Wikipedia

Super Paper Mario

Not to be confused withPaper Mario.

Super Paper Mario[nb 1]is a 2007action role-playing gamedeveloped byIntelligent Systemsand published byNintendofor theWii.It is the third installment in thePaper Marioseries followingPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door(2004), and the firstMariogame on the Wii. The game followsMario,Peach,Bowser,andLuigias they attempt to collect Pure Hearts and stop Count Bleck and his minions from destroying the universe.

Super Paper Mario
North American box art
North American and Australian artwork
Developer(s)Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Ryota Kawade
Producer(s)Kensuke Tanabe
Ryoichi Kitanishi
Programmer(s)Tadao Nakayama
Artist(s)Chie Kawabe
Composer(s)Naoko Mitome
Chika Sekigawa
Yasuhisa Baba
SeriesPaper Mario
Platform(s)Wii
Release
  • NA:April 9, 2007
  • JP:April 19, 2007
  • EU:September 14, 2007
  • AU:September 20, 2007
Genre(s)Action role-playing,platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Whereas precedingPaper Mariogames areturn-based,Super Paper Mariohas elements from RPGs andside-scrollingplatformers;some critics described it as a hybrid of the two genres. The main feature is Mario's ability to flip between 2D and 3D perspectives. Most of the game is played in a 2D perspective, with the 3D perspective being used to solve puzzles and access previously unreachable areas. Peach, Bowser, and Luigi also have unique abilities, and additional abilities can be gained through acquiring partner characters known as Pixls.

Super Paper Marioreceived generally positive reviews and was one of the best-reviewed Wii games of the year. Critics praised its gameplay, dimension-flippingmechanic,art style, originality, and story, although the large amount of text received some criticism. It was nominated for and won several awards, including the award forOutstanding Role Playing Gameat the12th Satellite Awards;critics have since regarded it as one of the best games on the Wii. More than 4.23 million copies have been sold as of 2014, making it thebest-selling game in thePaper Marioseriesand one of thebest-selling games on the Wii.Paper Mario: Sticker Starfollowed in 2012. In 2016,Super Paper Mariowas re-released on theWii U'seShop.

Gameplay

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The player, as Mario, can flip between 2D (top) and 3D (bottom), revealing secrets not visible in the other dimension.

Super Paper Mariois aplatform gamewithaction role-playingelements, differentiating itself from previous games in the series.[1]Like its predecessors, the graphics consist of 3D environments and 2D characters which look as if they are made ofpaper.The player controlsMarioand various other characters, overcoming linear platforms as in otherMariogames.[2]The player's goal is to collect the eight Pure Hearts and defeat the main antagonist Count Bleck. The player can talk tonon-player characters(NPC), defeat enemies, or interact with the environment. Unlike previousPaper Mariogames which used aturn-basedbattle systemoutside theoverworld,inSuper Paper Marioall combat is in real-time.Experience pointsare gained after defeating enemies and allow the player tolevel upto increase their stats.[2][3]Mario can temporarily "flip" between dimensions, where the camera rotates 90 degrees to reveal a 3D perspective of the stage, revealing elements hidden in the regular 2D perspective, and can be used to maneuver around obstacles impassable in 2D.[3][4]

Luigi,Princess Peach,andBowserjoin the player'spartyas playable characters, each with unique abilities used to overcome specific obstacles. Luigi can jump the highest, Peach can hover and access inaccessible areas, and Bowser can breathe fire to defeat enemies;[5][6]only Mario retains the ability to flip between 2D and 3D.[4]The player can swap between any character in the party at any time using an in-game menu. Fairy-like creatures called "Pixls" are obtained that each bestow one additional ability, such as Thoreau, who allows the player to pick up and throw objects.[5]Tippi, a Pixl who accompanies the player from the start, can reveal hints to defeating enemies and is used to find secrets in the environment.[7]

Thehub worldis the town of Flipside, described as being located "between dimensions",[8]and has a mirrored counterpart, Flopside, unlocked in the second half of the game.[9]From Flipside and Flopside, the player can travel to different worlds via dimensional doors.[2]Access to each world is initially locked; completing each world and retrieving the Pure Heart therein opens access to the next one.

Plot

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Super Paper Marioopens with Count Bleck abducting Bowser and Princess Peach and forcing the two to marry. Their union, as foretold by the Dark Prognosticus, summons the Chaos Heart. Bleck takes control of the Chaos Heart and uses it to open the Void, a slowly expanding inter-dimensional rift, in order to destroy the flawed universe and create a perfect one in its place.[10]Mario is teleported to Flipside by Tippi and is tasked by Merlon to collect the eight Pure Hearts, which are necessary to undo the destruction. Mario, after learning the ability to flip between dimensions, starts his journey with Tippi at his side, traveling to the different worlds to collect them.

