Original Super Mario RPG Sketches Reveal Abandoned Concepts and Playable Characters

Before Super Mario RPG's release on the Super Nintendo, the development team at Square came up with a number of ideas that ended up on the cutting room floor. The game marked Mario's first foray into the RPG genre, so one of the challenges for the developers was making the character fit in that type of world. In a thread on Twitter, former Square developer Jiro Mifune talked about how he "felt uncomfortable with Mario wearing a sword and armor, which was the template for RPGs at the time." Instead, Mifune came up with designs inspired by The Three Musketeers. 

The sketches were created in 1994, two years before Super Mario RPG's release. Interestingly enough, the sketches include designs for Mario, Peach, Bowser, Luigi, and Wario. While Mario, Peach, and Bowser would end up becoming playable characters in the finished game, Luigi and Wario would not. Images of some of these redesigns can be found in the Tweets embedded below. 

#スーパーマリオRPG #supermariorpgnintenderos pic.twitter.com/RDPzQmacmE

— JiroMifune (@JiroMifune) November 29, 2023

Super Mario RPG's Original Characters

Instead of using Luigi and Wario, Square would introduce two original characters in Super Mario RPG named Geno and Mallow. In one of the sketches shared by Mifune, we can get a glimpse at an early design for Mallow, where he looks a lot more like a frog than he does in the game! 

The Three Musketeers motif was not the only cut concept Mifune came up with. In Super Mario RPG, Mario and Bowser work together against a new set of enemies. It seems this idea was an early theme, and Mifune came up with the idea for a Kingdom of Slugs that would invade the Mushroom Kingdom to kidnap Princess Peach. The catalyst for the game's events would have been a villain named Enigma Slugnid. However, the decision was made to create villains inspired not by slugs and crustaceans, but instead ones inspired by weapons. 

I had envisioned a story in which a genius mage named "Enigma Slugnid" was born in the "Kingdom of Slugs" living in the underground world, and that's how it all began. #スーパーマリオRPG #SuperMarioRPG pic.twitter.com/yS6jNgWK2Y

— JiroMifune (@JiroMifune) November 30, 2023

Super Mario RPG on Nintendo Switch

While these designs were created prior to the Super Nintendo version of Super Mario RPG, a remake of the game was recently released on Nintendo Switch. This new version is fairly faithful to the original, offering a handful of changes and improvements. Critical reception to the remake has been very positive, with some noting that the changes make it the definitive way to play the game. ComicBook.com's official review for Super Mario RPG gave it a 4/5. 

In celebration of the game's release, Nintendo Switch Online has been releasing waves of profile icons based on Super Mario RPG. The first of these waves released earlier this month, and the final one was made available today. Subscribers can get icons based on the game's playable cast, as well as in-game villains like the Axem Rangers. The final wave will be available to claim through December 7th. 

What do you think of these concept sketches for Super Mario RPG? Have you played the game on Nintendo Switch yet? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!