Hopefully, Paper Mario: The Origami King manages to reach the height, more or less, that The Thousand-Year Door did all those years ago.
Nintendo often adheres to the old wisdom of "Don't fix what ain't broken," which hasn't quite been applied to the Paper Mario series for some reason. It's sad that it's been nearly 20 years since the series' best installment, and yet, its following three entries didn't capture the same magic of The Thousand-Year Door. Where previous Paper Mario plots were renowned for engaging and well-written stories, Color Splash simply failed to deliver on its end. Once again, it charmed, though the gameplay didn't prove quite as deep in terms of RPG mechanics as The Thousand-Year Door had been.įinally, Paper Mario: Color Splash released in 2016 to sub-par reception that criticized the game for its narrative simplicity. Paper Mario: Sticker Star was where the series took a real dive. While a good title, and charming as ever, it was somewhat unrecognizable from The Thousand-Year Door. The Wii's Super Paper Mario was fun but placed an emphasis on action-platforming rather than the turn-based mechanics the series was known for, making it more of an action RPG. Truly, it remains the series' best game and possibly the best GameCube title, even among gems like Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 4, and Eternal Darkness.Īnd things sort of slid from there. Paper Mario was a game that didn't quite have its footing, and The Thousand-Year Door solidified it. While it didn't flip the script or shake things up, it didn't need to. Yet, The Thousand-Year Door remains the most brilliant entry in the series for its sheer refinement of the original's RPG mechanics, the wittier writing, and the captivating plot. It wasn't revolutionary, but it refined Paper Mario's well-received formula to a tee. In 2004, Nintendo released the beloved Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, which is considered the series' early highlight. RELATED: New Story, Combat, and Gameplay Details Revealed for Paper Mario: The Origami King While not quite as revered, it had adorable presentation, witty riding, and memorable characters, as well as simplistic turn-based mechanics that were challenging but rewarding. The Paper Mario series is one that fans are frustrated with. 2001's Paper Mario introduced a fresh Mario RPG series that came five years after the acclaimed Super Mario RPG. Then, there are series that hit their high point right off the bat, or get a second homerun, only to take a dive thereafter. While some would contest, The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario series are both cases of franchises polishing proven mechanics time after time.
Sometimes, a series will only improve with time, reaching its high point somewhere in the middle (cue Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare) or continues to improve on itself entry after entry.
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