Fans ofSuper Mario RPGare debating whether Culex, a superboss based on Square Enix’sFinal Fantasyfranchise, will be making a return in the upcoming remake. The June 2023 Nintendo Direct surprised a lot of fans, especially those who loved the company’s flagship franchise. TheSuper MarioIP brought a ton of exciting reveals to the presentation, with the one that caught fans off guard the most beingthe reveal of aSuper Mario RPGremake.The trailer for theSuper Mario RPGremake showcased a bunch of new detailsthat would be updated about the game. Despite the game being overhauled to fit with theSuper MarioIP’s current image, there were just as many things that were faithfully translated from the SNES original. This includes updated models for characters that have only existed in this game, such as party member Geno, the bosom Nimbus Land boss Valentina, and Croco the recurring bandit. One character fans are debating to see if they’ll make a return or not is theFinal Fantasy-themed optional superboss that can be found in the original.RELATED:Super Mario RPG Composer Will Be Rearranging Music for the RemakeFor those unaware, Culex is a being that hails from a different dimension that engages with Mario’s party in a boss fight in the game, having more HP combined than both phases of the final boss. It is also a huge shout-out to theFinal Fantasyfranchise since Squaresoft was the game’s original developer. This can be seen with its battle sprite that wouldn’t be out of place from one of the first six games, its battle theme is an arrangement of theboss fight theme fromFF4, and it fights using four elemental crystals. Fans really want to see Culex return in the remake, while others believe this reference could be replaced with something more modern.
Some fans have suggested that a reference that newer fans would understand could be implemented in the game, instead of just a boss that calls back to elements ofFinal Fantasy. One of the most immediate suggestions that came to mind as a possible superboss was Sephiroth fromFinal Fantasy 7. While the character is one of the most powerful villains in RPGs, fans believeMario and his crew can beat Sephiroth, a nod to a meme related to the subject. Others suggested other entities that could fight Mario and his party, with some being jokes while others were more sincere alternatives like Exdeath fromFinal Fantasy 5.
Some hope that if Culex does return, there can be the possibility of Yoko Shimomura re-arranging his boss theme forSuper Mario RPG. Others think that Culex might not even return, due to Square possibly holding the rights to him. While it’s too early to tell, fans are really curious to see if this one aspect will be retained or not.
