Really solid adventure with a lot of soul and personality. I found the combat really fun too, and think making the partner characters actual party members with their own health was a big improvement over how the system worked in Paper Mario 64.
Drawn out in all the worst ways, final dungeon is a miserable time. So many cool early dungeons for such a lack luster finish.
I never got to play this one as a kid, despite having watched LPs of it then, so this remake was my chance to finally play it for myself. With it though, I can really see why this game is the fan favorite.
This is where Paper Mario's battles are at its best. Partners having health feels like an improvement over the first game's system. No more stunned partners slowing things down! It also feels like every partner has a niche in this one. All of them were useful at some point in my playthrough.
Another great thing about this game's battle system is how fun it is to try out new builds. It's easy enough to swap out badges, but it's incredibly satisfying to see how a new one is going to fit into your playstyle.
I think this game's best quality is its writing though. There's a really nice variety of chapter scenarios, and each chapter has a compelling storyline on its own. The game's overall plot is also quite engaging. The X-Nauts are an entertaining villain group, and there are some fun twists and turns in how they execute their plans. The other characters are great too. Sure, most of the party members aren't especially involved in the overall narrative, but they all feel unique and likeable. It's easily the best party in the series. The game is hilarious too. I laughed out loud several times.
The only real issue I had throughout my playtime was the level design and backtracking. It can indeed get pretty bad at times. You spend a lot of time walking through areas that you've already been through. The game's structure is unfortunately pretty reliant on it. But the battles were fun enough that it didn't really bother me too much outside of side quests.
Overall, TTYD is an excellent game. I'm not sure if it's my favorite in the series, but it sure is the best at representing what I love about Paper Mario.
This is where Paper Mario's battles are at its best. Partners having health feels like an improvement over the first game's system. No more stunned partners slowing things down! It also feels like every partner has a niche in this one. All of them were useful at some point in my playthrough.
Another great thing about this game's battle system is how fun it is to try out new builds. It's easy enough to swap out badges, but it's incredibly satisfying to see how a new one is going to fit into your playstyle.
I think this game's best quality is its writing though. There's a really nice variety of chapter scenarios, and each chapter has a compelling storyline on its own. The game's overall plot is also quite engaging. The X-Nauts are an entertaining villain group, and there are some fun twists and turns in how they execute their plans. The other characters are great too. Sure, most of the party members aren't especially involved in the overall narrative, but they all feel unique and likeable. It's easily the best party in the series. The game is hilarious too. I laughed out loud several times.
The only real issue I had throughout my playtime was the level design and backtracking. It can indeed get pretty bad at times. You spend a lot of time walking through areas that you've already been through. The game's structure is unfortunately pretty reliant on it. But the battles were fun enough that it didn't really bother me too much outside of side quests.
Overall, TTYD is an excellent game. I'm not sure if it's my favorite in the series, but it sure is the best at representing what I love about Paper Mario.
That the new content here is legitimately good gives me hope that IntSys still does have that juice, and that they really could make another top-notch Paper Mario if they would just be allowed to cook again.
So much has already been said about Paper Mario TTYD, so I don't want to regurgitate each positive element. Instead, I'll focus on my favorite and least favorite aspect of the game.
The combat controls are nothing less than spectacular. Each move is ingeniously designed with the controller in mind, using inputs with buttons and joysticks to mimic the movements of the character. Whether it's flicking the joycon to launch Koops in his shell, or inputting a string of random buttons to cast a fiery spell with Vivian, each move feels special and uses the full capabilities of the controller (besides gyro, but maybe that's for the best...).
By far the worst part is the backtracking. Many mainline and side quests require extensive backtracking and tedious fetch quests. The only fast travel option is a room of warp pipes, accessible after Chapter 3; however, warp pipes to new areas do not appear until after you complete the chapter. The Switch remaster does address this with a few new shortcuts, but so much of the gameplay time is strung out by walking and unwanted enemy encounters.
Is this the best turn-based RPG of all time? It certainly ranks up there, and I could easily see this being my new favorite. But it's not immune to scrutiny, despite what some Nintendo fanboy YouTubers will lead you to believe. For as long as it took for this remake to come into fruition, it was well worth the wait.
The combat controls are nothing less than spectacular. Each move is ingeniously designed with the controller in mind, using inputs with buttons and joysticks to mimic the movements of the character. Whether it's flicking the joycon to launch Koops in his shell, or inputting a string of random buttons to cast a fiery spell with Vivian, each move feels special and uses the full capabilities of the controller (besides gyro, but maybe that's for the best...).
