Recently, game developers and publishers have had plenty of “movements” to reach into their history books, pull out games that haven’t been touched or played in a long time, and give them new life. These remasters and remakes have been numerous over the last several years, and we’re already hearing about the ones that’ll arrive in 2024 from multiple companies, such as Nintendo and Square Enix. So it’s ironic that the last major AAA title of 2023 is a remake of the title that those two companies worked together on. We speak of the Super Mario RPG Remake, which just had its review embargo dropped, and critics have made their feelings known about it.
So, what are they saying about the Super Mario RPG Remake? Simply put, they really like it. Currently, it has over 70 reviews on Metacritic, with a score of 83. In other words, just about everyone liked it, with only five reviews being “mixed” in score.
If you look at the positive reviews, you’ll see several common threads. For example, you’ll see that most people praised Nintendo for keeping the charm and wonder of the OG RPG while improving its graphics, music, and gameplay in ways that helped enhance the original title. Some even commented that it’s as good in 2023 as it was 27 years ago when it was first released on the SNES.
While not an insult, some even said the game is more of an “elaborate remaster” than a remake. Why? Because they literally took everything that happened in the old game, kept it, and just upgraded things a little to make it feel like a modern title. Another reviewer picked up on that thread and said that if you put the two game versions side-by-side, you’d hardly notice the differences between them outside of the graphical updates.
But while some pointed that out, nearly all didn’t mind it. They instead noted how this would give new gamers a chance to have fun with an all-time classic and experience in a way that would feel new while still being a classic title from a bygone era.
Yet, that is also why it has some “mixed” reviews. A few reviewers called out how Nintendo “played it safe” with the remake and merely fixed certain small things while giving the game a facelift and nothing more.
No matter what you feel about it, the game seems to be an excellent way to end 2023, and you can get the remake on the 17th.
