Paper Mario
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| Paper Mario {{#if:{{{image|}}}|<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">{{{image|}}} | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Intelligent Systems {{#if:{{{publisher|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)<td>{{{publisher|}}} |
| Release date(s) | Image:Flag of Japan.svg August 11 2000 Image:Flag of the United States.svg February 5 2001 Image:Flag of Canada.svg February 5 2001 Image:European flag.svg October 5 2001 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player {{#if:{{{ratings|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)<td>{{{ratings|}}} |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 Nintendo iQue {{#if:{{{media|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media<td>{{{media|}}} |
Paper Mario (Japanese: マリオストーリー, Mario Story) is a video game for the Nintendo 64. It debuted in Japan on August 11 2000, in Canada and the United States on February 5 2001, and in Europe on October 5 2001.
The video game was developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. The spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the Super NES, Paper Mario was the last major Mario title produced for the Nintendo 64; it was also one of the system's few role-playing games. Its title comes from the fact that it has a unique graphical style, reminiscent of the older Mario titles, in which the characters are flat, two-dimensional-looking paper cutouts inhabiting a three-dimensional world, with a full range of 3D movement, as in Super Mario 64.
The game's story premise involves King Bowser Koopa and his assistant, Kammy Koopa, stealing the Star Rod and imprisoning the Seven Star Spirits. They then use their castle to steal Princess Peach's castle, with the Princess still in it. Mario and his eight new friends must now save the Star Spirits and Princess Peach, as well as take back the Star Rod. Paper Mario was scored by Yuka Tsujiyoko, the composer for the Fire Emblem series.
A sequel to Paper Mario, entitled Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, was released in late 2004 for the Nintendo GameCube.
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Development and release
Paper Mario was developed by Intelligent Systems. The directors were Toshitaka Muramatsu, Takahiro Ohgi, and Hironobu Suzuki. Kumiko Takeda and Kaori Aoki wrote the game's script and Naohiko Aoyama was the art director responsible for the game's distinctive graphical style.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Paper Mario was first revealed at SpaceWorld 97, a video game trade show hosted by Nintendo. For lack of a better title, critics referred to the game as Super Mario RPG II and compared the game's 2D character style to PaRappa the Rapper. Shigeru Miyamoto, who consulted on the project, stated that the game was being developed with beginning and amateur gamers in mind.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Yuka Tsujiyoko composed the game's musical score. Her goal was to reflect the comical and lively sound of Koji Kondo's original Mario music in new ways. Tsujiyoko has also stated that the nature of her personality and the influences of her composing partner, Taishi Senda, were reflected in the finished music for the game. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Released in Japan on August 11 2000, in Canada and the United States on February 5 2001, and in Europe on October 5 2001,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Paper Mario immediately met with critical acclaim from a number of reviewers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although the game's release at the end of the Nintendo 64's lifespan affected sales, Paper Mario was still the 8th best selling game for the period from January to June of 2001.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> It was also the top selling game in Japan the week of its release, despite the availability of several games for PlayStation 2 and Sega Dreamcast, which were then "next-generation" consoles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Storyline
The story of Paper Mario begins with brothers Mario and Luigi spending a day at their house in Toad Town, a large city located in the Mushroom Kingdom. The two brothers receive an invitation from Princess Peach to a party at her castle. Upon arrival, the brothers begin socializing with the many guests in attendance until Princess Peach invites Mario to her balcony to talk in private.
Image:Bowser and Peach's Castles.jpg
Before Mario and Princess Peach reach the balcony, a loud rumbling noise can be heard. The Princess's castle is then lifted into the sky by a fortress that had been located underneath the ground. The antagonist of the Mario series, Bowser, has stolen the sacred Star Rod and is using it to grant his evil wishes. He is assisted by a witch known as Kammy Koopa. He had been successful in transforming the protectors of the Star Rod, the Seven Star Spirits, into playing cards and scattered them throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario attempts to battle Bowser, but fails because of the Star Rod's power. After passing out, Bowser banishes Mario to the Mushroom Kingdom below. Princess Peach is shocked and is then ordered to be taken to her room, where she will not be permitted to exit.
Mario lands in an unknown forest in the Mushroom Kingdom. Projections of the Seven Star Spirits appear above Mario and with the strength that remains within them, they heal the wounded man. After leading him to Shooting Star Summit, the Spirits ask Mario to find the evil creatures who are holding each of them captive.
Throughout his journey, eight partners join Mario in locating and saving the Star Spirits from different regions in the Mushroom Kingdom. With their powers combined, Mario is able to use a weapon called the Star Beam to reverse Bowser's wishes with the Star Rod. When even this fails, Princess Peach uses the power of her wishes to give Mario one final chance to defeat the King of Koopas and restore peace to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Gameplay
The backgrounds and objects of Paper Mario features similar 3D computer graphics to those used in Super Mario 64 (1996). However, the characters are designed with the use of 2D computer graphics, a former appearance video games included in the 1980s and early 1990s. This creates the impression of the characters being paper figurines, and is quite reminiscent of older Mario games. This is best seen when Mario spins and falls flat after being defeated. Mario, the protagonist of the Mario series, retains several basic actions including walking, running, jumping, ground pounding, and spinning.
