One of the best 16-Bit RPGs.The first Mario RPG and first game to merge the charm of the Mario universe with RPG element
Super Mario RPG LoT7S was released back in 1996 and was the first Mario RPG.
It's story is presented in a way that is charming and so it creates suspense.Like in most Super Mario stories,Bowser has kidnapped Peach except early into the story Mario is already at Boswer's castle and is in a battle with Bowser in an attempt to rescue Peach.I won't reveal what happens next but a major plot twist comes into the story and the new villains and new characters that come into the story add good new twists to the story.Mario and some allies need to find 7 star pieces that are needed to repair a star road which is required to grant wishes.Of course the bad guys will be after the 7 star pieces too and Mario and his allies will need to stop them.Other things happen in the story that add suspense and are enjoyable to watch and the characters in the game are charming too.The game's story isn't deep but it doesn't need to be because it's not an emotionally driven and it's the type of story that's better suited for not being complex(unlike with a Final Fantasy type story)but the story is enjoyable and that's the main thing.
For romance buffs,Mario will be trying to rescue his love Peach(more than one time)in the game and I like how the other characters play important roles at some time(Mario,Bowser,Geno,Smithy)all play important roles in the story.
As for the game play,the battle system is turn-based but has features that allow you to do button presses that give attack/defensive boosts if you press the buttons at the correct time and it's possible for a character to receive an extra turn after they defeat an enemy.Otherwise it's a traditional turn-based RPG battle system with basic attacks,special attacks,spells and it encourages you to think defensively sometimes and not just offensively.You'll upgrade armor(which is really character clothing)and level up.
The environments have lots of little dungeon style layouts,nothing confusing but you'll need to explore lots of underground areas and rooms for the correct path or for a key to a door.
I like how the game play has platforming style segments which require you to execute platforming jumps while dodging fireballs(just like in the Mario platformers).Honestly the platforming game play could have been implemented a little bit better because the isometric view makes the platforming section feel less fluid and I would have liked it if the platforming segments were done in a side scrolling type of way but still it's nice the designers made the effort to add something new and it makes the game more fun because it offers game play variety and because it made me feel the Super Mario platforming style charm in between battles and exploring environments.
The game's difficulty is quite easy if you know the weaknesses of the enemies and you level grind,especially since there's no hard dungeons but I think the lack of difficulty suits the game since it's meant to appeal to all ages.Also the game is quite short(should take between 12-15 hours depending on how fast you progress).
Like I've said the visuals are presented in an isometric view.The characters and environments to have a nice 3D effect to them.For 16-Bit standard the visuals are outstanding and very detailed and the characters and enemies and environmental objects look 3D.The art style for the environments are charming too.I love the way the castles look(inside and outside)and there's nice colorful scenery and beautiful use of bluish and yellow colors for star road.The vegetation in the jungles have beautiful 3D effects for the palm trees that make them look almost realistic which is amazing since it's a SNES game.
There is other little things I like such as how some enemies will be apes that look like Donkey Kong and how on the cut scenes the characters look kinda like 3D model people and not like pixel people.
I like how the game uses music and sound effects from Super Mario world as well as some of it's own music.
Overall Super Mario LoT7S is one of the best 16-Bit RPGs and one of the best games from the 16-Bit gen,it combines the charm from the Super Mario universe(and Nintendo universe)very well with the RPG genre and this game is one of the most fun 16-Bit games I've played and set a precedent for numerous great Super Mario RPGs to be released later after it.