Paper Mario (2000)

While this was clearly designed as a direct sequel to Super Mario RPG, it had to deviate as Square Enix and Nintendo went their own separate ways after a long career of collaboration. The main intent behind the original Super Mario RPG was to create an experience for both new RPG gamers and veterans and it succeed wonderful at those aims. It had a lower power level, compared to other Sqaure RPGs, and incorporated a more action oriented combat system to keep the player engaged. This extra engagement never felt overwhelming and was kept simple yet fun. These design philosophies carried over and were taken even further in this follow-up.

One thing that strikes me about this game are in its aesthetics. In a lot of ways, its art direction is what you would have expected from Super Mario 64. As a middle ground between 2D and 3D space. I'm glad that Nintendo was extra experimental with Super Mario 64 because it paid off well, redefining an entire genre for a new generation of video games. Still, the pros of this new art style are high and there really aren't any cons I can think of. Pixel art has always aged well for me, so incorporating that in a 3-D space results in a game that ages, aesthetically, like a fine wine. It's art direction still holds up and is just so charming to experience. This charm extends past the aesthetics and is incorporated into the characterization, like Super Mario RPG.

While none of the characters are deep or complex, they are all very endearing to interact with and are always amusing, and occasionally quite funny. I even like how the tone of the game is even consistent with the portrayal of Bowser. He is called "your wickedness," your "nastiness" yet he always acts like a rascal instead of a devious monster. I like this decision a lot. Too often you have this narrative disconnect between pigeon-holed glib one liners for forced comic relief, that are often self deprecating, yet the story will still try to have high stakes and take itself too seriously. My issue with this prevalent approach to story telling is that the glib one liners highlighting how absurd or dumb everything is always undercuts any semblance of stakes. Not here though. The tone and motive of the characters feel all absurd and silly. Never giving you a sense of dissonance. Sure Bowser kidnapped Peach which is bad, but he still tries to hold onto a semblance of honor. Setting up rules and promises that he always holds up even if it is at odds with his plan. This is most apparent in Bowser's castle, the final dungeon, where there are a series of doors you need to do a task to move past. Each time Bowser taunts Mario, but then reluctantly allows him to move on once the task is complete. It makes him come off as kind of endearing even if you want him to rightfully fail. He even has a rod that can grant him any wish, yet he decides to not use it to make Peach like him, instead hoping that his display of power will win her over. Which of course it won't.

Each party member has an engaging introduction with fun characterization. My main criticism with the characters is how all characterization is essentially dropped after they are introduced. You rarely have them talk and further develop as a character. Becoming more mechanics than characters by the end. A pity, because I think the devs do a good job of throwing in varied puzzles/obstacles that force you to regularly rotate your party members. A great design philosophy even if it's not utilized to the maximum. The only party member who never really gets meaningful use is Goombario since his special move is locked to combat only. His Tattle ability is useful, but I found myself using it less and less as I progressed through the game. While it is useful to know how much damage, defense and HP a boss has, I kind of liked figuring this out on my own while in combat. It kept the fight more engaging for me since I wasn't fighting towards a counter hitting 0. I was more focused on survival. No judgement to those who always used tattle but I do like that it isn't a necessary mechanic to use, yet the pity is how useless Goombario ends up being. Easily one of the weaker companions as a result. Others perform better in combat utility and world exploration. I did feel Super Mario RPG did a better job of maintaining characterization throughout the journey in comparison. But Square was no stranger to ensemble casts.

I do like the mechanics of world exploration and using companions for exploration. These puzzles are rarely brain twisters and are pretty straightforward to solve. That gap is too large for a jump, better use Parakarry! There is a crack in that wall, better use Bombette! Ect. The dungeon designs are also superb. Never getting challenging, except for the last few dungeons. With the Crystal Palace probably being the most difficult in terms of puzzles. The first puzzle involving the connected and parallel rooms stumped me for a bit until I realized actions in one impacted the other. It was a clever design. Of course, once I solved this first puzzle, the rest were easy. Still enjoyable to solve though. Overall I love the variation in Dungeons. They all have solid design and are enjoyable to explore. Boss fights are mostly easy, but there are a few difficulty spikes here and there. Even when it's not particularly difficult, combat remains engaging with its action commands.

