Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Switch)

Throw a book at them!

Yet another GameCube-remake, this time of a game I actually finished... not that long ago either... 6 YEARS AGO? Boy, must have played it as soon as I got my home. Should probably play Golden Sun again so I can get a remake of that as well, but that was 6 years ago as well. Got nothing to add really since the last playthrough regarding story or so. Same story. They changed some lines, no catcalling goombas in the sewer and Vivian clearly a trans-character in this. Somehow this was controversial before the games release, but I don't really care, I get to send a shadow demon queen back to the abyss with jumps!

Mostly the remake have been upgrading is the graphics with what people speculate is the Origami King-engine. Now, I can't instantly see that the graphics have been improved unless someone shows me a side by side comparison. As someone said, it looks like I remember the game to look. Especially since last time I was using a small screen so it will probably look rather awful at my current setup. I now that they also added a match with Prince Mush, the former champion of the Glitzpit, which I haven't beaten, my attacks just stops working after passing 50 % health. I beat everything else like Bonetail, and every trouble, all star pieces and upgraded all characters. Which unlocks all the art galleries and music players. Best addition probably the increased coin purse sine it goes to 9999 instead of 999. Less need to use coins constantly and actually have a buffer for special occasions.

Game stills great. Fun and engaging. They also apparently added some shortcuts which minimise the traveling time between areas and thank god for that with the General White quest and side-quest. Hope this will make Nintendo do another adventure like this. The badge system is so fun since it gives you freedom to play however you want as long as you got the badges. I ended powering up Mario to max in jumping, even disabling the hammer for extra damage. Kinda fun hitting 7 damage constantly. If I was a bit more daring I might even have lowered the hp get more badgepoints to push danger (5 hp or lower) and critical (1 hp) extra damage. Of course, one hit and your dead so better be good at those super guards.

So I tried it for Prince Mush, and I got so close so many times. I get him down to 9 hp and then I have to time the damn super guard to be able to damage him. I make it in the beginning to get him to the second phase but after that I just can't seem to do it, and I use both simplifier badges I have. Either start leveling up for more bagde points or actually get good at the game... might be time to change game.

Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch)

 

Fold Them!

Latest entry in the Paper Mario-series and first time on Switch. I got every game in series besides Paper Jam, the crossover with the Mario & Luigi-game series. Story is that as the Mushroom kingdom prepares an Origami festival all toads and Bowser's Minions are folded into figures, trapped in walls etc. by King Olly, the titular Origami King. Together with Olivia, Olly's sister Mario sets out on an adventure to unfold all trapped paper characters and find the 5 streamers that puts out a protective "shield" around Princess Peach's castle that was taken to the top of a volcano. 

The story is fun and even dramatic at places. I mean, how often do I feel sorry for a bob-bomb that explodes, sacrificing itself just so that he at least made an impact? Kamek is always a joy to listen to about his troubles in fighting Mario on Bowser's orders. It's really well written and the graphics looks fantastic and it is all followed by a fantastic soundtrack. Now, the gameplay... and for the most part it works fine. The gimmick of this game is that you are supposed to solve puzzles in aligning enemies in formations to either take out with the hammer or jump on them. With the main enemies it can be fun and addictive with the puzzle solving. But then we have the bosses. Instead of standing in the middle you stand on the side and creates a path with arrows to gather treasure, activate switches to unleash attack, either standard attacks or summons. And I hate it. The stress of the timed puzzles with the fact I clearly ain't that bright when it comes to seeing patterns here. Mostly because the bastards cheats and upset the game board so i can't figure out how to move. Worst were the Vellumental bosses and guess what? The final boss is using all of them, but you gotta hurry, since he also heals if you ain't quick enough. Thanks, makes me really appreciating the Ice Vellumental since it apparently could be much more frustrating.

So bosses really frustrating. But boss characters where fun. The disco dancing Hole Punch that taken over the Tomb of the Shroom where the DJ plays some funky tunes, the Rubber Band boss that enacts several plays in Shogun Theater and a mobster Tape roll. Really fun. There is a section when you travel the sea and I wonder if they just did a simplified Wind Waker and as you fly one of Bowser's airships you bomb paper airplanes out of the sky as they dive bomb against you. I liked collecting trophies and treasures, finding all the toad and hidden blocks (thanks to the developers giving you all the tools you needed). So, as most Paper Mario games, there are moments that you just have to experience, but sadly the boss fights  ain't one of them. Maybe a second playthrough in the future when I don't get blindsided by each boss gimmick. Or maybe just finish off the last 4 trophies to get 100 % and never play the game again. Sill got a large back catalog of  games, but the summer vacation is on its last leg so we shall see if if I can get one game in before that (I know it's December when this goes up, but that makes it just more fun).

One thing that bothers me in the story is Olly's motivation. He hates toads because his creator scribbled on him so he wants to eradicate all toads. Now, we ain't discussing that he went the whole game without reading it and took it for nonsense, but the story proves him right. The toads are bastards. Early thing we encounter is that toads cut down the great tree of the woods... and are sentient. Later on we rescue the toad responsible and he intends to cut down the tree again so he can build a veranda. The toads in the Spa area is slave drivers and what do we make of the house of ninjas which is in itself a death trap? Maybe they actually deserve whats coming to them?

