Did anyone else pick this up?
I'm a big fan of the original SNES game. As soon as I heard this was coming out, I decided to avoid all info about it and pre-order it. So I was a little surprised, and worried, to find the new chain system and action gauge. But ultimately, those additions are pretty unobtrusive to the original gameplay. They somehow found a way to add a new game mechanic, but without it feeling like it really changed anything. So I'm a fan.
My only critique, I wouldn't even call it a complaint, is that it seems a tad too easy. Now the original SNES game was on the easy side already. But this remake feels like it's even easier. And I'm not even playing the "breezy" mode! One thing that I will admit I like though is you collect frog coins a lot faster. So instead of making me do these time consuming things to get frog coins, I get to enjoy those special items without the hassle. So that's neat. I like how sometimes in a normal battle there will randomly be a special enemy that's tougher than usual. Defeating said special enemy nets you a frog coin.
The game, as a whole, feels largely unchanged. It's almost like having a favorite movie on VHS and then getting to experience a remaster on BD. It feels the same, but looks better. Although there are some little changes peppered in, all of which positive in my opinion. For example, I really like the new level up screen. All of the characters are on a stage, and they sort of do this two-step dance to the music. It's charming, in a typical Nintendo way.
Although one thing I miss is Mario doing his signature peace sign. IIRC, he would do this often in Mario RPG on SNES. But I haven't seen him do the peace sign once on Switch. Instead he take off his hat or something. Why did they change this? Would kids today not know what the peace sign is? Perhaps that's what's missing from the world today. People should bring back the peace sign!
I bought the physical version, of course. I like how the artwork is more or less the original Super Famicom cover. The rest of the world (save for nerds like us) wouldn't be familiar with this cover. And it's funny how it's actually fitting to today's cover style. Not that I'm a huge fan of the boring white minimalist covers, but this one actually works. And the inside cover is really cool, it's the world map. I loved looking at that world map when I was young, so it's nice to see it on the inside cover.
Speaking of the covers... Nintendo offers the original NA SNES cover as a printable download for 30 platinum points... https://my.nintendo.com/rewards/3a786bff145305da
So, anyone else play this yet?