Another strong design of this game is in the world. It's all connected in a very thoughtful way. There is a lot of backtracking for the first few dungeons, but then Toad Town transforms into a hub where you can use pipes to quickly travel between these spread out domains. The backtracking is still present, but thanks to the well crafted connection between regions, it didn't really feel tedious. The only exception is with Koopa Koot's quest which is all backtracking and going on a wild goose chase. I still liked his quest though. There's a lot of charm to him and I found myself curious what eccentric errand he would send me on next! The world also functions a bit like a Metroid game where areas will be blocked off by companion powers you haven't recruited yet or upgrades. Which encourages you to return to old locations. Koopa Koot's quest also helps in this front too.

The combat is significantly different and more streamlined compared to Super Mario RPG. Now you control mario and the move of one companion, who you can freely swap out each turn. The catch being they can't attack the turn you swap to them, unless you wear a badge (which you should absolutely use once you find it! It's too good to be always ready to adapt to a fight). I really like the decision to further file back the power scaling of the game. Mario has an attack range between 1 and 12 (something like that). This still results in Mario getting significantly stronger by the end of the game. 12 times stronger! But I like the small scales. Which keeps it from feeling overwhelming and added unnecessary clutter to the combat. Don't get me wrong, I understand the appeal of hitting an enemy for 9999 damage in a final fantasy game, but I can appreciate a conscious decision to scale things back to simplify them. Leveling up is also kept very simple. You choose to increase the number of badges (which act as buffs to mario), health or flower points (mana). The real customization comes in your badge load out. I really love the badge mechanic because you are significantly limited by your badge points. In addition, the game locks the max badge points to 30, adding more limitations to your build in a good way. It creates decision making. Do I want more defense or offense? Do I want to add a special attack that allows me to exploit these enemies weaknesses? Such as the quake hammer that will turn all shelled enemies onto their back. Or adding more damage to fire enemies (this is very under utilized but still not a bad thing to include). Then there's the combinations of companions. Given there are clearly better companions over others, which is a shame. Parakarry ends up being very lackluster for the most part compared to Lakilester who fills a similar roll but better. Still I do like how you power up the companions, unlocking an orb later into the game for ultra power.

Overall, the further streamlining this game does works brilliantly making this a very approachable game for both veterans and new comers alike. It's got great pacing, fun writing and fun gameplay. While I still think Super Mario RPG is overall a better game, Paper Mario still serves as a great example of how to properly do a sequel. Even if it's a spiritual sequel.

Paper Mario is one of those games that takes me to a very specific place and time. It was the Nintendo 64's twilight years, just months before the release of the GameCube. As my parents were pretty busy with their jobs, I spent a ton of time at my grandmother's house. One sunny day in 2001, I was dropped off at her house, and went to hang out with my cousins who happened to be there as well. Then, there it was... Paper Mario. We crowded around the TV, and watched my cousin play as Princess Peach, baking a cake for a hungry Shy Guy. It was awesome.

I was a tween at that time, but I already considered myself to be a bonafide Mario connoisseur. But, as I had somehow missed out on the existence of Mario's first foray into the RPG genre, my mind was properly blown by what I was witnessing. Mario? In a story-based game? What?!

I experienced bits and pieces of the game in subsequent meetups at my grandmother's house, and ended up playing through the game myself that summer.

Paper Mario began its life as a sequel to Super Mario RPG, an idea that was originally pitched with Square reprising their development role. But as they were too busy living out their best life on the PlayStation, development of the next Mario RPG was handed over to Intelligent Systems, whose Fire Emblem credentials made them a sensible choice for the job.

What really captures your attention first with this game is its visual style. Characters are rendered as 2D sprites, an artistic choice meant to maximize the characters' cuteness in a way that was difficult for them to do with the Nintendo 64's 3D capabilities. The team took particular inspiration from PaRappa the Rapper, which used flat 2D characters in a 3D space in a similar way. Mario Story, as it was titled in Japan, bases itself on the aesthetic of children's pop-up books, with great touches such as the distant camera angle and the environments with folding elements. The localized title, "Paper Mario," fit so well that it would go on to become attached to the series in Japan as well.

