1996 was a big year for the SNES, with lots of trailblazing games and instant classics being released for the fourth generation of consoles. One often overlooked example isSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, but a recent interview with the game’s director has led to discussions about a potential sequel.
Super Mario RPGwas the first Mario RPG, developed by SquareSoft and directed by Chihiro Fujioka. 25 years on,it is frequently considered the best Mario RPG, and it’s no surprise that the director has teased the possibility of spawning a sequel for modern consoles and gamers due to the high level of nostalgia surrounding the classic game.
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In an interview with the YouTube channel MinnMax, Chihiro Fujioka mentioned his desire to directSuper Mario RPG 2, among other things. He elaborated on the origins of the original game, confirming that his experience with coding the action sequences forSuper Mario RPGmakes it his most “hands-on” game of his career. When questioned about the future of Mario RPGs, Chihiro stated: “In my career, I’ve been involved in a lot of games and I would really like my final one to be another Mario RPG game, if possible.” Due to the close ties between Fujioka andShigeru Miyamoto, it is a possibility for the two to discuss a new RPG project
Fujioka had previously worked on other RPGs such asEarthbound, theMario and Luigiseries, and also the earlyFinal Fantasygames, but his ambitions for a sequel would be more direct and streamlined for a wider audience. “I would like to go back and create and RPG where you’re only controlling Mario,” says Chihiro, hinting at a new storyline and even playstyle similar tothe well-aged classic RPGPaper Mario.Super Mario RPGis built around five playable characters with different magic and powers, so an RPG with Mario working solo would be a step in a new direction for the franchise.
While this does sound like a promising venture for the acclaimed director, it’s a big step and unlikely to actually reach development point. Fujioka mentioned in the interview that there were multiple creative ideas in the past he liked that were never made, andhis previous company AlphaDream declared bankruptcy in 2019, markingBowser’s Inside Storyas its final game.
It would be a delight if Chihiro Fujioka was able to breathe life to the series again with another retro-style RPG centered around Mario, either as a director or composer. With 25 years of history behind it, Nintendo fans await the potential reveal of a sequel.
