An great return
The first two Paper Mario games are a small, yet wonderful spot in the Mario universe. Both are great, yet utterly simple games that became GREAT games on the Nintendo 64 and, GameCube, respectively. Even more so, the first two games in the series shared more in common with ‘Super Mario RPH: Legend of the Seven Stars’ for the SNES, than they do with the platforming style of the core Mario titles. Neither game got as much attention as it deserved because of its late arrival and departure from the series’ core.
I was disappointed when I heard of Super Paper Mario’s departure off the GameCube’s list of upcoming games. When I saw it on the Wii list, I was excited because I knew that Intelligent Systems and Nintendo NEVER rush a game, even when its moved onto another console when it started on a completely different console.
Super Paper Mario is one of the rare games that brings back good old gaming experiences from the past and mixes them with new ideas that make it a very new, and improved, experience. It’s a very complex game to say the least, and filled with dozens of levels and even a daring challenge called ‘The Pit of 100 Trials’. I’ll get their later, but first, let’s talk about the gameplay and story.
The story, while very good, seems too complex to be a Mario story. Prophecies are being told, and the main villians (Count Bleck, Dimentio, Mimi, Nastasia and O’Chunks) are on duty to make sure the Dark Prognositcus’s prophecy (a dark and dim ending) comes true. Another prophecy, the Light Prognositcus, holds the key to stopping the prophecy of the Dark Prognositcus coming true. Four heroes will emerge and save the world by collecting eight Pure Hearts to destroy Bleck’s Chaos Heart and stopping a vortex that is trying to swallow the world. There’s a lot of story going back and forth between characters and some of it is very confusing for its own good. But, the gameplay really boosts this game up.
You play as Mario, Peach, Bowser and Luigi, who all have special abilities that can stop the Dark Prognositcus from coming true, for they are the four Light Heroes. You start out as Mario, but in the 2nd Chapter you unlock Peach, the 3rd you unlock Bowser, and…um…I believe the 8th (?) chapter you unlock Luigi. Mario is the most significant of the four because he’s the only one who can move between the second and third dimensions, a very important part of the game.
Mario’s nifty ability is also the part of the game that sets it apart from others. When you hit the A Button, the game world rotates to show you hidden elements in 3D mode, other than the usual 2D Mario universe. It is a very clever feature, and something that makes this game clearly unclassifiable. Intelligent Systems clearly understood the impact it would make on the game, because all of the level designs are clever and very fun and challenging to navigate through, and the rotating dimensions trick works great on every level. The designs are very clever and thoroughly thought trough. The bosses are very challenging, and some are the most original boss fights I’ve ever been through (the Mimi spider boss fight, I’m looking at you!) and the graphics are just gorgeous!
Flipping to 3D can also make some of the most menacing looking enimies look like paper…oh….because they are! You can easily skip past them, and move on with the level. Using the Control Pad and holding the Remote ‘Classic’ style are only a few nods to the original Mario Bros. games on the NES and SNES, while some of the level designs are clearly inspired by the old games.
The sound is really absolutely nothing except music and a few grunts, but the music that is there is very excellent and fits the game appropriately. The dialouge, although there is a lot of it, is amusing and often hilarious. The game’s hilarious sense of humor and funny sequences make this package an enjoyable experience.
Super Paper Mario offers a deep, innovative experience and the change from Paper Mario’s original “action RPG” formula to a “platform-RPG” hybrid is groundbreaking and much funner to use. Kudos to the creators of this game because this is easily one of the Wii’s best games, and the best in the Paper Mario series. Despite being a paper adventure, Super Paper Mario is definitely as solid as an adventure could get!