Paper Mario Review
With stunning graphics, excellent sound, and extremely solid gameplay, Paper Mario is a quality game on all fronts.
Paper Mario is the follow-up to Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES. Existing in a world composed of paper cutouts, Paper Mario combines the simplified RPG system that made Super Mario RPG such an innovative and fun game with the side-scrolling action that made the 2D Mario games so popular. Not only is Paper Mario a tender bit of nostalgia to anyone who misses the good old days, but it is also a shining example of what Nintendo does best.
Paper Mario has a plot that should be familiar to any Mario fan. Bowser has once again invaded the land of the stars and has stolen the magical Star Rod--a scepter that has the power to grant the wishes of whoever holds it. Bowser used the Star Rod to imprison the seven star spirits, who used their power to watch over the land. Armed with the power to make his slightest wish a reality, Bowser quickly kidnapped Princess Peach, made himself invincible, and scattered the imprisoned star spirits to the ends of the Mushroom Kingdom. It's up to Mario to find the seven star spirits, rescue them from Bowser's evil minions, and eventually use their power to defeat Bowser himself.
The game plays similarly to Super Mario RPG. The game is broken up into the field screen and the battle screen. Mario and his party move around on the field screen--an adventure-based 3D plane where you interact with items, enemies, and people in real time. Once an enemy spots Mario, it will charge him. If you touch the enemy, you'll enter the battle screen--a turn-based, menu-driven combat system. How you touch an enemy has a dramatic effect on the start of the combat round: If Mario strikes the enemy in the field screen, he'll strike once before combat actually begins in the battle-screen system. If the enemy charges Mario, the enemy will strike first. This system rewards you for quick reflexes and mixes in a taste of the now extinct side-scrolling action that made the Super Mario series so popular. In combat, Mario has two basic attacks--jumping on enemies and hammering enemies. Mario will eventually gain several special attacks, but with the exception of the powers endowed to him by rescued star spirits, the attacks will always be a modification of his jump or hammer attack. Additionally, Mario can use items to aid him. The game has several items, both for offensive and defensive purposes. Mario also has friends who can help him. As in any RPG, Mario will eventually stumble across other characters that share his goal, and they will join Mario in his quest. Mario can have any one of his sidekicks in battle with him at a time and can use that character's power to defeat enemies. The characters also have special abilities that are used on the field screen. Characters will carry Mario across chasms, let Mario travel over the water, fetch items that are just out of reach, make Mario invisible, and more. Progressing through the game's levels is an excellent combination of turn-based combat and classic side-scrolling Mario action.
Paper Mario Quick Links
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- GameSpot Score 9.5 Editors' Choice
Player Reviews
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Paper Mario combines the nostalgia of its old platform games with simplified RPG elements to create a true gem of a game Continue »
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Paper Mario may look weird at first, but after you play it, you'll know why it's one of the greatest games ever created. Continue »
Critic Scores
- Thunderbolt 9 / 10
- Cheat Code Central 5 / 5
- RPGamer 8 / 10
- GMR Magazine 9 / 10
- Cubed3 9.4 / 10
- Da GameBoyz 9.5 / 10
- Electric Playground 9.5 / 10
- Videogames NZ 91 / 100
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