![]() ![]() As per usual Peach is kidnapped at the beginning of the game, but this time she escapes early on and joins you as one of the game’s main protagonists. One obvious example of this is Peach’s role. One thing SPM makes apparent from the beginning is that it is breaking with a number of Mario tropes. The plot is full of twists and turns, and it all amounts to maybe the most thrilling and satisfying conclusion in the entire Mario series. Pressure mounts throughout the game as you watch it grow steadily larger, akin to the moon in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, and like that game you get to see the effects that imminent death has on the characters throughout the world (though with the exception of one particular event, it rarely goes very dark). The game opens with an event sure to grab anyone’s attention: Bowser and Peach are getting married! (10 years before Super Mario Odyssey no less.) Shortly after Peach is forced to say her vows a menacing hole called “The Void” opens in the sky, which will grow and eventually destroy all worlds. While not incredibly complex, it tells a powerful tale full of memorable characters that seriously escalates in the last few chapters. If you remember SPM fondly, chances are it’s chiefly because of the story. As such I don’t just want to talk about this game’s strong points I also want to look at what it could have done better, and what holds it back from truly being one of the greats. But there are also enough misfires and undercooked elements that make SPM easily the worst of the three Paper Mario games (wait… what is this chill that just ran down my spine… I feel like there’s something my brain is trying to repress… something it wants to protect me from… something involving stickers… and maybe also… paint?… no… best to leave that alone…). Where this game excels it does so at an elite level, and will always have a special place in the Mario canon as a result. I still think this is a great game if I was awarding it a score here, I would give it an 8/10. I got so obsessed with the game I even played it all the way through about 10 times in the course of a few months.īut upon replaying it for the first time in at least half a decade, I was able to see more clearly some of Super Paper Mario’s flaws that I may have turned a blind eye to when I was younger. But as soon as I got my hands on it I fell in love with the witty writing, memorable characters, unique art direction, and ambitious story (for a Mario game). I was a big fan of the first two games and this game looked radically different. When I watched the first trailer and saw the clear lack of turn based battle and the replacement of partners with weird floating objects seemingly devoid of personality, I was concerned. Super Paper Mario is one of the most important games of my childhood, but it wasn’t love at first sight. ![]()
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