In some ways, Super Mario RPG feels like it throws out the Nintendo rulebook – even if it does start out in familiar territory. Princess Peach is minding her own business when Bowser comes along and kidnaps her. I've seen this scenario play out many times before, and with Mario in hot pursuit, you'd be forgiven for thinking you're about to set out on yet another rescue mission, not unlike the platformers that came before it. But when a new villain known as Exor enters the scene – taking the form of a giant sword – it quickly becomes clear you're in for a different kind of adventure. And this is anything but familiar.
It makes perfect sense, really. This was the very first Mario RPG, and with the plumber making the jump from platformer to action role-playing, you see new sides to characters like Bowser and Peach. Playing out like a series of mini-games and turn-based battles across a world map of locations, you get thrown into a Mushroom Kingdom full of funny NPCs, cheeky jokes, and goofy antics. And as someone who never played the 1996 original, I just can't get over how delightfully odd it all is.
