Mario RPG variants

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Super Mario RPG Postscript:  A Suitable Anticlimax

For whatever reason, I just had the urge to beat up Culex.  So I backtracked to Monstro Town and entered the door sealed with the Shiny Stone.  Culex gave his speech about how his kind could not survive in Mario's world, and challenged me to a fight.  After I said yes, the Final Fantasy 4 boss music started playing.

Culex didn't fight alone.  Appropriately for a Final Fantasy villain, he had the four elemental crystals by his side.  I thought the Safety Ring would block their spells, and this was true for the Fire Crystal's Drain, Flame Wall, and Mega Drain.  It certainly couldn't stop the Earth Crystal's Blast, Boulder, and Storm!  The Water Crystal's Diamond Saw could hurt too.  The worst attack was Culex's Dark Star.  It wasn't as strong as Wizard Smithy's version, but it was more than enough to kill Mallow.  Bracers couldn't save him in this fight either due to Shredder.  At least Smithy could only use that in his box form.

Postgame Death Count:  24

Mallow can't solo Culex without cheating with the Lazy Shell or something.    

And that's the true ending of my stupid Super Mario RPG playthrough.  I hope y'all enjoyed it!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

After the stress of Kefka's Tower in Final Fantasy 6, it's time for something a little more relaxing.  One thing I thought about while trying the solo Mallow playthrough was how the game might play differently without using any equipment.  Mallow depended on the Safety Ring and melee weapons for much of that challenge. 


Super Mario RPG No Equipment:  Renouncing the World

I started by naming the player SANNYASI, after the Hindu ascetics who renounce material possessions.  The first choice for a name was DIGAMBARA, the "sky-clothed" sect of Jain monks, but that didn't fit the character limit.  Besides, at least some sannyasis were warriors, while Jain monks were stricter about non-violence.  So SANNYASI fit the idea a little better.


Mushroom Way

-Mario starts with nothing to wear anyway, so this was exactly the same as a normal playthrough.  Unlike solo Mallow where I rushed through as quickly as possible, I stayed a while and got all the treasure, including some Flower Points.

For some of the enemies, I used Jump even though melee would have worked about as well.  This is because Jump has a hidden mechanic that boosts its power by 1 every other use.  According to GameFAQs, it maxes out at 250 Jumps.  Not bad for a spell that costs 3 FP!  Melee would become irrelevant over the course of the playthrough, and I couldn't drop Mario, so leveling up his basic spell was the best option for him.

The Hammer Bros. fight wasn't remarkable.  If I had used the Flower Tab before the fight like I should have, I could have used Jump one more time to speed things up.  Since when has Herman Gigglethorpe ever played optimally?


Mushroom Kingdom

-I made sure to gather all the FP I could from the treasures.  A few characters have different dialogue if you talk to them while Mallow is crying rain, which I didn't notice before.  This game has a surprising attention to detail about things that most players won't see.  I sold the Hammer at the shop and spent the money on various healing items.  Especially Mushrooms and Honey Syrups.  Without melee to fall back on, keeping my FP from running out was essential.


Bandit Way

-With the help of the invincibility box and a few random battles, I leveled up to 3.  Mario learned Flame Orb, and Croco was weak to fire.  Each Flame Orb could deal from 60-70 damage to the crocodile thief.  One bomb from the boss killed Mallow in a single hit, so the rest of the fight was effectively a Mario solo.  A Mushroom or two kept Mario at enough health to finish off Croco with more Flame Orbs.


Mushroom Kingdom 2

-The party fought many pogo Shy Guys to collect all the available FP and see extra dialogue.  Mario and Mallow leveled up to 4, enough for the next boss fight.  Mack was more challenging than he was in the solo Mallow playthrough because this time Mallow couldn't kill all the minions with one Thunderbolt.  Mallow's superior Mg. Defense was very noticeable during this boss fight.  Mario even had to defend once or twice to stay safe from Flame and Flame Wall.  Jump dealt most of the damage, though occasionally Mallow had to kill off the minions with Thunderbolt.