During the adventure, Mario reunites with Peach and Bowser, who join him in the quest. Bleck sends his minions, Dimentio, Mimi, and O'Chunks, as well as a brainwashed Luigi, to attack Mario's group and slow their progress. Luigi eventually recovers his memories and is the last to join Mario's group. Mario succeeds in collecting all eight Pure Hearts, but not before the Void grows large enough to obliterate one of the worlds.

In flashbacks, it is revealed that Count Bleck and Tippi were originally lovers Blumiere and Timpani. Blumiere's father, disapproving of their relationship, banished and cursed Timpani to wander between dimensions forever. Blumiere, in despair, took control of the Dark Prognosticus, determined to bring end to the universe. Unbeknownst to him, Merlon found and rescued Timpani by transforming her into a Pixl, wiping her memories in the process. The two slowly realize the other's identity over the course of the game.

With all eight Pure Hearts, the heroes travel to Castle Bleck. They encounter each of Bleck's minions but are lost one-by-one: Bowser and O’Chunks are seemingly crushed by a falling ceiling; Peach and Mimi fall into a pit; and Dimentio appears to kill both himself and Luigi. Mario and Tippi confront Bleck alone; Tippi reveals herself to be Timpani, but Bleck refuses to end his plan. The other heroes return and defeat Bleck by using up the power of the Pure Hearts. Bleck, returning to his Blumiere identity, urges the heroes to kill him to destroy the Chaos Heart and avert the apocalypse; however, it is seized by Dimentio, who seemingly kills Bleck's assistant Nastasia and brainwashes Luigi into serving as the host of the Chaos Heart. Blumiere and Tippi are teleported away, and the remaining heroes appear overmatched without the power of the Pure Hearts; however, the love between Blumiere, O’Chunks, and Mimi restores their power.

Dimentio is destroyed but leaves behind a shadow of his power to ensure the Chaos Heart can finish its task. Blumiere and Timpani marry, which banishes the Chaos Heart and reverses its destruction. The heroes, along with O'Chunks, Mimi, and a revived Nastasia, return to Flipside, but Blumiere and Timpani are missing; O’Chunks, Mimi, and Nastasia pledge to create the perfect world Blumiere promised to make.

Development and release

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Super Paper Mariowas the firstPaper Mariogame produced byKensuke Tanabe.

Intelligent Systemsdeveloped the series' previous games andSuper Paper Mario.[5]Director Ryota Kawade changed the traditional concept of previous games with the intention of surprising fans with a new concept. While creating game concepts, he implemented switching through dimensions; he differed the combat from previous game entries to fit with the idea of dimension swapping. When presented to producerKensuke Tanabe,they both agreed the game would work better in the style of anaction-adventure video game,though he asked the staff to keep a role-playing game plot.[11]Kawade found it difficult to "create a harmonic relationship between the worlds of 2D and 3D", and noted that the process consisted of trial and error. He said how creating one level "required the efforts of creating two levels", as they aimed for adding secrets in 3D that were not visible in 2D.[11]

On May 11, 2006,Super Paper Mariowas announced for theGameCubethrough a trailer atE3 2006,to be released in the fourth quarter of 2006.[12]Nintendo opted not to have a GameCube on the show floor for a playable demo.[13]GameSpotlistedSuper Paper Marioas a finalist for its E3 Editor's Choice.[14]Nintendo confirmed a release date of October 9, 2006 later in May.[15]Super Paper Mariowas set to be one of the last first-party GameCube games,[16]but development moved to theWiiin 2006.[16]It was released in April 2007,[16]becoming the firstMariogame for Wii.[17]The controls were kept similar to the GameCube version, and implementation of the Wii'smotion controlswere minimal.[5]

Early PAL copies contain abugif the language is set to English, German, or Spanish. According toNintendo of Europe,if Mario speaks to the NPC Mimi in chapter 2–2 without first picking up a key, the game willfreezeand force the player to restart from the previous save. Nintendo of Europe offered to replace any affected game discs with patched ones at no charge.[18]The Korean version was the last to be published, releasing two years after Japan; it also contains unused development assets unique to its version.[19]

Reception

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According to thereview aggregatorwebsiteMetacritic,Super Paper Marioreceived "generally favorable reviews" with a score of 85 out of 100, based on 57 critics; it has the sixth-highest score among Wii games released in 2007.[20]

