The new Super Mario RPG box art

Nintendo released the official box art for the new Super Mario RPG remake, opting for a minimalist look with all white background, seemingly losing the castle background and the artwork fans loved from the 1996 release in the Super Nintendo. There is a small secret as to why they went with this look and most people did not realize it.
#supermariorpg #nintendo #nintendodirect

[@kylecook9864]

I hope it secretly turns out to be a reversible cover with the NA art on the other side because that would be so amazing, That way they can pay homage to both covers and everyone is happy.

[@shortguy07]

That would be pretty cool

[@nickmyrick5610]

Just like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze bonus edition

[@michaelsleeman2443]

The Metroid Prime remake had that too, Japanese on the inside and American on the outside, don't know if that's the case everywhere but ye.

[@NintendoMania]

They did it with prime remastered so i am hopeful

[@jumentoqueanima]

Same. Also like 66six.

[@inquizition9672]

Never judge a video game by its box art - Confucius

[@stevenpaul2113]

*Frogfucius There I fixed it.

[@MrVariant]

​@stevenpaul2113 lol good one. Wish froggy was playable in a side story. But yeah this should've had Starman on the cover.

[@NA11081]

The guy that spent hours on the box art: 😭

[@spacebunny_1737]

Definitely a huge fan. Most of the box being a white field is very Final Fantasy (which is very intentional I know) and it’s a look i’ve always adored. Makes the game feel like something special, like an event it even exists.

[@ihateallthethings2683]

So happy Nintendo is finally going to acknowledge one of their best and most underrated characters of all time and it’s Geno

[@monolophosaurus]

One of their best and most underrated characters of all time, and also Mallow

[@Drizzable555]

Geno was owned by Square for many years, hence why Geno disappeared after Super Mario RPG SNES. Square and Nintendo had massive beef because of Final Fantasty VII

[@Kingofslay]

​@@Drizzable555nope, he appeared in superstar saga/jk😮

[@URFTBOUND4LIFE]

​@@KingofslayNintendo still had to credit Square Enix for that cameo

[@wackywert9081]

Should've replaced him with Waluigi 😞

[@happersnippleoi71]

damn they're being really faithful to the og game, trailer and all, im diggin it

[@pyroflare7774]

It's not faithful because they removed Mario's trademarked peace sign

[@NotGabe001]

​@chuggarocks1083Takashi Tezuka was responsible for the peace sign in the Mario games. Miyamoto thought it was kind of childish and didn't want Mario to be known for the peace sign

[@massivegorilla1565]

They should make it like the cover art for new super Mario bros wii where the characters are all there but they’re in a more interesting situation

[@freesulo9877]

no it’s part of the game that they are in that position

[@geox8485]

Nah because that wouldn’t reflect Super Mario RPG, in the New games you are in interesting situations jumping on pipes or flying while in RPG you spend most of the game in that same exact pose

[@imcasualjimm]

NSMB Wii had gorgeous box art lmao

[@curarx1769]

@@imcasualjimmnsmb wii had one of the most bland and basic box arts of its era.

[@imcasualjimm]

@@curarx1769 lol cos Zelda TP was less bland

[@livecoilarchive1458]

I like every box art variant for this game. You can't go wrong with any of them

[@MasterChef-official]

I just love how every single KZbinr brings up Twitter as they were the holy savior because we all know if Twitter isn't happy no one is

[@kumyo]

Now that they know it is the original Japanese art, it is suddenly the greatest art in history…

[@KazShiro]

I still think it's pretty bland but then again it's the same deal with dynasty warriors games in Japan like 7 where it's just a gold background whereas the American version made a more hard-core cover of it.

[@daniellejackson6543]

​@AntiPolandTechDeveloperWhere is the joke? At the store like your father getting the milk?

[@wbgh]

in my opinion the original japanese box art works because it utilizes negative space. this box art is just one big splat of color in the middle

[@roboticskybeast]

@@wbgh so damn true!!!!

[@Gaspe19]

No it still looks bland

[@mrdrybonestv]

I recognized the call back immediately and I love it.

[@Frieowksf1293]

Same

[@MatheoZ14]

same

[@Kinoparapino]

This is a good box art because you can immediatly spot it so you can find it fast

[@ThePerro]

It’s ok - part of the fun of getting physical games are the iconic box art for me. Seems dull but at the end of the day it’s not the worst

[@foundoasis7342]

Still should have had a new rendering of smithy’s castle in the back

[@TheDan37]

I don't care that it's a callback give us cool art

[@EggmanlandResident]

Reminds me of the Mario and Luigi box art. It also was on a white background.