By far the worst part is the backtracking. Many mainline and side quests require extensive backtracking and tedious fetch quests. The only fast travel option is a room of warp pipes, accessible after Chapter 3; however, warp pipes to new areas do not appear until after you complete the chapter. The Switch remaster does address this with a few new shortcuts, but so much of the gameplay time is strung out by walking and unwanted enemy encounters.
Is this the best turn-based RPG of all time? It certainly ranks up there, and I could easily see this being my new favorite. But it's not immune to scrutiny, despite what some Nintendo fanboy YouTubers will lead you to believe. For as long as it took for this remake to come into fruition, it was well worth the wait.
Genuinely may be one of those once in an era remakes that improves the game in almost every single aspect bar a few nitpicks here and there. Genuinely felt like I was playing a new game in every way possible but also it's an old game from my youth I adored. Game being as good as I remembered helps too. 10/10, no notes, please remake 64 next.
Just to clarify, TTYD is a 5 out of 5 and one of my favorite games of all time, so the 4.5 stars is only because of some minor issues I have with the remake.
Overall, I do think that this remake is the definitive way to play the game. Lets start with the good. Probably the single best change in this game is the nerf to backtracking. There is a "level select" hub with pipes to each main area in a chapter that unlocks after you complete the chapter, this makes certain forced backtracking sections of the game infinitely more bearable. There was also some mid chapter (4 and 5 specifically) backtracking that was fixed, which is a very nice and welcome change.
The graphics/artstyle of this remake are absolutely gorgeous, and do improve on the original. That being said the original is still fantastic looking to this day, as its artstyle will never really age. Due to this graphical overhaul the game runs at 30 fps, vs the native 60 of the original, and as someone who has played the original many times it is definitely noticable. The remake feels pretty sluggish throughout, but more on that in a bit.
When I first heard the music in the reveal trailer in the "new" paper mario bombastic brassy orchestral style I was pissed. Im not a big fan of that type of music in these games. That being said as I played I came to appreciate the music in this remake. Overall I still think it is worse than the original, but new tracks have been added here, including a unique battle theme for each area, and the variety does a lot to improve the original. That being said there are too many banger tracks that are just worse in the remake that I think this is overall a bad change. There is a badge in the game that lets you use the original soundtrack though, so I suppose my complaint here is a wash.
The game feels a fair bit easier, although I think this could be due to the fps being lowered allowing for bigger frame windows. As with the SMRPG remake I think this game should have had a hard mode. I played the original as a kid, so og fans are at least pushing 30 now. A hard mode to appease the original fans would have been nice. That being said there are 2 new optional end game bosses, less than the SMRPG remake but still a welcome addition.
Back to the sluggishness of the game. There is a massive delay when scrolling text boxes or menuing in battle and it is genuinely awful. In the original you could rocket through the combat menus which made battle feel snappy. Now you have to wait for half a second, leading to constant ghost button presses that just makes the menus feel unresponsive. This doesn't seem like a hardware limitation, so I don't understand why its here.
Overall I think the remake is pretty great, I just cant help whining about some of the issues I have because of my love for this game. Now I absolutely need Nintendo to remake the original Paper Mario, because that is a great game that is in much greater need for a remake than TTYD was.
Overall, I do think that this remake is the definitive way to play the game. Lets start with the good. Probably the single best change in this game is the nerf to backtracking. There is a "level select" hub with pipes to each main area in a chapter that unlocks after you complete the chapter, this makes certain forced backtracking sections of the game infinitely more bearable. There was also some mid chapter (4 and 5 specifically) backtracking that was fixed, which is a very nice and welcome change.
The graphics/artstyle of this remake are absolutely gorgeous, and do improve on the original. That being said the original is still fantastic looking to this day, as its artstyle will never really age. Due to this graphical overhaul the game runs at 30 fps, vs the native 60 of the original, and as someone who has played the original many times it is definitely noticable. The remake feels pretty sluggish throughout, but more on that in a bit.
When I first heard the music in the reveal trailer in the "new" paper mario bombastic brassy orchestral style I was pissed. Im not a big fan of that type of music in these games. That being said as I played I came to appreciate the music in this remake. Overall I still think it is worse than the original, but new tracks have been added here, including a unique battle theme for each area, and the variety does a lot to improve the original. That being said there are too many banger tracks that are just worse in the remake that I think this is overall a bad change. There is a badge in the game that lets you use the original soundtrack though, so I suppose my complaint here is a wash.
The game feels a fair bit easier, although I think this could be due to the fps being lowered allowing for bigger frame windows. As with the SMRPG remake I think this game should have had a hard mode. I played the original as a kid, so og fans are at least pushing 30 now. A hard mode to appease the original fans would have been nice. That being said there are 2 new optional end game bosses, less than the SMRPG remake but still a welcome addition.
