Paper Mario: The Origami King
Image Credit: Nintendo
As a long-time fan of the Paper Mario series, the only thing I can say is that Nintendo sure is consistent when it comes to taking creative risks. Unfortunately for The Origami King, the risks fell flat (haha). Before we dive into what went wrong, let’s talk about the undeniable strengths of the game. The most obvious quality of The Origami King is the incredible visuals. At almost every scene, you can't help but pause and appreciate what you are seeing. There are points where Mario and his team rest on benches providing you a glimpse of the incredible artwork in the surrounding area. Nintendo could not have created a more interesting and satisfying world to explore for the Paper Mario franchise. The images included in this review are just a taste of what you'll get to see and if stunning and unique art styles are a priority to you, I think this game will exceed your expectations.
Another unexpected endowment of The Origami King is the story. Paper Mario has always been known for exploring characters from different backgrounds in the Mario Universe. It really is the only Nintendo series that gives you the perspectives of Goombas, Koopas, Bomb-ombs and a plethora of other Nintendo species. In this regard, The Origami King did not disappoint. The character development was strikingly deep and well thought out. Real sacrifices were made by each individual you befriend as they desperately try to help Mario save their world. There is even a super meta moment where the villain is forced to face his origin in a very interesting way. From my perspective, this is the furthest any Mario game has gone to give you a sense of dire need for a hero. It is not just a princess you are saving, but the entire Mario universe as we know it.
Other aspects worth mentioning are a hilarious script and great diversity in challenges. There were lines in the game that made us laugh out loud and showed that it did not take itself too seriously. Yes, it's a 3D world with 2D beings. Yes, the bosses are scissors, hole punches, etc. Yes, none of this makes sense. But that is what is awesome about Paper Mario. Not only that, but the progress is broken up by multiple means of transportation that each bring their own challenges. Whether you're rafting through rapids, a gunner in an airship, or fighting a sea monster on a cruise liner, there is no shortage of variety in game-play.
With everything I have described so far you are probably wondering why I started this review the way I did. And that is exactly what you should be thinking. So much of this game was propelling this title towards legendary status that it should be clear how much friction the risks they took ultimately caused. A key feature in the Paper Mario franchise is the combat. Any fan of the series knows Nintendo is no stranger to completely changing how fights progress. But the leap they took in this game left many fans wondering, how did we get here? The mechanics employed by Nintendo are called "carousel combat". The model is comprised of puzzle-like challenges where Mario must expend most of his time and energy lining enemies up rather than strategizing with weapons and abilities. It is as dull as it sounds and after a few hours it became exhaustively boring. Not only are the combat mechanics horribly chore-like, but Nintendo decided that leveling up your abilities through experience was no longer worth it. It is almost as if Nintendo knew how bad of a decision carousel combat was. There was so much incentive to circumvent combat with enemies that I found myself sprinting and dodging entirely through the game to avoid any contact that was not absolutely necessary. I could touch on the boss battles, but they were more of the same, just with extra steps.
Another disappointment was the uselessness of your team. I fondly remember the older titles where each character that joined your squad brought unique and exciting combat features that created more depth to strategy. But the characters this time around stand awkwardly beside Mario while he pretends to be a kindergarten teacher and lines foes up single file. Even worse, they lazily perform moves that attack singular enemies for a fair amount of damage but without any thought given to their actions at all. You have no control over who they attack or what move they perform. This aspect was extremely disappointing to me and to my friends that I had encouraged to buy this game. Perhaps our expectations were too high, but that is only because we knew what Paper Mario: The Origami King could have been.
Combat has evolved in every Paper Mario title but this time around Nintendo has many fans wondering if the future of the series will continue along this puzzling path. With a heavy heart and a lot of confusion, we at BLG give Paper Mario: The Origami King a 6 out of 10. This game was enjoyable and we only recommend it if you genuinely love the franchise for more than the combat, or you actually somehow enjoy hours of making enemies stand at attention before you perform one of two moves on them. Nintendo has always been perfectly clear that they will prioritize reinventing game play with every title, so hopefully that means we will never see carousel combat again.
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Play this game if You Enjoy:
The Paper Mario Series
Unique art
Carousel Combat
