SUPER MARIO RPG

Super Mario RPG (1996) was impossible. Square Soft + Nintendo collaboration. Mario in turn-based combat. Geno, Mallow, Princess Toadstool, Bowser as party members. Timed hits adding skill to RPG mechanics. Smithy as final boss. Isometric graphics.

At 15 years old, this blew my mind. Mario doing Final Fantasy combat. Nintendo letting Square experiment with their IP. Never happened again - Square moved to PlayStation. This remained unique treasure.

Yoshi changed everything. Eat enemies, spit fireballs, flutter jump. Cape Feather gave flight. Spin jump broke blocks. P-Switch transformed coins into blocks. Every level had secrets worth finding.

96 exits total - many levels had secret exits leading to new paths. Star Road shortcuts. Special World with remixed levels. Chocolate Island, Vanilla Dome, Forest of Illusion. Perfect controls. Zero frustration. Pure joy.

Defined 2D platforming for 16-bit era. Game Boy Advance port in 2001. Virtual Console releases on Wii, Wii U, Nintendo Switch. Every 2D Mario since measured against this standard.

"At 15, Mario RPG taught me about strategic partnerships. Nintendo + Square - competitors cooperating. Result: innovation neither could achieve alone. Timed hits bridged action and RPG. That's systems integration thinking. Best solutions come from unexpected combinations. I use that principle daily."