Kero Sewers

-Pandorite was weak to Jump, and Mario took it out with only a few hits.  Much easier than solo Mallow having to punch it to death, that's for sure!  Then a failed attempt to escape from poisonous Rat Funks and a Shadow led to a surprise Game Over.  Status ailments will be a much bigger problem in this challenge without accessories to protect against them.


Death Count:  1

Game Overs erase all progress from the previous save except for experience.  This allowed me to fight Pandorite again and gain a level.  Belome put Mallow to sleep and turned Mario into a scarecrow.  Belome didn't realize Mario entirely depended on magic in this challenge, so disabling melee and items was almost harmless to him.  When Mallow woke up, he used a Honey Syrup to avoid running out of FP while Mario was still a scarecrow.  Belome swallowed Mallow for about 1 or 2 turns before being defeated by a Jump.


Midas River, Tadpole Pond, Rose Way

-Midas River wasn't worth mentioning because it was a non-combat stage with no shops or hidden items other than a few Frog Coins.  Tadpole Pond had unique shops.  The Froggie Drink could heal the whole party for 30 HP each, so I sold every remaining Mushroom I had and stocked up on them.  I don't believe I've ever used Froggie Drinks on my previous playthroughs, so I'm using new tactics here.

Rose Way had FP to grab, and the party beat up the local starfish, bandits, flowers, and Shy Guys to gain another level.


Rose Town

-Mario robbed the local Toads to gain even more FP.  The reaction when one found out his treasures were gone after I helped him go up the stairs was worth it.  I sold equipment such as the Trueform Pin to gain more money, and made sure to get enough Honey Syrups to last me through the next dungeon.


Forest Maze

-I was surprised to get to the Forest Maze so soon.  No Equipment was so much faster than a Mallow solo that it almost felt like a speedrun.  I dodged most of the enemies, but couldn't escape one battle with a bee and a chained Donkey Kong.  Bowyer spent much of the boss fight disabling the Y Button.  Geno's ability to do 20-30 damage with unarmed melee came in handy when that happened!  Mario could only hit for 1 with his basic punch, so I had him defend.  Bowyer occasionally put party members to sleep, which was no more than a minor annoyance. 


Mallow served the rest of the party Froggie Drinks when he wasn't allowed to use HP Rain.  At the beginning and during the time Bowyer disabled the X Button, Geno dealt 60 damage with Geno Beam.  Mario Jumped as usual.  It was easy despite the restrictions the boss placed on my party. 

After returning to Rose Town, I sold the Finger Shot that Gaz gave me and saved.
 
    
Stats

Mario Level 6

HP:  55
Speed:  20
Attack:  36
Defense:  13
Mg. Attack:  27
Mg. Defense:  14


Mallow Level 6

HP:  51
Speed:  18
Attack:  30
Defense:  15
Mg. Attack:  27
Mg. Defense:  19


Geno Level 6

HP:  45
Speed:  30
Attack:  60
Defense:  23
Mg. Attack:  25
Mg. Defense:  17

[Cheater Hater]

So have you practiced your Super Jumps yet?

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

So have you practiced your Super Jumps yet?

I'm not going to bother with Super Jump.  It costs 7 FP, or more than two Jumps.  Remember how I ranted about FP efficiency in the solo Mallow challenge?  

Chances are Geno will be in the party for most of the game.  Geno Boost will be needed to buff the party's defenses without using inventory slots and Frog Coins.  He also has good attack magic later in the game.  Yes, I will try to Geno Whirl Exor.  

Peach may not appear that often.  The whole reason I put her in the party in the Mallow playthrough was because she died so quickly without armor.

Bowser might end up being my item healer.  It sounds crazy, but Bowser has terrible equipment and therefore has decent natural defenses to make up for it.   The Heal Shell gives exactly as much Defense and Mg. Defense as Peach's default armor.  

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Super Mario RPG No Equipment:  Geno Carries the Team


Pipe Vault

-A battle against a group of around 5 Piranha Plants was surprisingly difficult.  They were resistant to magic, and Thunderbolt only did about 25 to each.  They didn’t seem to be weak to Fire Orb either.  Only Geno Beam and melee did anything worthwhile.  Their status ailments dragged out the fight.  The experience and money were not worth the trouble.
 