The dimension-flipping mechanic received generally positive reviews.Gamasutradescribed the game as a "landmark Wii release" and a "hit with critics".[29]The dimension-flipping mechanic, puzzles, creativity, and writing received praise from critics, and most criticism was directed at its inability to please those looking for a pure RPG or platforming game.[29]Its story also received praise,[24][26]although some criticism was directed at the large amount of text.[5][26]Game Informerreviewer Bryan Vore appreciated the inclusion of more platforming elements and the dimension flipping mechanic while praising the writing as "arguably the best" in anyMarioRPG.[23]Reviewers atFamitsulauded its dimension-flipping mechanic, balance, and control scheme.[30]

Matt Casamassina ofIGNcalledSuper Paper Marioa "must-buy" and complimented its blend of platforming and RPG styles, controls, and writing but was critical of the "ridiculous" amount of text and the "barren" appearance of the 3D segments.[5]GameTrailerswere also critical of the reliance on text but praised the story as well as the "robust" and "addictive" gameplay.[26]Bryn Williams ofGameSpypraised the "highly bizarre and amusing story line" as well as its level design and controls but said it was too easy and lacked in replay value.[24]GamesRadar+reviewer Brett Elston praised the graphics, dialogue, and controls but said that it started to "peter out close to the end".[25]

Shane Bettenhausen ofElectronic Gaming MonthlycalledSuper Paper Marioa "must-play for any Wii owner" and praised its creativity, gameplay, puzzles, and script but criticized the "undercooked" RPG elements.[21]Eurogamerreviewer John Walker also criticized the gameplay, calling it "slightly weaker" than mostMarioplatformers, but lauded its writing as "consistently hilarious, and toward the end, even impressively touching".[4]Ricardo Torres ofGameSpotsaid it was "not quite on par with some of the other entries in the series" but praised its gameplay, writing, length, and side quests.[2]Michael Cole ofNintendo World Reportcriticized some "tedious puzzles" and backtracking, and praised the writing, visuals, and gameplay and called it a "peculiar, unexpected love-letter to Nintendo fans".[27]Several reviewers atRPGamerpraised the writing and comedic dialogue.[28]

Sales

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In its first week of release in Japan, 144,000 copies were sold, a similar total to previousPaper Mariogames. It ranked as the best-selling game of the week.[31]According to theNPD Group,352,000 copies were sold in the United States in April 2007, ranking as the third-best selling console game of April 2007 in the United States behindPokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl.[32]By March 2008, Nintendo reported 2.28 million copies sold worldwide, with 500,000 copies sold in Japan and 1.78 million copies sold overseas.[33]According toKotaku,more than 4.23 million copies were sold worldwide, making it the best-selling entry in thePaper Marioseries.[34]

Awards and accolades

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Super Paper Mariowas nominated for Best RPG and Best Wii Game inGameSpotandIGN's Best of 2007 awards, winning the award for Best RPG fromIGN.[35][36][37][38]1UPnominated it for Best Adventure Game and Game of the Year.[39]It received six award nominations fromNintendo Power,including Wii Game of the Year and Game of the Year,[40][41]and won the Reader's Choice award in the Best Story/Writing category.[42]It is ranked as the second-best Wii game of the year inRPGamer's Editor's Choice awards,[43]and three ofRPGFan's nine editors ranked it among their top five RPGs of the year.[44]CNET,IGN,Game Informer,GameSpot,andGamesRadar+have since listed it as one of the best games for the Wii.[45][46][47][48][49]

Award Date of ceremony Category Result Ref.
4th British Academy Games Awards October 23, 2007 Innovation Nominated [50]
Spike Video Game Awards 2007 December 9, 2007 Best Wii Game Nominated [51]
12th Satellite Awards December 16, 2007 Outstanding Role Playing Game Won [52]

Notes

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  1. ^Japanese:スーパーペーパーマリオ,Hepburn:Sūpā Pēpā Mario

References

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  2. ^abcdeTorres, Ricardo (April 9, 2007)."Super Paper Mario Review".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on December 13, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 12,2020.
  3. ^abCole, Michael (April 8, 2007)."Super Paper Mario Review".Nintendo World Report.Archivedfrom the original on February 13, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 15,2020.
  4. ^abcdWalker, John (September 19, 2007)."Super Paper Mario".Eurogamer.Archivedfrom the original on January 22, 2021.RetrievedFebruary 22,2020.
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  8. ^Nintendo.Super Paper Mario.Merlon:This is the town of Flipside. You have come far from the Mushroom Kingdom of your dimension... Of course, our fair Flipside is in no dimension at all! No! It is BETWEEN dimensions!
  9. ^Nintendo.Super Paper Mario.Nolrem:This place may seem like Flipside, but do not be mistaken! You were in Flipside, but then you flip–flopped sides... Friends, you are in Flopside!
  10. ^Nintendo.Super Paper Mario.Mimi:Yeah, first you'll erase all these naughty worlds... And then you're gonna build a perfect world without war and all that other icky stuff!
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Further reading

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