When I got this game, I have to admit I had my doubts. It was still fairly new, so I had to rely more so on my confidence in Nintendo’s game-making skill than rave reviews. Even the package, while interesting enough, made me fear of a completely 2D game. To my relief though, it wasn’t completely a 2D game (only the characters were “paper”, so to speak), and I turned out extremely happy with my purchase. This sure isn’t the only Paper Mario review out there, so look at others if ya don’t believe me!
Plot: 2
The game really falls flat in this area, no pun intended. Though the plot is basically shallow right from the get-go, it doesn’t help that there are absolutely no plot twists. Sure, no one would have expected Peach to do something on her own (gasp!), but I found this as more of a pleasant surprise than anything.
You never find yourself absolutely stuck in this game. If you can’t figure out what to do, simply backtrack to Toad Town and ask the local magician (if you could call him that) and pay him an extremely small fee for what usually turns out to be a giveaway hint.
In short, while Bowser stealing the Star Rod may have been a neat idea, it could also have been a lot better. Sure, it works, but it’s not very exciting, to say the least. More depth was really needed here.
Visuals: 6
What disappoints me is that, of the reviews I’ve seen, some seem to give Paper Mario a bad rap solely based on the new “paper” look. I myself wasn’t bothered by the flat characters. While the characters may all be two dimensional, they can move around every which way in a 3D environment. I found this to be quite the interesting layout, though the lack of multi-view screening was a bit of a letdown (this is made up for in another way, though). Of course, from the instant you see the TV previews or take a gander at the ads, you’d know that it wouldn’t be expected anyhow.
The colorful sprites and playful backgrounds really add to the atmosphere, whether it be a gigantic toy box or a spooky forest. The background does actually scroll around on it’s own, depending on where you are and in which direction you’re moving. Shooting Star Summit, for example, is all circular. When scaling the hill, you will notice how the entire background rotates to keep Mario in the center. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a creative way to make up for the lack of C-button view scrolling.
The flat look allowed for attention to the detail that makes a character look, well, like they’re supposed to. Each character looks exactly like they’re rendered in the box art. Attention was obviously paid to the little details that make a certain character stand out, and you’d never catch yourself confusing your party member for another random enemy passing by. Of course, that may also be attributed to the fixed patterns that the characters move in…
One thing that really bugged me was how the edges of most sprites seemed rough and pixelated, but after a while you just learn to ignore it, it’s such a small detail.
Sound: 5
The music was almost as vibrant as the colors were in some places, if that makes sense, and did its job too. It always reflected the atmosphere, enforcing it just that much more. The bright and bouncy setting of Toad Town was accompanied by an upbeat melody while the dank sewers’ theme was just as dull as the area itself. Some tunes are excellent, such as the theme up in Shiver Valley, while the gloomy tune set in the Forever Forest would have you wanting out of there as quickly as possible just to get away from the repetitive noise that just passes for music.
The sound effects were good, but you won’t always be paying attention to them. Some get downright annoying, such as the sound of Mario’s jump when you’re looking for a hidden block or something of the sort. The hammer gets annoying if used repetitively too. I recommend the sound effect badges just to spice it up a little. Know what’s really annoying? Trying to hit a Fuzzy by standing in the same spot and hammering (*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!* “Darn! Missed!” *Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!* etc.).
Characters: 6
Hey, no complaints here. The amazing array of enemies will have you eager to fight upon entering a new area. I was impressed at how many baddies appeared. The familiar faces of the Boo (as an ally?) and Pokey were a welcome surprise, though new enemies would have been nice… The bosses were all new of course, and there were a few new baddies, but I can only really think of a few.
One minor thing would be that there are usually only a handful of enemies in one place, so you’d have to wait until you advance to see any new ones for a while.
About Mario’s party members. The whole "teamwork" idea worked out very well. Oftentimes you’ll find that you’ll need to use a part member to save your butt, and other times it’ll be the other way ‘round. Their characters are well-developed thanks to the RPG genre, and I became quite attached to them. It was hard to get warmed up to some of the late-joining members though. Sushie did end up being helpful, but I never quite got warmed up to Lakilester.