Moleville

-This was the first town with Mid Mushrooms and Maple Syrups, so I stocked up on consumables.  Croco wouldn’t normally be a tough fight, but he was in this playthrough.  A bomb could take out Mario from full health, which was a problem because Jump was the most effective attack against him.  Geno’s melee and Geno Beam supplemented Mario’s offense.  Midway through the battle, Croco disabled all items.  His Chomps could be blunted a bit with timed defense, but running out of FP for Healing Rain with no items to restore it was too much for level 6-7 characters.

 
Death Count:  2

 
“No Equipment” challenges sometimes require grinding to make up for low stats.  I fought the enemies in the Moleville mine, such as Magmites, Clusters, Bob-ombs, and Sparkys.  For some odd reason, Sparkys were weak to melee attacks, even Mallow’s.  Perhaps Jump isn’t considered a physical attack in the code?  Geno Beam fried Clusters and Bob-ombs, while Thunderbolt zapped the Magmites.  Once Geno got to level 8 and Mario and Mallow reached 7, I knew I could win the Croco rematch.
 

Geno Boost is one of the most powerful spells in Super Mario RPG.  If you press the Y button at the correct time, a character gains both Attack Up and Defense Up buffs until the battle ends, the character dies, or a boss casts Shredder.  I looked at an algorithm guide in GameFAQs to try to understand the mechanics.  Apparently Defense Up doesn’t grant an extra boost to characters using the defend command.  Attack Up doesn’t boost healing magic, but enhances attack magic and melee by 50%.

 
At the beginning of the Croco fight, I used Geno Boost on all 3 characters and Jumped with Mario.  With the Defense Up bonus, all characters could survive the boss’s attacks and heal with items and HP Rain as needed.  This was a dramatic improvement over the first attempt.

 
Once Croco gave up his bomb and fled, I could go through the mines.  I leveled Mario and Mallow to 8 to prepare for Punchinello and snuck up on him.  Punchinello turned out to be immune to Jump!  It looked like Mario was going to be on defense and item duty for the rest of the fight.  Mallow had to sit on the sidelines too.  The only attacks that seemed to do substantial damage to the mad bomber were Geno’s melee (63) and Geno Beam (about 103).  Geno Boost’s defense buffs made the increasingly large Bob-ombs a nuisance rather than a Game Over threat.

 
Booster Pass and Booster Tower Entrance


-I hadn’t pressed the switch in Booster Tower yet, so I ignored the enemies, grabbed a FP flower, and charged on to the next area.  Bowser broke down the door to Booster Tower and joined the party.  When I looked at his starting stats, I realized he would make an effective tank and melee fighter.  It was nice to have the option of physical attacks when enemies resisted magic.  Mallow won’t be relevant again until he learns Shocker at level 10, and that has a high FP cost relative to its power.



Stats
 
Max FP:  34
 
Mario Level 8

HP:  71
Speed:  20
Attack:  44
Defense:  19
Mg. Attack:  36
Mg. Defense:  19
 

Bowser Level 8


HP:  80
Speed:  15
Attack:  85
Defense:  52
Mg. Attack:  20
Mg. Defense:  30
 

Geno Level 8

HP:  67
Speed:  30
Attack:  70
Defense:  29
Mg. Attack:  36
Mg. Defense:  22


Mallow Level 8

HP:  71
Speed:  18
Attack:  36
Defense:  21
Mg. Attack:  34
Mg. Defense:  23

[Cheater Hater]

1. Even if you get Jump up to 255, I'm pretty sure it can't compete with a maxed out Super Jump in terms of raw damage.

2. You say two Jumps are more efficient, but not only are you going to have more coins due to not buying equipment (and thus can buy more healing items--IIRC there's a way to grind Royal Syrups, even if it's just through Mushroom Guy), the Super Jumps deal damage more quickly (and thus you don't have to take the damage of the extra turns).

