There are many minigames in Super Mario RPG. Some are more annoying than others because the platforming isn’t always accurate or the stakes are high.
Both the original Super Mario RPG and its 2023 version were made by Nintendo, but it’s important to remember that the game was made by Square, a company famous for making classic RPGs like Final Fantasy.
Square’s RPGs, especially those from the same age as Super Mario RPGs, have minigames that are added every so often to break up the action. Super Mario RPG is no different. If anything, the Mario-themed minigames make the game even more focused on them. How do these minigames stack up against each other?
Land’s End Platforming
Sky Bridge & Paratrooper Climb
But Sky Bridge and Paratrooper Climb are actually two separate minigames. But they are so close to each other, both are based on platforming, and neither is very good, that it is easy to group them together.
In Sky Bridge, Mario can choose a level of challenge and jump over gaps in a bridge while dodging bullet bills. In Paratrooper Climb, you have to jump on Koopa shells in a certain amount of time to get to the top of the hill. Both are very easy, and the platforming can be very off, especially if you have problems with your Joy-Cons. This makes them more irritating.
Knife Guy’s Ball Game
Booster Tower
If you can find the boss of the secret room in Chapter 4’s Booster’s Tower, you can play Knife Guy’s Ball Game. You have to find this game and beat it 12 times in a row in order to get to Grate Guy’s Casino.
It’s kind of like the Yoshi egg guessing game, but more stressed, because each turn costs money, and if you lose once, you’ll lose all of your wins for the game. The only thing you have to do is guess which hand the yellow ball is in. However, the fact that it’s so easy and so important makes this a more annoying addition.
Melody Bay
Tadpole Lake
Even though Toadofsky is one of the more interesting non-player characters in Super Mario RPG because he is funny by nature, his minigame isn’t even close to being fun. You have to match certain tunes to the notes made by the tadpoles while jumping at the right time. This makes the game feel less like a game and more like a memory test.
The minigame’s purpose isn’t instantly clear, which can make it easier to forget about since you won’t be able to interact with it much the first time you visit Toadofsky and only a little more as you move on to later places.
Mine Cart Ride
Moleville
Using the mine cart to get out of the mines after Punchinello’s bombs is one of the last things you do in Chapter 3 after getting the Star Piece. The minigame might make you think that this is going to be a high-stakes, quick race, but it’s too long to keep up any enthusiasm.
It can take longer than three minutes to finish the first level of this game, and the third-person parts are especially hard to handle because the breaks and boosting never feel like they fit just right. The side-scrolling parts, on the other hand, are a lot more fun, and the controls feel and respond better.
Goomba Thumping
Pipe Vault
If you don’t know it’s there, Goomba Thumping is one of the best kept secrets in the game. For this minigame, you need to find a secret Pipe in Pipe Vault. This part of the game is like an obstacle course, so it’s easy to miss any unknown hidden areas.
Even though it’s very easy to miss this game, it’s actually not that hard. It’s more like a manual version of Whack-a-Mole, with Goombas popping out of pipes for Mario to jump on. In Super Mario RPG, the platforming can feel shaky at times, but this minigame is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it.
Booster Hill
Barrel Dodging
Some of the most fun parts of Super Mario RPG are the story parts about Booster. One of the best parts is following him up his hill with Peach on his back as he tries to get to Marrymore. The Snifsters are coming at you from behind, and the barrels are rolling down from above. This is a very fast-paced minigame.
I think this is one of the hardest minigames because you have to time when to jump and dodge the barrels, but it’s a lot of fun once you get it. The first time you play, though, it’s most fun when you need to catch Peach.
Beetle Mania
Mushroom Kingdom
Most of Super Mario RPG’s minigames feel more like action breaks between story parts. Beetle Mania, on the other hand, feels more like an unlockable Easter egg that you can choose to use. When you finish Marrymore and go back to the Mushroom Kingdom, there is a Toad in the Inn selling Beetle Mania.
It looks a lot like Space Invaders, but Penalty Kick Online is so simple that it’s easy to get lost in it. The best part is that you can play the game whenever you want from the menu. This way, you can keep it as a fun distraction for times when you need a break.
Grate Guy’s
Memory Test
Once you beat Knife Guy’s other minigame, you’ll be able to enter Grate Guy’s, which has a few different tasks, with the memory test being the main one. On the Switch, this game is pretty easy because all you have to do is remember where some character cards are.
The best thing about the minigames in Grate Guy’s is the benefits you can get from them. Frog coins are the best because they can get you some great prizes based on the seller you find. Getting into this is worth the trouble if you need a way to get more of these coins.
Midas River
Rapids & Barrel Ride
Midas River, one of the first minigames in Super Mario RPG, is one of the most famous ones. The minigame is split into two parts. In the first, Mario floats down the waves of a river. In the second, he goes on a barrel-jumping ride.
Although both parts of the minigame are pretty basic, that’s what makes them fun to play and finish. You can get to it early in the game, so you can go back to it whenever you think you can beat your high score. There is only one big problem: with two parts, it can get boring to play through the whole thing.
Yoshi Racing
Yo’Ster Isle
Yoshi is one of the most popular characters or species in the Mario series. For fans of the dinosaur, getting through Pipe Vault to get to Yo’Ster Isle was perhaps a proud moment. There isn’t much to see in this area, but the Yoshi Derby is the main event. You have to beat Boshi, the dark blue Yoshi.
If you listen to the lesson, racing against him sounds a lot harder. But once you start racing him, it’s not too hard to hit the buttons in time. If you want to try this event again, you should because there are some good extra prizes to aim for.