Summary
- Super Mario RPG embraces its goofiness, constantly making fun of itself and including subtle nods to other games in the Nintendo and Square Enix universe.
- The game is filled with zany Easter eggs, including appearances by iconic characters like Link and Samus, as well as references to games like Metroid and Final Fantasy 6.
- There's also a secret quest involving the Marrymore inn, and a brief cameo from Luigi.
There are many secrets throughout Super Mario RPG. Some of them, like hidden treasures and secret bosses, actually serve a purpose. Others, however, are included just for fun. Super Mario RPG has a delightfully silly tone. It never takes itself too seriously, it constantly makes fun of itself, and it includes countless subtle nods to other Nintendo and Square Enix-produced games.
Super Mario RPG's goofiness is a big part of its core identity, and what makes it such a standout both among the Mario franchise and the RPG genre as a whole. Even Super Mario RPG's hardest bosses have little wisecracks and in-jokes for the keen-eyed player, and some of them can be genuinely challenging to find. Here are some of the zaniest Easter eggs to be on the lookout for in Super Mario RPG.
10 Sleeping Link
A Reference To The Legend Of Zelda Series
After completing the Forest Maze area and beating Bowyer, Mario and his party can return to the Rose Town inn to spend a night on the house. When they wake up, in the bed next to them is Link, the perennial protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series. True to form, Link is a heavy sleeper. He won't budge, no matter how many times Mario interacts with him, but the game will play the "puzzle solved" tune from the Zelda series each time he tries.
9 Sleeping Samus
A Reference To The Metroid Series
In a similar vein, Mario can also run into Samus, the protagonist of the Metroid series. After finishing up the quest in Monstro Town, Mario can revisit the Mushroom Kingdom castle, which is playing host to a special guest. In its spare bedroom, Mario finds Samus all snuggled up in bed. Unlike Link, she'll actually spare a little time to talk with him - she simply says she's resting up before her fight with Mother Brain, a recurring boss in the Metroid series.
8 Action Figures & Models
With References To Star Fox, Metroid, And Final Fantasy 6
Toys are often used as set dressing in Super Mario RPG, and more often than not, they depict characters and objects from other NES games. In Rose Town, Mario meets Gaz, a Toad who enjoys masterminding the plumber's demise with dolls of Mario, Peach, and Bowser. Then, when he enters Booster Tower, he finds a model suit of Magitek Armor, originally from Final Fantasy 6, at the receptionist's desk.
On a higher floor of the tower, Mario happens upon Booster's toy chest, which includes several references to NES peripherals: Diskun, the mascot for the Famicom Disk System; a car from Stunt Race FX, a game that used the Super FX graphics card; and R.O.B., the moving robot that could interact with certain NES games. Finally, inside Barrel Volcano, Mario can find models of various vehicles from Nintendo games, including Star Fox's Arwing and a couple of F-Zero machines.
7 Gamer Toad
A Reference To The Original Game Boy
In the Mushroom Kingdom inn, there's a Toad hunched over in the corner, furiously muttering about his high score. Look a little closer, and it's obvious he's playing something on the original Game Boy. If Mario talks to him three times, the Toad will lose, blaming Mario for his distraction. However, if Mario returns after beating Claymorton and saving the castle, the Toad will finally set a new record. When Mario returns again after the events of Marrymore, the Toad will offer to sell him the Game Boy for 500 coins. Buying it unlocks a Super Mario RPG minigame called Beetle Mania.
6 2D Mario
A Reference To Mario's Old Look
If Mario steps behind an otherwise unassuming curtain in Booster Tower, he'll come out the other side looking like his old self again. Namely, he transforms into an 8-bit rendering of Mario, just as he appears in the original Super Mario Bros. The classic Mario overworld theme plays as he runs and jumps around, but he can't do much more. As soon as he tries to step out of the room, the "game over" tune will play, and Mario will go back behind the curtain to return to his Super Mario RPG render.
5 Marrymore's Secret Quest
Become A Bellhop At The Inn
Super Mario RPG lets players live out the ultimate fantasy of working in the service industry by turning Mario into a bellhop at the Marrymore Inn. The romantic getaway offers a special, extra-swanky suite for a of 200 coins per night, but as it turns out, Mario can game the system. In this particular room, instead of falling asleep as soon as he pays the fee, Mario can use a mushroom lamp to signify when he wants to go to bed. If he does so repeatedly, he'll incur multiple charges, and if those charges eventually sur his savings, he'll be forced to work off his debt by escorting guests to and from the suite.
Being a bellhop isn't all that bad. Mario may get tips - usually coins or healing items - from hotel guests.
4 Culex
A Secret Boss With Heavy References To Final Fantasy 4
Super Mario RPG has a hidden boss named Culex, who can be fought first in Monstro Town and later in a powered-up form after beating the game. Culex's arrogant, combative attitude clashes with the rest of the game. He's partially an optional challenge for level grinders and completionists, but in his own way, he's also a silly little Easter egg. Although he doesn't appear in a Final Fantasy game himself, he's definitely styled after a typical FF boss, replete with elemental crystals. When the party fights him, the background music is the battle theme from FF4, and when they beat him, the classic Final Fantasy victory fanfare plays.
3 Guerrilla's Thoughts
Definitely Not A Reference To Donkey Kong
Guerrillas, one of many enemy species Mario may randomly encounter, bears a striking resemblance to Donkey Kong - but don't worry, he's a completely original character. Using Mallow's ability Thought Peek allows the party to see into an enemy's mind, learning their remaining HP, their resistances and weaknesses, and whatever they happen to be thinking about at the moment. Casting Thought Peek on a Guerrilla reveals a hidden desire to divest themselves from Donkey Kong: "I am a work of fiction. Any resemblance to preexisting apes is purely coincidental."
2 Kamek's Thoughts
A Reference To Yoshi's Island
Similarly, Kamek's Thought Peek lines reveal a similar connection to past Mario games. Kamek first debuted in Yoshi's Island, as the antagonist who kidnaps Baby Luigi and attempts to do the same to Baby Mario. As it turns out, he re the whole debacle, and even recognizes the grown-up Mario. (To be fair, the red cap is a dead giveaway.) In his Thought Peek result, he refers to Mario as "my child," implying that he feels a sense of parental responsibility toward the grown man he once tried to adopt by force.
1 Luigi's Wish
Luigi's Only Appearance In Super Mario RPG
As Mario and company make their way up Star Hill, they can read a series of wishes made by other characters from the wider Mario series. One of them is strongly implied to have been made by Luigi, and in the Switch remake, it reads, "I wanna help out my brother Mario." This is changed from the original version of Mario RPG, which instead reads, "I wanna be a great plumber like my brother Mario." The original version is definitely funnier, implying an inferiority complex on the elder brother's part. But the Switch version still has a sting of the same, with an extra dose of brotherly love.
These might not be all the Easter eggs in Mario RPG, but they are some of the funniest. The wide variety of amusing little secrets are a big part of what makes the game so enjoyable. Players should always be on the lookout for Easter eggs in Super Mario RPG - finding them is always a pleasant surprise.