Despite his 2D appearance, Mario can move in all directions, unlike previous Mario titles, however, he is incapable of swimming or crawling. Mario is placed in a newer version of his homeland the Mushroom Kingdom. Whereas the scope and topography had previously been limited, many cities, islands, and numerous climates compose the Paper Mario edition of the kingdom. The Koopa Troopa King (also known as Bowser) has ascended Princess Peach's castle into the sky due to the magic of the Star Rod, a powerful magical wand used for granting the wishes of the Mushroom Kingdom's residents. With the rod in his hands, Bowser can accomplish any deed he desires. Mario must locate the Seven Star Spirits (the guardians of the Star Rod) that Bowser sealed away as playing cards in different places around the Mushroom Kingdom, and advance to the castle in the sky to defeat the Koopa Troopa.
Battle System
Much like in Super Mario RPG, the battles in Paper Mario rely on a cross between traditional turn-based RPG gameplay, including timed button presses (or other motions) that allow for increased damage on enemies, or reduced damage taken from enemies. Paper Mario builds on this concept, introducing a much larger variety of moves and timed actions. Unlike in Super Mario RPG, the size of a party in battle is reduced from 3 to 2, with Mario and one of the party members fighting against the enemies. However, partners are switchable, and it costs the partner their turn, unless equipped with a certain badge. Party members do not take damage like Mario does. Instead they are paralyzed for several turns depending on the damage they receive, although it is very rare for enemies to directly attack them. If Mario runs out of HP, however, the game is immediately lost (unless a special item called a Life Shroom is in the inventory, in which case Mario was immediately revived.)
Paper Mario also differs from its predecessor by implementing a more "common-sense" approach to battles. Enemies are visible in all paths and non-city locations. Encounters occur when these enemies attack Mario or Mario attacks them. If Mario jumps or hammers an enemy in the area he is in, he begins the battle by launching a preemptive strike. However, some enemies also have the ability to launch a first strike themselves. Furthermore, hammers are ineffective against flying foes, and jumping on a spiked enemy only results in damage to Mario. All of these features create what many believe to be a more immersing battle system.
Heart Points and Flower Points
Unlike many other RPGs, Paper Mario does not use large numbers of hit points. The most Mario's HP can go up to normally is only 50 (although a few special badges can raise this total to 65), and enemies' HP can reach a maximum 99 (and only in the game's final boss battle and one optional boss battle). Also unlike most RPGs, damage never exceeds two digits; in fact, an attack that does 10 points of damage can be considered lethal. The uniqueness of Paper Mario's battle system lies in both these small numbers and an addition/subtraction system for calculating damage and level-up increases. For instance, using Mario's basic hammer against an enemy with zero defense will do 1 damage, 2 if the Action Command is successfully executed. If the enemy has 1 defense, then the aforementioned attack will do no damage or 1 damage, respectively.
Flower Points, introduced in Super Mario RPG, are a shared resource between all characters, used for pulling off special techniques and other miscellaneous functions. Mario's special attacks require FP, as do party members'. Unlike Super Mario RPG, though, enemies do not need FP to perform special attacks. Like HP, FP maxes out at 50, with a few badges increasing the total to 65.
Badges
Image:Paper Mario Badge.jpg Badges replace the traditional RPG staple of armor, accessories, and other such things being equipped on Mario. Badges provided a wide range of effects, such as bestowing powerful new abilities like the Ultra Smash or Mega Quake, allowing Mario to jump on enemies that would normally damage him when he did so, increasing attack or defense power, or temporarily increasing the maximum FP/HP. Different badges are effective in different situations, and many badges were hidden in hard to find places, providing a sidequest for completists who wanted to have all of the badges. Players can ask Merluvlee the fortune teller for a clue about the locations of badges that they have yet to find.
Badge Points are a method of limiting the amount of badges that Mario can equip. Mario's BP goes up to 30, and there are no badges that increase this amount. Different badges use up varying amounts of Badge Points, which forces the player to use strategy in equipping different combinations of badges in different situations. Since the game's release, many players have created ideal badge combinations and shared them on internet websites.
Leveling
Similar to the leveling system in Super Mario RPG, a levelup allows the player to choose between raising HP, FP, and BP. Unlike in Super Mario RPG, however, this is not a bonus to a set increase beforehand. Instead, this increase is the only method of raising the maximums. BP and FP can each be raised 9 times, to a maximum of 30 and 50, respectively, and HP only 8, placing Mario's maximum level at 27.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It should also be noted that Mario's attack and defense can not be increased by leveling up; instead they can be increased by using badges (and, in the case of attack power, weapons).
Star Points
Mario earns these points when he and his team win a battle. If the Star Point meter goes up to 100, Mario can boost his HP and FP by 5 and boost his BP by 3. Once the player reaches level 27, Mario will no longer receive star points.
In addition, as the player levels up, previous enemies such as the goombas and koopas will be worth less star points. Eventually, they will be worth nothing at all. This forces the player to fight stronger enemies in order to level up.
