehearsal time!" - Booster
 * "It's been so quiet around here, it's almost eerie... Is something going on? It probably doesn't concern me. But if you have any Frog Coins, I've got some neat items to sell." - Frogfucius' Student
 * "It's really weird. Sometimes I heard the guy next door. He's always mumbling about a Crystal-this and an Evil-that. Isn't a "Crystal" some kind of shiny rock...or something? I know I've seen those somewhere!" - Piranha Plant

Virtual Console differences
One attack used by many bosses, Flame Wall, looks radically different from the original game. In the original version, a wave of red, orange, and yellow flows to the left of the screen. In the Virtual Console version, the wave is separated, only red, and somewhat faded. Also, Static E! is changed from a bright, blue and white flash to a deep blue one. This was changed in order to avoid players possibly having seizures. Also, Moleville has a considerably darker color scheme. Otherwise, the game was not localized. This means keeping the American SNES dark/light purple button layout in battle mode and against Bowyer, while the European SNES has the /// buttons colored as in the Japanese version.

For the European version, Bowser's victory pose retains the North American version because the original Japanese version has Bowser giving a gesture which is viewed as saying "Up yours" in most of Europe. Also, the European version altered a line spoken by Croco early on in the game, changing the word "bugger" to "pest", due to "bugger" being a vulgar word in British English.

Pre-release and unused content


Nintendo Power

Material from an early Nintendo Power shows that the Chancellor was once designed differently, being a more elderly-looking, gray-spotted Toad with a beard. It also showed that at least one Buzzer would be in Mushroom Way, and that Frogfucius's island at Tadpole Pond would be closer and therefore accessed differently.

There were also several unused enemies such as:
 * A green Jester-like enemy named Harlequin.
 * A blue-colored Fautso named Baba Yaga.
 * An enemy that resembles a purple Bahamutt with sunglasses.
 * A red Spikey named Super Spike.
 * A white version of Carroboscis named Radish.
 * A blue version of Stumpet named Lumbler, which has a move set. It has the moves Crystal and an egg shooting attack it shares with Birdo.
 * A blue, glitchy Corkpedite named Pile Driver.
 * Chompweeds were originally going to be enemies that Mario would have fought, but they were changed to obstacles.
 * A blue-colored Mastadoom named Mastablasta; its Psychopath thought is "Life is tough, ain’t it?"

Skip Mack
It is possible to skip over the battle with Mack. When the player gets to the room where Mack is faced, instead of going straight to battle him, the player can jump on top of the Shysters on the left side, and carefully walk on them. If the Mack scene does not trigger when the player falls off them, the glitch has been performed correctly. The player must then walk to the Chancellor in the corner, and talk to him to finish the glitch. The "Star Pieces" option on the menu does not appear when this glitch is performed, as being victorious in the battle against Mack triggers the appearance of the menu.

Staff
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was developed by Squaresoft, with directing duties being split between Chihiro Fujioka and Yoshihiko Maekawa. Yoko Shimomura composed the soundtrack. Several members of the staff, including the aforementioned composer and directors, would later join AlphaDream and work on the Mario & Luigi series.

The game was the last work of noted videogame translator Ted Woolsey at Squaresoft.

Reception
The game is widely praised for its technical achievements, aesthetics, and the successful combination of a traditional RPG's turn-based combat with the platforming gameplay of the Super Mario series. 's "Review Crew" gives the game a combined average score of 8.75/10. All four members praise the visuals, though the game for being too childish in appearance is a point of contention. The sound design is also praised, with Andrew Baran stating that the sounds are faithfully from the Super Mario franchise and Mike Desmond commending the work done by the SNES's sound processor. Mark Lefebvre states that the game avoids being too technically overwhelming for the player as with other RPG games, and notes that the game keeps its focus on the graphics and not in submenus during battles. Desmond adds that while the combat engine is similar to other RPGs, it is easy to use.

Michael Higham of GameSpot points out the game's unique interpretation of the Super Mario universe and the strong characterization of the main cast. He commends the game for being a breath of fresh air compared to the relatively dark themes of other RPGs at the time like ' and '. He also points out the music which has kept his memories of the game alive. He specifically mentions "Beware the Forest's Mushrooms!" and how it is the perfect example of "how standout melodies are supported by rhythms and harmonies" using 16-bit instruments.

