If there is one thing that Square seem to be really good at, it is meeting people in random places or nailing a bizarre deal with another company. In this case, Square were asked by Nintendo to create an RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy but starring the iconic red plumber Mario. Set in the Mushroom Kingdom, Square stuck to the same themes as developed into the Super Mario games and has Princess Toadstool kidnapped by Bowser. Dragging fans of both Mario and Final Fantasy in the mix, they then created an entirely new enemy named Smithy who using a giant sword destroys the Star Road. Mario goes on a quest to defeat Smithy, eventually teaming up with Bowser himself to stop the evil blacksmith. The game stuck to the turn-based battle system of Final Fantasy, but simplified it in many ways to open the game up to the younger Mario fans. The result was surprisingly brilliant with the game introducing the idea of timing a move correctly to increase the damage on the enemy - a feature later used in Squalls gunblade attack in Final Fantasy VIII. Many developers may have been put off by the restraints of such a large video game character, one who was more well-known than anything Square had done previously. But under the watchful guise of Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong-creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the job was not only complete, but it was also some of the best work Square had ever done. It was an RPG that almost usurped their very own key franchise from the top of many top RPG lists, boosting their standing with Nintendo and affirming them as a truly heavyweight developer.
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I am a middle aged Yorkshireman obsessed with Bad Religion, The Simpsons, movies and anything to do with gaming. I love everything to do with Final Fantasy, Metal Gear and will hold a discussion with anyone about anything in games.
