Super Paper Mario
Platform: Wii
Combines the classic Super Mario Brothers gameplay with the humorous storytelling that has made the Paper Mario series so great.
Review by Sirus

Super Paper Mario, as you might expect, is the third game in what might be considered as the Paper Mario series. The first Paper Mario game showed up on the Nintendo 64 followed by Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door on the Gamecube. Super Paper Mario was originally in development for the Gamecube and later moved to the Wii. The name Super Paper Mario comes from the fact that it combines the classic Super Mario Brothers gameplay with the humorous storytelling that has made the Paper Mario series so great.

The story in Super Paper Mario is pretty basic. There is a dark prophecy of the destruction of all the worlds and at the same time a light prophecy about a hero who will show up to stop the destruction. Mario is tasked with taking out the evil Count Blek but, before he can do so, he must gather 8 pure hearts. Along the way, he gets the help of Princess Peach, Bowser, and Luigi who each have their own strengths that make them moderately useful at least. The story has been done a thousand times but you might not realize it because the dialogue is so well written and many times funny. There is a small twist at the end of the game but many players will see it coming. Still, the presentation of the story keeps it interesting enough to move you almost to the point of tears by the end.

The game is set up as a series of 8 worlds similar to the original Super Mario Brothers. Each world has multiple sub-chapters within it. To complete each sub-chapter, you must find a star block at the end. At the end of each world, you face a boss that generally nets you the pure heart you are searching for. In between each world, you have to search around town and the outskirts for a pillar to place the pure heart in to unlock the door to the next world.

The game plays like a platformer with RPG elements instead of the RPG with platforming elements the previous games were. Each level consists of a set of gaps to jump and puzzles to solve with enemies spread out in the middle. Enemies are usually pretty easy once you figure out their pattern and are dispatched in a hit or two. The game doesn’t give you abilities when you level up like the average RPG. Instead, you are given pixels you can use to solve puzzles that allow you to do things like set bombs to blow stuff up and throw objects at enemies or switches. Pixels are hidden in levels and are generally needed to solve a puzzle in that area but are rarely used later in any other world. Only the bomb, throwing, and hammer pixels are of constant use.

One of the pixels you don’t have to find is named Tippi. Tippi gives you the ability to inspect things on screen and make hidden doors and objects visible. You use Tippi by pointing the Wii-Remote at the screen and aiming at things you need to interact with and pressing A. Because you have HP now, the platforming aspects that would be extremely annoying in other games are not so much anymore. If you fall into a hole that would normally kill you, you just show up on the ledge you jumped from and lose 1 HP. Enemies also do damage to you rather than killing you instantly.

To play the game, you hold the Wii-Remote sideways so that the D-pad is on the left and the 1 and 2 buttons are on the right. The D-pad is for movement while the 2 button jumps and the 1 button uses the ability of the equipped pixel. If you press the 1 and 2 buttons simultaneously, you open up a quick menu where you can switch characters and pixels or use items. Early on you also get the ability to flip the world into 3D with a quick press of the A button. Normally, areas you explore are in the 2D view of the classic Mario games but sometimes there are items, doors, and things hidden that you can only see in 3D view. Many times when you are stuck, it’s a good idea to quickly flip into 3D to see if there is a path you missed.

You can still do the stylish moves that were available in the earlier Paper Mario games, although now they are done by shaking the Wii-Remote side to side just after you jump on an enemy and before you jump on another enemy without touching the ground. These stylish moves can be a lot of fun to do once you get the hang of them and will net you extra points. Instead of the old useless points you remember, the points in Super Paper Mario are your experience points used to level up. You can check in the status screen whenever you want to see how many more experience points you need to reach the next level. Leveling up either gains you 5 more max HP or 1 more attack and it seems to alternate between those two every time.

Graphically, Super Paper Mario looks as awesome as the previous games. Some of the bosses who are drawn in 3D don’t look as awesome as the enemies drawn in 2D and that detracts from the experience a bit. The graphics are colorful and stylish, using many shapes that would other wise feel out of place to make each world look unique. The music sounds good as well but it isn’t anything special. The sound effects are well done and there is no voice acting but the game would have likely been hurt more than helped by using voice acting.

Overall, Super Paper Mario is a great game and a lot of fun to play through although the move from RPG to platformer has made the game a lot shorter than its predecessors. I beat the game in about 18 hours, not counting side quests, but the only side quests are two 100-floor dungeons that are not for everyone. The thing about the dungeons is that they have to be done in one sitting or you will lose all progress when leaving. It isn’t exactly too hard but some players might find they don’t have enough time or motivation to complete these as they are mainly there for extra challenge. The game itself isn’t too hard and, even though I am not very good at 2D platformers, I found myself using very few healing items. Healing items are really cheap, too, and you don’t really need to buy anything else with your money. I am just an item hoarder by nature.

If you are a fan of the Paper Mario series’ sense of humor and enjoy the classic 2D Super Mario games, you will have some fun with Super Paper Mario. The game can be a little slow to start at the beginning but once you get into it, it is a lot of fun. If you own a Wii and are looking for a good RPG, Super Paper Mario might be able to scratch that itch. You can’t go wrong with Super Paper Mario as long as you aren’t expecting something revolutionary.

Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Lasting Appeal: 8/10
Story: 8/10
Playtime: 18-20 hours
Final Score: 8/10