Paper Mario shares many similarities with Super Mario RPG, whether it be the witty dialogue or the battle system's reliance on timed inputs. However, it also sheds some of Super Mario RPG's more traditional RPG elements, such as the party and equipment systems, in favor of more experimental alternatives.

You no longer control a party of three characters in battle. Now you control Mario as your primary character, along with a single companion who plays a supporting role. Mario can jump and use his trusty hammer, gaining access to new abilities and perks through badges that you can collect and equip. Companions give Mario access to helpful abilities in the field, like Parakarry's ability to carry Mario across gaps, or Lady Bow's ability to make Mario invisible. As a result, Paper Mario has adventure game flavors that weren't present in its SNES precursor, and it's all the better for it.

Paper Mario unfolds very similarly to Super Mario RPG--Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach, and it's up to Mario to collect seven magical stars in order to save the day. Much like in that game, Paper Mario thrives in its moment-to-moment dialogue, which is full of quirky scenarios and adorable characters that pop in and out in an almost dreamlike manner. Its sets itself apart by simply being a bigger adventure, with more locations, more characters and twice the playtime. And despite that longer runtime and slightly slower pace, it still never gets old. In fact, the game only benefits from letting you savor each setpiece, and no section ever feels like a drag.

This isn't an RPG for people who are looking for something deep and complex--this is a simple, breezy game that doesn't require you to think too hard. Battles remain engaging thanks to the action command mechanic, which requires you to learn various types of inputs depending on the attack that you use. Still, there are a handful of tougher bosses that require you to consider what badges and companions you are using.

Paper Mario gets rid of Super Mario RPG's world map, in favor of an interconnected world. Thankfully, it is designed in a way such that navigating from one location to another is never a chore, with Toad Town as its hub, and its various other locations as the spokes. There are plenty of secrets to find while you travel as well, such as badges, power-ups for your companions and Star Pieces.

All of these deviations from Super Mario RPG's formula make Paper Mario more unique, and I love this game for it.

I have bittersweet feelings about Paper Mario, because of its association to that time and place where I first experienced it. That same year, my grandmother passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack. Perhaps it is because I find it highly difficult to separate this game from its role in my childhood as an escape from the grief I felt, but Paper Mario is like a tightly knit ball of child-like wonder. It's irreverent, silly and light as a feather, everything that a Mario RPG should be.

This is one of my favorite games of all time, and holds up spectacularly well today. Hell, I should probably credit it with getting me into RPGs. If you haven't played it, you're missing out.

WARNING: GAMEPLAY AND MINOR STORY SPOILERS

Going back to the original Paper Mario has been such a great experience, and I regret putting it off for so long because this is truly such an enjoyable game. I really want to highlight a few points I loved about this game, along with a few negatives I'd like to point out.

Puzzles:

For starters, the puzzles in this game are so fun, and I love that throughout the game it will make you use all of the partners you've met in order to traverse different puzzles to then progress through the chapter. Some of the puzzles really got you to think, and you have to be fully aware of your surroundings, as hints for puzzles in the future may appear and you won't even realise until later on. However, even if some puzzles may be a little tricky, if you want you can use Goombario's ability in order to give you hints for what to do in a specific area - however if you're serious about doing the puzzles mostly on your own, I'd recommend not to use this feature as it pretty much tells you what to do...but still a really great addition that makes the game really accessible, especially for younger people or those who dont play games so often.

Combat:

I can really see now why people are having negative responses to the combat systems in the newer Paper Mario games, as the classic RPG turn-based combat system in this game is hard to beat, as simple as it may be. Although I appreciate the attempt to change up the combat style and I still do enjoy modern Paper Mario games. Regardless, Paper Mario's combat is great, and I love that each enemy has an ideal way to be taken out (with a specific partner, ability etc.) and it really keeps you on your toes, and makes it fun to remember the different ways to defeat them all. All around solid combat, hard to complain.

