Super Mario RPG gives you plenty of characters to play with as you make your way through the Mushroom Kingdom to stop the Smithy Gang. But, not all are created equal, so let’s go over who makes up the best party members in Super Mario RPG!
Who Should Be in Your Party in Super Mario RPG?
Super Mario RPG is a fairly small yet beloved RPG, not only in terms of its length but also with how many party members you get. While you have a fairly standard RPG party of three characters at a time, the game only gives you a total of five playable characters to choose from: Mario, Mallow, Geno, Bowser, and Princess Peach. At first, you may think that having such a small pool of characters would make decision-making fairly easy, but each of these characters has clear strengths and weaknesses that may impact who you bring into the battle.
Of the five, the one character you probably won’t use often is Bowser. While he has great attack, defense, and HP, he has very poor special attacks and can’t do anything that other characters don’t already do better.
However, Mario is almost always going to be in your party, not only because he’s the main character, but also because he’s an all-around solid party member. His attacks are reliable and can deal a solid amount of damage, plus Mario has access to fire-based moves relatively early and learns special moves that can lay on the pain if leveled well.
Another party member you’re almost always going to have is Geno. The fan-favorite of Super Mario RPG, Geno is a glass cannon. He can absolutely demolish enemies with his special moves and has an absurdly high attack power. That’s only made even higher with the special move Geno Boost, which will increase his attack power and, with proper timing, his defense by 50%. Effectively, Geno can wreck basic enemies and bosses if you’re able to master his special moves.
So, having Geno and Mario is recommended, but your third party member may be more difficult to choose. The last two characters, Princess Peach and Mallow, are both spellcasters, focusing more on magic attacks than physical combat. Of the two, Princess Peach is weaker, but her healing capabilities are unparalleled, healing a lot of HP and even reviving party members. As for Mallow, while he doesn’t have as many healing moves, his magic attacks are all quite reliable and very low cost, allowing you to cast spell after spell (provided you have enough FP to do so). Of the two, I would probably recommend Mallow over Peach since Mallow can double as offense and support, but if you find yourself getting trounced by bosses, swapping Mallow for Peach may help make the fight easier.
And those are the best party members in Super Mario RPG!
