Super Paper Mario

While this may be the game that started Paper Mario's growing detachment from its RPG roots, it was my personal introduction to the series, so my experience was completely unhindered by any longing for a return to tradition. Instead, what I saw was a clever twist on the classic platformer formula with a heavy emphasis on world-building and storytelling. With this game, Nintendo was able to craft an adventure that feels inspired by the titular plumber's backlog, but that is more than willing to create something new and unique through its world and characters.

Super Paper Mario flips the established Mario RPG formula on its head, acting as a full-fledged platformer with RPG elements, rather than an RPG complemented by light platforming. However, it still has the more fleshed-out story that one can expect from an RPG, making this one of the most emotionally engaging platformers that Mario has ever starred in. The main gimmick also plays delightfully on the "paper" aspect of Super Paper Mario, allowing you to flip between a paper-thin 2d world reminiscent of any other Mario platformer, and a 3d origami-like view of the same space. This flipping mechanic is cleverly used throughout the entire game to make puzzles that just wouldn't be possible anywhere else, further solidifying this as a truly unique title. The amount of content is also quite astounding. Beyond the stages you need to play to beat the game, the overworld hosts a huge amount of fun character interactions, minigames, extra challenges, and more, making exploration an absolute joy. Even after sinking multiple hours into the post-game, I was finding things that I had no idea even existed, which is somewhat unexpected for a Mario game, and a welcome way to round out the experience.

As a Mario RPG, I can see why some people wouldn't be interested in this game. The leveling system and items are well implemented to complement the focus on platforming, but don't really scream RPG in the given context. However, as a platformer, this is an excellent title with a lot to offer. The Mario roots are obvious, but the game doesn't lean too much on them to come off as uninspired. Actually, it does quite the opposite and ends up being a surprisingly deep and emotional story that I have yet to see matched in another Mario title. It might be easy to hop on the bandwagon and believe that The Thousand-Year Door is the last Paper Mario worth playing, but I implore you not to miss out on this fantastic adventure.

The game is available for WiiU here (as of 6/23/21): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-paper-mario-wii-u/

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