Story:

The story is the classic Bowser kidnaps Peach (but this time he takes the whole castle and raises it into the air) which is to be expected from a Mario game, but I really found myself getting attached to specific side characters without even noticing. For instance, Kolorado the Koopa appeared towards the first half of the game and is briefly mentioned by a few characters. Then he becomes a main part of one of the later chapters, and I don't know why but the way that characters like that are introduced gradually makes the game so much more engaging, and even though it only happens a few times I really felt like I should note at least one example. That aside, the main story is good and the character design really helped it too.

Downsides:

I don't have many complaints for this game, but the main glaring issue that appeared in my run was the requirement for backtracking, and while this to an extent is a fault of my own, it is really easy to miss certain collectibles etc. that are necessary later on, and you have to walk all the way back to get them (and find out where they are, but you can ask Merlon for a small fee). I did find out later that you can activate pipes in the sewer system under Toad Town to fast travel, but this is something I had to find out on my own (although I may have missed some dialogue I'm not sure). [That being said, if you're struggling please talk to any nearby NPC's it helps out a HUGE amount, and sometimes it's pretty much necessary to progress.]

Conclusion:

I probably missed so many things I want to say about this game, but if you read this far then please just play it for yourself to find out the rest, I really recommend it! This game took me about 20 - 25 hours to complete but I was really taking my time talking to all NPC's, so hopefully that gives you a gauge to go off of. Hope this helps anyone!

I've been a big Super Mario RPG fan for years, but never got into Paper Mario and I couldn't really tell you why. Having now played it on Switch's Nintendo Online service, this is just as good as Super Mario RPG and I can't wait for the remake of Thousand Year Door next year.

This game has a lot of charm, and while there are too many party members, a lot of the companions are memorable characters with fun ways to change up your strategies in battles.

While the 2D models were a turn-off for me back in the day, this has definitely graphically aged way better than Super Mario 64, and I like the way that Mario folds himself into bed when recovering health.

My complaints for this game are minor, but they're there. No quick travel makes lots of tasks tedious (there's a bit of an exception, as you can use a secret dungeon to warp to different towns, but it's still time-consuming). This game is about twice as long as Super Mario RPG, and I think it overstayed its welcome as a result. I admit that the hype for the Thousand Year Door remake bumped this up on my backlog, but I'm so glad I finally played this after 20+ years.

I guess I'm dating myself slightly, but when I was a kid you could actually rent video games from the video store...a thing that also existed at the time. In retrospect it's kind of nonsensical, there's no way you're going to finish it in a week and if you keep renting it at some point you'll have paid more than the cost of just buying the game. But apparently we hadn't figured that out yet.

One of the games I rented was Kingdom Hearts. I loved the opening level, then I got stuck on the boss in Traverse Town, and then I had to return the game. Somehow, several years later, I ended up owning Kingdom Hearts II. I love Kingdom Hearts II, it's fun, it's weird, it's got heart (no pun intended—ok that's a lie, some pun intended), and Twilight Town might be my favorite opening level of any game, or at least in the top 5.

Cut to 2018, I'm feeling like replaying KHII, and it turns out the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 & II.5 HD Final ReMIX Blowout Extravaganza Bonanza Electric Boogaloo is on sale, so I'm like "Well, I guess now's my chance to finally play the first game." And I still love the opening level—but it's no Twilight Town. And the game ends up being fun—but it's no Kingdom Hearts II. It's so much broader, so much less interesting, less emotionally sophisticated, and all the things that it does do well the sequel does better.

By sheer coincidence, another game I rented and only played the first level of and then several years later ended up playing and loving the sequel and have now gone back and played and realized that it pales in comparison to said sequel in all the ways mentioned above is Paper Mario.

Now, why couldn't I just...say that? I don't know, my coworker, whose favorite game is Paper Mario and who got me to play it in the first place, asked me what I thought and I said "It's like playing Kingdom Hearts after playing Kingdom Hearts II," so that seemed the natural starting point for the review, but in retrospect it really should've been the conclusion or an aside, not, like, the whole review. Look, you try things, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

I guess it's also because what I'm trying to avoid saying because I don't want to be needlessly cruel is that that's not even true, because Kingdom Hearts at least has narrative relevance to Kingdom Hearts II, so there's still some reason to play it. Thousand Year Door is so much better than the first game that it makes it pretty much obsolete. I mean, they called the game Paper Mario but the fact that he's paper is purely an aesthetic choice in the first game, whereas in the second game it actually matters and fundamentally changes how you play the game. The dungeons are more interesting, the story is more interesting, the characters are more interesting—everything is more interesting. For example, Paper Mario has a "murder mystery" where your only possible course of action is just find one dude and then he goes to the crime scene and then it turns out there wasn't even a murder. Thousand Year Door, meanwhile, has a whole Murder on the Orient Express level. And Glitzville! Which is also a murder mystery! And later you get shot to the moon in a f***ing giant cannon!

