1 of 8

Write now Article Tools

The Paper Mario series has always been a bit of an oddball; as both a spinoff series of the main Mario franchise and the spiritual successors to Squaresoft's beloved "Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars", the games certainly had a lot to live up to. And yet, Intelligent Systems marched to the beat of their own drummer, infusing the series with a goofy sense of humor and even goofier characters, while at the same time creating what is possibly the most fun and addictive battle system in any RPG. The success of the two games added even more excitement when it was announced that the third game in the series was to be a hybrid 2-D/3-D platformer. And while Super Paper Mario is not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, a lot of the elements that worked for its two predecessors just don't here.

Combining platforming with RPG-like exploration and towns sounds like it could be a good idea, but on the whole it's merely passable in Super Paper Mario. The town of Flipside and all the inhabitants are just bland and generic, making it a chore to have to find gates to open up new chapters, especially when it involves having to talk to multiple characters. That's not to say that the dialogue in this isn't as hilarious as the other games (if anything, it's even better), but whereas copious amounts of dialogue is to be expected in RPGs, it's not a staple that's associated with platformers, and for good reason - it just serves to slow the action down.

It's possible, however, that the dialogue isn't even the problem in regards to slowing down the action, because to be perfectly frank, even the action here is on the slow side. Jumps are extremely floaty, and landing on enemies (especially in 3-D), becomes a pain because of it. To make matters worse, later in the game you'll find yourself constantly having to navigate menus to switch characters (you can choose between Mario, Peach, Bowser and Luigi), use items, and swap Pixls, little guys with no personality that are meant to replace your helper's abilities from the other Paper Mario games, such as floating and making bombs. While all of this is far from unbearable, it can get annoying, especially because Mario is the only one that can move around in 3-D, meaning that despite being able to play as fan favorites Bowser and Luigi, you'll probably be sticking to the man in red for the most part.

For all of my complaints, however, there is still a lot to love about the game. The art style is downright gorgeous most of the time, and the music is full of remixed fan favorites on top of a decent original score. Best of all, however, is the sense of humor, especially when it comes to the villains. While Count Bleck's minions may never be as loved as the Koopa Clan, there are some real standout opponents, particularly Francis, the geeky chameleon who tries to get on a "super schweet" date with Princess Peach by impressing her with anime posters.

If you're a fan of Mario, or really, even Nintendo in general, this is a no-brainer; while Super Paper Mario certainly has its flaws, the pros thankfully outweigh the cons, making this another pleasing entry in the series. Just don't go into it expecting something on par with Thousand-Year Door, or you'll be wishing for a "proper" sequel, instead of the charming little pseudo-platformer in front of you.

Learn more about this author, Matt Murray.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Video game reviews: Super Paper Mario (Wii)?
We want to hear your view. Write now!