Super Mario RPG 2: Professor E. Gadd's Race Against Time

Super Mario RPG 2: Professor E. Gadd's Race Against Time (commonly referred to as Race Against Time, SMRPG2, or Mario RPG 2) is a role-playing video game developed by Square Enix, and published by Nintendo for the Wii U and Nintendo Switch. Like it's predecessor, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, the game contains fundamental gameplay similarities and inspirations to other Square role-playing video games, such as the Final Fantasy series, with a story and action-based gameplay derived from the Super Mario Bros. series.
It was originally released on March 9, 2018, in Japan and March 13, 2018 in North America. It is the second installment in the Super Mario RPG series and Nintendo's tenth role-playing game overall.
== Gameplay ==
Super Mario RPG 2: Professor E. Gadd's Race Against Time plays very similarly to it's prequel. Like most traditional JRPGs, there are two main sections to the game: adventuring and turn-based battle sequences. Much of Super Mario RPG 2's gameplay takes place outside of battles and plays like an isometric 3D platformer, in which traditional Mario elements such as punching floating question blocks from below are prominent. However, this time around, the various obstacles pitted against the player are surmountable through Professor E. Gadd's gadgets. There are no random encounters and as such enemies are visible in the field; a battle ensues only if Mario comes in contact with one. This allows the player to evade unnecessary battles.
The player controls only E. Gadd at the journey's beginning. By the end of the game, the player will have a party of at most six characters (five required characters and one optional one), though only three members can be used during a battle at any given time. The three characters used in battle can either be chosen in the menu outside of battle, or switched during battle as a move. Each of the six characters has a unique set of attacks and techniques. For example, Toadsworth's abilities predominantly consist of healing and buffing abilities that improve the rest of your party's strength, defense, speed, etc., whereas Boondock is more of an offensive character, with regular attacks that deal lots of damage and abilities that focus on lowering the enemies' defense and attack.
The combat is based on a traditional turn based battle system with the addition of action commands that amplify a move's effects. The action command consists of timed button presses during an attack, special move, defense, or item usage. This continues the recurring theme of Mario RPGs and is one of the more innovative features of gameplay in Super Mario RPG 2.
== Plot ==
=== Setting ===
The game takes place in a past version of The Mushroom Kingdom, before it was taken over by King Boo. There are seven main locations the player must navigate through. The locations are Asarano Village, The Great Nimbus Sea, Toadsville, Murdock Metropolis, The Subterranean Complex, Kerrigan Island, and King Boo's Palace.
=== Story ===
==== Prologue ====
The game initially takes place before the events of Super Mario Sunshine. King Boo has taken over The Mushroom Kingdom and claimed it as his own, defeating Mario and his friends and capturing Princess Peach. Professor E. Gadd believes he can reverse it through his new time-altering gadget, The Time Turner 2000, a time machine. He plans to go back in time to before King Boo took over and give Mario and his fellow Mushroom Kingdom residents gadgets that will enable them to defeat King Boo, preventing him from ever taking over the Kingdom in the first place. E. Gadd also has a secret weapon that he has recently invented that he will take with him on the journey. Meanwhile, Bowser has also been defeated when attempting to oppose King Boo in hopes of taking The Mushroom Kingdom as well, and Bowser Jr. promises his father that he will find a way to take back The Kingdom. He stumbles upon Professor E. Gadd as he is finishing up his preparations for the jump in time, and after being told of E. Gadd's motives, the two find a common goal in defeating King Boo and come to a consensus and team up. The unlikely duo take The Time Turner 2000 back in time, but along the way, something goes awry.
==== Chapter 1: The Trials of Asarano Mountain ====
Professor E. Gadd and Bowser Jr. end up decades before King Boo even thought about taking over The Mushroom Kingdom, crash-landing in the land of Asarano, with The Time Turner 2000 nowhere to be found, and only one piece of E. Gadd's secret weapon still with him. The two stumble upon Asarano Village, a village where martial arts are taught under Master Nguyen. In order to become a high-ranking member in the Asarano Dojo, you must surpass a set of trials, the final one consisting of a treacherous scale up the Asarano Mountain, and a vanquishment of the legendary Asarano Dragon. Only when you have done the necessary training and surmounted the previous trials can you attempt the final one. A young warrior, Laine, has done all of the things necessary, but is denied the option to take on the final trial because she is "not ready", as witnessed by E. Gadd and Bowser Jr. Eventually, the two catch Laine attempting the final trial by herself, in hopes of proving the high council wrong. E. Gadd and Bowser Jr. decide that although they can't stop her, they implore to at least come with her. Laine allows them, and joins the party. The majority of the chapter is spent overcoming obstacles and fighting enemies, always making progress up the mountain. The boss of the chapter is fought at the top of Asarano Mountain against the Asarano Dragon. The party defeats it, and from the rubble of the battle emerges a piece of the time machine that will further it's capabilities and a piece of the secret weapon. With triumph, the group returns to Asarano Village. The high council are impressed by Laine's achievements, and now beg her to join, but Laine declines, stating that she would rather stay with E. Gadd because he gave her a chance, unlike Master Nguyen and the rest of the council. So the three depart from Asarano Village, and so ends chapter 1.
