Game Info
GAME NAME: Super Paper Mario
DEVELOPER(S): Intelligent Systems
PUBLISHER(S): Nintendo
PLATFORM(S): Nintendo Wii
GENRE(S): 2.5D/RPG
RELEASE DATE(S): 4/9/07
Paper Mario is a series that started way back on the N64 with a game that looked like no other had before it. Using 2D sprites with 3D backgrounds and having a very flat look made this game feel very unique and play just the same. Followed by it’s Gamecube sequel “The Thousand Year Door”, the Paper Mario series was starting to set a new trend in the way Nintendo viewed RPG’s. Well leave it to Nintendo to throw a bone in the series, not a half eaten bone but one with enough meat that makes you want to come back to gnaw on it some more. Enter Super Paper Mario.
What is a plumber to do when he finds out that Princess Peach has been kidnapped yet again. Go rescue her from Bowser of course. Only things this time are not as they seem, Princess Peach has been kidnapped by a mysterious figure known only as Count Bleck who likes to speak in 3rd person. Bleck wants nothing more then to destroy all of the worlds that make up the Paper Mario kingdom and will do so at whatever cost.
Mario finds and has a brief run in with Bleck, during Mario’s attempt to stop the Count, Bleck knocks Mario out and kidnaps not only the Princess, but Bowser and Luigi too. Bleck then Forces the Princess and Bowser to join hands in Marriage. This unnatural matrimony calls forth the “Chaos Heart”, which will consume all the worlds of the kingdom. Mario is suddenly awakened by a strange butterfly thing named Tippi, she is known as a Pixl. Tippi sends Mario to the town of Flipside, where Mario finds out that the only way to stop Bleck and the Chaos Heart is to find all of the Pure Hearts in each world. So begins Super Paper Mario.
Super Paper Mario is a hybrid game that takes 2D platforming adds some RPG elements and then goes one step further by making the world do a total shift to 3D. This is one of the best features that separates Super Paper Mario from any regular platforming game. Imagine your running along on a flat 2D plane when you run into a wall that you can’t jump over, normally you would be stuck, but not in Super Paper Mario. With the press of the A button the world now jumps to 3D and you just simply walk past the wall. There are a lot of very cool puzzles that are solved this way.
Now this wouldn’t be a Paper Mario game if Mario had to go it all alone. He receives some help from a bunch of different fairies known as Pixls, one Pixl will let you throw objects while another lets you do the patented Mario Butt Pound. These Pixls are crucial to solving some of the games puzzles.
While Super Paper Mario is an amazing game it is not without its faults. This game started out as a Gamecube title and with that being so, the Wii controls do feel a little tacked on. Like when pointing the Wiimote at the screen for Tippi to uncover hidden objects, it is not the smoothest of transitions. Plus having to shake the controller to get some items to work to there fullest is a little weak add on. The graphics have also not been upgraded from The Thousand Year Door, but I guess there really isn’t much you can do with flat 2D sprites.
Overall I would say that the unique game play and fun that this game brings far outweighs the minor flaws. If you’re a fan of Mario games and love platformers this is one of the best games ever. Make sure you definitely try this gem, you will not Wiigret it.