Then again, a lot of the reason Super Jumps are so good is because of the equipment you get, and that obviously isn't a problem here

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Super Mario RPG No Equipment:  Bowser Is Overrated


Booster Tower

-I ran past most of the enemies, but fought the occasional Jester, Remo Con, and Chomp.  Most were weak to Jump and Bowser’s melee.  The Fireballs were inescapable once I encountered them in the room with the key and Frog Coins, but they were easily taken out with melee.  For some reason, they dropped several Lucky flowers.  What mechanics determine things like that?  Mallow hardly got any Lucky, Attack Up, etc. flowers during his solo run.

 
Bowser was in the party specifically to deal with the optional Booster fight.  The Snifits all fell to Geno Boosted Jumps, and Booster was even more vulnerable.  If my memory is correct, one of Mario’s Jumps dealt over 300 damage!  That’s endgame power for un-boosted attacks in normal playthroughs.  Bowser spent his turns gashing Booster with his claws.  The boss never got to use Loco Express before the party beat him.
 

Knife Guy and Grate Guy had another weakness Mario could exploit.  Flame Orb dealt huge damage to Knife Guy, but that was because of an elemental weakness rather than raw power.  Once only Grate Guy was left, Mario spent a few turns asleep.  Geno Beam and Bowser’s claw dealt enough damage to deal with the pink clown without much assistance.
 


Booster Hill

-My performance was much better than the abysmal attempt in the solo Mallow run.  Mario gained 5 FP this time.
 


Marrymore


-It took several turns for me to figure out I had to attack Bundt to activate the candle phase.  Before then, Geno buffed the party as Mario and Bowser defended.  Sandstorm and Blizzard gave the party a bit of difficulty, but once the candles were gone, it was practically over.  Mario’s Jump hit the bottom part of the cake for about 400 damage, and other attacks subdued Bundt long enough for Booster to eat it.
 


Mushroom Kingdom

-Selling Peach’s starter equipment got me some extra coins.  Not that I really needed more money at this point.  No Equipment may be faster than a regular playthrough except for the part where I had to level Geno to 8 before Croco in the Moleville mines.


Star Hill

-I dodged every encounter except for one with Pulsars, which Geno defeated with Geno Beam.  Good thing palette swaps of Moleville enemies had the same weakness!


 
Sea

-The invincibility box leveled Mario and Mallow to 10, giving me access to Super Flame and Shocker.  This would come in handy for the next area.


 
Sunken Ship


-King Calamari wasn’t too difficult, but the fight was a bit annoying sometimes.  A Geno Boosted Super Flame could knock out a weak tentacle in 1 hit, and a strong tentacle in 2.  The tentacles sometimes dragged Mario away for a few turns and inflicted the Fear debuff on him.  Shocker was disappointing even with Geno Boost, but it helped a little.  More Super Flames fried King Calamari.  Fortunately for me, it seemed to prefer Drain Beam to causing Fear with Sandstorm.
 

Mallow electrocuted Jonathan Jones’s pirate crew with two Geno Boosted Thunderbolts.  To get to that point, I had to revive Geno with a Pick Me Up after the pirates impaled him with their spears before he could act.  Mario was grateful for Geno Boost during the one-on-one phase of the fight.  I had stockpiled enough Mid Mushrooms to allow him to survive without HP Rain, and Jump dealt more damage than the other party members’ attacks anyway.
 



Seaside Town


-Yaridovich’s signature move Water Blast was dangerous enough that I replaced Mallow with Bowser.  I probably should have kept Mallow.  He at least could have used Shocker.  For all of Bowser’s supposed durability, he died at least twice and was reduced to being an item caddy.  Geno Beam dealt around 26 damage or so.  That was a waste of FP!  Mario’s Jump was the go-to offensive spell once again. 

Yaridovich loved casting Water Blast repeatedly just as I feared.  He sometimes used Willy Wisp, Pierce, and melee attacks too.  It took many Mid Mushrooms and a few Pick Me Ups to do it, but the “sky-clothed” party defeated one of the toughest bosses at levels 10-11.  That was a good enough reason to take a break and end the session.
 
