Platform: Nintendo Wii

Genre: Platformer/RPG

Number of Players: 1

He’s back!

With each and every new Nintendo system that comes out, be it a console or handheld, you can guarantee that there will be a new Mario title that comes out. Most Wii owners had anticipated that it was going to be the much hyped Mario Universe, but that’s simply not the case. Instead, Mario returns to his roots, somewhat at least, with Super Paper Mario.

The Mushroom Kingdom, in fact, each and every dimension is in big, big trouble. The evil Count Bleck is trying to bring an ancient prophecy to pass that will let him utterly destroy everything and reform it in his vision. In order to make this happen, he has kidnapped Bowser and Princess Peach and forced them to marry thanks to some hypnosis, and though Luigi has tried to put a stop to it, he’s too late. Things seem to be on track for the diabolic plan. Mario soon finds himself feeling a little flat, quite literally actually, but he’s now learned that he’s the prophesized hero who may be able to stop Bleck, but he’s not the only one. Legend tells of four heroes and now Mario must obtain the right moves to put an end to things and make some new friends along the way.

Super Paper Mario definitely is somewhat of a return to the origins of the series, something that Nintendo also pleased fans with when The New Super Mario Bros was released on the Nintendo DS. Forget about the whole 3D thing . . . well, not completely, but Paper Mario is a 2D paradise filled with plenty of surprises. Not only does it have that old school look, it will give you the change to use your controller old school style as well and all you need is the Wii Remote, turned on its side, just like the glory days of the original NES.

The game is set up much like the original Mario series, these being Super Mario Bros through Super Mario World, before the series switched to full 3D, and the moves at first are really quite the same. You’re objective is simply to get from the beginning to the end of the stage and deal with some familiar enemies who are now under Bleck’s control. The game though also plays like a role-playing game. Each enemy you stomp will earn you points, and as these increase, you will eventually find yourself gaining a level. Instead of fearing a single hit or maybe two, you have hit points which will increase as you gain a level, and some of those familiar items do different things. Mushrooms will now cure you, stars turn you into giant Mario and allow you to crush everything in your path, and you now have items that will allow you to unleash the powers of fire and ice among other things. No longer are you looking for a familiar flag at the end of a stage, but a star until you finally reach the end boss of each world, and these villains aren’t going to be taken in by two or three bounces on the head either.

Mario now has the power to flip the world around as well. This turns the flat, 2D space into full 3D, though you need to be careful as you time is limited and you will take damage when the counter hits zero. In the 3D world, Mario will find entrances to hidden areas or perhaps the means to reach some high, out of the way areas. Flipping between views almost become necessity in many instances and it can even help you avoid damage from enemies, many of which still retain a flat look and can’t hurt you. Mario also gains the assistance of the Pixl’s. These creatures give a variety of new abilities. You will start with Tippi who will give you details on enemies and other things if you point the Wii Remote at the screen. This will pause the game while you learn more about the world and its inhabitants. Tippi can also find invisible items to assist you, and through your travels, you will meet new Pixl’s who will help you with the power to make bombs, transverse deadly spikes, flip into a thin version of Mario to access narrow passages and avoid enemy damage while 2D.

But, it’s not just Mario that you can play as, and there are three other familiar faces from the Marioverse that become playable. Just who are they? If you haven’t already guess, Peach is on board with her ability to float and protect herself from damage with her umbrella, Luigi is always around the help his brother with his jumping ability, and last but not least, even Bowser is in on the action, and where he lacks in jumping or speed, he more than makes up for with firepower. But there is even more to do. The game features characters to talk and interact with and that’s only the beginning. The coins you earn can be spent at stores for more items to use on your adventure. There is a chef who will take your items and attempt to turn them into a new, tasty dish, though there may be some mistakes as well. As mentioned, you can collect cards of both friends and foes. This can be done by finding them, using a capture card which generally will work, buying them from vendors, or these is even a hidden card shop. There’s even an arcade hidden somewhere in the world and the deadly Pit of 100 Trials that you can attempt to survive.

Changing characters, Pixls (you can only have one aside from Tippi at a time) or using items is quite easy. You can either access the menu with the + button or quickly press 1 and 2 together to bring up your select of friends, aides and items. The one thing however that would have been a nice touch is a fast access to the other playable characters. I would have gladly sacrificed the control display, done via the – button, in exchange for a quick way to cycle through Pixls or other characters.

But, why is the game called Paper Mario? That all comes down to the look, and if you imagine for a moment that you’ve made a paper cut out of Mario, glued it to a stick and start flipping it around, that’s essentially what you will see. The characters do have movement or course, but also a flat look to them. The game also takes a moment to truly revisit the original Mario Bros with a world that has an 8-bit look about it as well as a nerdy collector that brings in some laughs, especially the dating sim that briefly comes into the game. The transitions between 2D and 3D are done perfectly and one of the best features of the game is seeing the world get sucked down the tubes after you enter a pipe. Everything about the game is quite gorgeous to behold and for those that might not care as much for the new, 3D Mario as they do the old, this will definitely appease your desires.

Super Paper Mario truly is everything that you remember about the old games in a nice looking, extremely fun to play, new generation package. You might be excited about Mario Universe, but Super Paper Mario is more than enough to keep you occupied for the time being, and maybe quite a bit longer with some many things to find and do. Old school meets new school has never been quite as much fun, and if other games are leaving you feeling a bit flat, Super Paper Mario might have that type of look, but it certainly isn’t going to disappoint any fans.

-mike-