Super Mario RPG: SNES Vs. Switch - What Are The Differences? All New Features

Super Mario RPG is a remake of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the Super NES, and with it, a whole host of tweaks and changes have been made to the game.

While the Switch version is incredibly faithful to the 1996 game, there are lots of new additions and tweaks that modernise the experience and give fans something new to look forward to.

Here are all of the differences in Super Mario RPG on Switch, compared to the SNES version.

Super Mario RPG: All Version Differences

The Switch remake of Super Mario RPG has made improvements across the board compared to the SNES version. Not everything has aged perfectly in 27 years — almost!

We'll be listing out all of the changes and new content below.

New visuals

The most obvious difference right off the bat is the new visuals in the remake. Super Mario RPG on Switch stays very faithful to the original's art style but it's now in full 3D as opposed to the 3D-esque visuals the Super NES was capable of.

The game is still top-down, and every single inch of the game is visually preserved in the remake. Barely a thing is out of place — it's just a lot more detailed.

Remastered soundtrack

Alongside the new visuals, the second thing that will stand out to fans of the original is the brand new soundtrack.

Rearranged with supervision from the original game's composer Yoko Shimomura, the new music is absolutely fantastic, completely in line with the charm of the SNES game's sounds all while giving it a lovely glow-up. If you don't like it, though, you can swap back to the 16-bit soundtrack if you really want to, anytime you want!

Also, once you've beaten the game, you can access the Sound Player in the Journal section of the menu and listen to all of the music — remastered or original — whenever you want.

New names

One thing fans will notice is that some characters, items, and attack names are different. We won't list them all here, but there are a few notable ones.

The first of which is Princess Peach. Peach wasn't called Peach in Super Mario RPG, she was known as Princess Toadstool, which she'd been known as in the West since 1985's Super Mario Bros. In Japan, she was always known as Peach, but that didn't stick in the West until Super Mario 64. Now, everyone knows her as Peach, so this name change just makes sense.

Some of the bosses have got brand new names, too. Mack is now called Claymorton, while Yaridovich is known as Speardovich. The same goes for some NPCs, such as Frogfucius, who is simply the Frog Sage now.

Items and weapons have also been renamed, too. Kerokero cola is now ingeniously called Croaka-cola, for instance. And one attack has been renamed — Mallow's Thought Peek used to be known as Psycopath...

Difficulty modes

The Switch version allows players to switch between two different difficulty modes.

You can either play the game in Normal, which is the standard difficulty setting for the game. Or, if you're struggling to get through some of the toughest fights, you can play through the game on Breezy. You can change this at any time by going into the System settings in the game menu.

Breezy mode not only makes battles much easier, but you also gain more experience from fights, meaning you'll level up quicker.

Autosave

Super Mario RPG on Switch has an autosave feature. This kicks in every time you enter a new room, so basically, every time you move between areas or go inside houses, the game will automatically save.

It's still worth using the Save Blocks dotted around the world, of course — the Toad at Mario's Pad even suggests you do with an amusing joke — but as long as you see the little symbol in the corner, you know your progress is safe.

Fast-travel

One of the most useful new features is the ability to fast travel in the Switch remake. Pop into the menu at any time during the game and select Map, and you'll be able to scroll through a list of locations that you've already visited.

What's more, some places — such as dungeons — will let you fast-travel to different locations within that place. Handy for some minigames such as the Wall Climb at Land's End.

Quick menu to heal

The quick menu is the place to go to use items and healing spells when you're exploring the world of Super Mario RPG, and you should absolutely use it.

Pressing the 'X' button on the Switch pulls up the Item menu, while 'Y' brings up spells. We recommend using items as much as possible in Super Mario RPG, because they're cheap and easy to pick up as you progress through the game. And this makes the process much quicker.

Item storage box

You can't carry tons of items in Super Mario RPG — you can only have ten Mushrooms on you at once, for example.

However, the Switch remake introduces your Storage, a handy place where, if you go over the item limit cap, your excess items will be stored. You can find out where

Action Command prompts

Action Commands allow you to deal more damage and reduce the damage you take in combat, and in Super Mario RPG on Switch, you'll see a little '!' to help you with your timing.

If you press the action button as this appears, you'll do extra damage to the enemy. Eventually, it will stop appearing as you get better, but if you need a helping hand, it'll reappear eventually.

Damage all enemies

Related to Action Command prompts, if you time your button press perfectly, you'll do damage to every single enemy on screen in the Switch remake.

This is really handy when paired with the enemy status, where you can see how close they are to being defeated. Sometimes, that splash damage is enough to take them down.

Triple Moves

Is it really a remake without flashy new moves and animations? Super Mario RPG on Switch introduces Triple Moves and the Action Gauge.

When the Action Gauge — which is in the bottom left corner of the screen — reaches 100%, you'll be able to use a Triple Move as long as all three of your party members are alive. Every trio has a different Triple Move, and they're all extremely good.

If you don't have a full party? The Gauge can be used to summon a support Toad, who will give you a chance to gain a special effect such as an attack or defense boost.

Chained Attack buffs

Another part of the Action Gauge that's less obvious is the Chained Attack buffs. Every single party member brings a specific party buff to the table, and if you chain together perfectly timed hits, you'll get a passive stat boost for the fight.

You'll see which buffs you've got every time you time your Action Command hits well, as well as whether the buff increases.

Higher coin cap

In the Super NES version of Super Mario RPG, you could only carry 999 gold coins at any one time. That's not the case in the Switch remake, however.

We're not sure what the cap is in the remake, but we've had as many as 4300 coins on our person. So you can easily zoom past that 999 total this time around. we assume the cap this time around is 9999, but we haven't verified that yet.

Help menu in combat

If you're stuck in battle, you can now bring up a little menu which contains tips on how to play through battles in Super Mario RPG.

You can access this by pressing 'B' and then selecting the 'Help' option in the menu during combat. This is good for recapping basic information if you need a refresher.

No more missables

In the SNES version of Super Mario RPG, one of the Hidden Treasures — the one inside the Mushroom Kingdom Castle — is permanently missable.

However, in the Switch remake, this has been changed. While the chest is in the same location, you can jump on another Toad's head at any point during the game. Hooray!

The chests have moved?

Speaking of Hidden Chests, one of these has moved from the SNES to the Switch remake.

In the Forest Maze, there used to be a Hidden Treasure containing a Red Essence right after the second cave sequence. However, on Switch, it's no longer there — it's moved to after the maze section.

Monster List

The Journal has lots of handy little features to help you track your progress, but one of our favourite new things is the Monster List.

This bestiary lists every single enemy in the game, including their weaknesses, items they drop, and — if you've managed to use Mallow's Thought Peek on them — their inner thoughts. You can even check out all of the monster's unique animations.

Post-game bosses

Super Mario RPG on Switch introduces a short post-game, and if it's a challenge you're after, then this is where the toughest content of the game is tucked away.

To access these bosses, you need to first roll credits on the main game. Then you'll need to beat all of the bosses — including the two optional bosses — in the main game. Then you'll be able to take on some tougher fights.

For more help on getting through Super Mario RPG, check out our full Super Mario RPG guide for everything you need.