Before Paper Mario and the Mario & Luigi series, there was the 1996 SNES title, Super Mario RPG. If you've ever wondered about a possible sequel, you're not alone. In fact, Chihiro Fujioka - one of the game's directors is also up for it.
In a recent interview with the YouTube channel MinnMax, Fujioka not only spoke about the development of Super Mario RPG on the Super Famicom but also mentioned how he would be open to a follow-up and would like to make that his "final" game.
Question: "Were you eager to get your hands on a Mario RPG again at some point in your career?"
Chihiro Fujioka: "Yeah, I would absolutely love to make one...yeah, so in my career, I've been involved in a lot of games and I would really like my final one to be another Mario RPG game, if possible..."
He elaborated on this a little more, but also mentioned how he wanted to keep his story ideas a "secret":
"yeah, I would like to go back and create a Mario RPG (different from Mario & Luigi) where you're only controlling Mario..."
Chihiro has previously worked on EarthBound, the Mario & Luigi series at AlphaDream, and Super Mario RPG and the Final Fantasy series while at Square.
Last March, Super Mario RPG celebrated its 25th anniversary. Is it about time we got a follow-up? Leave a comment below.
[source youtu.be]
Comments (47)
Do it! I would pay!
....Super Mario RPG, HD-2D version? I never played any of those types of games (not a huge Square RPG fan honestly) but they do look nice.
Mallow and Geno has been gone from our lives for too long. Make it happen Nintendo and Square Enix.
It'd be cool if they made a new Paper Mario that's more similar to the older games with this guy directing it. Super Mario RPG 2 would be really awesome but I doubt they'll do it.
It sure would be great if Mario RPG would be on the SNES app.
Remaster TTYD on Switch first to solve the problem of inflated price TTYD Gamecube version.
It would be nice if I could play it on the SNES app you know.
I was really looking forward to Super Mario RPG 2 when it was announced for Nintendo 64. Later that game became Paper Mario. It was a great game but I would like a true sequel.
A nice start would be putting it on the nso
Please make it happen Nintendo. PLEASE. Mario RPGs are dead now. The Mario & Luigi series is dead. Paper Mario hasn't been an RPG or good for years. We need another proper Mario RPG
@somnambulance @Snatcher @Moonlessky Unfortunately, that's on Square, not Nintendo. Square seems to own the rights to Super Mario RPG, and they don't seem interested in the Switch Online apps since they're just doing standalone eShop releases for their older games. If you have a Wii U, it's on Virtual Console there (also on the SNES Classic Edition for anyone who has that), but I do hope Nintendo can work something out with Square to get it on Switch in some form. The more retro JRPGs that are available on modern devices, the better in my personal opinion.
@ReaperMelia
If Square rather have their games on eShop I’m fine with that. But they still haven’t put Final Fantasy 1-6, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest 4-8 on the eShop yet let alone Super Mario RPG.
I actually own the first super Mario RPG on my wii!
Hopefully they make it available on the snes service and make a new one! 😃
I think we would all love a true Super Mario RPG again. Paper Mario to me personally died after Super Paper Mario. I haven't been impressed with the Paper Mario games in recent years at all and Origami King was the final nail in the Coffin. Unless they make a game that everyone has been asking for next time then I'm not interested anymore.
Super Mario RPG 2 Legend of the 8 Stars, with Luigi, confirmed!
A new Super Mario RPG announcement would excite me more than just about any conceivable video game announcement ever. I mean, in a sense the Mario and Luigi games are spiritual successors, considering they're made by the same people, but still...
Highly recommend checking out the channel MinnMax that produced this interview. GREAT content!
I would love to see a new Mario RPG since Mario&Luigi and AlphaDream are dead and Paper Mario has changed its genre.
Super Mario RPG is still the best one, there is no convincing me otherwise.
Do it! Make my entire decade.
@Don I agree those should all be added too, just clarifying that Super Mario RPG is up to Square as well. I think we'll see the FF Pixel Remasters come to Switch soon, they probably just want to give them a little more time on Steam/mobile before putting them on another platform (they know people will buy them again on Switch). I think Chrono Trigger and at least DQIV-VI will come over as well, they're just taking their time for whatever reason.
I'd LOVE to see a new original Mario RPG, something that can actually fill the the shoes M&L, Classic PM, and SMRPG left behind.
@ReaperMelia
When the timing is right, I'm optimistic that Nintendo and Square(-Enix) will come down to some ideas. After all, aside from the ridiculous cloud (and not Cloud) releases on the Switch, they seem to have pretty good relations to the point of having a Kart racer exclusive (well, at least on consoles) to the Switch.
@ModdedInkling Square Enix is a bit of a weird case because of how many internal teams/studios it has and how each one seems to have a different relationship with the Switch. The Kingdom Hearts team is definitely the worst with its support given the abysmal cloud ports, but most of their series seem to be seeing varying levels of committal and success on the Switch. I hope someone will step in for Super Mario RPG in some form soon, though I do agree it'll likely happen at some point. I remember the game took a long time to come to Wii and Wii U as well. And hey, if Radical Dreamers of all things is coming to Switch, anything's possible!
All these "would love to" articles and none of it will come true most likely. Sad times!
How about RPGs for Wario, Luigi, Peach, and Waluigi? Their own chapters or even their own games? Kingdom Battle shows they all can do well in a tactical rpg.
