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Discussion Super Mario RPG or Paper Mario TTYD?

Which one should I get?

  • Total voters
    103
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Like the title says. I've never played either of these acclaimed games, but I'm interested in changing that by getting one of the Switch remakes. With that in mind, should I go for Super Mario RPG or Paper Mario TTYD?

(For background, I've only played Super Paper Mario out of the two games' series. Never played the Mario and Luigi games at all. Never played any of the Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest titles either, but I think I'd be inclined to go with a turn-based RPG if I were to choose.)
 
TTYD forever and always

SMRPG is good but even the Switch remake you can tell the mechanics aren't as fleshed out as they have been by the time IS got to making Paper Mario N64

TTYD is even better than 64 to most, including myself, I will always encourage people to play that

But both are great games

BIS over both tho (OG DS version)
 
Another vote for TTYD. It’s probably in my top 3 games of all time. I enjoyed SMRPG but IMO it pales in comparison to TTYD.
 
Since you said you never played the series, I highly recommend Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga on GBA NSO. Super accessible and chill game, my favorite Mario RPG hands down.

Between the two in thread title, I’d probably recommend TTYD, but the remake for SMRPG is pretty fantastic. Can’t go wrong either way.
 
SMRPG was a good first step, but I can't think of anything it does better than PM64 or TTYD aside from enemy/character designs. It feels barebones by comparison
 
SMRPG is way better

but it's not like TTYD is a terrible game or anything, it's just nowhere near as good as Paper Mario 64 or Super Paper Mario(or even Origami King imo)
 
For me, these are both easy 10/10 games and two of my all-time favorites. Both super charming, replayable, colorful, and fun. That being said, TTYD is my personal #1 game ever, so I'd have to choose that if I can only have one. But absolutely both if possible.
 
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You can’t go wrong with either one. My bias will always say TTYD. That being said, I played SuperMarioRPG HD, it’s a wonderful game and the game throws so much variety at you nonstop. I like that it’s not a 80hr+ commitment like most RPGs nowadays, its 15hrs and that makes it a really replayable game.

I would personally say go with TTYD though.
 
BiS/SS/SS remake (rip alpha dream)> TTYD/PM64/BiS remake > DT/PiT/SMRPG remake/Bug fables > SMRPG>Tomato adventure>>>>>> OK/Costume quest >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CS/ST.
 
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I played a bit of the RPG remake and I'm sorry but it's incredibly cheap. Made me realize what everyone else felt like playing Pokémon BDSP. TTYD remake looks much more polished.
 
TTYD, and I say this as someone who absolutely loves both games.

SMRPG is JRPG-lite but its SNES JRPG-lite, which means it has some very different expectations to deal with in what it considers to be "lite" compared to it's modern counterparts. It's also very much a JRPG where the gameplay is all you're going in for really? The oddball take on the mushroom kingdom is cool and all that but the real draw is the gameplay itself and I know that's a more difficult sell if you're not truly hooked on the gameplay for the story.

TTYD is on the other hand JRPG lite in that it makes all those JRPG mechanics way more digestible, the story is an amazing emotional rollercoaster while never losing the Mario charm and it's a massive love letter to all Mario games that came before it. The only weak points are the first 2 chapters, which are kinda generic, but then it just starts going and never stops hitting the mark.
 
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I played both SMRPG and PM:TTYD for the first time a few years ago, and I came away preferring SMRPG.

I think SMRPG has a very unique and fun take on the Mario world, and I find the characters a little more fun and zany. Its pacing is also great and rather brisk. The game isn't too challenging, but it definitely is more of a "My First RPG" than other games. SMRPG is just very unique overall and has maybe my favorite depiction of Bowser ever.

To me, PM:TTYD feels like a game that unfortunately believes that more and bigger is always better. TTYD has a fantastically deep combat system and some really interesting scenarios and characters. Unfortunately, TTYD is plagued by padding that so many Nintendo games of that era chose to include. There's a lot of backtracking at times and many of the story sequences draw out their quirks and ideas for far too long, which makes them lose some of their greatness. TTYD could cut 6 hours from its runtime and it would be the better for it.

That all being said, TTYD has more complex RPG systems and mechanics than SMRPG and is easily double the length of SMRPG, but I think SMRPG is a more unique and interesting game.

As a side note, having played Super Paper Mario, you'll probably see the origins of many parts of SPM while playing through TTYD.
 
Both are gold but flawed.

I think that SMRPG has more soul... But TTYD is way more entertaining to play.
 
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I love SMRPG, but TTYD is the longer and more complex game so my vote goes to that.

Anxious Absol said:
I played a bit of the RPG remake and I'm sorry but it's incredibly cheap. Made me realize what everyone else felt like playing Pokémon BDSP. TTYD remake looks much more polished.
Click to expand...
SMRPG is leagues above BDSP in every imaginable way.
 
I haven’t played TTYD in a very long time and I’d still easily recommend it over RPG. RPG is good, but it’s very simple. TTYD’s got some depth to it.
 
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SNES Mario RPG > The Thousand Year Door > Switch Mario RPG

Switch Mario RPG is a really interesting remix of the original game and the super bosses are incredible, but it really took some of the teeth out of the original game outside of select random elite enemy fights. Original boss fights largely become a joke in Switch Mario RPG since they didn’t rebalance the game around the new mechanics.