[@tatsumakivee4201]

It's not just the art, either--everyone remembers Mack as the first real boss in the original, the dude on the comically large sword. However in the remake, he is known as Claymorton. This is also a Japanese thing, as this was his name in the Japanese original. I think it's more fitting of a name than Mack, considering 'claymore' is a type of large sword.

[@geoduck23]

I agree that Claymorton is a better name, but they might have been making a pun off the song "Mack the Knife"

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

​@@geoduck23 And the reason why Nintendo changed from "Mack the Knife" to "Claymorton" because they don't want to deal with another lawsuit again. Look at what happened to McDonald's Mac Tonight after Bobby Darin's son sued them.

[@The_Fluffy_Mareep]

I thought it was because it's a rpg game such as Mario and luigi bowsers inside story's original box art

[@turtleanton6539]

This😊

[@QP_lite]

Yeah ikr? I swear people need to stop complaining about box arts we need to be grateful Nintendo is actually remaking this game And when they find out it's japanese art box it's apparently suddenly the greatest art in history

[@supamarioisbeast]

​@QP_lite Never be grateful to a corporation and a product you are spending money on lol. They aren't your friends and they aren't doing any favors.

[@APootisBirb]

​​@@supamarioisbeastI mean, even if it's from a corporation, I prefer when they try making money with cool stuff like this than by doing like everybody else and making generic, low effort F2P hellholes with battlepasses, lootboxes, and gachas (and even then, Nintendo games that do have those mechanics are not half bad). If they're gonna monetarily sodomize me, may aswell give me a good time too.

[@QP_lite]

​@@supamarioisbeastnah man they're doing me a favor by remaking my favorite game off all time and I'm doing them a favor by paying for it, also you don't need to be friends with someone to be grateful i mean look at random willing to help people on the internet, they help you out with your problems and they're not your friends but you'll still be grateful that you got help from them.

[@cking4869]

"Graphic design is my passion" lookin ah

[@BloxxingDinosaurus]

The Rawest Forest remake animated the ending really great by lining up the five characters like on the box art to the last five notes.

[@diggydang7506]

I feel that as a kid that would be the last Mario game I would pick for the switch

[@jonathanmayorga6760]

Bro the simplicity is dope in my opinion

[@Luxembourgish]

Simple is not inherently good. Compare the NA Superstar Saga boxart to the JP Superstar Saga boxart. Logos of the 2000s were far cooler than simplified modern day logos.

[@Luschan]

⁠@@Luxembourgish It’s a matter of opinion. Personally I prefer the minimalism of the original Famicom box design over the SNES one.

[@Thewolfguys.cartoons2000]

The case art feels like a png with just a white background

[@Blueybeak]

it feels so wrong but I kind of like it. a bunch of colorful characters on top of a completely blank background, it feels kind of eerie

[@suhdude6812]

Personally I think it's a cool reference, but would probably have been better as a reversible box art, with the main box art being more action-filled and better looking. At least having the characters in more character-defining poses instead of just A-posing would have been better for a box art.

[@Pumpkinking64]

Nah

[@Negius]

trash opinion

[@brianschott610]

Yah

[@caaltaes732]

They should've gone for a double cover in this case.

[@davymcdave]

Pun intended?

[@j.manimation4673]

looks like a placeholder

[@justadragonnamemarcus1751]

It's actually Looks good

[@moo7662]

I kinda like it tbh. It's simple, and it references past box art.

[@Luxembourgish]

Simple is not inherently good. Compare the NA Superstar Saga boxart to the JP Superstar Saga boxart. Logos of the 2000s were far cooler than simplified modern day logos.

[@Gaminghj]

Mario is such a marketable plushie now even more then before

[@yiskooa6702]

ngl the bg would be better if it were a gradient

[@reactivatedyt9788]

Just like most Mario based games. They will have a really fun inside art. It would be awesome if the inside art that you can switch out is the snes version.

[@icuicyboygaming3634]

To me they got it right because it is a simple cover and plus it is a remake

[@FirstRecords204]

it's just so strange to me that people will correctly feel iffy about the box art, but upon learning that they used something similar before, will suddenly say "oh, that makes it okay then". what!?

[@Mobik_]

as soon as I saw it I was like "Oh! The Super Famicom one!"

[@PFGFrankly]

the inside box art, please have a remaster map of the world on the inside

[@Dremag_Gaming]

Not too bad. They might keep them and add a background

[@Invus1]

"It's not bad, it's just directly inspired by the inferior version of something!"

