Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door opens the door to the past

Having remakes and remasters in the industry can be perceived as a coin flip in the air. On the one hand, there are those who see it as a lack of effort and creativity on the part of the industry, especially when these works are released so close to their original release. But on the other hand, we have a new opportunity to play classics that have been lost on consoles that are now decades away. Fortunately, we find ourselves in the second scenario, nearly 20 years after its release on the GameCube, we have the return of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, this time for Nintendo Switch, proving that well-told stories and well-executed mechanics can survive the passage of time.

The Legend of The Thousand-Year Door

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a role-playing game where we once again take on the role of Paper Mario in an adventure in search of Princess Peach. The story begins when the monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom passes through Rogueport and buys a mysterious box from a merchant, in which she discovers a map. Believing it to be a treasure map, Peach manages to send it to Mario before being kidnapped by the group known as the X-Nauts. With the map in hand, Mario embarks on a rescue mission and discovers the mystery behind the Crystal Stars that open the map.

This adventure will take us through various locations that are very different from those we have already seen in the Mushroom Kingdom, but with some of the characters we have met before, as well as some new ones. Not all places are equally interesting. For example, there is one place where we have to climb the ranks of a wrestling federation, so the combat is consistent, but it runs into a lot of tedious spots. This makes the story less fluid but does not detract from the great mystery behind it. It is a story that is simple in its narrative, but very well-seasoned by the great characters that appear in it.

Papers like no other

One of the best things about Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and being a good RPG, is the characters that join our team and provide us with special abilities for both combat and our adventure in general. For example, Goombella has the ability to analyze all the enemies, knowing their weaknesses or how many health points they have, as well as giving us clues as to where to go next. We will also have Koops, a baby Yoshi that we can name, Madame Flurrie, and other characters along the way, each with a different personality.

Throughout the adventure, you can expect moments full of the special comedy that the series is known for. But what is also interesting is the exploration. Rogueport has its secrets and stories, and on many occasions, we will be able to explore more through the special abilities we get from our companions, as well as some “curses” that Mario gets along the way. Although, yes, the concept of Mario turning into a paper airplane, or being able to move by changing his perspective, or even turning his body like a screw to deliver a stronger blow with his hammer.

In addition, the visual design of each of the worlds is spectacular. I’m not talking about the impressive graphics (although the work done on the original is a visual treat), but how creative the scenarios become because everything is made with that paper aesthetic. When you enter a building, either the camera turns to give us a different perspective while one of the walls falls, or everything is built or falls in front of Mario’s footsteps. These are details that give the game a very special touch, and they continue throughout this adventure.

Every battle is a scenario

On the other hand, we have the combat, which is one of the most important parts of the game. Like a good classic RPG, it will have a turn-based system, where Mario and company will attack first, and then it will be the enemies’ turn. However, each of the characters has a very different way of attacking, adding gimmicks to how we hit or make our attacks stronger. Mario can attack by jumping or with his hammer, but the way he does it is very different. Some of Mario’s companions will have complicated ways of attacking, and in some cases, it will take some time to adapt or understand their mechanics. For example, Madame Flurrie attacks with a body swing, and you have to move the left stick to make her swing land on target, while Koops requires you to be very precise or your attack will do the minimum amount of damage. There will also be attacks that use flower points, which we will have to be very careful with because only one bar of these points will be used for both characters.

Each fight will put us in a scenario where sometimes our audience can be there to affect the course of the confrontation. Mainly, their support will help us raise our special bar, although at other times there will be some who can attack us, give us items, or deal damage to enemies. Depending on the special attack, you will have to mark the sequence, sometimes pressing the A Button at the right moment, or throwing stars at the items you want to get. It is also worth mentioning that during the fights there is a kind of roulette that by hitting the 3 numbers we will have a certain bonus in the fight.

On the other hand, there are the badges that you collect and customize for Mario. These will help us to have some extras in battle, ranging from attacks, the possibility of getting random health points or flower points, to some that are more of a gimmick, such as those that change the sound of attacks, to a special one that converts all the music of the game to the original GameCube version.

As such, the game comes with some quality-of-life improvements, but don’t expect too many changes, as the Nintendo build by the Intelligent Systems team looks very conservative compared to the original. There is a series of pipes in Rogueport that help us move between the different towns more easily, but it does not fall into the category of fast travel. On the other hand, the search for the Star Pieces, an elementary part to unlock galleries, has the help of a fortune teller, but her help is far from accurate since instead of being able to choose a region, she can mention locations in random areas. Along with these elements, we have other characters that we will find throughout the game, such as the “Battle Master”, who will teach us everything related to combat.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a great adventure that manages to make the jump to Nintendo Switch. On its own, it’s one of the best installments Nintendo’s plumber has had in the paper version. Coupled with the quality-of-life improvements, it’s a title worth picking up, whether you played it in its original format or never played it at all.