Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

"Unique, Inventive, Fun and Hilarious? Absolutely!"

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a masterpiece. What can I say; everything about the game is astounding. From the characters and story, to the unique graphics and gameplay, there is more than enough good things I can say while expression my utmost love for Paper Mario. The Thousand-Year Door is a sequel to 2001's Paper Mario, which was released at the very end of the Nintendo 64's life cycle. The original, I daresay, was a masterpiece itself. The major thing, though, is the fact that The Thousand-Year Door improves upon everything featured in its predecessor. The whole paper aspect is part of the reason why this game is one of the most unique ever made. If you aren't yet convinced that this game is for you, then I will show you exactly why this is one of the best games ever created.

Taking one look, you may feel that Paper Mario features abnormal and stylized graphics. You would be right. That isn't saying that the graphics are mediocre, however. Paper never looked so good. In fact, the graphics featured in the Thousand-Year Door are some of the best offered on current generation systems. Obviously, everything in the game is made of paper; the characters, the buildings, everything. The look is very colorful and vivid, which ultimately makes the game so unique. The character and enemy models are detailed and imaginative, full of flair and poise. The environments are all varied, with no part of land looking remotely similar to the last. The special effects are also well-animated and interesting. With superb art direction, the graphics are gorgeous, to say the least.

If you want a tale of revenge and murder, look somewhere else. While the story featured in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door may seem simplistic, it is actually amazing, witty and thoughtful. In short, the script is comic gold. Filled to the brim with hilarious antics, emotional losses and new friendships, never has a game showed so many different styles throughout. The comedy is frequent, so be prepared to laugh many times before the game is through. The background for the story is an interesting one.

A thousand years ago, a prosperous town thrived in an unknown land. Its residents were happy folks and life was wonderful. Suddenly, one day, a great cataclysm hit the town, filling the sky with darkness and causing the ground to shake violently. It seemed as if the town was doomed. In one night, it sank into the earth and the town disappeared. Today, that site is home to Rogueport, a city of thieves and suspicious people. The legend of the town lives on to this day and is said to lie beyond the Thousand-Year Door, though none know if this door truly exists. Meanwhile, Princess Peach is on vacation in Rogueport. She comes across a street merchant with a box that will not open. The merchant tells Peach how the box will only open for a pure-hearted person and offers her the box for free. The box opens for her and inside lies a map of the land. Peach sends a letter to Mario to ask him to come and help her find the treasure and Mario eagerly sets off to Rogueport to discover the truth behind the legendary myth of the Thousand-Year Door.

As you can see, the story is quite intricate, despite being simple. I will refrain from spoiling the plot, but believe me, it is one amazing ride. Additionally, the characters are very unique and exciting. You will meet and befriend many people along the path, each with their own large personality. The characters are what make this game what it is and it's wonderful that the design is so stupendous.

Probably the worst part of the game is the sound, not that it is bad. The sound is great, but contains several flaws. First off, the music is generally upbeat and infectious. The one problem isn't the music's quality, but its quantity. The music is a tad repetitive, with similar music playing throughout the entire game. This isn't a bad thing, as the music is wonderful. It is just that at moments the music is too repetitious for its own good. The sound effects are great and the battle themes are magnificent though, resulting in a great overall effect.

Controlling Mario has never been easier, thanks to a wonderful control layout. The controls are also helped by an intuitive battle interface. The game is essentially a 2D game, although it contains some 3D elements. For example, if you walk into an alleyway, the camera will turn around so you can see where you are going, though you have no control over it.

Paper Mario is a masterpiece. It is incredibly fun to play, with so much to do. Mario has his basic jumping abilities, along with his trusty hammer. He can use these in and out of battle. Along the journey, Mario will meet many different friends, and foes. The friends will often end up joining Mario on his quest to find the seven Crystal Stars and discover the treasures that lie beyond the Thousand-Year Door. These partners have their own abilities, which they can also use in and out of battle. An example of this is Mario's first partner, Goombella. Outside of battle, if you press X she will tell you where you are, what is nearby and give you clues towards what you should do next. In battle, she can use the ability Tattle to show what you what each enemies Hit Points, Defense and Attack are. Of course, there is a large variety of these moves. In total, you will get six partners, each bringing something new to the table.

