To the surprise of many, Nintendo’s June 2023 Direct saw the announcement of a remake for the SNES classicSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Although the retro classic represented a noticeable hole in the Nintendo Switch Online SNES library, no one could have predicted that it would be given a total makeover that’s still faithful to the sprites of the original.Super Mario RPGwill now be a major holiday 2023 release for Nintendo.
It’s a good thing too, asMario RPGfans have been feeling underrepresented for a while.Paper Mario: The Origami Kingwas a good time, but it wasn’t the return to traditional RPG gameplay and worldbuilding thatMarioRPG fans loved. With thedeveloper behind theMario & Luigiseriesgoing under, it seemed like there was no path forward for the older RPG titles and their expandedMariocasts. Fortunately, theSuper Mario RPGremake defies this fate, and will bring plenty of beloved one-offs like Boshi, Booster, and Mallow back into the fold. In fact, fans are already hoping that the return of one particular main character will finally net them a spot on the nextSuper Smash Bros.roster: Geno.
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Geno Remains The White Whale of Super Smash Bros.
Some members of the extended Nintendo community have joked aboutSuper Smash Bros.fans' constant character requests. It’s true there’s a lot of them, but that’s because the impossible crossover nature of the series inspires hope that few othercrossover-oriented properties besidesFortnitedo. Over the years, theSmashcommunity has had a number of characters that they are particularly keen on seeing in the playable roster. By the end ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s support, just about all of these were represented in some fashion, but not necessarily in the way fans wanted.
Characters like Ridley and Banjo made it in as fighters, but others like Shovel Knight and Waluigi were consigned to Assist Trophy roles. Many more became Spirits, but what some fans grew to see as the greatest disrespect were Mii Fighter outfits. Some likeSans and Cuphead’s outfitsgot extra love and an additional song, but most were just costume pieces with no gameplay benefit. Various common requests likeNo More Heroes' Travis Touchdown and Lloyd fromTales of Symphoniabecame outfits, but the one that stung the most wasSuper Mario RPG’s Geno.
A puppet possessed by a star, Geno has amassed a small but dedicated following thanks to how radically different he is from every otherMariocharacter. It’s mostly based around his appearance and penchant for firearms, as well as standing out more compared to theother originalSuper Mario RPGparty member Mallow. Requests for Geno to joinSmashpredated the release ofSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, and they only got louder over time. With Geno not in anything besidesSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, fans were dying to see this character get the recognition he deserves.
TheSuper Mario RPGremake offers a chance for that. Nintendo and Square Enix have finally gotten around to picking their famedMarioRPG collaboration back up, and there’s no telling where that could lead. Even if thenextSuper Smash Bros.game is very differentfrom all the others, it would still be vindicating to see Geno make his way into the roster. With any luck, theSuper Mario RPGremake will kindle a new generation’s passion for the character, and Geno can finally be playable in a different game.
Super Mario RPGwill launch November 17, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
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