Nintendo Power magazine praises the game for combining RPG and traditional Super Mario platforming elements. However, it does critique the game's title for being misleading and states "It's not just a RPG-it's an action-packed adventure." Of the six editors, four of them selected the game as their editor pick. In volume 100 released in September 1997, it came in 21st place in "Nintendo Power's 100 best Nintendo games of all time".

Legacy
Though no direct sequel to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars would come to pass, the next Super Mario role-playing game, Paper Mario, was announced under the title Super Mario RPG 2 and the final game would retain multiple links to Super Mario RPG such as the action command mechanic, the ending credits being presented as a parade, and versions of Star Hill and the Chancellor (though both were given a different name in the English translation), the concept of optional boss battles against a martial artist who is fought three times, and more.

When asked in a 2013 interview if he was interested in making a direct sequel to the game, the game's co-director Yoshihiko Maekwawa responded that he felt Super Mario RPG accomplished what he set out to do and that he personally had no interest in revisiting the world or its characters. Much later in a 2022 interview however, other co-director Chihiro Fujioka expressed interest in creating a sequel, stating he would like it to be his final game project.

Wii eShop description
''Set in the Mushroom Kingdom and featuring its cast of well-known characters, this adventure RPG begins with a familiar scenario. Mario™ must rescue Princess Toadstool™ from Bowser™. However, a mysterious new enemy named Smithy soon appears, and Mario and Bowser are forced to fight as allies for the first time in their long history. In the quest to defeat their powerful new foe, they'll journey across a wide variety of locations (a town of mining moles, a tropical forest, a thundering waterfall—just to name a few) and tackle a mix of obstacles requiring both expert timing and strategy to overcome. Along the way, they'll gain experience and grow more powerful, while also meeting new characters whose unique abilities will be needed to take on Smithy and his gang. Striking a perfect balance of traditional RPG elements and the action-packed game play Mario is famous for, it's easy to see why this title has earned "legendary" status!''

Mario + 7 stars + 249 Virtual Console titles = ?
''The launch of the 250th title available on Virtual Console™, of course! And what better game to mark the occasion with than the eagerly anticipated Super NES™ game, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars™? Whether you're celebrating the Labor Day holiday, relishing the last few days before school begins, or just looking for a brand-new retro title to enjoy, this is one game sure to please. By combining the magic of traditional Mario™ titles with the renowned design skills of Square Enix, Super Mario RPG satisfies fans across the board. So if you've been waiting to take on Smithy again or never even knew that Mario and Bowser™ were once allies, now's the time to experience one of Mario's grandest adventures! Still want more info on Super Mario RPG? Then be sure to watch the video now available on the Nintendo Channel for a sneak peak on what the game has in store for you. Also make sure to check out the other Virtual Console titles available for download. You won't find a more complete assortment of games from your favorite systems and genres available in one spot. From classic franchises to previously unavailable imports, you'll be sure to find titles that suit your gaming tastes! Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars™ is rated Everyone by the ESRB.''

Wii U eShop description
American version: ''A mysterious enemy named Smithy has appeared, forcing Mario and Bowser to fight as allies. Journey across a wide variety of locations and tackle a mixture of obstacles that will require both timing and strategy to overcome. Gain experience, grow more powerful, and meet new characters to use their abilities in taking down Smithy and his gang!''

European version: The Mushroom Kingdom faces a new threat when a giant sword falls from the sky and lays chaos upon the land. Mario must gather a crew of unexpected allies to take on the nefarious Smithy Gang!

Before Paper Mario™ and Mario & Luigi™, the first Role-Playing Game featuring Mario was this celebrated collaboration between Nintendo™ and the makers of Final Fantasy™, Squaresoft™ (now Square Enix™). Many players hold fond memories of the witty dialogue and colourful characters such as Mallow and Geno.

If you own this title on your Wii™, perform a system transfer from your Wii to your Wii U™ to receive a special upgrade price.

