Super Paper Mario

Flippin' the M with my Wii.

By Matt Schaldach

Reference : http://www.deeko.com/nintendo_wii/reviewdetail.asp?id=847

25.April.2007

Author's note:



>>Do you promise to waffle between Bowser and Mario until you die?


I may be opening up a can of flaming worms, but I must admit something: I don't like Mario RPGs. Hell, any RPGs for that matter. Before this turns into some defensive diatribe about the subject, allow me to clarify my previous statement. I don't like turn-based combat. That's it. I like every other aspect of the genre, except maybe the constant power leveling....but that's really it...and maybe that the cinematics and/or storyline are usually much better than the game itself, but I swear that's it. Before everyone starts clicking away on their computers trying to tell me there are other RPG games that incorporate other combative styles, I'm already aware of that. I'm only speaking of the games with turn-based combat, and more specifically the Mario games. Ok, is everybody caught up now?

I played the earlier titles in the "series", but of course the turn-based combat ruined it for me. Maybe it's a sickness; a fear if you will, to turn-based action. Whatever it is, I just cannot get passed the boredom of it all. Where's the fun in watching your character attack an enemy creature? The flipside to my alleged little handicap is that I love the paper universe. Speaking of, when can I see a paper Yoshi game? Tossing a thin flat egg at an enemy and watch as it explodes into tiny bits of paper? Good times.

Granted, this argument may be worse than a staff meeting at Dunder Mifflin, but hey, it's my opinion so pfffft! So, obviously I was a bit skeptical even after seeing the video footage of Super Paper Mario. After playing the game I realized that all my previous opinions about the game could be fed one by one into my mental shredder. While still retaining an rpg feel to it,Super Paper Mario is light years ahead of its Gamecube brethren. The entire game plays like New Super Mario Bros. does, but then adds so much more to the landscape, that a comparison is no longer applicable. The game is big. It's crazy, sprawling big. There is so much to do, that you'll definitely get your money's worth.



23D baby, yeah!
Our story begins with a book. The Dark Prognosticus, to be precise. Within its pages is a prophecy written of the inevitable evil to come. Setting said prophecy in motion is accomplished by simply reading the text therein. Who would do such a thing? Enter stage left the heartless, third-person referring Count Bleck. Apparently Bleck has some serious grudge holding skills for it is he that sets the wheels in motion which begins with the marriage of the two who - by order of Typical Prophecy Law #4267 - are the only two who can defeat the prophecy as written in the Dark Prognosticus' counterpart: The Light Prognosticus, on sale now at Flipside Periodicals. Who are the two heroes in question? It's none other than Bowser and Princess Peach. Wait a second, it's not Mario?



After hearing about the princess being kidnapped (how many times now?), Mario and Luigi hot foot it straight to Bower's digs to thwart what they think is a Bowser driven ceremony. This is where everything goes to koopa shit. Count Bleck suddenly appears and drops the 411 on the little plumber that could, and as Mario is trying to digest this new information, Bleck (with Peach and now Bowser and Luigi as well) spirits away to another dimensional plane, leaving Mario once again holding the bag. Mario awakens to see a crystalline butterfly floating before him. Tippi the Pixl, as he's known to his friends, educates Mario about the events that have transpired.

Tippi: "Hey Mario, wake up! Bleck is going to use the Dark Prognosticus and put an end to the world as we know it."

Mario: "So what are you again, and did Bowser actually marry the princess?"

Tippi: I'm a Pixl. I'm part of an old race of powerful sprites, and forget about the marriage for second. You must stop Bleck before he unleashes the Void."

Mario: "How could she marry him? I mean is it the bad boy thing? I can be a bad boy, seriously. You should see the way I make Luigi my bitch."

Tippi: "Um...ok. Can we get back to the real problem? Bleck, the Void, the world blinking out?"

Mario: "It's just that...I gave her so much. I was always there for her and at the first chance she has, she runs off with that spike-backed showboater."

Tippi: "Will you shut up and listen to me! Bleck, the being that instigated the marriage you're so hell bent on brooding over, is the one to blame. If you don't obtain all the Pure Hearts to offset the large nasty pulsating Chaos Heart, then he will destroy the universe and everyone in it and who married who will be the least of your problems."

A few sobering slaps later, Mario runs off to show how much of a bad boy he can actually be.

Your journey begins in the town of Flipside. This can be considered your hub with all Chapters (worlds) spiking out from the Flipside. This is where the RPG elements come into play. You'll wander through town talking to townsfolk, purchasing upgradable items in the store or uncovering mini-games and secrets. Did I mention the game is big? There are places within town that you can only access after playing through a hefty chuck of the game itself, so there's always something to come back to. And once you obtain your flipping abilities, even more secrets are revealed, but as always I'm getting ahead of myself.