Additionally, there are tons to collect in the Thousand-Year Door. The first type of collectible is badges. By collecting badges, you will get a wide variety of moves and additions that you normally wouldn't have. Each badge takes a certain number of Badge Points to equip. In the beginning, you only have three Badge Points, but you can earn more by gaining levels. In total, Mario can grow to level 100. Each level gained will allow Mario to do one of three things. First, he can raise his Hit Points by 5 each level, letting you take more damage in battle. Secondly, he can raise his Flower Points by 5, letting him use more advanced attacks. Finally, he can upgrade his Badge Points by 3, letting Mario equip a bigger quantity of badges, as well as more powerful ones. Another collectible is Star Pieces. There are 100 of these in total and they are found all throughout the land. By collecting these, Mario can trade them in for better badges in the Rogueport Sewers. It is vital to collect as many of these as possible. Also, by collecting Shine Sprites, Mario can upgrade his partners. By giving Merlin three of these, he can raise the partner's HP and give them one additional move. Each partner can be upgrade twice, giving a large incentive to hunt down the sprites.

One of the best parts about the Thousand-Year Door is the battle system. Unique and involving are two words that immediately come to mind. You and your partner both take part in the battle, meaning that you can attack twice per turn. The newest addition to the system is that battles are played out on a stage and there is an audience watching. This audience gives you Star Power at the end of the battle, depending on how well you perform. Star Power lets you perform Special Moves and is vital to your success. However, the audience can get rowdy and throw items at you or the opponent, causing damage. Additionally, they can throw helpful items onto the stage, such as mushrooms. The battles are turn-based and involve precision timing. By pressing the A button right before the attack hits you, you can reduce the amount of damage received. Likewise, if you press the button right before attacking an enemy, you will do extra damage to them. You can also do Superguards, which require you to press the B button with even more precise timing. If you end up doing it correctly, the enemy will receive damage from the attack and you will be left unscathed.

Also, almost every attack requires you to do something, from rapidly tapping a button to timing button presses to lining up a target. There is almost always an obstacle before the attack will carry out. Doing more powerful attacks use up your Flower Points, which can be replenished, along with your Hit Points, using items. Items range from healing items to items that can damage the enemy. Also, if you want to earn more experience after a battle, you can choose to Appeal. This will get the audience excited. Experience comes in the form of Star Points. After every battle, you will be rewarded with some. By getting 100 of these, you gain a level. Another part to the battle system is the stage items. Props and items will fall from the stage at times, damaging you or your opponent. The battle system does many things right, making it fun, intuitive and rewarding.

Another part of the gameplay is the paper modes. Along the journey, Mario will run into some Black Boxes. They ask you to find a key and open them. By opening these chests, an evil spirit will appear and “curse” you. These curses are actually quite the opposite, letting you turn sideways to walk through gates, fall down drains and walk through cracks and much more. These modes certainly help enrich your quest and make it much more entertaining.

The sidequests in this game come in the form of the Trouble Center. This center lets you take jobs and complete them for rewards. The tasks people ask you to do vary greatly and more Troubles become available after you complete each chapter. You also receive e-mail, cook tasty dishes, play the slots, try your luck with the lottery and so much more. It would take much to long to explain it all. Also at the end of each chapter, there are additional people to control. The first is Princess Peach, who will do tasks such as wear disguises, take showers and dance with an identical image of herself. The second you can play as is Bowser. Some of these sections with Bowser are merely for story purposes, while others you get to play a Bowser platformer, similar to Super Mario Bros. 3, but with unique twists. There are 8 chapters in the game which you must play through, so you will be playing for quite some time. Overall, the gameplay in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is perfect. It is so incredibly addictive that you will have trouble putting it down.

The replayability and length of Paper Mario is through the roof. The game alone will probably take between 30-45 hours to complete, depending on if you take your time and discover everything or you rush through. Additionally, once you finish the game, you can collect the rest of the collectibles, finish all sidequests, play the different minigames, level up Mario to the highest possible and do the optional dungeon, the Pit of 100 Trials. There is such a vast amount of stuff to do that the game will last an incredibly long time. Also, the game is so enjoyable, you will probably want to go and play it again.

All in all, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a must-buy masterpiece. Nintendo has made another unforgettable game. Honestly, this is now my second favorite game of all time, behind The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. No matter what, this game deserves to be played. An instant classic.

10 out of 10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/10/05