List of Mario role-playing games
The Mario franchise has inspired a variety of Mario role-playing video games to be released on multiple Nintendo video game consoles. All the games feature Mario as the protagonist, who is often accompanied by one or more playable characters, including existing Mario characters and original characters introduced in each game.
Mario role-playing games | |
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Genre(s) | Role-playing |
Developer(s) | Square, Intelligent Systems, AlphaDream, Ubisoft Milan |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo, Ubisoft |
Platform(s) | Super NES, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, Nintendo Switch |
The first game to introduce role-playing elements into the Mario franchise was Super Mario RPG, developed by Square and released in 1996 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game does not have a direct sequel. Considered to be its thematic and spiritual sequels, two successive role-playing-themed Mario series, the Paper Mario series and the Mario & Luigi series, followed conventions established in the original. The Paper Mario games were developed by Intelligent Systems and are renowned for their distinctive visual styles, and Mario & Luigi games were developed by AlphaDream, all of which appeared solely on handheld consoles. The most recent entries in each series are Paper Mario: The Origami King for Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS game Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.
Single role-playing games
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Release years by system: 1996 – Super NES |
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Release years by system: 2017 – Nintendo Switch |
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Paper Mario series
While the earlier games are considered as traditional role-playing games, newer instalments in the franchise, including Sticker Star, Color Splash, and The Origami King, are action-adventure games with RPG elements.[4][5][6]
Title | Details |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2000 – Nintendo 64 |
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Release years by system: 2004 – GameCube |
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Release years by system: 2007 – Wii |
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Release years by system: 2012 – Nintendo 3DS |
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Release years by system: 2016 – Wii U |
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Release years by system: 2020 – Nintendo Switch |
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Mario & Luigi series
Title | Details |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2003 – Game Boy Advance |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2005 – Nintendo DS |
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Release years by system: 2009 – Nintendo DS |
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Release years by system: 2013 – Nintendo 3DS |
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Release years by system: 2015 – Nintendo 3DS |
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Remakes
Title | Details |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2017 – Nintendo 3DS |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2019 – Nintendo 3DS |
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References
- Minotti, Mike (March 9, 2016). "Beloved Super Nintendo hit Super Mario RPG turns 20 years old today". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- "Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- Schreier, Jason (September 29, 2017). "SNES Classic Games, Ranked". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- Robinson, Andy (July 9, 2020). "Paper Mario: The Origami King May Not Be the RPG Return Fans Were Craving". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- Lien, Tracey (November 29, 2012). "How Paper Mario Sticker Star abandoned the RPG". Polygon. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- Philips, Tom (July 7, 2016). "Paper Mario: Color Splash sheds its RPG roots for an action-adventure with charm". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 29, 2020.