Star Spirit Powers
Mario can use these powers after he rescues the first Star Spirit in the game. These are special powers that require Star Power to use. When the first Star Spirit is rescued, the player will have one bar of Star Power. The more star spirits the player rescues, the more bars of Star Power the player can have at maximum, and the more moves the player can use. When a power is used, it uses one, two, or three bars of star power, depending on the move. To gain more star power, the player has to use the Focus command in battle or rest in an inn. The Star Power bar can also fill up as a battle progresses.
Characters
Main characters
The eponymous hero of the adventure, Mario, initially defeats Bowser. Mario travels through the many lands of the Mushroom Kingdom in order to save the Star Spirits and again defeat Bowser in battle. Along the way he gains many new and powerful allies, greatly increases his power, and defends the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom from the tyrannies of their new overlord.
Princess Peach is the damsel in distress of the game and many other Mario games. In this game, however, she takes a more active role as she moves covertly through the Castle to complete various tasks. After her initial imprisonment by Bowser, she meets Twink, a Star Kid who offers her help and support in her fight to topple her captors. Later in the game, she again meets up with Mario and uses her great powers to aid him as he battles Bowser.
Bowser and Kammy Koopa, the villains of the game, break into Star Haven in order to steal the sacred Star Rod. After using the Rod to imprison the Star Spirits, Bowser then uses it to make himself stronger, and has all of the Castle's occupants, including Princess Peach, held captive. In the course of the game, he is revealed to keep a diary in which he secretly expresses feelings for Princess Peach. This exposes a softer side of the King of Koopas.
Party Members
Goombario is the first member of Mario's party. When Mario is knocked out of the castle, he loses consciousness, and wakes up in a Goomba Village, where a Goomba family lives. After some misadventures, one of the family members, Goombario, a big fan of Mario's, decides to join Mario's party. Out of battle, he has the ability to tell Mario about people and the area he's in and give him hints. In battle, he has the ability to tell the player about the enemy, and attack with his powerful headbutt attack.
Kooper is the second member of Mario's party. He is an adventure-loving Koopa Troopa with a Blue Shell, and he needs Mario's help in order to get it back from the Fuzzies, who invaded his hometown and stole the villager's shells. Once Mario defeats the Fuzzies and brings Kooper's Blue Shell back, he puts it on, and joins his party. Kooper has the ability to hit switches or retrieve items that Mario can't reach and can attack enemies outside of battle. In battle, he can use his power shell attack to hit multiple ground enemies at once.
Bombette is the third member of Mario's party. She is a Pink Bob-omb, modeled after Super Mario 64's Bob-omb Buddies, and is being held captive in the Koopa Bros' Castle. Once Mario falls into the prison where she is kept, she helps them all escape, joining his party soon afterwards. She has the ability to explode, destroy weak walls and boulders, flip switches, and attack enemies outside of battle.
Parakarry is the fourth member of Mario's party. He is a Koopa Paratroopa mailman, the same mailman from the introductory cutscene of the game, and he lost several letters at Mt. Rugged. When Mario meets him, he asks for his help in finding them. Once Mario obtains them all, Parakarry joins his party. Parakarry can carry Mario over pits and fly for a short period of time. Parakarry makes an apperance in the sequel, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, delivering the letter from Peach about the Magical Map in a fashion similar to how he delivered the invitation in Paper Mario. Other than Bow, he's the only party member of the original to appear in the sequel.
Lady Bow, the fifth member of Mario's party, (probably the most popular party member among fans) and a distinguished Boo. She has one of the Star Spirits held captive, and refuses to give it to Mario unless he defeats Tubba Blubba, a giant monster that eats whatever Boo he can get his hands on. She joins Mario's party to assist in defeating him. She has the ability to make Mario transparent, hiding him from enemies and making him impervious to their attacks as well as get through retracting spike filled rooms that cannot be crossed fast enough. Her attacks possess the power to do more damage than other partners' regular attack, but since she deals many blows at a time, she is not a good choice to attack enemies with "defense." Bow is mentioned in the sequel, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and appears in it, as well. Other than Parakarry, Bow is the only party member from the original to appear in the sequel.
The sixth member of Mario's team, Watt, is a young Lil' Sparky, an enemy from Super Mario World. She is being held captive in the Big Lantern Ghost's Lantern. Defeat him, and she will join Mario's party. Watt has the ability to lighten up dark areas and can reveal invisible blocks. Her basic attack ignores an enemy's "defense" factor, which is critically important in defeating enemies like Kent C. Koopa or Bowser himself.
The seventh member of Mario's team, Sushie is a Cheep-Cheep. She is the babysitter of several Baby Yoshis, but when they all run off, she joins Mario's party to find them. Mario can swim in and dive down into water using her. She attacks with water, which makes her a good choice to take down fire-based foes.
The eighth and final member of Mario's team, Lakilester is a Lakitu. At first, he attacks Mario under his nickname "Spike," but when he defeats him, his girlfriend, Lakilulu, flies down and inadvertently reveals his true name. He joins Mario's team to defeat Huff N. Puff. Using Lakilester, Mario can hover safely across certain areas, such as spikes, without being hurt.
Notes
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