Paper Mario: The Thousand YearDoor (GCN)

A fun adventure albeit a bit "thin"... hehe

So not finishing my cravings for the Gamecube I put in a more lighthearted RPG, Paper Mario. The first Paper Mario game I ever played since we skipped the one for the N64 for some reason. So it starts out with Princess Peach being on holiday (?) in Rougeport, a place of scum and villainy built upon the ruins of an old city that was destroyed 1000-years ago. There she gets a box that only she can open which reveals a treasure map she sends to Mario so he can help her find the treasure. So when he arrives the Princess have been kidnapped so together with new friends he must find the seven crystal stars and find Princess Peach.

All the worlds a stage and all the men and women merely players

It's basically go to a new place, find some upgrade and/or a new companion, defeat the boss, get the crystal star. Then it shifts to Princess Peach in the villains lair, the so called X-Nauts, befriending the AI computer TEC that for some reason falls in love with Peach so he helps her as well as uncovering a lot of the plot. And then it shifts to Bowser trying to find Peach and Mario and trying to get the crystal stars before everyone else. All in all it turns out the old city was destroyed by a demon and it was locked up  behind the door by the crystals star by four heroes (which is hinted at being trapped in the black chest that gives you powers like turning at the side, becoming a roll and turning into boat and a plane) and the X-Nauts are going to use Princess Peach as a vessel for the demon. So with your friends, the seven crystal stars and the prayers from the people all around the world you defeat the Shadow Queen and everything works out fine. 

Let's go Bastille day on this queen

Framing story is simple, but it's the moments that are the most fun. For example the arena Glitzpit where you climb to the top in a tournament fighting the RAWK HAWK, or taking the train to Poshley Heights and it is filled with murder mystery cliches. Certain chapters are more fun than others. The Boogley Woods I recall put me to sleep the first time I played it back when I got the game. Funny enough I still got my old save so I looked through it. I finished the game 2 hours earlier (at 43 hours this time) with 3 less levels and less Hearts and Flower Points in this new run, but I also finished all the troubles and found the secret companion and every shine sprite and 99 star pieces. The only thing I actually did in the old save I would like to do is finishing the 100 pit trail and defeat Bonetail, but I guess I would need some more resources since I can't have played the game as good like this time. Looking at the badges I just used more Hearts and Flowers with are rather useless compared to the right combination of badges so I learned something this time around.

It's a fun game (Bowser getting owned by Gonzales, Mario and Luigi in finding the crystal stars gave me a chuckle), a pity it was the last of it's kind... although Super Paper Mario is inbetween the old and current style of the game, but it changed a lot compared to the first two games. I can see why though, they probably had no new ideas to take the series forward in the same direction. The companions would probably have been repeats and the goomba and koopa show sign of this since they are just the same characters once again. Replaying it was rather fun and having played the original game as well since then I noted several call backs that I missed the first time, both to characters and locations. First obvious one is Kolorado who was an archeologist in the first game that was the father to the koopa of that game and his father showed up here... as a dead body after a fight with Hooktail the dragon, but it was fun knowing who he referred to. Also it's rather fun to see all the times the developers cramed in several hundred characters in the scene to show off the power of the Gamecube compared to the N64.

Paper Mario

Decided to play some lightweight game

So I finally played through Paper Mario for the third time. This time with the convenience of the Wii U and all that it entails. So what can I say about this game? I both like it and find it rather tedious. The story is rather fun and doesn't take itself serious. Nice characters and the musical nods to the previous games are fantastic. The mechanics are also well done with the badge system, the levelling up system and mostly the battle system. What is annoying is that Mario walks so damn slow. Really, the first two times playing I almost fell asleep before the tutorial was over and I reached Toad Town. The battle also drags a bit due to waiting to execute the command attacks and defences that are relaying on timed action presses. I did think it slowed down Magical Starsign and it does the same here. Also, could the timed button presses be more clarified when it's a hit or a miss? Especially the multi bounce attacks seems to change the hitbox window every time I try it and it doesn't help that I have to relearn it every time Mario changes shoes or a new companion is added.

A cheap-cheap? Great 4 new timed actions to keep in mind!

So the story is basically that after Mario gets an invitation to Princess Peach's castle Bowser crash the party and with the stolen Star Rod makes himself invincible so Mario has to gather the 7 star sprites so that they can stop the power of the star rod that grants wishes. Wow 3 lines, that is the story summed up? I could probably add that you will encounter and recruit different people like the cheap-cheap, a koopa, a gomba, a para-koopa, a bomb-om and so on. They basically are used to solve different puzzles in order to reach the end of a stage were a boss awaits and after that a star sprite.

Interestingly it's the one with glasses that are the only one that escaped on his own AND has the best offensive attack

Not much else to say then that it is a fun game, albeit with minor issues that can affect people differently. At least it's better than Sticker Star.