Once within the confines of a Chapter (which is broken up into four areas with a boss at the end of each) you're playing within an area I like to call 23D. At first glance the landscape is a straight 2D platformer. It's the standard move your character from one side of the screen to the other while jumping on enemies, breaking blocks and bounding over chasms. Now you have the ability to "flip" the screen sideways, turning the entire scenario into a 3D playfield which usually leads to a secret or twenty. It really has to be seen to be appreciated. The ability to flip from 2D to 3D at any given time opens up the game considerably and brings the landscape to life like no other Mario game has before. Oh sure, it's really not the 3D of the N64 version of Mario, but the way it's done in this game only adds to the overall appeal. Can't find that secret green pipe? Flip. Are you missing a particular Catch Card? Flip. You see what I'm getting at? When in doubt, flip. Keep in mind, your flipping ability is monitored by a meter so make sure you don't run out of flipping power at the most inopportune moment.


I'm not going to break down controls of the game (remember kids, game manuals are your friends) save for the fact that the Wii remote is used just like an old SNES controller. But it can also be used as a pointer of sorts. When you're stuck, just access Tippi the Pixl and point the Wii remote at the screen. This action highlights something interesting for you to take notice of. Combat is no longer turn-based (with the exception of a few boss battles) and is just like a good old 2D Mario platformer, but with a twist. Defeating enemies isn't just for squashing anymore, but builds up your experience points. Points can also be linked into one single attack. For example, if you see a line of koopas waiting to be stomped on, your best option would be to jump on the first one and while in midair land on the second, and so on until all have fallen to your sidewalk stomp without you even touching terra firma. To add insult to (their) injury, you can also shake the controller while in the air between attacks. Doing so makes your character perform midair tricks which ultimately raises your point total even higher. It takes some getting used to doing this, but it's quite simple once it's mastered. The only real problem is doing the same damage while in 3D. The camera angle while flipped makes it slightly more challenging to line up your stomp, which makes stringing points together not as easy as it is in 2D.

Now you have come to the point of this piece where everything falls apart. I've had the hardest time conveying to people what this game actually entails. Sure at first glance it's nothing but a 2D platformer with a 3D spin on it, but it's much more than that after you've logged a few hours of play time. Super Paper Mario brought back a nostalgic feeling as well as a fresh take on the RPG/platformer that came before it. But how do I tackle everything this game has to offer without giving away to many surprises? The characters, side quests, minigames, graphics, humorous storyline and character names all must be talked about but for fear of this review turning into a Wikipedia themed entry, or worse a Lame spotty tell-all borefest, I'll try to keep my points of interest listec to a bare minimum.

Characters and Such
Being able to play as Mario, Bowser, Peach etc. has to be mentioned. Aside from each character having abilities of their own, playing with each one gives the player a feeling of newness as you progress through the game. And then there are the Pixls who aid you in your quest. These additional characters can be utilized at any time once discovered, and each has its own special ability. Take Thoreau, who can give you the power to toss enemies or Dottie, who shrinks out hero down to miniscule proportions. Over 10 Pixls await your commands and believe me when I say you will be using each and every one of them.

Graphics
From the perfectly pixilated Chapter Three to Chapter Eight's vector-based landscape, the visuals in Super Paper Mario will never disappoint you. This is quite possibly the most colorful Mario adventure to date. Each world is teeming with color and the graphics are bursting with old school style mixed with new jack whimsy. The same can be said for each character and/or enemy you encounter. The overall animation is really the driving force behind the game itself. But it's the little nuances that add that something extra. For example, in an instance where you're stringing together some combo points on an unsuspecting group of goombas, a border made up of Shy Guys, Koopas and Toads is instantly filled with them cheering you on. Sweet.

...and the crowd goes wild!

Everything Else
I think I may have mentioned the game is big. Eight standard worlds with four areas each is pretty big, but that's not even the half of it. Now, add in all the secret areas, minigame arcade, the Flipside Pit of 100 Trials, stores which carry much needed items, catch cards, kitchens that allow you to cook up a special concoction that releases abilities when consumed, hell even the town of Flipside itself. Oh, and did I mention Flipside has its own...er um, flipside? Yes, it's called Flopside and is a mirrored version of Flipside, or is it? Needless to say, you'll have your hands full if you want to explore and complete everything this game has to offer. The old school humor can be seen throughout, but the entire game is humerous, not just the nostalgic references. In one instance, Squirps (a Pixl) has got to really, really use the facilities. As you arrive at a Pixl friendly outhouse, you discover it's still occupied. This leads to a search for some "paper" lest the current outhouse resident never emerges, which would be messy, to say the least for our dear Squirps. Perhaps he should have been named Squirts. You can't go wrong with poopy jokes.

This game is top notch no matter how you flip it. It has the perfect balance of RPG elements and precise platform control. The visuals are amazing. The story is funny and smart. The control is not decisively Wii based, but it incorporates enough of the new remote's functionality while sidestepping the novelty pit many games before it have fallen into. The music and sound is right up my 8-bit littered alley. The boss battles are very amusing. My only complaint there is that the story is text driven so there is some down time while scrolling through paragraph after paragraph. Kind of like this review, eh? I'm sure I missed some aspect of the game that may think should be included, but to talk about it all would turn this into a novella, and it would be boring. Well, even more boring.

Like I said, it's-a big!

The Deeko Minute
This game embiggens me.
Wonderful graphics.
Flipping your environment is worth the price of admission.

Players: 1
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Other Recommendations
New Super Mario Bros.
Yoshi's Island DS