Super Mario RPG – How to Unlock the Beetle Mania Retro Arcade Game

After nearly three decades, the classic Super Mario RPG is back and as quirky as ever. This one-of-a-kind take on both the Super Mario universe and RPG genre is packed with unique mechanics, secrets, and puzzles that may be a bit perplexing for new players at first, but we’re here to help you.

Warning: The following article contains SPOILERS for Super Mario RPG.

One of the more unique unlockable secrets in Super Mario RPG is “Beetle Mania,” a retro arcade-style shooter that you can play from the game’s main menu at any time. It’s a fun little time-waster, but how does one get it? Follow these steps to revive Beetle Mania…

• Step 1 – Once you’ve played through the Marrymore section of the game, head back to the Mushroom Kingdom then pop into the Inn.

• Step 2 – In the corner of the Inn, you’ll find a purple toad kid playing some sort of video game. Talk to him several times about it, and he’ll offer to let you buy it for 500 coins (boy, and you thought game prices in the real world were bad).

You can now play Beetle Mania any time from the main menu! Again, it’s a simple game – you get points for shooting shells and get bonus points if a shell destroys another shell when it explodes, so try to create chain reactions in order to nab the high score. If your beetle gets hit you can mash buttons to revive yourself, but every time you die reviving gets more difficult. A bonus hint – the makeup of your team, specifically who’s in the middle spot next to Mario, will determine the background you get while playing so tinker around and see what you get.

Super Mario RPG is available now on Nintendo Switch. You can check out Wccftech’s other Super Mario RPG guides here.