Like myself, there are a LOT of people who have a fondness for the Paper Mario series. Much of it stems through the first game on N64 and its sequel on the Gamecube. Lately, entries in the franchise have been sort of hit or miss. Fans have been clamoring for a return to form so when The Origami King was announced out of the blue, everyone got excited. Especially when the trailers showed what looked to be gameplay of utilizing partner characters. I wanted to give this game a shot having skipped out on Sticker Star and Color Splash (hearing not so rad things about the games). So what was the end result? Is The Origami King a return to form for Paper Mario? In some ways yes, in others....not so much.
Origami King opens up with Mario and Luigi traveling to Princess Peach's castle to help in celebrating the Origami Festival. Things take a super horror like turn when the iconic ruler is revealed to have been folded up into an origami form. Done so by the evil King Olly, Mario is then thrusted into another quest to unravel the castle trapped by various streamers. Joined by Olly's sister, Olivia, you then hit the same beats as it is with every Paper Mario game. Collect/destroy X amount of special items, then traverse through the final area/sequence. Visually, I've always loved how this series interpreted the paper like style and some of these locales are stunning.
Specifically you have areas themed as is with any Mario game in general. Here they range from your standard green fields, to a Ninja Theme Park and even a Las Vegas like town for Snifits. These are just a few of the many areas that Origami King has to show. The music is a big standout to me as some of tunes have become so memorable. Toad Town's theme (and I guess the main theme also?) is one of my favorites along with the first area of the game.
What I've come to expect of each Paper Mario game is the story/writing. This series always seems to have laugh out loud moments for me and the characters are very enjoyable from the amnesiac Bob-omb, to Professor Toad and even Kamek. Those characters actually are delegated as Partners but only in the specific areas they reside in which is a bit of a bummer for sure. There were set pieces in the game that shocked me but nonetheless had me giggling from a musical number with talking trees, to Mario getting funky on a dance floor with a large number of Toads.
Now for the area that got everyone questioning the game's legitimacy of sorts, the battle system. Let me start by saying that this is not a return to RPG styles that the first two games were known for. Battles are set up in a ring like format and you have to essentially line up the enemies in a row or clustered in a 2x2 square. Doing so will give you an attack boost to your jumps or hammer swings. However, there's a time limit for each turn and if you fail then the boost isn't rewarded. There were many times where I just shrugged it off and took the damage being dealt. EXP isn't given after each battle but rather coins are. These can be used in the shop for items or weapons, and even can be spent to increase the timer on the clock. I've done the latter about one time so I really didn't care about it. You can equip different boots and hammers to your gear to help in each battle.
I used these quite a lot and having your gear break every now and then didn't faze me. In areas where you had partners, they can follow up with a single or multi hit that more than likely can KO the enemy. However what made me struggle was that your partner attacks were literally a coin flip. Sometimes they'd miss which I guess was ok later on, realizing that their moves would always finish off enemies. You also have the option to equip accessories to help raise your health, the timer, and defense. There was a point where I wasn't worried about coins and therefore avoid battles as much as I can. Unfortunately they started to become a chore and I got frustrated when the answer for the attack boost wasn't easily visible.
Outside of battles you have a wide assortment of things to do. From using confetti to fill in holes caused by Olly, to stopping by these cute cafes and restore your health. You can also rescue many folded up Toads who then return the favor by helping in battle. Again though, I never utilized their full potential as they can help with puzzles, heal you up or offer advice if you pay them with coins. There are some action battle elements with giant "Paper Macho" enemies who have a weak spot you simply hammer repeatedly until they dissolve.
The boss battles were very enjoyable once I managed to get their gimmicks down. Fighting off against the Legion of Stationery is a bit different than the normal ring puzzles. Instead you have to form a path to the enemy like a board game to dish out damage. Along the way you can pick up hints, along with modifiers to give yourself extra moves or double damage. One thing I also forgot to mention is Mario's new Thousand Arms technique which can be used in boss fights along with in the overworld. These allow Mario to extend his arms and solve quick puzzles to uncover new pathways or hidden exits. Truthfully it was forgettable in this instance but in battle it felt so satisfying. Olivia can also help out in transforming into incredible beasts you learn throughout the story.
Despite all of the issues battle wise that I've had with The Origami King, I still enjoyed my time with the game. There were some frustrating moments I didn't mention particularly with the last stretch of the game. The dialogue was a standout as it always is, alongside the visuals and music. The characters were also memorable and the battle system had its bright points. There's a plethora of things to do for completionists out there once the story is cleared!
Should you Play this Game?
Yes! Paper Mario The Origami King goes on to continue the franchise in its current string of innovating with new ways to tell its story. While it's not the RPG that people have been desiring since the originals, it is an enjoyable experience. If you happen to like the battle systems then more power to you as I found them to be a chore after some point. The boss fights were pretty stellar though and as I mentioned before, the story shines bright!
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