The Paper Mario franchise is one that’s almost always been in flux. What started out as a turn-based RPG title gradually evolved into a bad turn-based RPG title. But what brought about this change? A lot of fans think that the shift began with an unassuming little title for the Wii: Super Paper Mario.
Like Pages In A Storybook
First up; story. Alright, so this game is a little heavier than you usually expect from the Japanese-Italian plumber. The intro movie shows the beautiful union between Bowser and Peach. But it’s not because Peach has finally admitted to herself her repressed feelings for the suave turtle. It turns out the two are being forced into it by the new baddie in town, Count Bleck. This marriage causes the creation of the Chaos Heart, which essentially starts the countdown to the end of all life. Mario is called upon by this butterfly thing called Tippi to fulfill a prophesy and do something about Bleck. So Mario has to stop the bad guys, you all know the drill by now. Transported to the new hub world of Flipside, Mario sets out the retrieve the Pure Hearts from several worlds that will help save the world.
It’s not Shakespeare, I’m sure we can all agree. But the intro is a compelling jumping-off point and there’s very little time wasted before you’re getting tossed into your first level. And even though the plot is simple, the real meat of the game comes from the characters themselves. Count Bleck is an antagonist with dozens of conflicting feelings swirling within him and his minions are also more than one-note characters. There’s a link between Bleck and Tippi that leads to some of the most heart that’s ever been in a Mario title. It’s comforting to see that even a series as sterile as Mario can still strike emotional chords when it needs to. But with all that being said, one of the bad guys propels himself through the air by farting. So the rest of the game’s almost not even worth it at that point.
Everything’s All Bulgy
In Super Paper Mario, you play as Mario as he platforms through side-scrolling levels on his journey to defeat the new big bad. But if you’re sick of playing as the titular plumber, you have choices. Along your journey, you’ll run into Peach, Bowser, and Luigi, who are all playable with their own abilities. Peach can float, Bowser breathes fire, Luigi has a big dick, you get it. But what really makes Super Paper Mario stand out is the dimension-swapping mechanic. Early on, Mario receives the ability to switch from side-scrolling 2D to free-running 3D for brief periods of time. This opens up tons of possibilities. So many possibilities. Unfortunately, many of these possibilities go unrealized.
Super Paper Mario’s gameplay is the ultimate example of wasted potential. Once you let yourself get over the shift from the previous standard of turn-based combat, it all sounds good on paper. Platforming from one spot to another, using your powers to swap back and forth to overcome obstacles and puzzles; it all sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? The problem comes in the actual execution. Instead of using the perspective-switching in creative ways, Super Paper Mario far too often falls back on the same formula of:
- Run along your path until you hit a dead end.
- Switch into 3D.
- Read a sign/block/ rock that has directions on it.
- Backtrack through the level and utilize those directions to actually proceed through the level.
Not only is this a huge pace-breaker, but it’s just plum not fun. Constantly having to go back through levels just gets tiring. Even the hub world has you slogging through its obtuse layout repeatedly throughout the game. With all this back-tracking and without those interesting uses of the swapping mechanic, all you’re left with is competent platforming and style.
More Fun Than A Paper Cut
Super Paper Mario has a few more tricks up its sleeves. You can use Tippi to point at the screen and reveal hidden doors or give you hints. This was the heyday of the Wii, so you will find plenty of uses for the Wii-mote and its waggling. During your adventure, you’ll also run into helpers called Pixl’s. You can swap them out and they each have a unique power, like letting you travel over spikes or ground pound. Although they sound like the partners from other Paper Mario titles, these are a far cry from even the worst partners of old cough Flurrie cough. They all have their own personalities but after their initial introduction, they’re mute for the rest of the title. They act more as tools than characters. It’s a shame more life couldn’t be pumped into the little guys, but between Tippi and the three other protagonists chattering away about plot, there isn’t really a need for the Pixl’s to say much.
The gameplay problems don’t stop unfortunately. Although you have access to a whole huddle of characters, there’s not much reason to play as anyone besides Mario most of the time. Although you’ll need Bowser to burn something or Peach to float somewhere, none of these abilities are as useful as the dimension-swapping ability. And since Mario’s the only one who can do this, you’ll be seeing a lot of the red-hatted plumber through your campaign. But 3D itself also presents some problems. Perspective is difficult to judge in 3D and you’ll often find yourself missing easy jumps and eating shit as you constantly bump into enemies. This leads to a lot of frustration. Instead of really nailing down either 2D or 3D, you’re left with a half-baked effort at both.
Arts And Crafts
Although where Super Paper Mario fumbles with gameplay, it makes up for with its presentation. The worlds you explore ooze creativity and are constantly entertaining. You explore an eerie swamp mansion, fall into debt, and have to toil as a indentured slave in order to pay it all off. You run through a land dominated by an otaku culture-obsessed lizard which is rendered with a graph paper backdrop, each tile being colored in just like an old 8-bit title. Mario even goes to Hell. And it’s not even, like, a cutesy Mario version of Hell. It’s actually pretty freaky. The worlds themselves are varied and are a lot of fun to look at. Characters are all personable, frequently funny, and have a little bit of depth to them. Although, I have to admit, the design of almost every original character being a collection of geometric shapes is a little disappointing.
Music is also a stand-out facet of the title. The Paper Mario series has always had its catchy tunes, but Super Paper Mario really takes the composition to the next level. Straying away from the whirls and whistles of the preceding Thousand-Year Door, Super Paper Mario doubles down on unique, creative pieces. Each tune sums up an area or situation perfectly, with the appropriate instrumentation and motifs present. And then there are some tunes that the composers just decided to get weird with. The pieces go beyond music and end up describing feelings that don’t even have names. Try falling into the River Twygz while you’re strolling around the Underwhere and you’ll see just how far they were willing to go.
We Did Get Mr. L Out Of This Deal Though
So that’s Super Paper Mario. Although it’s a decent title and it has truly great ideas, the game’s downfall comes within its execution. There’s enough creativity to fuel a handful of games all crammed in this one title but none of the ideas were given enough care to really achieve their full potential. From this point on, the series would continue to try out different ideas and gimmicks, straying further and further away from the goodness tucked away within the first two titles. But even if it was the most different title in the franchise, Super Paper Mario is still worth a look. If only to spend a few more moments with Bowser. So muscular and brash. I think I’m starting to realize what Peach saw in him