A mod for Paper Mario
Paper Mario: Master Quest is a mod made for "Paper Mario" on the N64. It was created by Emperor_Thamz, Rainchus, JaThePlayer, and Brotenko. It revamps old content and adds plenty of new as well. Often considered "The Dark Souls of Paper Mario", the mod is incredibly difficult.
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The concept is great, there's good quality of life stuff, and it made me get so much better at the Paper Mario gameplay.
The problem is the difficulty curve isn't quite gradual enough. In my specific example, I got through up to General Guy, who I then just could not get past. I thought, "okay, it's probably a skill thing and I'm not super optimized," so I dropped the game and then tried again with Master Quest Jr. a few months later. Not only is Jr. not that much easier, I'm still getting completely bodied by General Guy, same exact spot. Hopefully things improve with 2.0.
The problem is the difficulty curve isn't quite gradual enough. In my specific example, I got through up to General Guy, who I then just could not get past. I thought, "okay, it's probably a skill thing and I'm not super optimized," so I dropped the game and then tried again with Master Quest Jr. a few months later. Not only is Jr. not that much easier, I'm still getting completely bodied by General Guy, same exact spot. Hopefully things improve with 2.0.
Coming off of Paper Mario Black Pit, this mod... also exists!
The concept of a hard, twisted up version of Paper Mario isn't a bad starting point. I'll grant that I chose to play Master Quest "Junior Mode," which is apparently easier than the base version. I've memorized the layout of both Paper Mario games frontwards and backwards at this point. And even with that expertise, I found myself forced to rethink my strategy for nearly every encounter in twenty hours or so I played.
The difficulty boost isn't just a boost in health and attack. The mod team created new enemies that operate under new rules. Some enemies have had their attacks changed in subtle ways, playing on the expectations of long-term players. The team is also careful to ensure that it IS possible to survive a battle. Badges that are crucial to a winning strategy are placed hours and hours earlier in the game than they might appear in the base game. Its the way to keep things balanced and ensure players can form a concrete plan, rather than just rely on luck and grit.
Its in this sort of sleight of hand that Master Quest excels. It places new obstacles and dungeons around the map to throw off experienced players, making them rethink their knowledge of the base game and how to use the system in new ways. For example: Dry Dry Desert is an area that makes up about 36 screens. The path from the beginning to the end of Dry Dry Desert, as well as the goodies to grab on the way, is straightforward and ingrained in my mind. Master Quest creates sand dunes blocking progress in the middle of this path, forcing me to rely on my useless old map to decipher the new paths of success. It recreates the thrill of my youth, desperately trying to survive the harsh tundras of the desert area.
With all this in mind, there's a certain... mean-spirited nature to the game that really rubs me the wrong way. Many battle items have been weakened or removed. I understand that you want to keep the system difficult, but removing an aspect of the game's strategy entirely doesn't fully add up to me.
But what really grates on me is the script changes. Most of the game's dialogue is untouched and unaltered. But every now and then, it sneaks in a little change on you. Take the sidequest that earns you a special badge. In the original game, the sidequest operates as follows: a wizard tells you to run around a red tree, based on a dream he had. After doing that, a random npc will approach you to ask what you're doing. After explaining, he says: "I mean hey, dreams are weird. I had a dream that spin-jumping three times in a wizard's house would get something special. But that's just silly, dreams aren't real!" You go to the location, spin jump, new badge.
The steps are the same, but now the npc says something new. "Geez, idiots will believe in anything. Go spin-jump in the wizard's house three times. It won't do anything, but I bet you'll do it just cause I said so, moron."
Why... change that? What purpose does that serve? It interrupts the charm and consistency of the Paper Mario world, its not a particularly funny joke, and its just kind of mean for the sake of being mean. Its those kinds of choices that make Master Quest rancid with a strange Vibe. Its hard to purely define, but there's a real vicious streak behind the construction of this mod that creates a strange undertone lying in wait beneath the surface of the game.
I don't know much about the details, but apparently the dev team split apart, with someone new in charge of the mod and creating new changes and patches for the future. I think that speaks to the vibe I'm talking about, and I hope the new team head is someone who recognizes the issues of the original mod. There's something good here, I just think it wasn't originally built on the right intentions.
The concept of a hard, twisted up version of Paper Mario isn't a bad starting point. I'll grant that I chose to play Master Quest "Junior Mode," which is apparently easier than the base version. I've memorized the layout of both Paper Mario games frontwards and backwards at this point. And even with that expertise, I found myself forced to rethink my strategy for nearly every encounter in twenty hours or so I played.
The difficulty boost isn't just a boost in health and attack. The mod team created new enemies that operate under new rules. Some enemies have had their attacks changed in subtle ways, playing on the expectations of long-term players. The team is also careful to ensure that it IS possible to survive a battle. Badges that are crucial to a winning strategy are placed hours and hours earlier in the game than they might appear in the base game. Its the way to keep things balanced and ensure players can form a concrete plan, rather than just rely on luck and grit.
Its in this sort of sleight of hand that Master Quest excels. It places new obstacles and dungeons around the map to throw off experienced players, making them rethink their knowledge of the base game and how to use the system in new ways. For example: Dry Dry Desert is an area that makes up about 36 screens. The path from the beginning to the end of Dry Dry Desert, as well as the goodies to grab on the way, is straightforward and ingrained in my mind. Master Quest creates sand dunes blocking progress in the middle of this path, forcing me to rely on my useless old map to decipher the new paths of success. It recreates the thrill of my youth, desperately trying to survive the harsh tundras of the desert area.
With all this in mind, there's a certain... mean-spirited nature to the game that really rubs me the wrong way. Many battle items have been weakened or removed. I understand that you want to keep the system difficult, but removing an aspect of the game's strategy entirely doesn't fully add up to me.
But what really grates on me is the script changes. Most of the game's dialogue is untouched and unaltered. But every now and then, it sneaks in a little change on you. Take the sidequest that earns you a special badge. In the original game, the sidequest operates as follows: a wizard tells you to run around a red tree, based on a dream he had. After doing that, a random npc will approach you to ask what you're doing. After explaining, he says: "I mean hey, dreams are weird. I had a dream that spin-jumping three times in a wizard's house would get something special. But that's just silly, dreams aren't real!" You go to the location, spin jump, new badge.
The steps are the same, but now the npc says something new. "Geez, idiots will believe in anything. Go spin-jump in the wizard's house three times. It won't do anything, but I bet you'll do it just cause I said so, moron."
Why... change that? What purpose does that serve? It interrupts the charm and consistency of the Paper Mario world, its not a particularly funny joke, and its just kind of mean for the sake of being mean. Its those kinds of choices that make Master Quest rancid with a strange Vibe. Its hard to purely define, but there's a real vicious streak behind the construction of this mod that creates a strange undertone lying in wait beneath the surface of the game.
I don't know much about the details, but apparently the dev team split apart, with someone new in charge of the mod and creating new changes and patches for the future. I think that speaks to the vibe I'm talking about, and I hope the new team head is someone who recognizes the issues of the original mod. There's something good here, I just think it wasn't originally built on the right intentions.
i do not like huff n puff