A History of Paper Mario

With the recent release of PaperMario: The Origami King. I thought people out there might enjoy a quick run through of previous Paper Mario games. There was a couple that I didn’t even hear about (I didn’t get into the Nintendo DS or the WII U). So here is a quick reminder of previous Paper Mario games for everyone out there.

Note: We will update this post with an entry for the now released Origami King as soon as we can!

Paper Mario (2000, N64):

The original commercial for Paper Mario was entertaining but also just bad. Above is some of the gameplay for those who haven’t played it. I remember sitting in the basement working our way through the levels and attempting to time as many perfect jumps in a row as possible. This game brought a whole new concept to games by, ironically, going back to 2D gaming. Although yes it was still a 3D game, the elements included by being made of paper were very unique and entertaining. Being able to slip through fence panels or having a just of wind blow you away really kept you on your toes. One major thing that this game brought back was turn based battles. After the success of Super Mario 64 changing the battle mechanics must have been nerve wracking.

A quick recap: Bowser, with the Star-rod, has become invincible and has decided to kidnap Princess Peach by stealing her whole castle. To defeat him Mario must free the 7 Star Spirits that have been locked away by Kammy Koopa, Bowsers assistant. Once freed Mario is able to defeat Bowser returning the castle, and Princess Peach, to the mushroom kingdom.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star Trailer | Nintendo, youtube.com

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (2004, Gamecube):

I think most of my memories of the series actually come from this game. I have a hard time differentiating them when I’m just thinking back but this is the game that I definitely put the most hours into. I must have replayed it 5 or 6 times. They really did a good job of tweaking the faults from the first game to make this one more fun.

Recap: Once again Mario is out to save Peach. Having been sent a treasure map from his beloved Princess, Mario travels to the town of Rogueport only to find that Princess Peach has gone missing since sending him the map. With no other leads to go on he follows the directions given to him by the door to find the crystal shards in hopes that he’ll find Princess Peach along the way. Behind The Thousand Year Door was not a treasure but instead the Shadow Queen who possessed the body of Princess Peach. The powers of the Crystal Stars are used to separate the Shadow Queen from Princess Peach’s body giving Mario and friends the chance to defeat her.

Super Paper Mario (2007, Wii):

Changing it up from the previous two iterations of the game, Super Paper Mario scored very well averaging around 85%. Two of the major changes are the fact that you can alternate playing as Mario, Princess Peach, or Bowser. The second major thing that was changed is the fact that you can “flip” the world between 2D and 3D. Both offer different views of the world and different solutions to problems. Can’t get around something in 2D? Flip the world and you might find that you can walk right around it.

Plot: Luigi, Princess Peach and Bowser are kidnapped. The Princess and Bowser are forced to marry releasing the Chaos Heart. Count Bleck, the one behind the kidnapping, uses the Chaos heart to open a black hole “The Void” which will eventually swallow the universe. Mario meets a Pixl named Tippi who brings him to the inter-dimensional town of Flipside. Mario is informed by Merlon that a hero will travel between dimension to collect 8 Pure Hearts, which can banish the Chaos Heart and reverse the destruction.

Long story short, with the combination of heroes at your disposal you make it to the end where the antagonist has come to the realization that one of the characters that is with Mario is his long lost love he believed to be dead, the whole reason he intended on destroying the universe. Even with the realization he is unable to stop what he had started especially after Dimentio betrays him and tries to use the powers himself. After defeating Dimentio with help from a lot of sources, the characters return to the town of Flipside to tie up any loose ends.

Paper Mario: Color Splash Trailer

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Paper Mario: Sticker Star changes up things once again but using a distinctly paper craft style for the game. As you probably guessed from the title, the game introduced the use of stickers in the form of power-ups or single use items.

Recap: Mario must find the 6 Royal Stickers that were scattered, among many other, when Bowser attacked the annual sticker festival. With a brand new companion, Kersti a sticker fairy, they begin their quest retrieve the royal stickers. Working his way through the plains, mountains, desert, forest, beach, icy peaks, the jungle and volcanoes Mario and his companion finally reach Bowser. Having empowered himself with the remaining Royal Sticker Bowser is too powerful to defeat. Realizing this Kersti sacrifices herself in order to empower Mario enough to defeat Bowser. Upon defeating Bowser and rescuing Peach Mario is reminded that the Royal stickers have the power to grant wishes. It’s intended to be a surprise but obviously Mario wishes Kersti back to life.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

Continuing with the paper craft model introduced in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, the next game in the series changed battles slightly in order in incorporate some of the Wii U features. Turning the battles into a card based system allowed for the more involved use of the Wii U’s touch screen controller. The addition of the color hammer also allows for the player to color areas of the world that have not been colored yet. Although there is a system to how the color hammer works that can change the effect that “painting” has.

Recap: Mario and Princess Peach are enticed to go to the island of Prism to investigate the loss of color from a Toad. While there they find the town full of colorless spots and void of inhabitants. After finding Huey, the Paint Star Guardian, the hero attempts to find the Paint Stars only to have Bowser kidnap Peach while he is gone.

Bowser has accidentally gotten himself possessed while attempting to use the paint to paint his shell. By combining the paint colors he created a black paint that is a toxic substance therein possessing him. After enlisting Luigi’s help, Mario, his brother and Huey are able to rescue Princess Peach and stop the whole world from being painted in the black paint.

Paper Mario: The Origami King

***Update coming soon***

The latest in the Paper Mario series, The Origami King looks like another exciting adventure into the world of Paper Mario. Learn a little more about the upcoming game here and in the video below.