Top 10 Best Super Mario RPG Games

Mario RPG games offer a fresh twist on classic Mario gameplay, blending the platforming and adventure we all know with story-driven quests, turn-based battles, and character progression that keep you coming back for more. Since the release of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the SNES, fans have enjoyed these titles where Mario isn't just jumping on Goombas - he's strategizing his way through battles, teaming up with unique characters, and exploring worlds in a whole new way.

This list celebrates the best Mario RPGs out there, showcasing the ones that fans keep recommending, replaying, and ranking above the rest. You get a mix of creative storytelling, quirky characters, and gameplay mechanics that switch things up from the usual Mushroom Kingdom adventures.
The Top Ten
1 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

I've played this game at least six times, and it's fun every single time I play it. Out of all the Mario & Luigi RPGs, this one is the best. I have no idea how Super Paper Mario got above this.

It takes the elements of previous M&L games and makes them better. The reason most people like BiS so much is because you get to PLAY AS BOWSER. The most kickass king in the kingdom.

The artwork and sprites still hold up well today. The interactions between NPCs (although sparse) are great, the battle system is improved, the music is amazing (to say the least), and the game is just cool in almost every way possible.

If you haven't played this game yet, you need to whenever you can. If you don't have a DS, get one just to play Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story. 9/10.

2 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

I LOVE THIS GAME. It kills me when people hate on it for trivial things. Give it a chance for some of its great qualities that actually matter! If you really can't get into it, that's fine since everyone has different opinions and likes, but at least appreciate why others love it so much.

Although most people who play this game love it, the story, music, humor, gameplay, originality, bosses, locations, characters, and pretty much everything else are fantastic! This will always be my favorite Mario game even though I love pretty much all of the Mario RPGs for their originality and how immersive they are compared to other Mario games.

That's not to say I don't like all other Mario games, since I do. Everyone, play this game! Give it a chance if you can't see past an annoying voice or "bad" graphics or whatever. If you only play "main" Super Mario games, what lies ahead of you is an experience you'll never forget.

3 Super Paper Mario

This is unquestionably a lot better than PMTTYD! Oh man, this RPG has the best graphics, plot, voice acting, and music ever! This game totally rocks! I would give this game an 8.3 score.

Super Paper Mario is my favorite Mario RPG due to being one hell of a groundbreaker. It has great graphics, non-confusing text, awesome characters, and great elements. Princess Peach has a much better role and voice than in The Thousand-Year Door and Sticker Star.

The top 1 best Paper Mario game is Super Paper Mario. This game gets an 8.3 score.

The top 2 best Paper Mario game is the original Paper Mario on the N64 and Virtual Console. This game gets a 7.8 score.

The top 3 best Paper Mario game is Paper Mario: Sticker Star. This game gets a 4.7 score.

The top 4 best Paper Mario game is Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. This game gets a 2.0 score.

4 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

I grew up playing this as a kid, and you know what? It's one of the most nostalgic games ever, behind Super Mario Bros 1, 2, and 3, and Mario 64, and Mario Kart 1.

Also, in October 2017, an enhanced remake of this game was released. It lacks the charm of the original but is still good.

I know it's taken a while to decide this, and believe me that Dream Team and Super Paper Mario are extremely close runner-ups, but this is simply the most fun out of all the Mario RPGs, in my opinion.

This game is still one of the best Mario RPGs ever. Easily top two. Choosing between this and Bowser's Inside Story is hard.

5 Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

One of the most unique Mario RPGs out there along with Super Paper Mario and Superstar Saga! The story and gameplay are so creative and unique, and the dream world concept is amazing!

Let's not forget the excellent Antasma! Am I the only one who never had a problem with the tutorials and graphics?

This is such an original and fun game! It's the third most original Mario game, I think. Not only is this game super original and creative, it's super fun to play! Sure, tutorials can get annoying, but since when did tutorials make a game?

6 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

OMG!!! I played the new version of this, but I'm pretty sure it's the same. I LOVE GENO. Bro, I just love the storyline. How Gaz has to lose Geno for a bit, how Mallow finds that he's the real prince.

The bosses are really cool. Booster is just goofy, so is Bowyer. The ending made me cry, like when Geno had to leave, but Gaz got his doll back. The gameplay is really fun too. I love how you have to use real strategy for the battles, not just quick fingers when doing crazy courses.

This is my all-time favorite Mario game, and it has so many funny moments.

7 Paper Mario

Why is this at the lowest rank? It's a really great game.

8 Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

This one isn't my absolute favorite Mario RPG, but I LOVE it! All the Mario RPG games are fantastic in my opinion (with the exception of Sticker Star and Paper Jam, which were alright but lacking in many departments). PIT often gets overlooked for some reason. I don't know why, since it's great!

The music is good, the bosses are fun, the locations are cool to explore, and the babies and time travel add an extra layer to the already fun gameplay of Mario and Luigi games. The story is intense and has amazing plot twists, and the entire game is immersive! It's a little short, but that's my only complaint.

People sometimes complain about enemies having too much HP or that buying special attacks is annoying, but I found no big problem with either of these things. Play this game!

9 Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

This game has a cool story, fun trio attacks, good music, challenging boss fights, and fun papercraft battles where you get to destroy other papercrafts.

There is a part where a Wiggler dies, which most people think is sad, but some people think it's funny (I honestly was only about 5% sad at that part).

It has an arcade with some really fun stuff in it, and don't forget that the Koopalings are in this game too. I give this a 9/10 because I don't think I'll ever be able to get every single expert challenge, mainly because it is hard to get an S-rank on all the papercraft battles.

10 Paper Mario: The Origami King

How is this lower than Sticker Star?

The Contenders
11 Paper Mario: Color Splash

This game is pretty fun. Right now, I only have 2 of the 6 Big Paint Stars, but it is going well. One problem is that you can only hold 99 battle cards, which you cannot fight without.

When you get to the part where you are about to get the blue Mini Paint Star in Port Prisma, you unlock the Battle Spin, where you spend coins to get another card, so everything's good again. Also, the Roshambo temples can max out your coins easily.

For example, the first opponent in Roshambo Temple #1 always uses Rock and gives you 300 coins when you beat him. Even if you lose to the next opponent, you get to keep the coins when you're done. The second opponent only uses two cards, so you can use the card that beats his other card to win after maybe a tie or two, and he gives you 500 coins.

The reason why I'm saying this is because there is a toad that can sneak you into the tournament for 200 coins, which is 100 coins less than what the first opponent gives you.

Aside from that, the bosses require certain cards for you to beat them. For example, the first boss has a Sizzle Hammer, so you need a Fire Extinguisher card to beat him. To get the Fire Extinguisher, you have to find three purple toads that turn into stairs to help you get to it.

Also, the cardboard Chain Chomp killed me multiple times. I died on the first chase sequence once because I didn't know it was coming. I died on the second chase sequence about three times because I didn't know where to go.

Anyway, this game is amazing. I'll give it an 8.5/10.

12 Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
13 Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
14 Paper Mario: Sticker Star

I played this game pretty soon after it came out, and I really liked it. People complain that the story is just Bowser took Peach, go get her back. The original Paper Mario had that plot as well, so that's not an issue.

The bosses require certain stickers to beat them. The boss battles make it clear what stickers to use. A poison-soaked squid? Suck up the poison with a sponge. A giant snow monster? Use a heat sticker.

The navigation is pretty clear. It tells you what world it is, so you do them in order. It also shows the order of levels, so you know what order to do them in.

Although the lack of levels was sad and you couldn't feel overpowered, I say play this game. 9/10.

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