Paper Mario

"Decidedly a lot more fun than a sheet of recycled cellulose fiber."

Obviously, upon first seeing the advertisements for Paper Mario, I had a few doubts. ''Paper'' did not seem to be a really plausible concept to base an RPG upon (though it was undoubtedly a very original one). Naturally, though, if this was the sequel to Super Mario RPG, I had to buy it, and it greatly exceeded my expectations. Nintendo made a bold attempt to combine RPG elements with traditional Super Mario platforming elements, and succeeded with flying colors; after all, who doesn't love Mario?

Gameplay - 9/10
Paper Mario can best be described as a ''platformer/RPG,'' which is a pretty unusual combination and, therefore, leads to a pretty unique game. Outside of battles, Mario can walk around a three-dimensional world and interact with various nondescript people and objects, enter houses and such, much like any typical RPG. There are many traditional Mario objects, such as coin blocks, switches (you know, the weird round ones with exclamation points), and pipes. Of course, Mario is able to jump, and he can also use a hammer to destroy blocks or shake trees.

Throughout the game, Mario will also meet up with eight non-hostile versions of typical Mario enemies, such as Kooper the blue koopa, and Bombette the female Bob-Omb. Each one has a special ability which can be used inside or outside of battle; for example, Kooper can hit distant switches with his shell and Bombette can explode to destroy cracked walls. These abilities are an integral part of gameplay and are cleverly implemented in many puzzles throughout the game.

The battle system is relatively simple, but still very interesting. Mario has two basic attacks: Jump and Hammer. By equipping badges which are found throughout the course of his adventure, he can gain special variations on these attacks, e.g. Hammer Throw which allows him to hit flying enemies with his hammer. Other badges will give him certain qualities such as the ability to jump on spiked enemies without taking damage. Only one of Mario's companions can be in battle at once, though he can always switch between them at the cost of one turn. Each of them learns new abilities at certain parts of the game, but each one has a basic ''theme'' to their attacks; Kooper can hit multiple enemies with his shell, while Lakilester (the Lakitu) can attack with a barrage of Spinies. Whenever Mario wins a battle, he gains some amount of ''Star Points'' which are basically another name for Experience Points; when 100 Star Points are accumulated, Mario gains a level, at which time he can choose to have an increase in Heart Points, Flower Points or Badge Points.

What really makes the game shine is the fact that it is simply fun. There is never any pressure to proceed to the next task, and no part of the game is especially difficult, making it feel very relaxed and enjoyable. As a result, replayability is high, because there is nothing that the player will really hate to do. Of course, a player who is solely in search of a challenge might want to stay away for this reason.

Story - 9/10
Like many other Mario games, this is a small variation on the standard plot wherein the Princess is kidnapped by Bowser and has to be rescued by Mario. In this version, Bowser also steals the legendary Star Rod, which was previously used by the Star Spirits to grant people's wishes. Naturally, Bowser being so irresponsible, this means that there will be a severe lack of wish-granting until the Star Rod is recovered. A greater problem is that Bowser is also using the Star Rod to grant his own, questionably virtuous wishes, i.e. to trounce Mario and rule the kingdom. Many people seem to be tired of the standard Super Mario plot, which is understandable. For me, however, it's a lot more tolerable than such a huge departure from tradition as Super Mario RPG. The formula works well enough; Nintendo is smart to stick to it so closely.

Graphics - 8/10
Certainly, the graphics are one of the more peculiar aspects of the game. The character graphics are two-dimensional, but the backgrounds are fully 3D. This isn't a new idea, of course, but Paper Mario is one of the first games to execute it really well. All of the 2D graphics look just perfect - no polygon limitations to make the characters look ridiculous, like in Mario 64. It really brings out the way that the enemies were meant to look from the start. There are also a few ''papery'' effects; when Mario changes direction, he rotates in the manner of paper and it becomes apparent that he is, in fact, flat. The backgrounds are more of an issue. Some of them seem very blocky - you'd think that with all the space saved with 2D sprites, there would be a lot more room to make the backgrounds look nice. Apparently not. Overall, though, the graphics serve their purpose well, and you probably won't find yourself complaining about them at all.

Sound/Music - 8/10
Many of the musical tracks in this game are new renditions of old Mario tunes, and as usual, they work very well. Unfortunately, many of the newly-made tracks are rather forgettable, but then again I never found any of them to be annoying or dislikable. The sound effects sound decent and sufficiently Mario-like, and as an added bonus, you can pick up badges which will change the sound effects in battle. More of a novelty than anything else, but it does offer something for those who, for some reason, really hate the standard battle effects.

Rent or buy?
Honestly, a rent will give you enough time to finish the game easily, but on the other hand, it wouldn't allow you to play the game leisurely and enjoy the game's slow pace. Buy it if you're a Mario fan and you have the money; otherwise, at least give it a rent.

Overall - 9
If you enjoy Mario and you enjoy RPGs (and don't mind a slight lack of difficulty), this game is definitely for you. Do yourself a favor and buy it at once.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/02, Updated 03/23/02