Paper Mario: The Origami King | The Return Of The Saga

The return of Paper Mario is always welcome among Nintendo fans, and in this case it has come without great introductions and its imminent release for sale. But does it measure up to the other games in the series?

For its part, Nintendo has the resources to make its sagas shine like never before. That is, a successful console that has greater power, and that can lead to more ambitious games. The morale of the developers has improved a lot, that's why we have seen more jewels currently, such as Luigi's Mansion 3, Fire Emblem: Three Houses or Super Smash Bros: Ultimate, which went beyond what we had seen in their sagas.

It is also surprising how Paper Mario: The Origami King also joins these games. It is not a revolution like Breath of the Wild, or an ambitious game like Super Mario Oddysey, but it is a game that is very clear about what had made the first installments of Paper Mario so great. The Japanese from Intelligent Systems show that they have searched their history and sought to give us back the experiences we had with the first game in the series, but especially with The Thousand-Year Door for Gamecube.

Humor Above All

If I had to highlight something of this saga, it is its mythical humor. It is indisputable. The 25 to 30 hours that the game lasts is full of humor and spark in true Nintendo style. The latter is essential to understand this game. It is harmless and innocent at the same time, but without neglecting that touch of "seriousness" in some situations. That balance is not easy to achieve, and that is why it is important to emphasize the mastery that the study had on the subject. All this without neglecting its expansion, which has a multitude of solid translations, especially coming from a Japanese studio.

So, narratively the game does not go further, but in reality the Paper Mario saga was never characterized by what is told, but how it is told. That is why Origami is interesting as a thematic resource of this installment, but in reality it works only as a layer of novelty that does not hide what the saga is like, that is, despite its appearance, it is still a continuous game. But to be fair, I also don't think it is necessary to change the original formula, based on abundant dialogues, a lot of exploration and of course a system of turn-based combat. Of course, all its elements are improved.

The fighting in this installment is far from what we had seen before. They are based on a circular ring divided into panels that we can rotate both vertically and horizontally. The key to this system is to align enemies in order to kill them in the fewest number of turns. This is a small puzzle that gives way to the typical hammer attack or jump, of course with button presses to cause more damage. The problem with this approach is that, despite being very fun in its first hours, after a while it becomes somewhat annoying. A lot of times you just want to kill a few enemies, but you find that you have to line them up properly, not bad, this playable mechanic is actually admired, but it would have been better to reserve it for the most important matches in the game.

An RPG with a unique charisma

In addition, this saga has also been characterized by adapting the J-RPG to style, and that is why in these games you will not find levels of experience. That would be getting closer to the conventional, but instead opt for growth based on getting better items, as well as various elemental powers. In fact, when you make them you use the gyroscope, it is a detail, but there are times that the difference lies in some moments, and this game has moments like that.

The game in its artistic section looks spectacular, although its soundtrack is not so memorable, I think they adapt to each environment, transmitting that good atmosphere that you feel when you see, read the conversations and play this humorous representation of the Super Mario universe. In addition, it is a game that has a certain level of challenge, something that had been lost with its latest games, it is a highly recommended game for any RPG fan.

Paper Mario: The Origami King represents the return of the saga to its best times, with a good duration, varied combat, a great sense of humor, a lot of exploration and a supported charm from the Super Mario universe. The concept "puzzle" of their combats is a bit annoying at times, but it is impossible not to say that we are facing an RPG both peculiar and outstanding, it is a success on the part of the company, and a safe purchase for anyone who owns a Nintendo Switch.