 
 
Stats
 
Max FP:  54

Mario Level 10

HP:  92
Speed:  20
Attack:  52
Defense:  25
Mg. Attack:  42
Mg. Defense:  23
 

Bowser Level 11

HP:  107
Speed:  15
Attack:  97
Defense:  62
Mg. Attack:  35
Mg. Defense:  37
 

Geno Level 11

HP:  102
Speed:  30
Attack:  85
Defense:  39
Mg. Attack:  51
Mg. Defense:  30


Mallow Level 11

HP:  99
Speed:  18
Attack:  46
Defense:  30
Mg. Attack:  48
Mg. Defense:  33
 


Peach Level 11

HP:  73
Speed:  24
Attack:  43
Defense:  30
Mg. Attack:  48
Mg. Defense:  33


Number of Super Jumps used:  0

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Super Mario RPG No Equipment:  Bowser Is Still Overrated


Land’s End


-The Shogun ants were as tough for this party as they were for solo Mallow.  In one encounter, Geno was the only survivor.  If it weren’t for well-timed Geno Whirls, the Death Count would have been high here.  Jump could also one-shot a Shogun most of the time.
 
My characters rose to level 13 with the two invincibility boxes in the cave under the desert.  Belome decided to clone Mario twice instead of eating Mallow or Geno.  This made the fight somewhat easier.  Shocker was disappointing against Belome, but helped against the clones once Mario stomped on Belome enough times.  Jump didn’t work at all on the Mario clones, so Belome must have made better imitations than I thought!
 

Bean Valley


-Mario and friends rushed to Megasmilax instead of sticking around for random enemies.  Megasmilax started off as only a single Smilax, giving the party enough time to set up Geno Boost.  Jump defeated all the small Smilaxes with one hit, and was my main attack against the giant one too.  One Petal Blast turned Mario, Peach, and Geno into mushrooms, and only luck allowed my characters to outlast that. 


One reason I brought Peach was that her Group Hug worked as both a healing and a status ailment curing spell.  She’s one of the best healers in RPG history, and it’s easy to see why she makes it onto almost every party setup.  Freshen Up items were a backup plan in case Peach was unable to act.  Megasmilax was stupid enough to use other spells than Petal Blast, giving me the opportunity to win at level 13.  I thought Megasmilax would be tougher than that without Safety Rings or Trueform Pins!
 


Nimbus Land


-Mario won the statue minigame with Dodo and got the feather, which he immediately sold.  One unofficial goal of team SANNYASI is to acquire unique equipment and “destroy” it to teach some lesson about impermanence.  I did the same thing with the Ghost Medal, the Masher, and both Lazy Shells.  Role playing in an RPG can be fun sometimes.  
 

Birdo was the most difficult fight for solo Mallow other than Smithy.  With the help of Geno Boost, she was easier than some of the random encounters!  Birdo began the fight as an egg and allowed Geno to buff the party without interruptions.  Mario’s Jump could deal over 100 damage to her when buffed.  Not bad for a gimmick boss where you’re supposed to use exploding eggs to deal 80 damage per attack.  As soon as Mario and friends won, they failed to run away from an encounter with a Jawful, 2 Sling Shys, and two Shamans and were forced to fight Birdo again.
 

Death Count:  3

 
Birdo Round 2 was as easy as Round 1.  Mario, Peach, and Geno managed to escape Jawful on take 2.  To prepare for Valentina and Dodo, I replaced Peach with Bowser and moved him to the middle slot.  Bowser reached level 14 from the invincibility box at the end of Nimbus Castle.  This was another case where I should have ditched Bowser.  His claws barely scratched Dodo for about 16-22 damage.     Bowser chugged almost all of my Mid Mushrooms.  He only managed to hang on because that stupid bird kept silencing a character who didn't care about magic.

 
Mario and Geno had a difficult battle against Valentina.  They required Kerokero Colas to survive her various spells such as Water Blast and Solidify.  Jump was as effective on Valentina as with other boss fights, and it didn’t take long to finish her off once Bowser and Dodo returned.  Bowser’s performance was so awful that I might leave him on the bench for the rest of the game.  Maybe he scales more with higher levels than the other characters?

