One of my favorite games. I don't know how they were able to do it given the creative limitations, but I guess it's a testament to how creative a piece of media can be WITH limitations. The world is a joy to explore - and while I wish they did more with the ring-based battle system, coins and the satisfaction of solving a puzzle were incentive enough for me to keep playing. It's just so addicting! The art direction is also stunning - the world feels so alive and practical, despite the obvious paper aesthetic. Autumn Mountain and the Great Sea were highlights. I also love the story, which gets surprisingly emotional at points. But I feel these all take a backseat to the music - a soundtrack that encompasses SO many styles (a lot of rock/metal!) yet feels so comprehensively "Mario" as a result. The team's use of leitmotifs and instruments associated with characters boosts the experience so much that I can say for certain I wouldn't have enjoyed this game as much without the soundtrack. (e.g. Olivia and Olly are associated with the toy piano, which is utilized extensively to deal some fatal emotional punches.)

Seriously. This game is fantastic.