This is the US version of the game.

Soundtrack
The music score was released as a CD only in Japan as Super Mario RPG Original Sound Version. The Super Mario RPG Original Sound Version is a Japan-exclusive soundtrack product that was released on March 8, 1996. All the tracks listed in this page were composed by Yoko Shimomura.

References to other media
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars features many references to other series by Nintendo or Square.
 * Donkey Kong: One action room in Bowser's Keep involves Mario avoiding a Guerrilla who throws barrels, similar to Donkey Kong's behavior in this game.
 * Family Computer Disk System: A toy of the system's mascot, Diskun, makes a cameo appearance in the toy chest at the top of Booster's Tower. This is more clearly seen in the Nintendo Switch's remake.
 * Super Mario Bros.: When Mario walks behind a curtained section in Booster Tower, he emerges as Mario appeared in this game. A soundclip from the game is played, and when he tries to exits the room the 'time running out' sound plays as he shrinks and runs back behind the curtain. If the player uses the bathroom in Marrymore, an arrangement of the game's theme plays.
 * The Legend of Zelda series: Link can be found sleeping in the Rose Town inn after beating Bowyer in the Forest Maze. When talked to, a jingle that is normally heard when a secret is discovered in the The Legend of Zelda series plays, along with a text box displaying: ".....", referencing Link's usual silent role in his games.
 * Metroid series: Samus Aran can be found sleeping in the guest bed of the Mushroom Castle after beating Yaridovich and obtaining the fifth Star Piece, and remains there until the player goes to Bean Valley. When spoken to in the Japanese version, she mumbles「オモロイド」(Omoroido), referencing a Japanese marketing tagline first used for Metroid II: Return of Samus. In the English version, she instead says that she is resting up for Mother Brain, the final boss of Metroid and Super Metroid. A Samus action figure can be found in a toy box in Booster Tower.
 * Culex (and the Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind Crystals) is an optional boss designed to resemble the Final Fantasy bosses. During and after the battle with him, Final Fantasy theme music is played. The music heard is a rearrangement of the Boss Battle theme in  and after the battle, the famous Final Fantasy Victory Theme plays. In the English version, the enemy Bahamutt is named after the powerful dragon.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: The music that plays in the battle against Bowser is a rearrangement of his theme from this game. The background music in Bowser's Keep also features a part of the same theme. Also, some of Grass Land's theme is heard in the flower garden introductory cutscene and for Mario's Pad.
 * Super Mario World: The Koopa Clown Car reappears in the introductory cutscene. When Mario enters the Rose Town inn for the first time, an arrangement of the Ground Theme plays. Another cover of this theme plays when Lulla-Bye is used on a party member. Revealing an enemy's thoughts with Psychopath plays the Message Block sound effect. The crescent moon from Star World is shown in the background of the Star Road during the ending before the credits.
 * F-Zero: Hinopio in the Barrel Volcano has models of Captain Falcon's and Samurai Goroh's spacecraft.
 * : In the Japanese version, is a possible answer to Dr. Topper's question: "What's the first monster you see in the Pipe Vault?" This was replaced by Chompweed in the English version.
 * Star Fox: Hinopio also has a model of an Arwing from the Star Fox series.
 * : "Here Are Some Weapons!" shares a lot of similarities with "Slam Shuffle", the theme of the town of . There is a figure of a on the desk at the entrance of Booster Tower. This is more clearly seen in the remake. Hidon aboard the Sunken Ship shares its English name with a  from this game. Czar Dragon shares its name with an . Its second form, Zombone, shares its name with an, which itself is  in the Final Fantasy series. In the Japanese version,  is a possible answer to Dr. Topper's question: "Who is the ultimate enemy in this adventure?" This was replaced by Goomba in the English version.
 * Stunt Race FX: A toy car that appears similar to the F-Type can be found in a toy box in Booster Tower.
 * Donkey Kong Country: Donkey Kong look-alikes known as Guerrillas and Chained Kongs appear in the Forest Maze and Barrel Volcano and are based on his redesign from this game. The bird on Valentina's head is a homage to Squawks.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: Magikoopa's Psychopath message references the events of the game. His thought is 「キイーッウキイーーッ！　あの時の赤んぼう！？」 (Kiii ukiii! The baby from that time!?) in the Japanese version, which refers to recognizing the adult Mario. His thought is "That's...my child?" in the English version, which instead refers to Bowser, whom he helped raise since a baby.

