Comparison of Super Mario RPG on Nintendo Switch and SNES: differences, graphics and FPS

The Nintendo Switch is about to get one of the most highly regarded games of the plumber in history, Super Mario RPG, in the form of a complete remake of the original adventure. Now with 3D graphics that still respect the original’s artstyle and charm, fans have gone ahead and compared the upcoming release with the SNES version to see the quality of the re-release.

Done by GameXplain, this comparison puts the exact same scenes of the game side by side for both versions of the legendary Square/Nintendo RPG. and honestly, the results speak for themselves: we’re talking about a remake that only brings the game into the modern era, without unnecessary changes or alterations to its style.

Differences between Super Mario RPG on Nintendo Switch and SNES

As seen in the video above, there really aren’t that many differences between the original and the remake. The developers went to great extents to make sure that this new version of the title stayed true to the SNES game, only making sure that the toy-like designs of the RPG were correctly translated to this new version.

In fact, while the 3D animation is much more fluid, it retains its bounciness and charm that transformed the Mushroom Kingdom and many new characters for the first time. This is probably thanks to the fact that all of those designs had already been made in 3D during their concept stage, before being converted into 2D sprites during development, as that was a common technique back in the SNES era.

One of the main differences you can find is that while everything in the original happened “in-game”, with a fixed camera angle at all times, this time certain moments have been converted into cinematic cutscenes. We get zoom-ins, close-up shots, and a much more dynamic camera that helps give specific moments in the story a lot more impact.

Super Mario RPG releases exclusively for the Nintendo Switch tomorrow, November 17, 2023.