 
I backtracked to Belome Temple to get the flowers, Frog Coins, and consumable items, ran a couple more errands, and then ended the play session for the night.  Only Barrel Volcano, Bowser’s Keep, and Smithy’s factory are left!  If team SANNYASI really needs to grind for the end, I can use the conveyor belt trick I learned in the solo Mallow run.   



Stats

Max FP:  68
 
Mario Level 14

HP:  130
Speed:  20
Attack:  72
Defense:  41
Mg. Attack:  63
Mg. Defense:  37
 

Bowser Level 14

HP:  134
Speed:  15
Attack:  111
Defense:  72
Mg. Attack:  50
Mg. Defense:  44
 

Geno Level 14

HP:  137
Speed:  30
Attack:  100
Defense:  51
Mg. Attack:  66
Mg. Defense:  40
 

Peach Level 14

HP:  108
Speed:  24
Attack:  55
Defense:  39
Mg. Attack:  63
Mg. Defense:  43
 

Mallow Level 14

HP:  134
Speed:  18
Attack:  58
Defense:  39
Mg. Attack:  63
Mg. Defense:  42

Number of Super Jumps used:  0

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Super Mario RPG No Equipment:  Peach Carries the Team


Barrel Volcano
 
-Mario ran past most of the enemies.  Geno Blast, Snowy, and Geno Whirl were effective against those I couldn’t dodge.  Stumpets were frightening in the solo Mallow challenge, but Geno could instantly kill those just like any other enemy now.  The Czar Dragon put up a fight just like it did in my previous playthrough.  Its physical attack could deal significant damage, and its Fire Wall spell required me to use HP Rain and Mid Mushrooms to survive. 

 
Czar Dragon often summoned the four explosive bits right before Mario’s turn, so I used Ultra Jump to get rid of them.  Later in the fight, I found out that Mallow could act before the bits attacked.  That meant casting Snowy.  When Czar Dragon was alone, Mario Jumped on it.  Zombone was easier than the first phase.  Sure, Boulder and Blast could hurt, but it was more vulnerable to Jump than the Czar Dragon and didn’t require me to use spread spells. 
 

The Axem Rangers required grinding to defeat much like Croco.  Instead of needing a new spell, the party had to gain more HP and defenses.  Several of the Axem Rangers such as Black could even outspeed Geno, potentially killing party members before I could buff them.  My second attempt got a little further, since I managed to take out Pink with a boosted Jump and a Fire Bomb, but my party couldn’t outlast attacks from the other colors.
 


Death Count:  5

 
Enemies in Barrel Volcano gave enough experience that leveling up to 16 didn’t take much time at all.  Mario, Peach, and Geno didn’t have an easy time on Take 3, but now they had a chance.  Geno buffed Peach first to ensure she could live long enough to Group Hug the team.  Mario defended until Geno could buff him, but I mistakenly used an unboosted Jump on Pink before that.  Pink then healed herself completely with Mega Recover. 


Fire Bomb helped to take out Pink again and damaged the other Axem Rangers except for Red.  Black was the next target for Jump.  He used Spritz Bomb on Geno before I could take him out, and I eventually had to revive the doll with a Pick Me Up.  Geno Blast softened up Red and Yellow, though Red had so much HP he could Vigor Up before dying.  I attacked Green next, but Yellow died faster because it took more damage from Geno Blast. 
 


Peach managed to Group Hug the party to full health right before the second phase.  No use dying to Breaker Beam after all that effort!  Geno Beam did little to the laser cannon, so Geno mostly defended during that part.  Mario’s Jump stomped it in roughly the 230s damage range.  Breaker Beam could hit Team SANNYASI for about 75-80 damage, which was easily remedied with a Group Hug.  For the most fragile character in the game, Peach has done well in this playthrough compared to Bowser.  Group healing makes up for low defenses.  After getting the 6th Star Piece, it was a good time to end the play session.
 
