A new fresh pad of paper has just been opened and inside is Paper Mario: The Origami King. An unexpected installment to the franchise actually turned out to be a fun experience, even for those who have never played a Paper Mario game.
Paper Mario: The Origami King
Developer: Nintendo
Price: $60
Platforms: Nintendo Switch (Reviewed)
Prepare to see paper friends, old and new, creating a new adventure in the Paper Mario universe. A cute new journey has befallen our beloved Mario in paper form once more and this time he must thwart the plans of Olly, the Origami King! The origami-style looks great and brings a different feel to a franchise that has been out for almost 20 years. It’s a simple, but efficient change that works. As cartoony as the game may be, the colors are beautiful and pop out at you.
Some personal highlights of the game are the 100% collection rate that is kept track of. There are four different tasks: Finding Toads (the character), Filling Holes With Confetti, Finding Collectibles, and Finding “?” Blocks. This gives an added sense of fulfillment within the game and helps keep track of what you have and haven’t done up to a certain point in the game. For achievement hunters and those who like to fully 100% a game like me, it’s a very welcome addition.
Let’s talk about the fighting mechanics. At first glance during the trailer, I was slightly afraid of how it would turn out. It is always hard to judge how something will turn out until you try it. I was surprisingly impressed with how well it worked out. As much as we want to be comfortable and would love to see the classic battle elements from Paper Mario and Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door, this battle system is fun and can sometimes give you a run for your money.
“It’s an experience and a different fighting system that I haven’t seen in a game I’ve played before and that’s what makes it stand out from the other Paper Mario games.“
What I find to be particularly fun and a tad challenging about the battle system is that you are pressed for time and as the game goes on the battles get more puzzle-like. You feel the pressure when having to line up enemies in a row or in a group of 4. It’s an experience and a different fighting system that I haven’t seen in a game I’ve played before and that’s what makes it stand out from the other Paper Mario games. Yes, you can spend coins to increase the timer, but if you want to challenge yourself, try not to spend any coins to increase the timer or on the Toads.
One major downfall of Paper Mario: The Origami King is the non-RPG elements we’ve seen in previous games. There are no levels, which mean no spending points in different areas to help increase the overall strength of Mario. Instead there are accessories that give different little boosts, but nothing like the badge system introduced in the original Paper Mario.
The Final Word
My final thoughts on the game come down on how fun it is to play rather than watch and if you are a completionist of sorts, you will get your money’s worth. Overall, I give Paper Mario: The Origami King a 4/5 for creative originality after having many previous games in the franchise and still being able to keep it fresh.
MonsterVine Review Score: 4 out of 5 – Good
