Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

"It's Mario - And he's made out of Paper - And it's an RPG. What more could you possibly want? ^_^"

INTRODUCTION ~

"A blast from the papery past..."

In the world of Mario, not many Genres have gone untouched. Yet, perhaps the most surprising one of all, was when Mario first made the leap into the RPG world. It was, to the say the least; unexpected. The game, however, was a huge success. Super Mario RPG, developed by Square, was everything that a fan could have hoped for and more. Humorous yet serious, it was practically perfect. But when Square left Nintendo, things were looking disappointingly down in the RPG section. But all was not lost, as Nintendo finally released Paper Mario, the second Mario RPG, on the Nintendo 64. Whilst a fantastic game, it ultimately proved that Nintendo didn't need Square to make a good Mario RPG. So it comes as no surprise that Nintendo have released yet another Mario Role Playing Game; Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Building upon the success of the original Paper Mario, it's all great news to be honest with you. But, the big question, does it live up to the legendary status of a Mario RPG?

GAMEPLAY ~ 10/10

"When a paper boat can defeat a ten foot Dragon, you know that something is seriously wrong..."

Paper Mario. A game known for its wonderful Gameplay. And as you would expect, The Thousand-Year Door builds upon it further. For starters, the wondrous Battle System. At it's core, the Battle System would be best described as Turn Based. Each character has to wait their turn to attack, and they can either use Magic, a basic Attack, an Item, or choose the option of running away. But that's about where the similarities end. If you have previously played a Mario RPG, then you will very much know what to expect. The Battle System has a special Real Time element; where if you press a button at the exact right time, more damage will be inflicted upon the enemy.

For example, if you were to use a jump attack, the moment that you connect with the enemy you would press A. If done correctly, they would take more damage. For Mario's Hammer, you have to fill a special Meter at the right time, which will vary depending on the type of attack. The same rules apply for defending, too. There are plenty of different Mario themed enemies, and they can be seen by means of an on-screen Avatar. So Battles won't be random. Anyway, when an enemy attacks, you can also press A at the right time to try to avoid the attack, or at best; take less damage. Although, there are hundreds of different attacks, so it can be a little difficult to know when you have to press A. Trial and Error, though, really.

Whilst a simple concept in its own right, you won't believe how much the Real Time element adds to the Gameplay. It's such a flawless idea, and it's so awesomely fun. Battles will never become boring, and they have a brilliant and unique feel to them. And, dare I say it; you will actually enjoy leveling up your Characters. To level up though, you will need Star Points. When you enter a Battle, your surroundings will transform into a special stage where an audience is watching you. You can gain more Star Points by putting on a good show for the audience, but they are generally earned by defeating enemies. When you have collected 100 of them, Mario will level up. You won't automatically get a stat boost in each area though, oh no. When you level up, you can choose one of three Stats to increase. HP, FP or BP. HP is how much health Mario has, FP is for determing Mario's Special Abilities, and BP determines Mario's Badge Points. You are never forced to choose a certain Stat though, and so, you can fully customize how Mario turns out. If you want tons of HP, you can have it. Great. ^_^

Right, now I mentioned something called Badge Points, didn't I? Time to explain. Paper Mario features a Badge system. At numerous points in the game, you will come across special Badges. By equipping them; Mario will gain all types of special power ups and Abilities. Because Mario doesn't increase his attack power when he Levels up, Badges are the main source of making Mario stronger. You can of course equip Mario with better Items, being an RPG and all, but if you aim to get anywhere in Paper Mario, your going to have to learn to rely on the Badge System.

Now, because these Badges are so uber helpful; you can't just equip every single one that you find. Which is where Badge Points (BP) come in. Each Badge requires a certain amount of Badge Points to equip, and once you do so, those Badge Points will be used up until you un-equip the Badge. So, in effect, the more Badge Points that you have, the more Badges you can equip, and the stronger Mario will become.

At various points during the game, Mario will come across a mysterious black chest. Each chest will teach Mario a new papery ability. Such as allowing Mario to fold up into a paper boat or a paper plane. Because, as the name suggests, Paper Mario has a humorous paper theme to it. Everything and anyone is made out of paper. And so everyone is paper thin. Whenever you enter a house, it will fold down and allow you to see inside. Hundreds of these sorts of tweaks are present in the game. And many of the games puzzles will require that you use Mario's papery abilities to progress.

