Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was the first major collaboration between Nintendo and Square. Bringing the ultimate platforming mascot into a full turn-based RPG was a bold, unexpected move. The game mixed Nintendo’s whimsical characters and lighthearted tone with Square’s deep RPG storytelling and mechanics, creating something fresh. Timed action commands brought extra skill and excitement to turn-based battles, mixing Mario’s action heritage with classic RPG strategy. It became hugely influential among indie developers, practically inventing a subgenre for RPGs. Today, countless turn-based RPGs incorporate timed hits or some kind of reflexive minigame. Thought the Super Mario RPG remake was too easy? Want something with a bit more of a bite? It’s time to go on Another Crusade!
Another Crusade opens after a battle between humans and monsters. Rai Reysend, a renowned knight of the Order of Light and celebrated dragon slayer, is finally resting after helping defeat the mighty Dragon King. One night, as a meteor shower lit up the sky from a hilltop, a bright red meteorite crashed nearby, causing barriers to fall and activating the monsters to go berserk. Determined to protect his home and uncover the cause of the strange disaster, Rai travels across diverse regions, fighting monsters and solving puzzles to break the barriers trapping settlements.
Along the journey, Rai gathers a colourful crew of companions: the chatty mage Niro, the skilled alchemist Varenna, a fearless demon hunter named Vincent, and eventually the Dragon King Zhion himself. Another Crusade shares its strongest and most obvious similarities with Super Mario RPG in its core gameplay loop and overall light-hearted and comedic presentation. Both games feature pseudo-3D exploration paired with turn-based RPG combat, and both games have the hero recruit a former big bad as a party member.
In Another Crusade, abilities range from running, jumping, and platforming through vibrant environments in search of treasures, secrets, and progression, reminiscent of Mario’s adventures across the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. The world carries a whimsical, toy-like diorama aesthetic that calls back to the charming pseudo-3D stages of the 1996 classic.
Oftentimes, the lengths Another Crusade goes to ape off Super Mario RPG are a bit much. Both titles follow the typical party-based RPG format with recruitment, exploration, boss fights, and a story involving cosmic threats and unlikely allies, echoing the seven-star quest and diverse party dynamics of Mario’s journey. Unlike Mario’s adventure, Another Crusade is surprisingly difficult and unforgiving due to the unbelievably tight window for the timed hits. While it has enough flair to make it distinct, its foundation, timing-driven combat, puppet visuals, platforming-RPG hybrid structure, and whimsical yet adventurous tone make it one of the most direct indie tributes to Super Mario RPG on the market.
While exploring, expect to come across permanent upgrade crystals diabolically hidden throughout the world. Collecting them gives lasting stat boosts to the entire party, making thorough exploration and a bit of backtracking feel rewarding in true Metroidvania style. Exploring, fun though it may be, is only a small piece of the experience. Combat forms the core of the gameplay loop and is where the game’s difficulty shines (or frustrates).
Yes, it’s true. The difficulty stands out as Another Crusade’s most distinctive and divisive feature. Even on normal mode, timing windows prove strict and unforgiving. Early areas are shockingly punishing, leading to frequent deaths and pressure to quickly master the mechanics. Bosses and regular encounters alike demand solid preparation, careful item management, and occasional grinding when timing is not perfect.
Another Crusade demands consistent and nigh exact precision; missed inputs result in heavy damage taken or greatly reduced damage output. Even the easy mode that was patched in much later, which has wider timing windows, reduced enemy health, and stronger party members, is still a significantly challenging way to play that’s still harder and crueller than the average Nintendo RPG.