 
Stats

Max FP:  70

Mario Level 16


HP:  155
Speed:  20
Attack:  83
Defense:  49
Mg. Attack:  71
Mg. Defense:  43
 
 
Peach Level 16

HP:  141
Speed:  24
Attack:  68
Defense:  45
Mg. Attack:  71
Mg. Defense:  50
 

Geno Level 16

HP:  164
Speed:  30
Attack:  110
Defense:  59
Mg. Attack:  75
Mg. Defense:  46
 

Mallow Level 16

HP:  160
Speed:  18
Attack:  68
Defense:  45
Mg. Attack:  73
Mg. Defense:  48
 


Bowser Level 16

HP:  153
Speed:  15
Attack:  122
Defense:  80
Mg. Attack:  58
Mg. Defense:  48

Number of Super Jumps used:  0

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Bowser's Keep

=I ran from almost all the encounters here.  One Terrapunch could take out Peach from full health!  

Mario and company found both combat sections in the room with 6 doors.  This required Team SANNYASI to chug many Maple Syrups as they Geno Blasted their way through the enemy gauntlets.  They leveled to 17 along the way, allowing Geno to use his final spell Geno Flash on tougher opponents.  I only bothered with Geno Boost against a few opponents such as the treasure box that was weak to Mario's Jump.

One of the doors was a platforming challenge, while the other was a puzzle room.  I found the Sonic Cymbals, the Star Gun, and the Drill Claw along the way, which I sold to Croco as soon as I got the chance.  Team SANNYASI has to destroy every unique weapon they come across!    

Magikoopa's monster guardians weren't tough at all.  Bahamutt died in one hit to Geno Whirl, and the giant Bob-ombs couldn't survive a Geno Boosted Jump.  Jump was my main offense against Magikoopa, and Peach contributed by healing after every Solidify or Bolt.

Boomer barely qualified as a boss.  His Blizzard dealt single digit damage.  It was so weak that I had to check my party's HP numbers to make sure.  At least Storm did around 80 damage.  Geno Boosted Jumps were the go-to attack once again.  A timed defense prevented Shaker from killing Mario near the beginning.  Within a few rounds, Boomer fell down and Chandeli-ho took the party to Exor.

Exor is infamous for a certain glitch.  Most bosses are immune to Geno Whirl's instant kill effect, but not Exor once its invunerability is removed.  Geno Boost was used on Peach at the beginning to keep her alive.  She used a Rock Candy to disable one of the eyes.  Mario Jumped on the other eye, and then Geno Whirl killed the top part and ended the fight.    

Only Smithy's factory remained, along with the optional bosses Jinx and Culex.  This has been a fun playthrough so far, but easier than I expected.  The lack of equipment doesn't hinder you nearly as much in Super Mario RPG as in Earthbound or Dragon Quest.  (No Equipment in Earthbound is an Insanity Challenge.  I tried that once and died to Spiteful Crows and Runaway Dogs!  That's when I decided solo Ness would be a much better idea.)

Mario as a fragile Black Mage instead of a Fighter is an interesting change.  This challenge made me learn to appreciate Geno much more.  If my memory is correct, the official Player's Guide recommended Bowser more than Geno.  If so, the writers clearly didn't know the game well!  Bowser peaked in Booster Tower in this run, and has only weakened ever since. 


Stats

Max FP:  71

Mario Level 17

HP:  164
Speed:  20
Attack:  89
Defense:  53
Mg. Attack:  78
Mg. Defense:  47


Peach Level 17

HP:  152
Speed:  24
Attack:  76
Defense:  49
Mg. Attack:  78
Mg. Defense:  55


Geno Level 17

HP:  172
Speed:  30
Attack:  115
Defense:  63
Mg. Attack:  83
Mg. Defense:  50


Mallow Level 17

HP:  168
Speed:  18
Attack:  73
Defense:  48
Mg. Attack:  80
Mg. Defense:  52


Bowser Level 17

HP:  161
Speed:  15
Attack:  127
Defense:  84
Mg. Attack:  65
Mg. Defense:  51

Number of Super Jumps used:  0