This review contains spoilers
Throughout the history of mankind, and in particular the history of literature, great stories have been written. From the feats of Achilles and Ulysses in Homer's great poems, to the epic of Beowulf, to the universal story of redemption and salvation of Dante's Divine Comedy, to Torquato Tasso's unbeatable Jerusalem Delivered. These feats of man have shaped history as we know it, and in particular the history of literature, of how we write stories, of fantasy, of our imagination.
When it comes to videogame series focused on storytelling, the Super Mario series isn't the one that comes to mind. Its design philosophy has been based, since its very inception, on a solid and captivating gameplay experience, as reliable as time itself. Miyamoto himself has often commented on how a story in a videogame, and a Mario game in particular, might as well be completely pointless. However, I am proud to say that this videogame stands as the complete and utter disproval and dismantling of the opinion of Miyamoto.
Coming from two successful and critically acclaimed games, the Paper Mario series was on the path to become one of Nintendo's regular spin-offs based off of the Super Mario franchise. For this title, however, the RPG formula was scrapped in favour of an action-adventure platformer. The gameplay of the game is average: though it never feels like a chore to play through the game, it isn't particularly challenging in its main sections, it can feel monotonous at times, and the 3D mechanic does end up feeling like a bit of a gimmick, in particular because of its time limit. Where this game absolutely kicks any Super Mario game out of the park, however, is its story. For what has ended up being remembered as the last "great" game of the Paper Mario series, Intelligent Systems went above and beyond in their storytelling creativity. The story of Super Paper Mario, much like the story of Dante, in its telling of love, death, and compassion, becomes somewhat of a reflection of the universal experience of Mankind. It does not shy from passionately talking about hatred, betrayal, rejection, and at the same time, reconciliation and unity. Its characters have a touching evolution throughout the story, with Count Bleck and Dimentio being two of the most memorable villains the Mario series ever created. It is, without a single doubt, gripping from beginning to end. it is the greatest story that Super Mario has ever given to the world.
It is in my humble opinion that this is the direction that the games of this series, not just the Paper Mario one, should be heading towards. After 40 years of existence, the time has come for Mario to reedem himself, to reject the old, outdated, uselessly conservative philosophy of the aberration of all storyline. It is time for this series to give itself a solid lore structure, and for its games to be more bold and daring in their narrative. When it comes to a videogame, a gameplay surely comes first; it's the reason why, despite how important this game is to me, I cannot give it 5 stars, for it is lacking in that regard. But, if anything else, a story which manages to keep you on the edge of your seat comes second.
Nothing would be of novels, if it wasn't for story.
Nothing would be of poetry, if it wasn't for story.
Nothing would be of any artistic form, if there wasn't some form of reference to a temporal arch, an evolution, a message that was being sent.
Super Paper Mario's message is an eternal one, of compassion for our neighbours, of the chance to redeem ourselves, of the possibility, in our lives, to find true love. It is the solemn and almost melancholy reminder that, when it comes to art, artistic liberty is the highest and most noble thing that can possibly be granted, and must be hailed and protected.
When it comes to videogame series focused on storytelling, the Super Mario series isn't the one that comes to mind. Its design philosophy has been based, since its very inception, on a solid and captivating gameplay experience, as reliable as time itself. Miyamoto himself has often commented on how a story in a videogame, and a Mario game in particular, might as well be completely pointless. However, I am proud to say that this videogame stands as the complete and utter disproval and dismantling of the opinion of Miyamoto.
Coming from two successful and critically acclaimed games, the Paper Mario series was on the path to become one of Nintendo's regular spin-offs based off of the Super Mario franchise. For this title, however, the RPG formula was scrapped in favour of an action-adventure platformer. The gameplay of the game is average: though it never feels like a chore to play through the game, it isn't particularly challenging in its main sections, it can feel monotonous at times, and the 3D mechanic does end up feeling like a bit of a gimmick, in particular because of its time limit. Where this game absolutely kicks any Super Mario game out of the park, however, is its story. For what has ended up being remembered as the last "great" game of the Paper Mario series, Intelligent Systems went above and beyond in their storytelling creativity. The story of Super Paper Mario, much like the story of Dante, in its telling of love, death, and compassion, becomes somewhat of a reflection of the universal experience of Mankind. It does not shy from passionately talking about hatred, betrayal, rejection, and at the same time, reconciliation and unity. Its characters have a touching evolution throughout the story, with Count Bleck and Dimentio being two of the most memorable villains the Mario series ever created. It is, without a single doubt, gripping from beginning to end. it is the greatest story that Super Mario has ever given to the world.
It is in my humble opinion that this is the direction that the games of this series, not just the Paper Mario one, should be heading towards. After 40 years of existence, the time has come for Mario to reedem himself, to reject the old, outdated, uselessly conservative philosophy of the aberration of all storyline. It is time for this series to give itself a solid lore structure, and for its games to be more bold and daring in their narrative. When it comes to a videogame, a gameplay surely comes first; it's the reason why, despite how important this game is to me, I cannot give it 5 stars, for it is lacking in that regard. But, if anything else, a story which manages to keep you on the edge of your seat comes second.
Nothing would be of novels, if it wasn't for story.
Nothing would be of poetry, if it wasn't for story.
Nothing would be of any artistic form, if there wasn't some form of reference to a temporal arch, an evolution, a message that was being sent.
Super Paper Mario's message is an eternal one, of compassion for our neighbours, of the chance to redeem ourselves, of the possibility, in our lives, to find true love. It is the solemn and almost melancholy reminder that, when it comes to art, artistic liberty is the highest and most noble thing that can possibly be granted, and must be hailed and protected.