Paper Mario, a turn-based JRPG entry in the Mario franchise with a paper-based aesthetic and platforming elements, sees the titular character working his way through the Mushroom Kingdom's diverse locales and biomes, meeting its inhabitants, fighthing unruly enemies and recruiting an array of companions in order to once again save Princess Peach from the clutches of the evil Koopa King Bowser.
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I'm almost finished with this game and knowing how it ends, its amazing. I don't usually like RPGs that much but just the mere fact that Mario was on the cover was enough for me to give it a try and I don't regret it. I love how the turn-based combat actually ties into the rest of the game. Like if an enemy approaches and you happen to jump on their head, the battle will start with Mario already jumping on their head and damage being dealt before any buttons are pressed. I also really like the companions. With how much originality was taken away from the Paper Mario series as it went on, its a breath of fresh air to see original designs and quirky characters. In the end, I'd say to give this game a shot, especially now that its on the switch.
a fun time but i prefer the mario and luigi games over these
this game is loads of fun. from the gameplay to the story, I really couldn't ask for much else
Such a fun twist on the Mario series, continuing on the legacy from Super Mario RPG. Fun storytelling and great characters, plus an interesting combat system. Was hooked from beginning to end. The detective scene is an all-time highlight.
I can't believe I never logged this before. I had an absolute blast with this one as a kid.
Paper Mario is one of the few RPGs released on the N64 and was one of my first turn based JRPGs that I played along with Pokémon when I was a kid. It is the second Mario RPG after Super Mario RPG for the SNES and was originally meant to be a sequel to that game but ended up being its own franchise due to copyright issues with Square. Does it still hold up, then stick around like origami to find out.
Story and characters- Just like with most Mario games, the story is about Mario saving Peach from Bowser except that Bowser steals the Star Rod from the Star Spirits to make himself invincible and defeat Mario so in order to defeat Bowser, Mario has to rescue the Seven Star Spirits from Bowser’s minions so they can negate the effect of Bowser’s Star Rod. Mario is a silent protagonist in this game just like most protagonists in JRPGs so he doesn’t have any dialogue but you can tell how he feels by his facial expressions. Along the way, Mario teams up with several party members who are friendly versions of Bowser’s minions who are all memorable which include a Goomba named Goombario who is Mario’s biggest fan, a Parakoopa named Parakerry who is a mailman, A Boo named Lady Bow who is a Hime-sama like character, and more that you meet along the way. The bosses are also memorable like the Koopa Bros. who are parodies of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a pharaoh named Tutankoopa, Tubba Blubba who became immortal after having his heart removed from his body, General Guy who commands an army of Shy Guys, and many more. There is also a Koopa named Jr. Troopa who Mario fights several times throughout the game and changes his fighting style every battle. Just like every other Mario game, this game still has the wacky and memorable tone of those games.
Gameplay, Graphics, and Sound Design- Just as the title implies, the design is made using a paper esthetic and looks like a pop up story book (the game is called Mario Story in Japan which also explains the storybook like art style). For the time it came out, it look pretty impressive but the later games in the franchise improve the visual and are more creative with the paper elements and the character figures are more polished in the later games. The combat is very basic for being a turn based RPG and the one element to make it stand out are action commands like pulling back the analog stick to charge your hammer and pressing the A button at the right time to do more damage while jumping and to guard when enemies attack which is also a present feature in Super Mario RPG. You also have a partner that can perform actions in combat and each have different abilities. The game also has badges you can equip to add more attacks or battle perks to your character. The experience points are star points and when you collect 100, you level up and can either increase Heart, Flower, or Badge points per level (I pick mostly badge points for my play throughs). There are also collectibles called Star Pieces that you can trade in for badges. As for the music, every song in the game is very memorable and will be stuck in your head (at least for me since I grew up with this game). Is the game perfect, no. The beginning of the game can be very slow since you can’t use action commands until Mario meets Twink who teaches him the commands. Your partners don’t any health and if they get injured, you won’t be able to use them for a couple of turns and they can’t use items (The next game adds both of those features to your partners).
Overall Impressions- Paper Mario was my first introduction to turn based JRPGs so it holds a special place in my heart and is very memorable for its wacky characters and music. Even though the combat is not perfect and can be very slow to get into, it’s still a very fun game. The game never got a remake (officially through a fan made version exists) compared to Thousand Year Door which will be the next game I will review so stay tuned.
Final Verdict: 8 out of 10
Story and characters- Just like with most Mario games, the story is about Mario saving Peach from Bowser except that Bowser steals the Star Rod from the Star Spirits to make himself invincible and defeat Mario so in order to defeat Bowser, Mario has to rescue the Seven Star Spirits from Bowser’s minions so they can negate the effect of Bowser’s Star Rod. Mario is a silent protagonist in this game just like most protagonists in JRPGs so he doesn’t have any dialogue but you can tell how he feels by his facial expressions. Along the way, Mario teams up with several party members who are friendly versions of Bowser’s minions who are all memorable which include a Goomba named Goombario who is Mario’s biggest fan, a Parakoopa named Parakerry who is a mailman, A Boo named Lady Bow who is a Hime-sama like character, and more that you meet along the way. The bosses are also memorable like the Koopa Bros. who are parodies of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a pharaoh named Tutankoopa, Tubba Blubba who became immortal after having his heart removed from his body, General Guy who commands an army of Shy Guys, and many more. There is also a Koopa named Jr. Troopa who Mario fights several times throughout the game and changes his fighting style every battle. Just like every other Mario game, this game still has the wacky and memorable tone of those games.
Gameplay, Graphics, and Sound Design- Just as the title implies, the design is made using a paper esthetic and looks like a pop up story book (the game is called Mario Story in Japan which also explains the storybook like art style). For the time it came out, it look pretty impressive but the later games in the franchise improve the visual and are more creative with the paper elements and the character figures are more polished in the later games. The combat is very basic for being a turn based RPG and the one element to make it stand out are action commands like pulling back the analog stick to charge your hammer and pressing the A button at the right time to do more damage while jumping and to guard when enemies attack which is also a present feature in Super Mario RPG. You also have a partner that can perform actions in combat and each have different abilities. The game also has badges you can equip to add more attacks or battle perks to your character. The experience points are star points and when you collect 100, you level up and can either increase Heart, Flower, or Badge points per level (I pick mostly badge points for my play throughs). There are also collectibles called Star Pieces that you can trade in for badges. As for the music, every song in the game is very memorable and will be stuck in your head (at least for me since I grew up with this game). Is the game perfect, no. The beginning of the game can be very slow since you can’t use action commands until Mario meets Twink who teaches him the commands. Your partners don’t any health and if they get injured, you won’t be able to use them for a couple of turns and they can’t use items (The next game adds both of those features to your partners).
Overall Impressions- Paper Mario was my first introduction to turn based JRPGs so it holds a special place in my heart and is very memorable for its wacky characters and music. Even though the combat is not perfect and can be very slow to get into, it’s still a very fun game. The game never got a remake (officially through a fan made version exists) compared to Thousand Year Door which will be the next game I will review so stay tuned.
Final Verdict: 8 out of 10