Super Paper Mario (Wii): When Count Bleck Threatens to Destroy All Dimensions, Who Else is Called into Action to Save the World but Mario?

When Count Bleck threatens to destroy all dimensions, who else is called into action to save the world but Mario?

Super Paper Mario is the third installment of Mario's RPG, paper-themed series. This time around, Mario and company are ditching the stylized turn-based battles for a pseudo platformer RPG thing...Could this dramatic change in style in the Paper universe produce the same fun that arose from the previous two titles? Not quite.

Graphics and Audio (20/25)

This area is difficult to judge objectively, because of the obvious way the game is presented, a 2D Mario game. While I'm all for 2D visuals, a lot of people will turn away from games like this because it doesn't wow you with beautifully rendered polygons. Also, the sound and music is basic Mario-fare, bouncy tunes and whimsical sound effects that are all great for a game of this nature. Nothing here really jumps out, but the game does look and sound very sharp.

Gameplay (14/25)

As I mentioned in the opening, this game switches the formula from previous Paper titles in a big way. Gone are the turn-based battles, precisely timed button presses, and badges, in favor of a action-RPG while paying homage to Mario's 2D platforming roots. For the most part, the formula works. While the new design means more freedom and some creative puzzles, the fun stops about half way through.

The game is divided into levels, old school style (1-1,1-2, etc). Mario must travel through each level in order to go on to the next and advance the game. Sounds simple, but the game throws a ton of obstacles in Mario's path mostly in the form of puzzles.

That's where the game's unique feature of switching from 2D to 3D comes in. For those who just said, "Huh? 2D to 3D? What's he talkin' about?" Here's an example, Mario is walking along when suddenly, there is a pipe blocking his path. It's too tall to jump over, so he flips to 3D, walks around it, and then flips back to 2D. This is only the most simplest of examples. Many other such obstacles are everywhere in this Paper world.

However, these obstacles can hardly be called puzzles. While some are inventive, countless others are simply tedious. They boil down to walking around in 3D, looking for an item, a crack in the wall, a hidden door, a npc, anything to help Mario's quest. Essentially, you spend your time looking for all this hidden crap, so you are not solving puzzles as much as you are just walking around, looking for stuff.

Along with the 3D flipping feature, Super Paper Mario also includes many supporting buddies to help Mario along his journey. This time around, Mario has some help in the form of familiar characters like Peach or even Bowser. In addition, he also acquires the aid of various "pixls," magical creatures with special abilities. The pixls turn out to be no different from the party members Mario receives in previous Paper games, and his supporting cast of mushroom kingdom mates are used too seldom to have a profound affect on the depth of gameplay.

Another thing that didn't help the gameplay was the staggering amount of fetch quests in this game. I often had to travel great distances in order to retrieve essential items for characters. In the end, I found myself unnecessarily traveling and backtracking a lot.

With all of that said, the game is far too easy and short (compared with other Paper games). This quest is at least a good ten hours shorter than the other two games. Also, I never was in any danger of dying along the way. This game is not geared towards combat as others were, and the game practically fed you healing items during every part of the journey, making for an easy stroll through the levels.

Creativity (18/25)

The 3D flipping feature is very innovative, and it adds a fresh dimension (pun unintended) to the game for the most part. Some levels were very cleverly designed and added a nice departure from regular gameplay. As with the past two games, the writing is clever and hilarious. However, all that clever writing does seem to bog the game down a bit (I'll explain later).

On the other side, the game doesn't take advantage of the Wii's controller that much, which would have helped immensely. Especially since the turn-based battles were gone, the game could have used the controller a lot more things than in it. (You use it to use one pixl, and you shake it rid yourself of adverse effects)

Fun (17/25)

All the flaws in the gameplay along with the unnecessarily long story sequences pull this game down from its moments of brilliance. The game is very fun for the first few worlds, but as you go along, you're not seeing anything new. Also, I found myself doing a lot of reading. This wouldn't be bad if the story wasn't so bizarre. While the writing is funny most of the time, this game is very different from previous Mario titles by going with a somewhat serious storyline. In short, it involves a lost love between two of the characters, but do we really care? You will spend at least 10-15 minutes between each world sifting through the story. Nintendo has tried this before with Super Mario Sunshine and its story sequences. It didn't work back then, and it doesn't work now. It's a shame really, since the writing is supposed to be one of the high points of this game.

Closing Comments

This latest installment is a disappointing step backward in the series. The awkward shift from turn-based RPG to action-RPG platformer just didn't work as well as I thought. The game's shifted focus to puzzles that were essentially "find this item" got old quickly. Rent this one if you're starving to play something else on the Wii or if you have never played a Paper Mario game before. To fans of the series, play at your own risk. This game is still OK, but I expected a lot more.

Overall (69/100)