[@J4CK50N.]

They gotta add the Forest Maze in the background. That’s what made the game look so good.

[@rafaelandradesantos7883]

I like how the white background makes the characters more appealing, and is more friendly towards those who like mario games and are casual players

[@FirstRecords204]

this makes no sense to me. like i don't even understand what you mean. having a background would make the characters less appealing somehow? people who like mario games would prefer to not have a background??

[@rafaelandradesantos7883]

@@FirstRecords204 RPG is still something complex for casual players. By adding too much information in the cover could give that impression. They wanna showcase all the characters and have a blank background gives the feeling of something simple that anyone could play. I mean appealing, because is like they are totally selling the games by the characters, when a player who used to play the old version see the cover, they can tell this is a remake by looking at the characters new model and is not a new paper mario rpg 😂

[@FirstRecords204]

@@rafaelandradesantos7883 thank you for your explanation, i at least understand your thought process now

[@rafaelandradesantos7883]

@@FirstRecords204 thank you for being nice, we can have different opnions and be healthy about it 😄

[@hopebagel215]

Ok I will be ok with this box art IF we can get a reverse cover art in the backside of the game Ik not all games have a reverse cover art but this would be cool to have

[@VancieBoi]

This ain't box art, this is a "what you doin' when my gang pull up?"

[@Darc1972]

okay thats some pretty neat trivia/call back

[@CenturianEagle]

I think it’s fine, it shows that it’s a Mario rpg remake and therefore I’m happy about it, cuz I’ll see it in my collection and think “oh, there’s the Mario rpg remake!” And it’ll give me a little jolt of happiness.

[@coltonk.3086]

I think it'd be cool if it had a reversable cover; one side like this and the other side a recreation of the US boxart

[@Tobias-JK]

That's a pretty neat reference. I guess it can stay.

[@supercamborg4218]

Even if it’s a callback, it still looks like a placeholder in the modern age

[@Elite_Teach]

Honestly Nintendo will probably just offer alternative printable cover art through my Nintendo

[@QP_lite]

Honestly I'm just grateful that Nintendo took time to remake the game, i mean who cares about the box art?? You're probably gonna look at it once and then put it in your shelf

[@MMDTrxsh]

Nobody: The box art: 🦖🧍🏼‍♀️🤥🧍‍♂️☁️

[@PKGangsta18]

As someone who was born in the 80s, was a 90s kid, own the NTSU copy of the game, and knew of the NTSU-J copy's box art, I already knew the reason why the chose that look. And I loved it as soon as I saw it.

[@zanthippegames]

I like the boxart. Its a nice touch to reference the old Famicom artwork. :)

[@OurHeroXero]

The box art could be Clippy asking if I'm interested in extending my vehicle's warranty...it wouldn't stop me from buying/loving this remake

[@clowndraco]

I love your cave story pfp

[@OurHeroXero]

@@clowndraco Thank you ^.^

[@krizthecookingbeaner2567]

Kinda makes it stand out more tbh

[@Smarpy]

That’s what I was thinking too

[@macewindu9100]

not in a good way.

[@kevinsmith163]

​@@macewindu9100 It does stand out in a good way.

[@hmmm713]

I can't help but laugh at the posing of the characters 😂

[@akgfilming]

you can not go this far to try defend it😭

[@jorgecepeda2980]

They should create a new designer cover for the game like a castle in the sword with Mario and others too to make it clear.

[@moonman4914]

No

[@spah_tf2]

wow at first i thought "damn what a downgrade" but now i know about the story im thinking "damn they messed it up 2 times"

[@abraham9835]

I think they should have changed it outside Japan 💀

[@ryanfriscia1132]

It's like that Japanese Final Fantasy box art, you see what's important on a white background. Not for everyone, sure, but I enjoy the restraint.

[@Anthony_Or_Yesno]

Somethings are just meant to stay in the past...

[@thomashernandez6536]

we want the American box art adapted

[@austinmorrison6953]

It’s a cool reference but you still need an interesting cover for your game

[@shelterfromcold8620]

I just thought they were very proud of how good characters looked.

