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Paper
Mario
Once upon a time there were two video game companies that
enjoyed great success. Nintendo found success with its
Super Nintendo console and strong first party franchises.
Square gained fame for the RPGs it developed for Nintendo’s
purple box. The two companies decided to combine their
talents and create a game that would be destined to sell
millions of copies. That game was Super Mario RPG. It
combined the Square’s RPG design with Nintendo’s classic
characters. The result was huge success. Since those halcyon
days of yore, Square and Nintendo have gone their
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Stats
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Genre:
RPG
Release
Date:
Available
Publisher:
Nintendo
Developer:
Nintendo
ESRB:
Everyone
System:
Nintendo 64
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separate
ways, and the chances of sequel to Super Mario RPG faded.
However, Nintendo has remembered the past. They have created
a worthy successor to the Super Nintendo classic in Paper
Mario.
Anyone who has played a Super Mario game will be familiar
with the plot of Paper Mario (PM). In the Mushroom Kingdom,
wishes float to Star Haven. There the wishes are evaluated
by the Star Spirits. If a wish is righteous, it is granted
with the power of the Star Rod. After years of making
selfish wishes, Bowser has invaded Star Haven and stolen
the Star Rod. Using this ultimate power, Bowser defeats
Mario and kidnaps the lovely Princess Peach, once again.
To rescue the Princess and defeat Bowser, Mario must rescue
the seven Star Spirits who have the power to counteract
the effects of the Star Rod.
While the plot is typical of Mario, the graphics take
a different direction. The basic concept is that paper
cutouts inhabit the Mushroom Kingdom. All of the characters
and interactive elements are cell shaded and placed on
a background. The end result resembles a diorama or Color
Forms. This choice may seem unorthodox, but it works.
All of the playable characters are extremely detailed,
and have tons of small animations including facial expressions.
This adds life and depth to otherwise perfectly flat characters.
The sprite for each character scales as it moves from
back to front, creating an illusion of depth. As Mario
moves throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, he will travel
through jungles, deserts, mountains, forests, and towns.
Every area has a unique style and architecture. Overall,
the game has a cartoonish look that matches the content
and characters perfectly.
Games with great graphics and poor gameplay fill the annals
of videogame history. Fortunately, PM is not one. Moving
from location to location is relatively easy, with the
player moving Mario from screen to screen. However, occasional
obstacles and items that are just out of reach appear.
As luck would have it, Mario has a variety of traveling
companions that can help him out: the explosive Bombette
can blast holes in weak walls, the ultra-bright Watt lights
up dark areas and uncovers hidden blocks - utilizing the
special skills of Mario’s companions is the key to exploring
the game fully. Even though the game is an RPG, there
are plenty platform elements including jumps and avoiding
traps.
While moving around, Mario will also run into a number
of visible enemies. This gives the player an opportunity
to avoid combat or rush headlong into battle. If Mario
lands a hammer blow or jump attack in the field, he gains
a first strike on the bad guys when the battle starts.
Should the bad guys get the drop on the plumber, he will
be on the receiving end of the first blow. After the enemy
is engaged, the battle system becomes a turn-based affair.
Surviving battle requires a keen sense of timing and strategy.
There are essentially two types of attack: jump and hammer.
Hammer attacks are ineffective against flying enemies,
and jumping on enemy spikes will hurt Mario. Learning
which attacks are effective against particular enemies
is important. Adding another layer of challenge, the power
of any attack can be increased by executing an action
command. The commands range from timing a button press
to hitting a random sequence of controller buttons. If
the player executed an action command while being attacked,
the damage Mario receives is decreased.
Skills
are the final wrinkle to the battle system. These are
essentially PM’s version of magic. To use a skill, Mario
and company must have the required number of Flower
Points (FP). Most of the skills are special attacks
that cause damage and have negative status effects on
the enemy. Special Badges regulate which skills Mario
can use. There are more than 80 badges that grant access
to a variety of skills. However, equipping a badge depletes
the number of Badge Points (BP). This system of skill
management reminds me of the Materia System used in
Final Fantasy VII. Like in that game, determining which
badges grant which skills and which should you equip,
becomes a key aspect of the game, and allows the player
to customize Mario to fit his/her playing style.
The greatest level of customization comes when Mario
gains a level. After all of your enemies are defeated,
Mario will earn star points based on the type of enemy
and Mario’s level. When Mario has 100 star points, he
moves up a level and the player chooses to increase
one of three key statistics: Heart Points (which are
equivalent to hit points), FP, or BP. Depending on the
style of play, Mario can become a defensive powerhouse
with a huge number of Heart Points or an offensive dynamo
with a large number of BP and FP. Unfortunately, Mario’s
companions don’t have the same options. They are improved
via Super Blocks. When Mario hits one of the blocks,
one friend can be upgraded. Following the upgrade, the
ally has increased attack power and gains a new skill.
All of the companion characters are limited to two upgrades.
Collecting is a theme throughout the game. Players have
badges, star pieces, recipes, letters, and trivia answers
to collect. All of these items (with the exception of
badges) can be considered optional. However, they do
provide a variety of side quests and extra action in
a game with linear progress.
PM creates a pleasant aural environment. The various
regions of the Mushroom Kingdom have distinct musical
themes. Each theme complements the graphical style of
the region creating a game world with diverse cultures
and environments. While in battle, the sound effects
are unique for each attack and perfectly complement
the action on the screen. Overall, the audio pays homage
to the sound of previous Mario games.
Every aspect of PM works to create an excellent experience.
It puts an innovative graphical style, outstanding audio,
and excellent gameplay in one package. The end result
is a vastly superior product. If there is a knock on
the game, it is that it seems to be directed at a younger
audience. Children will enjoy the cartoonish graphics,
lack of complex statistics, and relative ease. More
experienced RPG gamers might be annoyed by these aspects,
but it is a worthy purchase for anyone who wants to
have an old-fashioned good time.
Concept
Some will find the otherwise excellent gameplay
a bit too easy. |
93
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Gameplay
The plot is derivative, but everything else
works perfectly.
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92
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Graphics
Some of the best work seen on the N64. |
97
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Sound
Perfectly compliments the every other aspect
of the game.
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98
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Technical
Some choices for action command are difficult
to master with the N64 controller. |
88
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Overall
One
of the best games for the N64 and fills the system’s
need for a good RPG. |
94
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