Pros:
- Everything that made the first game great is here, and pretty much all of it is even better.
- Combat remains accessible for non-fans of turn-based games, but there's still plenty of strategy to it.
- Battles feel even more involved this time than the first one; there's a greater amount of creativity in how you battle.
- Fantastic level design, with several unique locales that really stand out.
- Boss fights are something superb: epic in scale, but also extremely fun to fight and, while challenging, satisfying when you do figure them out.
- I appreciate how the gameplay utilizes the "paper" element of the series more than the first game did.
- Phenomenal visual design, with plenty of rich colors and details that make it a feast for the senses.
- All-around stellar music, possibly some of the best I've heard out of the "Mario" series (and that's saying a hell of a lot).
- Wonderfully written plot with plenty of whimsy and emotion.
- Some of the most memorable characters to grace the "Mario" series, with the partners bringing a lot of charm to an already great story.
Cons:
- I suppose some of the late-game backtracking can be a tad bit annoying to some. For me, though, it wasn't too big of an issue.
Consensus: At this point, you probably already know the deal with "Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door." It's the franchise's sacred cow; the unrepeatable masterpiece that Nintendo will probably never come close to ever again. That's the opinion you'll hear from almost anyone on the Internet, and I am no different. Having finally beaten the game after first playing it two decades ago, it is a phenomenal game that takes an already amazing first entry (which I previously gave a 10/10 to) and somehow manages to improve even more on it. It's a beautiful game that definitely stands as one of my favorites of all time, and while I've yet to completely dive into the rest of the "Paper Mario" series, it would not surprise me if this remains my favorite entry. If you haven't gotten the chance to play this masterpiece yet, you really need to.
Final rating: 10 out of 10 "Fantastic"