Strategy: 7
Whoo, where to start? Well, let’s see. The nice thing about this game (or the bad thing, depending on your point of view) is that talent doesn’t matter so much as leveling up does. Earn 100 Star Points, and you’ll be rewarded with a chance to upgrade Health Points, Flower Points or Badge Points. Choosing can be tricky, especially when you consider that each one seems to run out more quickly than it should. However, each can be conserved depending on how FP-happy your battle tactics are. Flower Points are required for using badges, but Badge Points are in turn required for wearing badges, so you’ll need to choose carefully.
Badges and items are very important. There are over 50 badges that give you special powers, but only a limited amount of BP, so you’ll have to choose which ones are worth using up BP for. What you decide could quite possibly decide the outcome of a battle. Some badges give you advantages, or change your stats slightly. It could raise a stat, but you may have to sacrifice a teensy bit of another as well. Items are also key. They take up a turn to use and you can only use one per turn. You’ll need to consider whether it’ll be worth taking an extra hit and if your buddy can make up for your turn.
And then, there’s always the action command to consider. By hitting the A button at the precise moment before you strike, you could dish out double the damage to your opponent. Of course, there are badges that may enhance the action command.
It’s nice that you won’t ace this game right away even if you know how to play it, since you start of with very limited HP, FP and BP, because strategy is ultimately more important than skill in this game. Unfortunately, it also makes the game slow-paced… Though I guess RPGs do tend to be that way.
Difficulty: 4
First off, this game wasn’t that hard. It took a while to beat, but mainly only because Mario didn’t move that quickly and the terrain was quite expansive. There were many cases in which I could have saved myself by merely running away, but my sheer stubbornness at times ended up bringing me down. Even if I did swallow my pride, sometimes I stupidly got myself into a battle while on extremely low HP and then ended up not being able to run when I tried.
All you really needed to know well was how to pace yourself. Strategy is really the base of this game. Use your items, badges, and buddies well and you won’t have a problem beating this game in well under a month, provided you donate a lot of free time towards playing, that is.
Ending: 5
You know, I was going to go with an all-out summary here, but I decided to be nice and let you find out for yourself. What’s beating the game worth if you already know what to expect? I liked the music, which changed accordingly as the credits progressed. In any case, end of story. Feel proud of yourself.
Again, though it could have been added to, it worked. Nothing too fancy, but effective all the same. I was rather pleased with it, and it was kinda cute seeing the Boos tease Tubba Blubba.
Fun Factor!: 6
Well, this is one heck of a game. I really liked it, and found it very fun to play, at least until it was beaten. Every element in the game contributes to this, and the end result is almost flawless. The witty dialogue, amusing puzzles, strategy, and pleasing eye candy make this one enjoyable game to play.
Replay Value: 4
As mentioned above, you’ll get the most out of this game the first time around. After that, it just gets kind of dull. You may want to play it again in an attempt to beat the game perfectly, or maybe just because you’re bored. Chuck’s quizzes, Koopa Koot’s favors, or even the never-ending stream of lost letters provide amusement even after completion of the game itself. Sometimes it's fun just to stock up on items and visit Tayce T. to see what kind of new item you can cook up. I myself sometimes get to the ending again just to see the end parade.
Recommendation: 5
First thing I’ll say is to stay away from this one if you hate cutesy games. Almost every character is cute in some way or another, even the bosses. And if they’re not cute and cuddly, they’re sure as heck not ugly or scary. In some ways, this is a good thing. Say you hate scary games? This one is for you. It’s a good way to waste some time, and certainly worth the money.
I’m still not really sure that the RPG genre improved this game. It could have been done just as well (if not better) in 3D, and I’m sure it would have been more effective.
In conclusion,
though it’s not for everybody, I was pretty pleased with Paper Mario on
the whole. The music isn’t that bad, the characters were well-developed,
and it kept with the usual Mario storyline (Good thing or bad? You make
the call.). And it was very addictive, to say the least. If you’ve got
the spare time and the money, this game may just be for you, even if you’re
not an RPG fan.