I’d like to see a number of things from Nintendo/Nintendo related, doesn’t mean it’ll happen though.
Where’s this guy working now?
Eh... a Mario RPG that's just involving Mario as a controllable character doesn't sound particularly interesting, especially with what Mario and Luigi was, and how it perfected Mario's dynamic with his brother. I'd much rather Nintendo try and get a revival on the go for Mario and Luigi, without ruining what made Mario and Luigi great in the first place. Sadly, I don't think this'll happen, and if they do revive the series, Nintendo will probably kill the creativity that those games brought.
Super Mario RPG for NSO!
This would be so cool
I've never clicked with the Mario & Luigi games and am still salty at Miyamoto killing off the RPG side of Paper Mario. That said, I'd go back in a heartbeat to a new Mario RPG-like game
10 year old me would see this and think "Oh boy, Paper Jam 2!!"
And to this day I think I sequel to Paper Jam where you're in Paper Mario's world could work somehow.
I would really love Nintendo to make another Paper Mario like the first two in the series (N64, TTYD) first, but another Super Mario RPG would be really nice and great as well. Hope it can happen sometime!
Pleeeease Sqeenix, give us Geno and Mallow back! Or at least sell the rights to Nintendo or something! Those characters are too awesome to be put away in storage for eternity
PREORDERS WHEN!?!?!
@gaga64 He was at Alphadream.
I'd question people's excitement when this guy along with the rest of Alphadream managed the impossible and killed off a Mario series.
Give me Geno and Mallow and I’m in
Let's hope the guy's wish comes true.
@Dr_Lugae honestly, I think it was Nintendo pushing ludicrous ideas onto the latter releases that killed them. “Just do remakes on the 3DS well after the Switch is out”, “Remake a game you can already play on the same console”, and , “make all the NPCs generic Toads” being prime contenders.
If Nintendo doesn't make one, I'll make one myself /hj
If M&L is effectively dead, I'd rather have another SMRPG than another PM. PM has done the job for many years, but I always felt it was an apologetic "here's Mario in an RPG (minus Squeenix)" type of series anyway, and it's starting to jump the shark a bit now... So bring it on.
@gaga64 I doubt Nintendo could make a company they don't own make games against their own will.
When's the last time Nintendo published four similar Mario games on the same system from the exact same series that play and look the same?
Never because it'd cause extreme player burn out, they're careful and make sure games like NSMB are 1 per system. AD were hung by the own petard by being a one trick pony, Miitopia came out in 2017 just like SSS remake and Miitopia sold over a million.
Players were still looking for RPGs on 3DS at that point but AD had burned players out on samey Mario & Luigi games. They'd probably have done better w/ a new IP or Tomato Adventure.
@Dr_Lugae true, we don’t know whose decision it was to remake 2 older M&L RPGs, and do it on 3DS rather than Switch. But the Generic Toads point definitely came from Nintendo trying to tighten their leash.
@gaga64
In the case of remakes in modern times Mario has next to none, there's ports and collections like 3DAllstars. But the last internal Nintendo remake of a Mario game would have been 2004s Super Mario 64DS.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2019/11/miyamoto_would_rather_focus_on_new_nintendo_experiences_than_old_ones
In the case of the characters thats not what the developer interviews said for Paper Jam. They said they initially planned characters between both series but it ended up convoluted and changed it themselves.
Though considering AD were cited to have massive growing debt I suspect Dream Team had steep development costs and loans that were never paid back.The level of production in that game was ridiculous.
They needed quick games to attempt to claw back the money. That's why most of PJ'S characters are reused from DT and Paper characters were 3D models straight from Sticker Star to cut costs. Same with the remakes would be even quicker to develop.
If they got into millions of debt making 3DS games. I think making a big HD Mario&Luigi game for Switch that surpasses even Dream Teams visuals would have been even less likely to save them than the 3DS remakes.
Super Mario RPG is in my Top 5 Favourite Games of All Time!!! I’ve long been wishing for a true proper sequel or IP revival.
Maybe even a spin-off like Super Luigi RPG! Ever since Luigi would talk about his off-screen side-adventures in the first 2 Paper Mario games as an NPC, I've always wanted a fully-fledged Paper Luigi or Super Luigi RPG game!
I'm thinking of an adventure-RPG (with some light platforming) game featuring the B-tier, lesser heralded members & locations of the Mario universe... Luigi & Daisy exploring her Kingdom of Sarasaland up against Tatanga (Game Boy- Super Mario Land lore), Waluigi, Birdo, Nabbit, King Boo, Captain Toad & others as side characters and/or sub bosses. Maybe some old acquaintances from previous make appearances too like Mallow, Bombette, Professor E. Gadd etc.
Think it could make for a cool game. Luigi needs his own adventure where he steps up and is not a frail scaredy bros.
On a random semi-related tangent, another idea is I think Nintie should make Super Mario RPG 2 and explore family trees, ties & backgrounds whilst introducing new characters. Finally we meet Bowser’s Sr. & his Mrs. Bowsette perhaps? Mario & Luigi’s parents. Explore the Wario, Waluigi connections. Meet King & Queen Peach. Why does Rosalina look like Princess Toadstool? Is Wart Bowser’s cousin? And still bring back beloved series creations like Geno, Mallow, Booster & Boshi of course. Would be so fun!!!
... Wun can only hope.
Not only would a Sequel be Incredible, but a HD Remaster of the Original would be Incredible for Nintendo Switch!
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