Back to the sluggishness of the game. There is a massive delay when scrolling text boxes or menuing in battle and it is genuinely awful. In the original you could rocket through the combat menus which made battle feel snappy. Now you have to wait for half a second, leading to constant ghost button presses that just makes the menus feel unresponsive. This doesn't seem like a hardware limitation, so I don't understand why its here.
Overall I think the remake is pretty great, I just cant help whining about some of the issues I have because of my love for this game. Now I absolutely need Nintendo to remake the original Paper Mario, because that is a great game that is in much greater need for a remake than TTYD was.
4.5 out of respect for Vivian, but holy shit some of these dungeons and missions have a lot of backtracking
Just beat it for the first time, definitely see the hype now! Drags along a little in some spots but generally a very enjoyable experience.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2024) is a fantastic remake of one of the most beloved games of all time. The graphics have recieved a beautiful overhaul, and the game has gorgeous new lighting, and a variety of quality-of-life enhancements.
I found myself laughing out loud many times during this adventure, as the writing is witty and never misses a beat- but there are some decently hard-hitting moments in here too. I found myself caring a lot about these characters and this world by the end. It does a fantastic job applying a great deal of personality and charm to the mario universe.
The gameplay is bogged down by some harsh backtracking here and there, and some pacing issues, and some strangely boring and uninspired level design (why are 90% of the areas straight lines??) but nothing too crazy in the midst of what is otherwise a fun time. This game stands as proof that nintendo needs to hurry up and make another TRUE mario RPG.
I found myself laughing out loud many times during this adventure, as the writing is witty and never misses a beat- but there are some decently hard-hitting moments in here too. I found myself caring a lot about these characters and this world by the end. It does a fantastic job applying a great deal of personality and charm to the mario universe.
The gameplay is bogged down by some harsh backtracking here and there, and some pacing issues, and some strangely boring and uninspired level design (why are 90% of the areas straight lines??) but nothing too crazy in the midst of what is otherwise a fun time. This game stands as proof that nintendo needs to hurry up and make another TRUE mario RPG.
chapters that fall woefully short of their potential; metric tons of dull, repetitive busywork; empty, boring areas made up of rectangular corridors and do-nothing dungeons
carried in its entirety by wonderful characters, engaging combat, and boatloads of charm.
surpasses the original game in some ways, falls WAY short in others. at the end of the day it's a lot of fun, but it could've been even better if they'd hired a single level designer or cut down on the time-wasters
carried in its entirety by wonderful characters, engaging combat, and boatloads of charm.
surpasses the original game in some ways, falls WAY short in others. at the end of the day it's a lot of fun, but it could've been even better if they'd hired a single level designer or cut down on the time-wasters
it has its charms but i think it gets ruined by the gameplay being intolerable 90% of the time
story doesnt scream anything special, and some of the chapters drag on far longer than necessary
personally i had difficulty navigating the worlds and getting through a lot of the more out-there environments but tbf im pretty stupid so this wont be an issue for most people playing
overall it's okay but not something to write home about
story doesnt scream anything special, and some of the chapters drag on far longer than necessary
personally i had difficulty navigating the worlds and getting through a lot of the more out-there environments but tbf im pretty stupid so this wont be an issue for most people playing
overall it's okay but not something to write home about
Paper Mario: TTYD used to be a confusing game for me. I always wondered why so many people were practically begging for Nintendo to bring back "partners" or "not toads" or whatever. It used to be a sort of laughing stock, especially after Origami King.
I understand it now. This game is really, really good
Paper Mario, TTYD is one of the best Mario games I've played in a while, from its good ass writing, to its good storytelling, through its amazing variation in set pieces and art direction, and its great battle system, it all combines into an amazing game I couldn't recommend more. While there are some things I still find issue with (confusing areas, reliance on partner hints for me atleast), it doesn't detract from the experience at all.
This battle system is way better than Origami King as well. While I still think that game is good, this is way better. I played this game over 2-3 weeks, so I can't give anything concrete, but this is a must play for Mario & RPG Fans alike.
I understand it now. This game is really, really good
Paper Mario, TTYD is one of the best Mario games I've played in a while, from its good ass writing, to its good storytelling, through its amazing variation in set pieces and art direction, and its great battle system, it all combines into an amazing game I couldn't recommend more. While there are some things I still find issue with (confusing areas, reliance on partner hints for me atleast), it doesn't detract from the experience at all.
This battle system is way better than Origami King as well. While I still think that game is good, this is way better. I played this game over 2-3 weeks, so I can't give anything concrete, but this is a must play for Mario & RPG Fans alike.