Paper Mario

Paper Mario is a role-playing game series developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. The first game in the series, entitled Paper Mario was initially released in Japan on August 11, 2000, in North America on February 5, 2001, and in Europe on October 5, 2001. The most recent entry in the series, Paper Mario: The Origami King was released in 2020.

Gameplay

Although primarily a console RPG, Paper Mario also contains elements of games from the platforming genre. The combat system makes use of turn-based battle sequences and experience points, a staple in many RPGs. Over the course of the game, Mario manages to find eight party members to assist him both in battle and in navigating the world. Outside of battle, however, the player must direct Mario over traps, lava, and other obstacles, giving the game its platforming feel. Mario may lose hit points in both combat and in the field; if reduced to zero, Mario will be defeated and a game over will occur.

Mario has two primary methods of dealing with obstacles without the use of party members: a jump attack and a hammer blow. The jump is available from the start of the game, while the hammer is acquired very early in the game's prologue. During certain points in the game, the player must upgrade Mario's boots and hammer, giving him both new abilities for use in clearing traps and heightened attack power inside battle.

Combat

Players can begin a battle by having Mario touch any on-screen enemy. However, If Mario manages to jump or use his hammer on an enemy, he performs a special move called a "First Strike" and is allowed to attack once without any chance of the enemy counterattacking. The opposite also holds true; an enemy also has the ability to hit Mario with its own First Strike and cause damage.

Once the main battle begins, both Mario and his supporting party member have the chance to make one action each before enemies can counterattack. Players may direct Mario or the party member to directly attack an enemy, use an item to attack enemies or heal Mario, change the supporting party member, run, or do nothing. After Mario and his party member both attack, enemies are given the opportunity to counterattack.

Games in the Series

Paper Mario is the first game in the series, released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64. The game is subdivided into a prologue and eight chapters. Players are initially restricted to Goomba Village, Toad Town, and the roads immediately surrounding them during the game's prologue, but new regions are unlocked during each gameplay chapter. Each locale has its own unique set of obstacles that typically require the use of a new party member or equipment upgrade to clear.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was released in 2004 for the Nintendo Gamecube. It is also set in chapters, similarly to its predecessor. Nintendo announced a remake in the works for the Nintendo Switch.

The third game in the series is Super Paper Mario, released for the Wii in 2007. It is the final game in the series to be broken into chapters.

In 2012, Paper Mario: Sticker Star was released for the Nintendo 3DS.

Paper Mario: Color Splash was released for the Wii U in 2016.

The most recent game in the series, Paper Mario: The Origami King was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2020.