The World of Paper Mario itself; is quite bizarre. You start of in a town called Rogueport, which acts as the main Hub of the game. From here, you can take special pipes and travel to different areas and towns. Because Paper Mario is an RPG, all of the usual stuff makes an appearance. Such as Item shops and Inn's; where you can restore your health. And, Mario will also meet up with a whole cast of different characters who will join his Party. You can only ever have one of character help Mario at a time though. You can switch characters whenever you like, which is helpful because each character has their own special ability. You will need to utilize each characters abilities to overcome the puzzles in the game. Overall, it's just like Paper Mario and Super Mario RPG before it. The difficulty is of a satisfactory level. While nothing original, it works, and makes the game ultimately fun. ^_^

STORY ~ 9/10

"Argh! Why send a letter? Didn't she learn her lesson the first time? Its bad luck, Peach. Why not send an e-mail?"

For an RPG, Paper Mario is surprisingly cliche. But, you see, that's just it. Paper Mario is by no means trying to be the most original game in the world. It realizes this with open eyes, and often humors itself. Anyway, let's get down to business, shall we?

One day whilst Princess Peach is taking a relaxing stroll around the ever so shifty town of Rogueport, she comes across a mysterious looking Map. Baffled by it, she instantly sends a letter to Mario (eh, we've been there before, haven't we?) and demands that he comes to see it at once. Mario, in all of his papery glory, sets out for the town of Rogueport. But when he arrives, the Princess is no where to be seen. In a fit of confusion, Mario meets up with a friendly Goomba (yes, friendly) and ultimately gets caught up in a deeper story about a Thousand-Year Door and some little things called Crystal Stars. Can Mario collect these Crystal Stars, open the Thousand-Year Door, and save the Princess?

Eh, well, as you can see, I probably exaggerated a little, the plot is ever so slightly original, but that's probably due to my mysterious way of describing things. Once you play the Game though, you will fully understand. Anyway, while nothing new, the plot is still mighty humorous, and the characters are fun and interesting. You will, in all honesty; crack a smile more times than you blink whilst playing this game. All's well and good then, no?

GRAPHICS ~ 10/10

"Why Mario, we are looking awfully thin today, aren't we? I guess all of that jumping on Goomba stuff finally paid off."

Paper. Dull, isn't it? Well, you might want to get that thought out of your head, because Paper Mario is going to change your mind. Or maybe not, but whatever. Anyway, as I have already mentioned, everything in Paper Mario is made out of paper. And so, everything in the game has a papery feel to it. For example, say that there is a big gap in front of Mario with no way of crossing. Step on a Switch, and the game will tear away the empty space revealing a Bridge. But that's just the start. The paper mechanic is down right humors, and you're guaranteed to love it upon first sight.

Moving on from that, the general graphics are of a very high quality. The battles run perfectly with no slow down, and the game generally flows at a smooth and steady pace. The art style is beautiful, as the characters have a simple yet unique look to them. Honestly, you would be hard pushed to find something to hate about the graphics. Yes, they're THAT good. <_<

SOUND ~ 9/10

"<Insert humorous sound here>"

Much like the original Paper Mario, the music has a certain charm and magic about it that really helps to bring the game alive. Each area is perfectly themed, and the atmosphere is just how it should be. Perfect. The sound effects are in essence; wonderful. Although, it's all very Mario. Nothing is really new. But that's hardly a flaw. You can also equip Mario with special Badges that exchange his normal sounding attacks with humorous noises. While nothing more than a gimmick, it's ultimately fun to experiment with. Overall, the sound in Paper Mario is awesome. Although, it perhaps isn't good enough to earn a ten.

PLAY TIME/ REPLAYABILITY ~ 10/10

"The Thousand-Year Door? why couldn't it be The Millionth-Year Door? I'm going to miss it. ;-;"

There's a lot for you to see and do in The Thousand-Year Door. For starters, if you want to get each and every badge, it's going to take a long time as you hunt high and low for them. It's worth it though, as the hardest to find Badges are always the best. Along side that, The Thousand-Year Door also features something called “The Trouble Center”. Whilst there, Mario can skim through a list of people that need help, and agree to accept certain jobs. These act as side quests, and they will reward you with Money and valuable items. You also have a Monster Book to fill, which will take a very long time. And as for general Play Time, you're looking at around 30 Hours minimum. Paper Mario is quite a lengthy game, and there is just so much stuff to do between the eight different Chapters, that you won't know where to start. To say the least, you won't be disappointed. ^_^

FINAL RECOMMENDATION ~ 10/10

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door more than lives up to the name of a Mario RPG. Serious yet funny, the concept is a sure winner for Nintendo. The Gameplay is flawless, the Graphics are witty, the Story is humorous and the overall flow of the Game is stunning. It sounds perfect, doesn't it? Well, that's because it practically is. If you're an RPG fan; Paper Mario is an essential addition to your collection. And even if your not, it's still more than worth a purchase.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/19/05, Updated 07/20/05