Nintendo fans, get hyped: Mario is back and looking stumpier than ever in a remake of a classic Super Nintendo title, Super Mario RPG, coming this fall.
The surprise announcement of the Super Mario RPG remake hit during the middle of today’s Nintendo Direct, sandwiched between other big announcements like Detective Pikachu Returns and new footage of Pikmin 4.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was originally released for the SNES in 1996. It’s a departure from the classic platforming Mario gameplay, instead leaning into turn-based combat and storytelling a la JRPGs like Final Fantasy.
And that’s by design. The original game was developed by Square, the makers of the Final Fantasy franchise, so the game was almost like a Final Fantasy game with a Mario paint job.
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The game looks to be a one-to-one remake of the original title, albeit with some snazzy new graphics, seemingly in the same vein as the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl games released a few years ago.
The art style is similar, too, with Mario and other characters featuring a delightfully stumpy, chibi-like design. This may be hit or miss with some fans, but you can’t deny the cuteness.
The best news about the announcement is that the game’s release date is just around the corner. Super Mario RPG is set to release on the Nintendo Switch on Nov. 17.