[@EliazzzZZzz]

I think they should have added a background still

[@WeirdMarioBros2024]

It’s Not Bad It’s Good

[@baconboys_1]

It’s cool and looks sleek and is not too crowded

[@renren1551]

Guys you can use the my nintendo platinum pounts to print out the OG box art dont worry

[@monkeybashplush]

For anyone complaining you’ll live it’s a box

[@absolutezerochill2700]

It's still disappointing MegaMan, good game, horrible box art in the US, I'm allowed to complain

[@agentsmith8988]

Amen brother

[@PJRNWY]

@@absolutezerochill2700no complaining you’ll ruin your experience

[@thewafflegamer6152]

We’re out of the minimalist age and we actually want detail now.

[@patrickk___]

I actually like it’s blandness, just the characters standing together is a nostalgic cover for me.

[@SalamiMilk]

All I know is that is there is method to Nintendo's madness in the most miniscule things that can make a massive change for the product.

[@Picy64]

Only real ones like the white background 🗣️

[@oldm9228]

Yeah looks clean and stand out

[@DUGotd]

Since it’s now a nostalgic callback everyone now has a different opinion on it 💀 you people really don’t have a mind of your own 😂

[@Ambipie]

I hope they fill the background with little enemies like a flower patch

[@bigben3106]

Bowser got a huge glow-up.

[@rog4532]

ok well it was bland on the famicom cartridge and its bland here

[@VOAN]

Squaresoft was known to have bland cover arts. Their older Japanese Final Fantasy games had white background too with just the logo and people were okay.

[@nitrocode5966]

I really like that Nintendo brought back the Japan/PAL white background and gave it to everyone for the remake.

[@Geneolgia]

I think what made the OG Japanese cover work was that the characters were standing in a line besides each other because of the horizontal Super Famicom box, meanwhile the Switch vertical box has all the characters crammed together and it looks messy despite the simple white background, the minimalist effect of the original is lost.

[@ScoliosisMan77]

And its definitely not just temporary box art for until it actually gets box art

[@theshinyglaceon5969]

I prefer it this way. Let the nostalgia hit and let everyone just complain. I mean, they'll be playing it anyways 😂

[@heatwave2.0]

They did an alright job and it’s a good callback! People complain about everything and anything

[@Roach_tm]

People act like they’re gonna sit down and watch the box art for hours, on end, every single day of their lives lol

[@SamtheBravesFan]

I can absolutely believe some people didn't think about what the original Japanese box and cart art looked like. The clue to them should have been that they dropped the NA subtitle.

[@ryzekiv7147]

I like how they were truly faithful to the original, and they still can’t win

[@JohnnyRamirez86]

Well thats people ya. Always Complaining lol

[@FirstRecords204]

nobody said the original cover was good!

[@train4292]

@@FirstRecords204I think it’s good.

[@daithiocinnsealach3173]

I think its cool. It puts the updated, quirky designs on full display. It's eye grabbing.

[@cammoore___]

I think it's okay, I like the minimalism, but I think maybe they could do some kind of light blue background or something, just to add a little color into it.😊

[@LucarioShirona]

Considering Square Soft made the OG game, how they did the box art is a lot like how they did Final Fasntasy, the game partially is kinda a FF spin off to a degree. They let the simplistic of the art to tell the story, in this case have Mario, Peach, and Bowser standing side by side with Geno and Mallow. Giving people the impression that they are a team, but why a team? Which means it’s up to the buyer to get the game and find out for themselves. You can thank Caddicarus for explaining the Japanese Box Art for Final Fantasy

[@XplosiveAction]

Bowser is just normal sized lmao

[@original__gmebvy]

I just wish they would add “The Legend of the Seven Stars” branding underneath it or something. We know it’s Mario and that it’s an RPG. The name feels like a placeholder and the fact that there’s no background other than white behind the characters makes it feel like a placeholder

[@strawberrypupper897]

Looks so final fantasy in a way I cannot explain.

[@Godistheway_15]

I thinks its a great call back and really nostalgic

[@BearskiVR]

Wrong bro, this is a direct call back to the official nintendo strategy guide of the game.

[@hectormontes7056]

I find it hard to believe Mario RPG fans wouldn’t get what the box art was going for

[@neltednaka]

Just because it's a reference doesn't mean it stops being bad

[@SimpleSymonds]

I kinda like it, it reminds me of the Mario and Luigi game covers, which kinda fits since this is a new Mario RPG we can play portably

[@bshays21]

as long as the side is white as well, I miss when a few game cases would stand out

[@GruseligerZigeuner]

Gotta love the minimalistic style

[@isaiahabner5783]

It's a nice callback, and I like it for that reason alone.

[@sanda5226]

under normal circumstances i would complain but in this case it fits

[@game84cube]

You know, with the context, it makes more sense