For a long time, theSuper Mariofamily of games has found surprising success in the field of RPGs. The RPG genre is pretty far from the core platforming fare ofSuper Mario,but the stories and adventures made possible by the colorful Mushroom Kingdom meanSuper MarioRPGs actually work pretty well. For many years, Nintendo produced theMario and Luigiline of JRPGs, as well asPaper Mario, lettingMariofans get a taste of turn-based action. Long before those franchises came to be, though, there wasSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars,the SNES title that first brought RPG mechanics to theSuper Mariofranchise.
It’s been a long time sinceSuper Mario RPGcame out, and it remains an acclaimed title with tons of fans. While it hasn’t received a sequel, it has lived on through otherMarioRPGs. Unfortunately, theseMariofranchises have fallen by the wayside or dropped many of their RPG elements, raising questions about the genre’s future in theMariobrand. Nintendo may already have the perfect solution, however;Super Mario RPG’s director Chihiro Fujiokasays he’d like to develop a sequel to the game. A trueSuper Mario RPGsequel seems like the perfect way to restore RPG play toSuper Mariowhile supporting the Switch in its later years.
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The Need for a Super Mario RPG Sequel
For many years,Mario and LuigiandPaper Mariohave carried the RPG mantle for theSuper Mariobrand, but times have changed.Mario and Luigideveloper AlphaDream declared bankruptcy in 2019 due to poor revenue after some games got lukewarm receptions. Without AlphaDream, there’s no clear developer forMario and Luigigames, meaning the series is dormant for now.Paper Mariois still going strong, as evidenced by 2020’sPaper Mario: The Origami King,but the series has vastly trimmed down its RPG aspects, opting for a more action-adventure model. Without these two franchises filling the space, Nintendo has a major untapped market ofMarioRPG fans on its hands.
The long-term status of the Switch also creates some need for aSuper Mario RPGsequel. Even though the Switch is more than five years old now, Nintendo says that it wants tokeep working with the Switchfor a few more years, meaning it needs to produce some highly compelling games to make up for the technological gap that’s opening up between itself and its competitors at Microsoft and Sony. Something as nostalgic as aSuper Mario RPGsequel sounds like a perfect game to join the Switch lineup in the console’s late years.
Preparing for Super Mario RPG 2
Super Mario RPGmay be over 25 years old, but thanks to the Switch, it can still be a very relevant game.Nintendo Switch Online’s libraryof NES and SNES games is crucial to the Switch’s overall lineup.Super Mario RPGhasn’t joined that library yet, but if Nintendo decides to start making a sequel, it could addSuper Mario RPGto NSO to generate interest among both youngMariofans and nostalgic fans from the SNES era. With the first game available in that way, anyone could enjoySuper Mario RPG 2.
For now,Super Mariofans will just have to wait and see if Nintendo decides to act on Chihiro Fujioka’s hopes. The original game clearly still has its fans, consideringhow many people still adamantly love Geno, but it’s hard to say who exactly would develop the sequel, aside from Fujioka. Nintendo doesn’t generally develop RPGs internally. It’s possible that Nintendo would team up with Square Enix again to makeSuper Mario RPG 2,or maybe it would attempt to hire previous AlphaDream developers to make the game. Regardless of Nintendo’s approach, though, adding Fujioka’s interest and lasting fan enthusiasm to the state of the Switch andMarioRPGs makes it clear thatSuper Mario RPG 2is a game worth making.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Starsreleased in 1996 for the SNES.
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