Super Mario RPG GameStop Pre-Order Bonus Revealed

GameStop is offering a Super Mario RPG button set alongside the Nintendo Switch game.

By Marc Deschamps

Super Mario RPG is nearly two months away from release on Nintendo Switch, but GameStop has wasted no time revealing a pre-order bonus. Those that pre-order the game from the retailer will receive a set of six buttons. The buttons include the Super Mario RPG logo as well as all five playable characters: Mario, Peach, Bowser, Geno, and Mallow. The art used for the buttons consists of the same character models that appear on the game's box art. The presence of Geno and Mallow is particularly notable, as neither of these characters have received much in terms of official merchandise! 

Readers interested in pre-ordering the game from GameStop can do so right here. An image of the button set can be found in the Tweet embedded below.

Super Mario RPG's Geno and Mallow

In Super Mario RPG, players can build a party with Mario and two other characters, which can be swapped out at any time. Iconic Nintendo characters Bowser and Peach are options, and there's also Geno and Mallow. Geno and Mallow are two original characters that first appeared in the SNES version of Super Mario RPG. Unfortunately, the two have basically disappeared since then. Geno did make a minor cameo in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, and the character was also a frequent request for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Geno did not make it into the game as a playable fighter, but he did receive a Mii Fighter costume. 

With Geno and Mallow getting an increased spotlight thanks to the Nintendo Switch remake of Super Mario RPG, it will be interesting to see if the characters return elsewhere. The characters are owned by Square Enix, which could cause some potential headaches, but clearly that didn't prevent this remake from happening! Maybe we'll see even more merchandise, or a return for the characters in another game. Original Super Mario RPG director Chihiro Fujioka has indicated that he'd still like to make a sequel, so maybe Geno and Mallow could return in that, should it ever come together.

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Bowser the Good Guy

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(Photo: Nintendo)

While Bowser has long been Mario's arch-nemesis, he and Mario find themselves working together in Super Mario RPG. When the game begins, Bowser has once again kidnapped Princess Peach (known as Princess Toadstool in the SNES version). However, after the Smithy Gang takes over Bowser's Castle and his army, the Koopa King teams up with Mario to reclaim what's rightfully his. Bowser's intentions in the game aren't exactly altruistic, but the villain has found himself working with Mario a few other times since then, most recently in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. However, the idea of the two characters working together seemed pretty unusual back in 1996!

What do you think of this pre-order bonus for Super Mario RPG? Are you happy to see merchandise of Geno and Mallow? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!

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