==== Chapter 2: The Great Nimbus Sea ====
Following the events of Chapter 1, E. Gadd, Bowser Jr., and Laine traverse Asarano Mountain in order to get to the other side, in hopes of finding The Time Turner 2000. Once they finally make their way over it, they find the time machine, beat up pretty bad. E. Gadd goes to work with the piece that they recently earned from the Asarano Dragon. The time machine is fixed, and the party is able to travel into the future. They land only a few years later, atop a cloudy city in the sky. The Time Turner 2000 is still in tact, but without another piece, they can't progress into the future. While asking around the city about the piece, a yellow Eerie that goes by the name of O'Leerie zips past and steals Bowser Jr.'s paintbrush and runs off. Bowser Jr., without thought, chases after him, and E. Gadd and Laine are soon following Bowser Jr. O'Leerie is eventually cornered, and is forced to fight the party. After defeated, the local town police arrive and arrest O'Leerie after he gives back the paint brush. The party is then given insight as to where they are. They are at Nimbus Land, a land above the sky, which is ruled peacefully by the young King and Queen Nimbus. O'Leerie is put into jail, meanwhile E. Gadd asks the police unit to see the King to ask if he's aware of the whereabouts of the missing piece. He is respectfully denied the right because the King and Queen are upset over the recent loss of their son. The party finds themselves at an impasse, but Laine comes up with the idea that O'Leerie might know where it is, because of his fascination with stealing things. They ask to visit him, and surely enough, O'Leerie claims to know exactly where the piece is. O'Leerie states that he will tell them, as long as they traverse The Great Nimbus Sea, finding and defeating five fortresses that house rivals of O'Leerie. Defeating them will make his job as a smuggler easier, not having to worry about other syndicates getting in his way. The gang, not being your typical band of "good guys", agree to help him if it means getting the piece. O'Leerie informs them of an airship that resides at a dock nearby, and gives them permission to use it as a mode of transportation.
Most of the chapter is spent traversing The Great Nimbus Sea. You are given a map of the sea, where various locations are marked after discovering them, including the fortresses. This mechanic of the game acts similarly to The Great Sea in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
==== Chapter 3: To Please a Piranha Plant ====
==== Chapter 4: The Mystery of Murdock Manor ====
==== Chapter 5: E. Gadd's Epic Escape! ====
==== Chapter 6: Ruins of the S.S. Roderick ====
==== Chapter 7: King Boo's Palace ====
== Characters ==
=== Playable ===
Name 	
Summary
Professor E. Gadd	The main protagonist of Super Mario RPG 2. Professor E. Gadd is a scientist and the mastermind behind the Time Turner 2000. He takes on the role of the leader of the group. E. Gadd has lots of abilities that summon various gadgets that do damage, as opposed to basic attacks.
Bowser Jr. 	Bowser Jr. makes a promise to his father, Bowser, that he will overthrow King Boo after Bowser himself had been defeated. He stumbles upon E. Gadd and the two learn of their common goal, and team up to defeat King Boo. E. Gadd lends Bowser Jr. a magical paint brush engineered by him, and Bowser Jr. uses this to cast spells on enemies.
Laine 	Laine is a former sensei in training who was denied the right to take on the final trial in her training, even after doing all the prerequisites, being told she wasn't prepared enough yet. Laine decides to take on the final trial on her own, where E. Gadd and Bowser Jr. meet her. They decide to help out so she doesn't get herself hurt. After the trial is overcome, she has proven herself, and is asked to join the council, but declines and stays with E. Gadd because he gave her a chance. Laine is a balanced character, whose basic attacks do the most damage, but can also use moderate party-buffing abilities and is very fast.
Young Toadsworth 	Toadsworth's young self joins the party after they arrive in Toadsville, and he recognizes E. Gadd as the older version of the younger one that he knows. He is then told of the group's voyage across time, and he agrees to help, but only if they help with his town's Piranha Plant problem. After that is dealt with, he joins, but is skeptical of Bowser Jr. Toadsworth acts as the white mage, healing his party members and buffing them, while not being much of an attacker.
Boondock 	Boondock is a vengeful boo and former high official of Murdock, and furthermore, formerly affiliated with King Boo himself. He was a close friend of Murdock's and got him to the the position he's currently in as King Boo's highest ranking official, but Murdock left Boondock in the dust, and exiled him from King Boo's boo army. From then, his primary goal was to take down Murdock and King Boo in vengeance, but for the time being, he resided in Murdock Manor. There, he meets E. Gadd and his party and is informed of their motives, and ardently joins them. Boondock wears a western hat and jacket and cigar (replaced by toothpick in North American release.) He is a hard-hitting offensive character, who's most damage comes from his basic attacks. He also can use abilities that lower the enemies' defense, attack, magic defense, etc.
*Rawk Hawk 	Rawk Hawk is an optional companion obtained through a lengthy side quest in the game known as The Rawk Hawk Quest. Following his endeavors in the Glitz Pit, Rawk Hawk decided to become a traveling fighter, finding glitz clubs on the road that he would try his hand at dominating. Being Rawk Hawk, he would of course conquer them all, and leave right after for another club. He eventually became a travelling champion fighter, and because of this, no regular person could simply challenge the incredible Rawk Hawk to a duel. Thus, he made it a rule that anybody that wished to fight him had to have six brawl bracelets. The lengthy side quest that involves unlocking Rawk Hawk can be found here. Rawk Hawk is intended to be the best character you can get in the game, unless you've taken the time to level up your other characters to the point of surpassing him. He's a tank character, lots of health, lots of defense, and does a bunch of damage as well.
*denotes optional character.
Category:Mario Games
Category:Wii U Games
Category:Fan Games
Category:Games
Category:Mario (series)
Category:Role-Playing Games
Category:Sequels
Category:2018
Category:Nintendo Switch Games