Paper Mario - Retrospective

Many people consider Paper Mario to be the sequel to SNES masterpiece Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The game was developed by RPG juggernaut Squaresoft, so not only is Mario RPG touted as one of the best SNES RPGs ever, but also one of the best Mario games ever. Paper Mario was Nintendo's attempt to build upon the established Mario RPG format. Without Squaresoft's hand in the development, the core gameplay and feel of the game is very much altered from its predecessor. This doesn't make the game bad; just different.

Paper Mario picks up the torch by using the same revolutionary attack system SMRPG introduced: Timed Hits. By pressing the attack button at the right time, you could increase the strength of your attack, or decrease the amount of damage you took from enemies. This seemingly simple idea was nearly unheard of in 1996, but it makes combat a much more active experience. Instead of simply inputting your commands and waiting for a minute or so for the actual battle to play out until you get another turn, you had to actually provide additional input as the combat ensued. This kind of system rewards the player just for paying attention to the game they're playing.

Unlike SMRPG, Paper Mario is a much shallower game, both in complexity and story. This makes Paper Mario an easier game to comprehend, but leaves a lot to be desired for players who loved the depth of SMRPG. The story revolves primarily around Mario, with only passing footnotes on his 8 companions. Paper Mario is very linear, especially by other RPG standards, which makes story progression easy and straightforward, but also painfully predictable. As you might have gathered from my previous posts, I was practically able to tell you the whole story before I was even a few hours into the game.

Paper Mario is not without its charm, though. The Action Attack system is more versatile and easier to use than in SMRPG, and the Badge system lets you customize Mario's abilities to match your play style. Additionally, the characters and story scenarios range from dryly comedic to hilariously memorable. It also marks the first time, to my knowledge, the word "murder" is actually used in a Mario game.

Paper Mario is a fun and satisfying romp, but gamers looking for a hardcore 100+ hour RPG will have to look elsewhere. Paper Mario is likely intended as an introductory RPG, similar to Quest 64 or Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. It gets gamers interested in core RPG mechanics like HP, magic, and experience points without making it an overwhelming situation. This makes the game an excellent gift for RPG fanatics trying to get their friends or family into RPGs, but series like Final Fantasy or Tales are too complex.

Paper Mario is available on the Wii Virtual Console for 1000 Wii Points.

The Good

• Memorable characters and dialogue
• Princess Peach sub-missions add a break to the more action-oriented Mario gameplay

The Bad

• Formulaic and predictable story
• Too short for the player to really get time to appreciate the interesting characters
• Too easy for any experienced player to find challenge.

Defining Moment

• Mario being accused of murder
• Guessing correctly that the final Star Power attack would be called "Star Beam"

Burning Question

• Does "The game was fun and all, but seriously Square. Give us back Geno and Mallow!" count as a question?

Progress for December 16, 2008 - Paper Mario - COMPLETED!

And once again, Bowser goes down! The fight was satisfyingly challenging, but not overly difficult. The only thing that got tedious was that every time he charged up his star power, I just used Star Beam and removed it. This happens every 4 turns, and Bowser can't be hurt while he's using the Star Power, so the only possible way to continue the battle is to use Star Beam. And since Star Beam costs absolutely nothing to cast, and its only purpose is to eliminate Bowser's Star Power, there's no reason to wait or use it any time other than immedately after he powers up, making it both repetitive and ultimately pointless.

I was impressed with how expansive Bowser's castle was. It doesn't disappoint as a final dungeon; It's about 3 times as long as any other dungeon in the game and the enemies are certainly not pushovers. Dry Bones are the most annoying enemies in the game.

Final Stats
Play Time- Just about 31 hours (There's no way to see the final time, so I just estimated up from the last save file)
Level: 25
HP: 50
FP: 40
BP: 30
Coins Collected: 3878
Badges Collected:54/80
69/160
Tayce T.'s recipes: 1/50 (I didn't even bother at all with this subquest.)
Quizmo's Quizzes: 5/6
Battles: 511

I don't think I'll be going for 100%. It seems pointless, unless someone can give me a good reason to.

Progress for December 14, 2008 - Paper Mario

Thus begins the final countdown. One more star to find, then the inevitable Bowser battle. Will I try for 100% completion? It's entirely possible. But we'll cross that hurdle when we come to it.

Time: 23:33
Level 18
Coins: 9 (I bought a lot of stuff from the arms dealer in the sewer)
HP: 35
FP: 20
BP: 30
Star Spirits: 6
Star Pieces: 3 (I also bought a bunch of badges from Merlow

Progress for December 11, 2008 - Paper Mario

This game is just going by faster and faster, isn't it? I already have 5 of the 7 stars and I'm halfway (I assume) through getting the 6th.
I've maxed out my BP at 30, so now I have to actually put some thought into what skills I boost. But since I have 2 of each HP Boost and FP Boost badges, I can further customize my characters based on which bosses I'll be going up against. Not that the game really merits a great deal of strategy. It's a rather easy game overall. I should be able to finish by the weekend.

Time: 21:00
Level 17
Coins: 209
HP: 30
FP: 20
BP: 30
Star Spirits: 5
Star Pieces: 41

Progress for December 10, 2008 - Paper Mario

Up.... too.... late. Registering.... internet domain names. Creating.... website content.... for friends. Having trouble..... staying awakr.
Saved 2 more Star Spirits...... 3 more to go.
4. Itchy. Tasty.

Time: 15:57
Level 14
Coins: 382
HP: 25
FP: 15
BP: 27
Star Spirits: 4
Star Pieces: 26

Progress for December 9, 2008 - Paper Mario

Another day, another star spirit. Paper Mario seems to be pretty linear thus far, but I am enjoying the numerous side-missions that become available as you unlock new weapons and information. I also like how they use the Princess Peach stealth levels to break up the gameplay a bit and bring the player into the psyche of exactly what's going on while Bowser has the Princess captive. Not many of the other Mario games do that.

Time: 9:16
Level 10
Coins: 728
HP: 25
FP: 15
BP: 21
Star Spirits: 2

Progress for December 8, 2008 - Paper Mario

The journey begins anew! The last time I tried to play this game, after about 8 hours in, the A button stopped working due to all the pressure and sharp presses that a game like this requires. All the action prompts have wreaked havoc with its ability to snap back to its un-pressed position. A shame since the controller itself is really nice otherwise.

Paper Mario starts out, like every other Mario game ever made in the history of mankind, with Bowser a being jerk and trying to take over the world and the only person who can stop him is Mario. Not exactly Pulitzer material, but there you go.
I like the way the game handles levels and skill growth. Rather than give you a random increase of each skill at each level, the game lets the player choose a flat increase of their Health, Magic, or Ability points.

I'm about 5 hours in. I've gained 3 party members and rescued 1 of the 7 stars needed. Why the hell do mario RPGs always need you to find 7 stars? Oh well.