The original Paper Mario was released on the Nintendo 64 towards the end of the system’s lifespan, and in extremely limited numbers in Australia. Those lucky enough to have obtained a copy (myself included) were able to enjoy a fine RPG with an excellent turn-based combat system with real-time elements, and a great sense of humour. Intelligent Systems followed up with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door on the Gamecube, which continued in the same vein as the original.

The most unique aspect of these games was undeniably the idea of Mario and friends being represented as paper thin sprites in a paper world. This opened up possibilities for different paper related abilities and created a unique visual style for the game. Now Intelligent Systems have scrapped the turn-based battle system and opted for more of a traditional platform game approach to the latest in the Paper Mario series, Super Paper Mario on the Wii.

The story, such as it is, involves Mario having to stop the evil Count Bleck from destroying all the worlds by collecting all the Pure Hearts. Pretty generic stuff, but the plot does get more interesting as the game progresses.

The game plays something like an RPG combined with an old-school Super Mario platformer – Mario has hit points, an inventory and can level up, but can defeat enemies by jumping on them, and he is controlled by holding the Wiimote on its side like a NES pad in a similar fashion to Super Mario Bros. 3. Enemies consist of typical Mario fare, with the odd new creature and the fun boss battles. Mario is not the only playable character; rather he travels in a small party that increases as the adventure progresses. While I won’t spoil it for anyone, you can pretty much guess right now who the members of the party will be. Mario is also accompanied by a pixl (a flying-shape err… thing) called Tippi who can offer hints and advice on things if you point your Wiimote at them. Mario collects a large range of Pixls throughout his adventure that grant him the use of special abilities such as a bomb or being able to grab objects and enemies. Mario also gains the much-vaunted  ability to flip a 2D level into 3D. This comes in handy for when the way forward is seemingly blocked off in the 2D view, however the objects blocking the way in 2D are aligned at tangents in 3D, revealing a way through. This comes into creative use in the puzzles, and although many are obvious, there are still enough good uses of this to make it a worthwhile inclusion.

Mini-game: Find one thing in this picture that makes any sense.

This genre-straddling the Super Paper Mario attempts is admirable, however it doesn’t quite work in practice. The RPG elements, while a nice addition, don’t have a really big positive impact on the game, and the platforming feels vastly inferior to games such as Super Mario World as Mario just doesn’t control as quickly or as fluidly. The addition of hit-points and items really only serves to make the game far easier, since Mario is rarely in danger of death. Enemies have hit points too, however, most are easily dispatched with a jump or two on the bounce, and boss battles, while enjoyable, are rarely a challenge.  Puzzles are also generally straight-forward, although some requiring some thinking, which is good. The lack of difficulty certainly isn’t a deal breaker, as the game remains mostly enjoyable throughout. It’s just your gaming skills are rarely taxed.

There are also some completely baffling pieces of game design present here as well. As an example, one part of an early level sees Mario having to earn special coins by running in a giant hamster wheel. All well and good, except this consists of holding right on the d-pad for something like 15 minutes. No joke, no exaggeration. That’s all you do. And it’s not like the game provides you with Peach doing a striptease in the background to help pass the time either (not that I’m into that…). Ahem. As I said, baffling.

If you find a graphical glitch, they'll tell you it was intentional...

Presentation wise, the game looks as good as the Gamecube Paper Mario did, which is to be expected since the game was originally intended for the Gamecube. The visual style is still striking and put to wonderful use throughout the game. Audio wise, everything is as you would expect for a Mario game, and all dialogue is still, unfortunately, text based. The script is great though, with some truly laugh-out-loud moments.

If you eat your vegies, you'll become big and strong!

In terms of control, the Wiimote is horribly underutilised and its use feels tacked on. This is probably because it is, due to its Gamecube origins. The Wiimote only really comes to use in mini-games as well as a pointer to guide Tippi around the screen to select an object for hints.

So is Super Paper Mario worth your cash? Well, it’s a fun game, and it will keep you amused for most of it’s 15-20 hour playtime (longer if you really like collecting everything), though it really does seem like a waste of potential. Puzzles and combat are typically straightforward, and the lack of challenge does go some way to reducing the amount of enjoyment gained from this game. Ultimately, the flaws are forgivable due to the excellent script and the fact that it IS fun, regardless of its easiness. Just don’t expect a genre-busting masterpiece of game design. Hopefully Intelligent Systems do better with the next Paper Mario outing.

By watchers_eye

The Verdict

Graphics: A

Same great style, which works as well as ever.

Sound: B+

Pretty good, but nothing that stands out as spectacular.

Gameplay: B-

Mostly enjoyable, however there are moments of boredom, and the merging of genres really doesn’t work.

Overall: B

A fun game to pass the time, just don’t expect anything spectacular or anything on level with the previous Paper Mario games.