References in later media

 * Mario Party: Part of the Bowser's Keep theme is rearranged in Bowser's Magma Mountain's.
 * Wrecking Crew '98: Mario's House appears as it does in Super Mario RPG.
 * Mario Tennis: The explosive eggs of Birdo are featured in her ending when she wins a Singles tournament where one comes back down after being shot in the air.
 * Paper Mario: The end credits feature a parade of most of the characters, led by Luigi; this is a reference to the credits of Super Mario RPG. Additionally, throughout Paper Mario, there are many other elements that were lifted from or influenced by this game; for more information, see here.
 * Super Smash Bros. Melee: Peach's side smash attack cycles through a golf club, a tennis racquet, and a frying pan. The Frying Pan is a weapon she can equip and use in battle, purchased as the "Metal Plate" in Moleville. Her dress with the fiery patterns may have been inspired by the Fire Dress armor that can be purchased from Barrel Volcano.
 * Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga: A Geno doll appears in the Star 'Stache Smash minigame. Plus, a short arrangement of the Mario's Pad theme can be heard in the Mario Bros.' House, in the Warp Pipe zones, and the drink selection screen in Starbeans Cafe.
 * Mario Power Tennis: Bowser's Keep appears as it does in Super Mario RPG in the background of Bowser's Castle Court.
 * Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3: The theme for the e-Coin Castle bears a strong resemblance to "Hello, Happy Kingdom!"
 * Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time: One of the Bros. Items is kicking a Koopa shell, akin to Mario's NokNok Shell weapon. The first Cobalt Star shard is found in a Super Mario RPG-style treasure box.
 * Mario Hoops 3-on-3: Peach's Castle appears at it does in Super Mario RPG in the background of Peach Field. Also, this game was developed by the same company after merging with Enix, which the two companies together became known as Square Enix.
 * Mario and the Incredible Rescue: The book features multiple elements from Super Mario RPG, including Kero Sewers, Tadpole Pond and Toadofsky.
 * Super Paper Mario: Star of Seven Shards is named after the seven Star Pieces.
 * Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story: Bowser's Castle and army is taken over again. When being on a particular platform near Bowser's Castle, the character looks at the castle from far, similarly to how Mario does in Super Mario RPG if he goes to Vista Hill. There is a very similar line in this game about Starlow (known as Chippy to Bowser) joining the Koopa Troop.
 * Fortune Street: The Mushroom Kingdom map music (with Princess Peach's Castle in the background) contains a rearrangement of the music from this game.
 * Paper Mario: Sticker Star: Another end credits parade commences. Again, Luigi leads it (only if he was found in all of his locations). Additionally, Bowser swings a Chain Chomp at Mario in a similar manner as this game.
 * Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: A downloadable Mii Fighter costume appears based off of Geno.
 * Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam: The song "Mixed-Up Scramble" has a brief rearrangement of "Goodbye Geno" in the middle of the track.
 * Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Geno appears as both a spirit and a Battle Arena counter icon, and Mallow also appears as a spirit. Chewies and Megasmilax are mentioned in Piranha Plant's Palutena's Guidance. The Mii Fighter costume DLC based on Geno returned in an update alongside Challenger Pack 8.

Trivia

 * The instruction booklet does not list any battle statistics about Princess Toadstool, who is the fifth and final member to join the party.
 * This is the only SNES Super Mario game released outside of Japan not to have European and Australian releases until it was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console years later, although a European/Australian release was considered for July 1996.
 * The Japanese version's copyright year says 1995 on the title screen, even though it was released on March 9, 1996, 65 days before its North American release. This is corrected in the North American version.
 * This is the first Super Mario game with female Toads, prior to recurring ones like Toadette, whom was introduced in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! in 2003.
 * This is the last game whose official Japanese guide was edited by APE inc.; all subsequent guides were edited by the publisher Shogakukan.