Many fans of thePaper Mariofranchise feel it has lost a lot of appeal, focusing more on paper gimmicks and sticking toSuper Marioaesthetics rather than creating their own unique RPGs that happen to look like crafted dioramas.Paper Mario: The Origami Kingmay have been better received than its predecessorsSticker StarandColor Splash, but that hasn’t stopped people fromasking Nintendo to port older entries likeThe Thousand-Year Door. Thus it was a big deal when the originalPaper Mariowas confirmed for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack’s N64 library.
Older games can be difficult to play because of modern sensibilities in the best of circumstances, and theNintendo Switch’s N64 emulation has received backlashfor iffy quality on top of the “Expansion Pack” subscription price hike. Still, this version ofPaper Mariois a solid way for long-time fans to get their fix of the series' original style, and its quality details should show newcomers why there’s such a cult following to this day.
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Paper Mario is Like a Test Run for The Thousand-Year Door
Anyone who grew up playingPaper Marioon N64 orThe Thousand-Year Dooron GameCube should be familiar with their similarities. Both featurecombat with action commands that has inspired indies likeIkenfellandBug Fables, as well as quests in which Mario has to collect star-based objectives to defeat a great evil - with cutaway scenes between each chapter. However, it’s clear the GameCube title was like an enhanced remake as far as particular details like mechanics and characters are concerned.
Thefirst few partners Mario picks up inPaper Marioare Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette, whose overworld abilities and battle techniques are mimicked almost verbatim by Goombella, Koops, and Admiral Bobbery inThe Thousand-Year Door. The GameCube title does iterate upon their presence by making partners full-fledged combatants with their own health bars and added utility. However, the original game’s experience isn’t far off, even if (by default) using overworld abilities and items with the right Joy-Con’s analog stick for the Switch Online port feels a little clunky.
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How Paper Mario’s World Feels All Its Own
Despite the similarities that makePaper Marioa taste for why people loveThe Thousand-Year Doorin particular, it would be disingenuous to call the game a lesser facsimile.The Thousand-Year Doortakes Mario to a far-off land with Rogueport as its main hub, butPaper Mariois set in the Mushroom Kingdom.Areas like Shooting Star Hill or Lavalava Islandstand out as unique toPaper Mariowhile also serving as fun nods toSuper Mario RPGandYoshi’s Island.
The game’s writing has its own brand of charm and comedy too, much of it centered around how famous Mario is across his homeland; leading everyone to be excited or terrified when he arrives. Its overall environmental design also feels a lot softer than the follow-up, which has more sharp lines as paper goods fold in on themselves or chunks of wall explode away. InPaper Mario, doors will gently bounce out of reach, and whenever characters fall from the sky it’s by wafting down on the breeze - sometimes even getting stuck like a thrown playing card at the bottom.
Plenty of small details characterizePaper Marioas a special game even 20 years later. When Mario hits something unbreakable with a hammer, a shiver runs up his character model. The game’s first big area outside of Toad Town, Pleasant Path, has plenty of quirky images to take advantage of its papercraft setting; from a warning about Goombas where the enemy leaps off its sign to a set of small candy cane-like hills where only one inexplicable follows Mario with its gaze. Little seems wrong withPaper Mario’s Switch emulation, so curious bystanders should use it to see what all the hype is about.
Paper Mariois available now through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.
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