Super Mario RPG
Super Mario RPG's visual style remains distinct in the Mario canon to this day Nintendo

Another classic Mario game is getting the virtual console treatment this week, with Super Nintendo (SNES) game Super Mario RPG heading to the Wii U this Thursday (24 December) for €7.99 (£5.49). Nintendo announced the news in their weekly eShop round-up press release.

Released in 1996 and sub-titled Legend of the Seven Stars, the game was never released in Europe on its original platform – only being released in the Japanese and North American markets. Developed by Final Fantasy creators Square, the role-playing game is beloved by fans despite, or because of, how different it is to most other Mario titles.

Super Mario RPG was eventually released on the Wii's virtual console in North America in 2008, but once again not in Europe. There's no news yet on whether the game will get a Wii U release in North America at some point over the coming weeks. It was released in Japan on Wii U in 2015.

The game's legacy continues to this day. Without it there may not have been the Paper Mario or Mario & Luigi series, which crossed over recently with the release of Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam for Nintendo 3DS on 4 December.

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