Super Paper Mario review

Super Paper Mario
Reviewed by Pirate Yoshi

Over-view: Bowser and Peach are getting married. Yes, it's true, but sorta not really. But it definitely caught your attention, didn't it? Anyway, everyone's favorite plumber is charged with rushing in to save the day, but the problem (believe it or not) isn't actually Bowser this time; it's a dimension flipping freak bent on destroying the world. So, names change, but motives remain. Can our plucky hero step in and save the world before certain doom befalls it?

Graphics: 6.6/10
Sadly, it's not only possible but also understandable that one might confuse this Paper Mario with the last. Very little has changed graphically; in fact, some images have gotten WORSE, even, than on GameCube! My primary beef (concerning this worse-than-GameCube line) is with the animations when your map is updated before each chapter; in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, some sweet explosion things happened and then this glass circle shattered outward and stuff...and it was awesome! In Super Paper Mario...a bunch of circles appear on the screen, turn a little, then fly off screen again. Trust me, it sounds lame, but it looks even lamer. Working in SPM's favor, however, is the ability to flip into 3D and travel the level in a second viewpoint; the graphics are interesting and clever here, boosting the score a bit. This change is innovative, fun, and probably the reason people will buy this game. Otherwise, this game looks very ordinary and dull.

Sound: 8.4/10
This is a very tricky category for me to rate. Some of the music is phenominal; I particularly enjoyed the earliest level themes and the latest level themes, and the boss battle music was priceless (I really must rip it sometime...) On the flip side, however (not to over-exploit a bad pun), some of the music is just monotonous and terrible (especially the music accompanying the addition of a new Pixl to your squad). The good outweighs the bad, but it's very difficult to dole out a higher score when this miserable music bogs down the game at some of the most key moments. Whereas Thousand Year Door was fairly consistent, Super Paper Mario simply cannot decide whether it has good, bad, or ugly tunes.

Controls: 9.7/10
There's very little to stop Super Paper Mario from having a perfect score here; players hold the remote sideways and play as they would the original Super Mario Brothers on NES: move with the control pad, jump with a controller-face button. When the player deems it time to rotate into the third dimension, he or she simply presses the A button (located conveniently beside the control pad) to shift their screen perspective. Pixl powers are activated with the Number One button, right beside the jump (Number Two) button. Everything is crisp, responsive, and easy to use; the only flaws I found were that the menu can be a nuisance to drag up (you can either press the Plus button, or 1 and 2 together--the more common way, but also more difficult). It's also easy to accidentally use items, since the cancel and activate buttons are side-by-side and a hastened player may pass the Pixl menu unintentionally and find themselves throwing out a very useful tool instead. The most condemning point to the controls is using Tipi, your butterfly-like Pixl, to pinpoint on-screen elements by aiming the remote at the screen; trying to get your icon onto the screen after holding the controller sideways can be very difficult, like waking up a reluctant computer mouse. Despite these messy areas, however, Super Paper Mario mostly excels at this aspect of the game.

Gameplay: 9.5/10
Players' impressions will probably vary wildly concerning the gameplay. For me, the emphasis on platforming was beautiful, but other gamers may find it in desperate need of some refreshment. Likewise, flipping to 3D is an unusual and thrilling experience, but becomes rather over-exploited and simple as the game continues (yet others may disagree on that point, as well). Stomping enemies remains a blast; by shaking the remote, players can earn extra points in mid-air, and stringing attacks together brings back the fond memories of squashing Goombas for 1-ups. The level objectives vary from defeating one-hundred samurais in combat to floating through outer space and climbing across walls and ceilings upside-down. One level required Mario to work in a factory to pay off a debt, while another had him infiltrating the shifty fortress of a video game nerd. The dialogue is, as always, hilarious and the characters are memorable. While the item system is far less useful than in past RPG versions of the Paper Mario series, collecting new tools is an engaging and challenging process. I can also truthfully say that the final boss battle was possibly the most anticipated fight I've ever gone into and enjoyed (but I admit that I came away unsatisfied, for reasons I'll outline below). The only hinderances I found to Super Paper Mario were that some objectives are not at all explained and leave players wandering aimlessly; these experiences are few and far between, however, which allows for optimal amounts of time spent on crushing enemies and exploring levels.

Replay: 8.8/10
To Super Paper Mario's credit, the game takes a lot more than beating the boss to be satisfying to players. Finishing the main quest does nothing to settle the score with countless villains left wandering the land scapes and endless items to locate. And even if exploration isn't appealing to you, a 100-level dungeon filled with enemies and prizes remains a remarkable challenge of endurance and sanity in and of itself. There are also multiple Pixls to unlock that are not necessary during the main quest, as well as a huge catalog of character cards to collect (which are ultimately worthless but fun and elusive). There's also murmuring about the storyline continuing somewhat after the game has been beaten (as a cutscene when you next access the completed file reveals), but I have no yet entirely discovered what replay this may entail. Still, a solid performance for a platforming title such as this!

**Story: 1/1
Frankly, this plot had far too many strange twists and cryptic holes to fit my fancy, but it's apparent that a lot of work and energy went into making it as epic as possible. I was also shocked by the daring moves by the development team to fiddle with concepts such as death, damnation, prophecy, sacrifice, and even the complete eradication of an entire world of beings in one chapter. Not often are these elements seen or dealt with in a Mario game, and for that I applaud the concept. In short, the story had potential, but as it grew on, it became more and more apparent that lots of the plot points were simply blown smoke; the events that transpired as the game progressed hardly packed the level of punch they had been related to earlier. In particular disappointment was the finale, wherein the villain battle takes place and a happy ending (presuming you win) ensues--unlike The Thousand Year Door, which made some dramatic and stunning moves, Super Paper Mario was a bit too apparent in its efforts to act surprising and shocking, to the point of ridiculousness. Without spoiling the game, it's very difficult to sum up completely, but my point rests that though there is a rich and involving storyline here, it is not a fine example of how a storyline should be played out.

**Multiplayer: 0/1
This game does not support multiple players.

Graphics: 6.6/10
Sound: 8.4/10
Control: 9.7/10
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Replay: 8.8/10

**Story: 1/1
**Multiplayer: 0/1

Total Calculated Score: 8.8/10

Total Assigned Score: 9.1/10

Final Score: 8.95

Last Words: The primary problem with Super Paper Mario is not so much its execution as its expectations. This game has serious potential, but the storyline greatly hinders it, as does its spells of bad music and patches of rough quest material. My enjoyment would most certainly have doubled had I truly felt rewarded by the story, rather than betrayed and ridiculed (how can I be expected to find this CLEVER?). I honestly, however, do not intend to make this game sound awful; it's a great game with only a few dark spots on it, mainly caused by my own over-anticipation and hype. If you can get past high expectations and play with patience, then this game will be a fantastic addition to your collection. It certainly is to mine, regardless of what I expected.

Rent, Buy, or Pass: Anyone who owns the previous Paper Marios (or Mario games in general) will probably have no problem BUYING this title. If your reason for owning the Paper Mario games, however, is their RPG elements, this would be a better game to RENT.
Pros: Clever level design, very catchy dialogue, extremely memorable/epic points. Old-school fun not seen on consoles since the SNES.
Cons: Cheesy storyline that continues to disappoint instead of redeem itself. Some annoying backtracking-type objectives and confusing goals.
Needs: Revision to a few pieces of the soundtrack, voice change for Peach, an extra writer to make the good ideas end up as great as they sound initially.