Point being, TYD improves on the original in every single way, and has actual narrative and emotional depth to boot. And since there are no narrative consequences from the events of the first game, the only reasons to play it are purely academic (or nostalgia). C'est la vie.

p.s. Ok, to break the premise of the review slightly, there are at least two (related) ways in which the original is better than the sequel—none of the female characters have a frankly unnecessarily prominent bust, and Princess Peach's captors don't spy on her in the shower. TYD is kind of pervy for a kid's game.

p.p.s. "Witness the power of my fully operational Star Rod" is, admittedly, a very funny line. Ironically, my coworker whose favorite game this is has never seen Star Wars, so that line has flown over his head every single time he's read it, which is like once a year apparently.

p.p.p.s. I also liked the cinematics introducing the Dry Dry Desert Ruins and Boo's Mansion.

p.p.p.p.s. Flowering Fields can go fuck itself. It knows what it did.

Since we are likely (hopefully) due another Paper Mario game next year and I've been itching to relive the stories again, I am replaying the series.

Starting off with the OG-unless-you-consider-SPM-the-OG Paper Mario! (Played on NSO N64 with the Switch N64 controller). TTB 21:04

I call this the gateway RPG because that's what this series always was for me. Adding action and timing, some kind of interaction, into turn-based combat was what got this game to stick for me when all others had failed. And thankfully for my memories it still absolutely holds up. This game exudes charm. From it's art style, it's characters, it's especially strong localization (idk what mystery novelist "Herringway" was named in other regions but it's certainly working for me)- it's age rarely shows throughout the experience. This was my first time playing with an N64 controller and it REALLY adds some fun to combat action commands. Winding up Bow's slap attack with the clicky joystick is incredibly fun, as is using Z to spin around the map. I also thing the level design is across the board really well done. Something I remember about it's GameCube successor is how much backtracking was involved, but here everything is set up in a really tight, conducive way that sells the whole diorama-world effect. When a level DOES involve back and forth, like Flower Fields, it's set up in a way that makes sense for the story. It never feels like a slog.

Super fun experience overall. I'm glad it's finally accessible to a wider audience on switch and would highly recommend it to anyone with NSO+. Now it's Thousand Year Door o'clock... maybe this time I'll like it?

The first time I played this game, I was frustrated by its difficulty, blaming it on the somewhat undeveloped combat mechanics. What a silly thing to do!

This game is amazing. A standout top fiver for the Nintendo 64 and for Mario games in general. HUGE compendium of character models and sprites, extensively long in a way I have not experienced in a long while from a game also for kids. Funny and sweet, caring and kind, I had an absolutely lovely time.

While I purchased a copy of the original release of this game, I didn't play more than a few hours. I don't remember exactly what pulled me away, but by 2001 I was heavily invested in PC gaming. Being a teenager at the time, I have a sneaking suspicion that I looked at my Nintendo 64 with a little disdain. I didn't need 'baby' things anymore, did I? I had played proper, 'REAL' RPGs like Baldur's Gate or it's more actiony brother Diablo on the family PC. Move over, FAMILY, word processing will have to wait!

While I stepped away from the game initially, I'm glad I came back to it all these years later. The aesthetic is charming as ever and the combat is surprisingly difficult if you're not paying attention to key details or levelling up where you can. To boot, the writing is pretty clever balancing silly with practical, doling out key information as you go along.

I would highly recommend this game to any gamers new to RPGs, especially if you've built an attachment to the 'Mario-verse'.

Paper Mario was an RPG I always wanted to try. I decided to play it with my girlfriend and just wow.

Paper Mario is one of my favorite Mario games of all time now. The game's pleasing aesthetic, and diverse and colorful cast of characters is what really drives this game for me.

