Super Paper Mario Review

Combat takes place in real time, and you earn points by defeating enemies. Though your primary attack is the time-honored head stomp, you'll be able to use pixls or Bowser's flame attack as well. Your score doubles as your experience, so you can level up as you progress. Leveling up yields a specific bonus to your maximum hit points or attack power. Stats and experience are shared across your quartet, although Bowser has double the attack power of Mario, Luigi, and Peach. Items you can buy in shops can help take out enemies, restore your health, or temporarily increase your attack or defense in battle. One thing to call out about the game's combat is the inventive elements of boss battles. Whether it's an old-school Final Fantasy-style turn-based interface or a clever rip-off of a Japanese dating sim, Super Paper Mario's boss battles are funny and lively.

The characters and pixls in your party all have unique abilities to help you progress.

Moving around and attacking is a breeze thanks to the game's simple control scheme, which has you holding the Wii Remote sideways. You'll use the D pad to move your selected character, while the 1 button will trigger your active pixl's ability and 2 will let you jump. Hitting 1 and 2 at the same time calls up a quick menu that lets you switch characters, pixls, and use items. The A button triggers Mario's flipping ability, which you'll use often. The plus button calls up a more detailed menu that lets you check out various stats and inventory.

Though the control scheme is decidedly old school, Super Paper Mario works in some unobtrusive support for the Wii Remote. You'll follow onscreen prompts when using some items in combat, such as shaking the remote up and down or holding it in specific positions. When jumping on enemies, if you shake the controller at the right moment you'll earn some bonus points. Pointing the controller at the screen when you have Tippi along will let you highlight items or objects. When your onscreen cursor turns red, you can hit any button to get useful information out of her. You'll also use the controller in simple minigames you'll come across.

One thing to note is that, above and beyond the core story content, Super Paper Mario features a good assortment of side quests to undertake. You can collect recipes and character cards, visit a local arcade, and even get three additional pixls. While you can do some of this before finishing the game, you'll have the option to go back once you've finished the quest. Revisiting areas will let you continue some side quests you didn't finish and even take on some new ones.

From a presentation standpoint, Super Paper Mario is a solid game all around, although its audio is a bit too low-key. The graphics have a simple charm and are big on little details and flair. The characters are eclectic and showcase a variety of art styles: The Mushroom Kingdom characters are a traditional-looking bunch that animate smoothly, while the interdimensional crew, which are new to the game, all have unique looks. The same holds true of the various dimensions you'll visit. Whether it's the surreal algebra equations written in the sky, the colored pixels of the Bitlands level, or the various places you see Nintendo hardware pop up in the game, the game has a unique style that works well. While the flipped locales come across a bit spare, their look fits with the game's modernized spin on 2D. At its heart, Paper Mario is a 2D game dressed, quite fetchingly, in some 3D. For videophiles looking for the optimal experience, Super Paper Mario supports 16x9 widescreen and 480p, though it looks fine on standard-definition televisions as well. The weakest element is the game's audio, which is a little too retro. Although the soundtrack is solid, there are no standout tracks. The sound effects are effective, albeit a bit too familiar. Voice is used too sparingly, though what's there fits the archetype set by the previous games.

The unique flipping mechanic makes for some inventive puzzle designs.

While Super Paper Mario is quite good, there are a few things that trip it up. The camera can sometimes be problematic when you use Mario's flipping ability. Besides making it difficult to see, the flipped view can make attacking enemies difficult because it's tough to line up for a jump. The game's pacing is also slightly off—some of the later levels rely a bit too much on navigating mazes or facing waves of minibosses. Though none of the shortcomings break the game, they certainly bog down the engaging experience some.

In the end, while it's not quite on par with some of the other entries in the series, Super Paper Mario stands as an engaging and fun Wii game that's well worth your time. Though the minor camera and pacing issues as well as the underwhelming audio keep the game from being a totally polished experience, there's plenty to appreciate. Super Paper Mario's humorous story, accessible gameplay, inventive design, cool visual style, and impressive amount of content give it an undeniable charm. Anyone with a Wii should check it out.