Super Mario RPG Remake New Features and Differences

The Super Mario RPG Remake for Nintendo Switch has many new features and differences compares to the original Super Mario RPG released for the Super Nintendo. While some features (like the original music) can be toggled, others either seek to clarify, contextualize, or help new players acclimate to the game.

See the list below for a list of all the known new features in Super Mario RPG Remake:

Action Command and Timed Hits

A feature that was present in the original game, players can press A right before an attack lands to deal extra damage to opponents, or press A (or B) to reduce incoming damage right before the attack lands.

In the Super Mario RPG Remake, there are new effects and indicators to help players with completing Action Commands and Timed Hits. Most notably, you'll be shown a quick?! indicator that helps you learn exactly when to press the button to increase the effects of timed hits. After you start to learn the pattern, the?! will stop appearing until you miss it a few times.

In addition, there are two tiers to timed hits: Pressing the button close to the correct time will increase damage you deal, and greatly reduce damage received. However, if you press the button at the exact right time, you'll not only deal more damage, but also deal splash damage to other enemies as well. In the same way, pressing A to block incoming damage at the right time will now negate all damage entirely as a blue shield appears.

Triple Attacks

In addition to the new changes to Action Commands and Timed Hits, you'll find that making successful timed button presses both when attacking and defending will increase your Action Gauge in the corner of the screen. The more successful action commands you complete in a row, the more bonuses you'll get that increase the rate your gauge is filled, and also giving buffs to various stats depending on who is in the party.

Once the Action Gauge has been filled to 100%, you'll be able to use a Triple Attack to unleash a powerful move. While in the early part of the game, having less than 3 members of your party will only summon Toad to give you a random power-up. Once you have at least 3 party members, you'll be able to unleash powerful abilities depending on who is in the party: Having Mallow and Geno will let you deal a large amount of damage to enemies, while having Mallow and Peach will give your party a full heal instead!

Storage and Autosaves

In the original game, you could only save your progress by jumping on Save Point blocks to save your game to one of three files. While this feature still exists, Super Mario RPG Remake also has an autosave feature that routinely saves your progress when entering new areas, so you don't always need to use Save Points if you don't want to.

You'll also now have access to a Storage Box, located in Mario's Pad at the start of the game. While in the original game you were limited to what item limits you could carry in your immediate inventory, the remake will automatically send excess quantities straight to you Storage Box, and pull from the box when your inventory is low.

Party Swapping Mid-Battle

Though the original game allowed characters not in your immediate party to gain experience and level up, you could not swap out party members on demand. However, the Remake allows you to not only swap out a character in your party for someone on standby, but they'll also be able to perform an action on that same turn. This will let you bring in a character for emergency healing, exploit weaknesses, and even set up a different Triple Attack.

This even works when one of your party members has been knocked out a 0 HP, or is under certain status effects like Sleep, allowing you to quickly swap in an able character without having to waste a turn reviving or curing effects - though the character you sub out will retain their status effects for the rest of the right.

The Echo Signal Ring

In the SNES version of Super Mario RPG, you could eventually find a Signal Ring late in the game that would alert you to areas where Hidden Treasure Chests were located. Now in the Super Mario RPG Remake, you'll get the Signal Ring early on in Mushroom Kingdom.

In place of where the Signal Ring used to be, you'll now gain the Echo Signal Ring in Nimbus Land, which will ping you the closer you get to the actual invisible chest.

Post Game

After completing the main story, you can have a "Clear Save File" with a gold star that denotes you have completed the game. Though you will be placed right back before the final battle, you'll be able to unlock new challenges for harder Postgame Bosses, which are tough remixes of previous bosses you've defeated.

Completing the story also unlocks a Sound Player, and Play Report of your best scores and how many Hidden Treasures you've found, plus more!

Other New Differences

• A new Scrapbook will now show important plot points from your adventure, written by different members of your party.

• The Monster List will showcase every enemy and boss you've encountered, and using Mallow's Thought Peek (formerly called Psychopath) will also show you enemy weaknesses and their thought bubbles.

• The first Hidden Treasure in the game located in the Mushroom Kingdom Castle used to provide only one chance to reach it when following Toad inside. Now you can return to the area to find more Toads wandering around to use to jump to it.

• The Hidden Treasure and Save Point located in the Forest Maze right before the maze itself has now been moved, and is located at the entrance to the boss area on the other side of the maze you follow Geno through.

• Certain item names and descriptions have been updated with clearer names and uses:
  • The B'Tubb Ring is now called the Nurture Ring, and better hints at its true use.
  • The Hammer sold in Monstro Town that had a "Lucky" property is now more accurately called the Lucky Hammer.