The game is much like every Mario game... Peach gets kidnapped by Bowser and Mario has to save her. However, the Paper art style never got me bored and the story was quite a blast to go through.

Paper Mario is a simple Turn-Based RPG. It's a lot shorter than most RPG's and a lot more accessible. The game still provides a challenge for even seasoned gamers though

Paper Mario is a surprisingly funny game that had me laughing at certain scenes for longer than I expected.

The cast of characters are excellently written and provide a lot of fun to the game.

The only flaw is that it does have very frustrating menu navigation and the occasional difficulty spikes.

Paper Mario is an imaginative, colorful, beautiful game with so much personality and charm. A great game for people wanting to get into RPG's and a great Mario game

Would Recommend

4/5

Paper mario is creative and draws lots of lore-friendly inspirations from previous games. It's not as much an unofficial sequel to SMRPG 2 as Nintendo's taking the idea, refining and exploring something different.

The game is a bit quirky and has some aspects that can feel grindy. but as far as JRPG goes this is way more approachable than most of them, (partly due to the fact its not a real JRPG, its a cut down JRPG modified with a lot of flair) the last half drags on a bit cause you've fleshed your playstyle out but makes up for it with some most excellent designed dungeons and puzzles.

In a way I think that this game is the best the N64 has to offer. I tend to associate the earliest releases with that console, but this is ahead in terms of design and overall presentation. Every detail of it's design seems to be meticulously done. It overall plays its strengths well for what its doing on the N64 and with what its doing with the JRPG. It has an overall minimal feel that has an occasional tendency to overdeliver when the map might tween or change angles and you remember you are playing a 3D game. It has a decent soundtrack (especially for a cartridge game) and a really fun localization/translation. Worth playing.

The Crystal Palace dungeon has a strange Adventure of Link feel. A Paper Adventure of Link could have been cool.

Paper Mario is one of the later games to come out for the N64, releasing in 2000. It is the first in the Paper Mario series and the first Mario RPG to be released since Super Mario RPG on the SNES.

As per usual, the game begins with Mario being invited to Peach's castle for a party. And not too long after, she gets kidnapped. How shocking, lol. But this time, rather than taking her to his castle, Bowser has brought his castle to her's! In addition, Bowser has kidnapped the 7 Star Spirits, who are the only ones with the power to stop the Star Rod. The Star Rod is Bowser's main new feature, granting him invincibility that's so powerful that even Mario can't stop him. And so, the adventure to gather the Star Spirits begins!

The game is an adventure RPG that has you , as Mario, travel across the Mushroom Kingdom to find the seven Star Spirits. They are being imprisoned by Bowser's minions. Along the way, Mario will encounter several characters willing to aid him by joining his party. Mario can battle alongside one partner at a time, each with their own abilities. His main attack commands are jump, hammer (both pretty self-explanatory), and Star Spirit commands. As Mario saves each Star Spirit, he will gain a power from them that he can use in battle. Mario can also change his stats (Attack, Defense, HP, etc.) through the use of Badges. They can upgrade or downgrade certain stats and some may even grant Mario new abilities! You can also use items and cook them into dishes, which will usually upgrade them into better ones. The game reintroduces the Action Command, which gives players an interesting way of increasing their damage and dodging attacks.

One of the main features of the game is that all of the graphics are "paper". There are no real game mechanics that make use of this, but it does make for some hilarious moments within certain in-game cutscenes. Even if you don't like the paper aesthetic, there are some really beautiful areas in the game (i.e. Shooting Star Summit)

The soundtrack to this game is one of my personal favorites. Specifically, the boss themes. I still listen to them every now and then.

This game is definitely replayable. The best part about the badge system is that you can customize how you want to play the game, which is especially useful for future playthroughs. If you decide to 100% the game, keep in mind that it does include cooking ALL of the combinations of cooking dishes. I managed to 100% it recently and will probably never do it again for this reason.

I love this game. For years, this was my favorite game of all time and even still, it is my second-favorite. Anyone who likes RPGs with charm and loves the Mario franchise should definitely give it a shot.

My Rating: 5/5

Would Recommend?: Hell Yes