Really though you can’t go wrong still. Both games are fantastic and if you can you should ultimately play both.
 
I found SMRPG to be a pretty mediocre game, even with the remake. TTYD still has a ton of charm, soul, and is just much more fun and engaging to play. It’s not a perfect game but it’s more in line with what I’d want out of a turn based JRPG
 
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Both are fantastic, smrpg is more beginner-friendly, less complex, and more in line with your typical JRPG.
TTYD is the better game overall though
 
As a massive Mario & Luigi series fan, disappointed that the first game is not included in the poll. But if I'm to compare Mario RPG vs Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, Superstar Saga takes the lead with its unique artstyle alone.

Never played any mainline Paper Mario game, have no intention to do so ever. Paper Jam was cool though.
 
Mario RPG is super charming but has little depth and can be frustrating to control during platforming sections. TTYD is just as charming and offers so much more customization and plays like a dream.
 
SMRPG is better than every other Mario RPG by a mile. It's quick, charming, constantly fun, has tons of depth to learn in a speedrun capacity and it doesn't have the reams of text that TTYD has. TTYD becomes extremely tedious in multiple spots, drags on and on and the battles are extremely slow. I could replay SMRPG a thousand times and I have never once had the urge to play TTYD again because of the absolute slog in multiple chapters.
 
I'm about halfway through SMRPG for the first timeand it's good but it's definitely not super fleshed out. I've only played paper Mario as a kid but I remember all the options being cool. But I'll have to play it when it comes out to see which I prefer
 
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Anxious Absol said:
I played a bit of the RPG remake and I'm sorry but it's incredibly cheap. Made me realize what everyone else felt like playing Pokémon BDSP. TTYD remake looks much more polished.
Click to expand...
SMRPG isn't at all comparable to BDSP and I enjoyed BDSP but no, lol
 
I've only played SMRPG, but something I appreciate about games these days is when they're short and SMRPG is a relatively short experience for RPGs. HowLongToBeat puts TTYD at about 2x-3x the length of SMRPG.
 
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I'm not a huge fan of any of the Mario RPGs I've played, but I've yet to play these two. I think I will like SMRPG more because it's shorter, I already found PM64 too long and exhausting sometimes, I think TTYD will wear me out even more.

Superstar Saga is still the best for me, although it does get a bit long in the tooth as well by the end.
 
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Support both with a set of vouchers and save yourself some money in the process. A win win situation thanks to our friends at Nintendo.
 
One is a tight, focused and good J-RPG with incredible music but mediocre and childish (albeit occasionally funny) writing, the other one is an average J-RPG with pretty good music, a shitload of backtracking but a very clever and funny writing. If you value gameplay more, play SMRPG. If you value story more, play TTYD.
 
Why not both? Theres quite a bit of time before ttyd remake comes out, and super mario rpg only took me like 11 hours to beat on switch. Both are definitely worth your time
 
This isn't even a competition imo. Super Mario RPG was the first entry and I think Square thought they needed to make a game for children specifically. Especially with the new combat tuning...it's way too easy. Everything flies by too quickly (you can argue its good pacing) But it never really satisfies you. You are always overpowered... scenarios fly by.... feels way too lighthearted. It's not nearly as good as Square's other RPGs.

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Thousand Year Door is a game for everyone. It's a little slower but if you want actual areas to explore (Sorta like a non-linear setup branching out from hub areas)... secrets to discover.. puzzles to solve... and more combat challenge, this is the game to go with.

TTYD will give you hubs with new stories that unfold (heh) over long stretches of areas (also with puzzles) and culminate in dungeon like areas with puzzles and a boss. And maybe even towns and stuff in between.

Hard to explain but.. It's a golden formula.

Funny enough, it's kinda like playing through 8 different plays connected to a overarching bigger main arc that feels like a complete package. Unlike what we are getting a taste of in Princess Peach Showtime (bite sized levels). Which is a shame.

I know when I was a kid, I really wished Nintendo would give Zelda the same treatment. Some sort of chapter based RPG like Paper Mario with some zelda-inspired mechanics. It's just that good.

Thousand Year Door will leave you feeling satisfied.
 
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SMRPG isn't even better than Origami King let alone TTYD (and the Mario and Luigi games). Lmao

If you want to play every RPG game in the Mario franchise I'd recommend SMRPG first just to get it out of the way so you can play games that are actually good and interesting afterwards. (Skip Sticker Star entirely)
 
Actually I even had more fun with Color Splash than with Super Mario RPG. Please don‘t hate me.
 
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PM64 > Superstar Saga > Super Mario RPG (SNES) > the rest

The SMRPG remake is nice but the new mechanics made it far too easy which makes large parts of it a cake walk. I still enjoy it but I'd have appreciated rebalanced difficulty to account for the changes. Still think that both first Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi entries are superior though their respective sequels never reached the same heights. M&L became too messy and TTYD is more about quirky scenarios at the detriment of pacing and leveldesign.
 
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I think for a large chunk of my life it was SMRPG. But sometime in my mid 20's I came to the realization I liked TTYD better. Still love both and I'm so happy we get a remake of both! But TTYD I'd say has better more memorable writing and I love that the game is set arround a scummy pirate town.

With both remakes now my unrealistic dream of getting a new sequel to both doesn't sound so farfetched anymore.
 
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door easily, but you should honestly consider playing Paper Mario: The Origami King, too. I’d recommend it over either of those two.
 
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