‘Super Mario RPG’ joins Nintendo Wii U’s digital catalog

By Danny Cowan Published June 30, 2016

super mario rpg boxboxboy out now on nintendo eshop smrpg header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo has updated its eShop multiplatform digital storefront with a Wii U version of its classic SNES role-playing game Super Mario RPG, among other newly released digital standouts.

Nintendo’s 3DS portable also sees a selection of new digital releases this week, including the puzzle-platformer Boxboxboy and the Zero Escape series finale Zero Time Dilemma.

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Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, originally released in 1996, puts Nintendo’s franchise characters in a role-playing adventure that mixes isometric platforming and turn-based combat. The game was produced in collaboration with Final Fantasy series developer Square Enix, and serves as a predecessor to modern Nintendo-produced RPGs like Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam and the upcoming Paper Mario: Color Splash.

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Super Mario RPG won acclaim for its memorable characters and unique combat mechanics, which challenged players to carefully time their attacks in order to deal more damage to enemies. Now a rarity in its original cartridge format, Super Mario RPG hit the Wii Virtual Console in 2008, and is now available for download via the Wii U eShop for $8.

Also arriving for the Wii U via digital channels this week is Intropy Games’ color-matching puzzler Prism Pets and Invanoid, an updated take on the arcade classic Space Invaders.

Ninendo 3DS owners can visit the eShop this week to pick up Boxboxboy, a new puzzler from developer Hal Labs. A follow-up to 2015’s Boxboy, this week’s sequel introduces new gameplay mechanics and unlockables, including alternate character costumes, in-game music, and bonus comics.

The 3DS eShop additionally hosts the final chapter in Aksys’ Zero Escape series this week, giving fans a definitive conclusion to storyline elements introduced in 2010’s Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors and its sequel Virtue’s Last Reward. Other eShop releases for this week include a Wii U version of Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Battle Cats Pop, a feline-themed tower-defense game for the 3DS.

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Nintendo is shutting down online services for 3DS and Wii U next April

Mega Man and Mario fight in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U,

Nintendo confirmed it will widely shut down online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games in April 2024, which will be just over a year after it discontinued the Nintendo eShop on those systems.
This deactivation of most of the online services for those platforms was revealed on X (formerly Twitter) and Nintendo's support site early Wednesday. "In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution," the message says. "We will announce a specific end date and time at a later date. Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned. We sincerely thank players for using the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software over a long period of time and apologize for any inconvenience."
Essentially, this means that after April 2024, you won't be able to use any online features in things like 3DS Pokémon games or Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U anymore. Nintendo does say in the Q&A section of its support article that people will still be able to play games offline and redownload updates and games from the Nintendo eShop for the foreseeable future. Pokémon Bank will remain unaffected, so it'll still be possible to transfer Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire all of the way to Pokémon Home. However, SpotPass support and other online-focused applications like Nintendo Badge Arcade will stop working entirely.

Just like the Wii U and 3DS eShop closure that caused a ruckus earlier this year, this move is a blow to game preservation and will forever harm some games not available anywhere else. While it's understandable that Nintendo might want to move on from these systems' dated online infrastructure, it's still a disappointing move for those of us who spent a lot of time playing games offline and online on these systems.

Gaming

Super Mario RPG: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

Mario. Peach, Mallow, Bowser, and Geno find one of the Seven Stars in Super Mario RPG.

Some fans never thought it would happen, but the seemingly impossible has been achieved. Super Mario RPG, a remake of the Squaresoft-developed Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars, has been officially announced. Many people will be more familiar with Mario's two main RPG series, the Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi games, but it was this collaboration that was the plumber's first foray into the RPG genre. Since Nintendo didn't own the IP, it wasn't able to continue the series itself, leading to those other series that took many elements from Super Mario RPG. This classic holds a special place in many gamers' hearts, as it served as the introduction to RPGs for many gamers and includes a cast of unique characters we haven't seen since. Get ready to hit those action-commands and ensure your Flower Points are full as we go through everything we know about Super Mario RPG.
Release date

Super Mario RPG is set to arrive on November 11, 2023.
Platforms

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Download these rare Wii U games before they disappear

Nintendo's Wii U is notorious for how hard it flopped and for providing the Switch with some of its best ports, but that doesn't mean it didn't have worthwhile games that are still exclusive to it. While many Wii U games have escaped to other platforms and Game Boy Advance games are now coming to Nintendo Switch, some experiences are uniquely suited to the Wii U GamePad or aren't able to make the jump elsewhere due to other outside factors.

As such, when the Wii U and 3DS eShops shut down on March 27, there are some unique Wii U games that will become significantly more expensive and tougher, if not outright impossible, to play. If you're one of the 13.5 million people who actually have a Wii U and are wondering what to pick up before the eShop closes, we recommend these stranded games.
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