If you were to ask me what my favourite video game of all time is, I’d have a hard time coming to a definitive answer. If you were to ask me for a top 10 list, there’s no doubt that Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door would be counted among them. I can remember, clear as day, the moment I booted it up in my Gamecube some 20 years ago. Until that point, the only turn-based RPGs I’d played were Pokémon and a little bit of Dragon Quest 1 and 2. After setting up my save file and getting through the intro screens, I knew this game was going to be like nothing I’d played before. It was funny, it was challenging, it had the most engaging art-style I’d ever seen. I instantly thought that this game was a future classic.
Well, here we are in 2024, and Nintendo has finally listened to the fans and given us a remake of one of the defining works of the Gamecube era. If you had told me two decades ago that the game I loved so much could be even better I would never have believed you. I’m so delighted to tell you that 2004 Alex needed to open his mind. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door on Nintendo Switch is everything the original was, and so much more.
The Look
The most immediately striking thing about the game is, obviously, its aesthetic. Those of you with a keen eye for detail will have picked up on the fact that everything (and I mean everything) in this game looks as if it’s made out of paper. Some of it is printed, some of it is painted. Some of it is pristine and new, some of it is raggedy and torn. It is all paper, nonetheless.
Now obviously the look of this world was established in the original Paper Mario way back in the good old N64 days but, as is often the case with Nintendo, this second iteration in the series really perfected the idea. When changing direction, the characters pivot about an axis, briefly disappearing save for a (paper) thin sliver of themselves. When using one partner character’s ability to blow scenery away it wobbles and waves before peeling off the screen. Even the scene transitions scrunch the screen up into a ball before unfolding out into the next tableau. Imagine a 3D paper diorama of a Mario game and that’s literally how the game looks. It was utterly unique at the time, and I don’t think any series comes close to replicating the visual style it set down.
It helps that this new version is in shiny 900p widescreen as opposed to 480p 4:3. The crisp edges of the characters and buildings are much more clearly defined, and they pop more than ever. It’s a shame that Nintendo couldn’t get the game to run at a smooth 60fps like the original version did but since this is a story-driven RPG with a focus on the visuals, I’m not too upset about it!
The Feel
On the surface this is a very standard turn-based RPG. You navigate your way through the overworld with a rotating cast of partners in tow, each of whom has unique combat skills or ways of helping you navigate the world. Mario himself can gain powerups as your quest progresses too. From folding himself into a paper aeroplane to simply turning himself sideways to fit into narrow gaps, anything paper can do, he can do too!
Taking a cue from Super Mario 3, the battles in this game take place on a stage with an audience of all the various races from the Mushroom Kingdom watching. While this might seem like literal set dressing, the audience plays an important role in ensuring you have enough star power to unleash your devastating special moves in combat. If you pull off your attacks with enough panache (you can do backflips and bow before or after some attacks) the crowd will cheer you on and build your Star power meter.
Every attack you launch against an enemy can be powered up with a well-timed button press so there’s no sitting back and watching the battle play out while doomscrolling here! You can also access a wide variety of attacks provided to you by special badges that you find on your adventure. Though you’ll have to level up in order to equip more than one or two.
Speaking of, as with the rest of the core design the progression system here is pretty middle of the road. You gain one level for every 100 exp points you earn and that gives you the choice between an additional 5 HP, 5 Flower Points (essentially this game’s mana resource), or 3 BP (Badge Points). As you can imagine these allow you to take more hits, perform more powerful attacks, or wear more badges to open up more combat possibilities.
Even as a teenager I rarely struggled in combat, it must be said so there’s not a huge amount of challenge in the main path of the game. However, there’s always the foreboding “Pit of 100 Trials” which offers an ever-increasing level of difficulty as you descend towards the toughest boss in the game. This is where the true meat of the combat lies, and you’ll have to come up with truly unique strategies to clear the whole thing.
The Vibe
While they’re the most immediately obvious parts of this game, the stunning visuals and tried and true gameplay are really just preamble to the real star of the show. Where Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door really shines in the fantastic writing and character interactions. This game makes me laugh out loud at certain points and makes you feel a genuine connection to a robot similar to but legally distinct from HAL 9000.
Bowser even takes a step back from being the big bad in this game to let an entirely new character take the limelight. In fact, there are a few entirely new races in this game from the Punis to the evil X-Nauts. New characters are something that, sadly, Nintendo has shied away from in recent years but it’s nice to be reminded of a better time when the writers had a bit more leeway.
You can even chat to Luigi who is on his own adventure similar to yours! However, Mario clearly isn’t impressed with his brother’s exploits as he constantly falls asleep as soon as Luigi starts to speak!
In Conclusion
All told, I still adore this game. It never failed to keep me enthralled and none of the charm or character of the original has been lost in the 20 years since it first hit our screens. It’s one of those rare titles that I decided almost immediately that I’d be going for 100% completion (every badge, every sidekick, complete the Pit of 100 Trials) from the moment I set off.
Regardless of if you played the original, if you own a Nintendo Switch, you owe it to yourself to pick up this absolute treasure of a game.
