Easter egg Sunday: Searching for eggs in ‘Super Mario RPG’

Welcome to a new series of articles. This series will delve into the secret Easter Eggs found in video games. Easter Eggs, for those that don’t know, are hidden secrets that developers place in games for players to find. These secrets can range from simple references to other games, to items and characters that are actually useful or relevant to the game being played. They also range from being ridiculously easy to find to being so hidden that they take years for players to find. These articles will also cover certain other secrets which, while not necessarily Easter Eggs, are still worth being mentioned. Each week (some weeks may be skipped, depending on scheduling issues) this series will explore one game and the Easter Eggs found within it. The format will be such that players who wish to see what the secrets are themselves can do so without being spoiled. The method to find each secret will be at the top of each article, while the secrets themselves will be listed at the bottom. Also, if more Easter Eggs are discovered for any of the games covered in this series, the articles will be edited to add them in. If new secrets are added, they will be mentioned in the article that is released that week.

“Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars” was a game originally released on Super Nintendo in 1996. It was developed by Square (now known as Square Enix), the creators of the “Final Fantasy” series. At the time, Square had a contract with Nintendo, and all games they developed would be released on Nintendo consoles. “Super Mario RPG” was one of the last games to be released under this contract. The game puts Mario characters in an RPG world, with turn based battles and timing based combat. It also contained a much richer story and more humor than most Mario titles. Many of the aspects that Square started in “Super Mario RPG”, such as timed attacks in combat, rich stories and humor, continued in other Mario RPG franchises, such as the “Mario and Luigi” and “Paper Mario” series.

Note that, for consistency's sake, the secrets that are not really Easter Eggs will still be labeled as Easter Eggs. So, without further ado, here are the Easter Eggs to be found in “Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.”

Easter Egg #1: This secret can be found the first time the player goes to the Mushroom Kingdom Castle. This secret is in Princess Toadstool’s bedroom, which is on the left after the player enters the castle. The secret is found by pressing the A button on the right side of the fireplace that is in Toadstool’s room.

Easter Egg #2: After Geno joins the party (in Rose Town) there is an Easter Egg that can be discovered. This secret requires the player to rest at the Rose Town inn. After resting, the player will notice someone in the other bed.

Easter Egg #3: This Easter Egg is at the top of Booster’s Tower, inside of Booster’s room. The secret is located in the box that has all of Booster’s toys in it.

Easter Egg #4: This Easter Egg contains a multitude of little tidbits, although they are barely hidden. In the level Star Hill, there are a multitude of stars lying on the ground. The ones that have smiling faces on them can be examined. These stars represent the wishes of many of the characters in the game. Notable wishes will be listed at the end of the article.

Easter Egg #5: This Easter Egg occurs after obtaining the fifth star (after the Yaridovich fight). The player needs to return to the Mushroom Kingdom Castle. In the guest room (which is on the right side after entering the castle) the player will notice someone resting in the bed. Note that this Easter Egg will disappear once the player goes to Land’s End.

Easter Egg #6: This secret is the only one that truly impacts the player, as it gives a nice reward upon completion. This one is located in Monstro Town. Players may notice a locked door in the middle of town that cannot be opened. In order to open it, the player needs to go to Moleville and purchase Fireworks from one of the moles there. This will cost 500 coins. The player then needs to trade the Fireworks to a female mole child in the center of town for a Shiny Stone. If the player keeps the Shiny Stone in their inventory, the door in Monstro Town will open for them. Inside is a very difficult boss who gives the player a very nice item after he is defeated.

Easter Egg #7: This secret affects the game’s ending. The ending will change very slightly depending on the number of Fireworks that the player has in their inventory after defeating the final boss.

======== Below this line are the secrets themselves, so there are spoilers ahead. ========

Easter Egg #1: Upon checking beside the fireplace, the player will “receive” an item called “Toadstools’ ???”. Upon picking up the item, Toadstool’s grandmother will run over, scold Mario, take the item away, and give a Mushroom to Mario in exchange. If the player examines the item after Toadstool joins the party, she will also scold Mario.

Easter Egg #2: The player will see that Link is in the other bed. He doesn’t say anything (which is typical of Link) but if the player presses the A button on him, the famous “puzzle solved” music from “The Legend of Zelda” will play.

Easter Egg #3: Inside of Booster’s toy box the player will see a Samus doll.

Easter Egg #4: Each smiling star has a line from various characters in the game. There are some notable stars, some of which cause the characters in the party to appear and talk to Mario. One wish says “I wish I weren’t such a crybaby.” This is Mallow’s wish, and he gets angry with Mario after he looks at it. Another wish says “Please let Mallow find his way home.” This is a wish from King and Queen Nimbus, who are Mallow’s parents. Mallow will appear and talk about how his parents are still looking for him. The final notable wish says “I wanna be a great plumber like my brother Mario.” This wish is obviously a reference to Luigi, who never was as famous as Mario.

Easter Egg #5: Upon entering the guest room, the player will see that Samus is sleeping in the guest room. Upon talking to her, she will say that she is resting up before going to fight Mother Brain, who is the main antagonist for many “Metroid” games.

Easter Egg #6: Inside the locked door is a boss named Culex. He says he is a warrior from Varda, and will challenge Mario to battle. This fight is incredibly difficult, and needs a fair bit of preparation. It is recommended that the player use a party consisting of Mario, Toadstool, and Bowser. The player needs to equip all the character’s best weapons and armor. Equip the Safety Badge to Toadstool, and use Toadstool to heal every round (unless the party hasn’t taken any damage, which is unlikely). If the player has them, equip the Attack Scarf on Mario and the Jinx Belt on Bowser. If not, the player should just equip the best accessories they do have. As for Culex himself, he comes into battle with four crystals which will all attack with him. It is possible to kill Culex first, which will make the crystals die instantly, but the battle is arguably harder that way. It is recommended to kill the crystals first and then kill Culex. It is also recommended that the player uses any Rock Candy, Red Essence, or Bombs during this fight, as this is the hardest fight in the game. As for the secret here, Culex and his crystals are a reference to the Final Fantasy games that Square is famous for. While he is not actually in a game, he looks similar to the final boss of Final Fantasy IV, Zeromus. The battle music during this fight is also the boss battle theme from Final Fantasy IV. After winning the battle, the famous “Fanfare” theme from Final Fantasy will also play during the results screen. The item that Culex gives Mario after defeating him is the Quartz Charm, which increases a character’s Attack, Defense, Magic Attack, and Magic Defense by 50% during battle.

Easter Egg #7: If the player has 1 Fireworks after finishing the game, the display during the credits will be mushroom shaped. If the player has 3 the display will be Fire Flower shaped, and if the player has 5 or more the display will be star shaped.

To learn more about “Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars”, visit the following website. Also, be sure to return next week for the second entry in the Easter Egg Sunday series.

http://www.mariowiki.com/Super_Mario_RPG:_Legend_of_the_Seven_Stars