Back in 2023, a remake of the original Super Mario RPG was released for Switch. This was mostly a visual and audio overhaul of the original to bring it up to modern standards, with the story, characters and gameplay generally remaining the same as the SNES original.
However, there were still a few interesting mechanical additions too. These include Gauge Moves which let all three active characters team up against the enemy, postgame rematches against various suped up bosses, and some extra quality of life features to make things less frustrating overall.
These made the remake the definitive version to play, and put it far above the SNES one in almost every way.
But now fans seem to have evened the score. Why? Because a patch for the original game has now been released that adds all this content to the SNES title too! Take a look:
Yeah, it’s got everything you’d ever expect here. All the Switch version’s postgame bosses are here, complete with the attacks and mechanics that make their fights so interesting. Various characters have new weapons and items, including those usually given by beating said postgame battles…
Plus, those trio-based Gauge Attacks are present and accounted for too! We’re not sure exactly how they work given that the trio gauge itself isn’t present here, but they seem to be visible in the trailer anyway.
Of course, there were some things that didn’t make it over, and some minor features from the original that had to be cut to compensate. For example, the dialogue is still that from the SNES version, at least outside of the new scenes and boss rematches added by this mod.
So, it’s still Mack, Yaridovich and Frogfucius rather than Claymorton, Speardovich and the Frog Sage. Given the reactions these names had among the fanbase, we doubt anyone will be too bothered by those omissions.
Meanwhile a few tutorials had to be axed to fit the new content. These include the tutorials for timed hits, flower points and switching allies, as well as the opening demo and a few short scenes from the Sunken Ship dungeon. This is somewhat less ideal, but also not a game breaker, given that most people playing a ROM hack like this will probably be familiar with the original’s game mechanics.
Either way, there’s now a Super Mario RPG demake that adds a lot of the Switch content into the original, and you can play it now by clicking the download link underneath the trailer on YouTube. It works pretty well when paired with this MSU-1 hack to add the remake’s music too!
Source:
Super Mario RPG Demake Project – Official Release Trailer (YouTube)