Seeing not only all kinds of art throughout it, but also guides on how to unlock things like a latter-game casino and proper event chains to avoid frustration made it a more enjoyable experience. Super Mario RPG was one of the first games I ever bought a strategy guide for and it was a life-saver for a new genre. This Nintendo and Square co-production was the first RPG experience for many, myself included, and wound up opening the door to a genre that Final Fantasy VII would blow open a year later on the PS1. Super Mario RPG marked the final time the companies would work together for several console generations. Nintendo was preparing the Nintendo 64 hardware across the globe and Square was preparing to end their time on cartridges with the move to the PlayStation's larger-scale CD format. 1996 was a particularly interesting year for the gaming industry, as both Squaresoft (now Square-Enix) and Nintendo had transformative years for their business.
