Super Paper Mario

This game surprised me. I had absolutely no intention of purchasing this game when I first heard about it. I didn't know much about it either. I got bored at work one day, read a review, watched a quick preview, and that has made all the difference. It ranks high among Nintendo Wii games too. Its incredibly unique controls, story, and gameplay make for a great experience.

The best way to describe Super Paper Mario is "role-playing for beginners" with the nostalgia from the 8-bit Nintendo days. However, there are some added twists that make things a little more exciting. With all that in mind, let's get started.

Gameplay: For as simple as the controls are, this game does a great job at keeping things interesting. The controls only utilizes the Wii Remote. For most of the game, it is held sideways in the "traditional" style, and you don't use more than 3-buttons (a 4th to access the menu/pause) and the control pad. I'll let you guess what the control pad does. One button jumps, the other will perform the action that your selected Pixl does (more on that soon), and when you're Mario, the 3rd button flips into the 3D view. Like I said, very simple controls.

As I said before, this is a role-playing game. As you defeat enemies, your score increases. Remember that score from the first Super Mario Brothers? It didn't mean anything, but kept tallying up as you hit blocks, jumped on guys, and picked up items. In Super Paper Mario, those points actually mean something. Once your score reaches a certain point, you level up. Typically during a level up you'll either increase your hit points by 5 or you'll increase your attack by 1 point. As you keep getting points, it gets easier to face your opponents. Its the RPG at its most simple and raw form.

The one thing I tend to enjoy about any action, RPG, or shooter (1st or 3rd person) are the puzzles. Its rare to find good puzzles in games these days, but Super Paper Mario really makes it interesting without being too overly frustrating. Like Zelda, whenever I got stuck, I had to just step away from the game for a little, give myself a break, and come back a little later. They took some paying attention, knowing what your Pixls can do, and knowing how you can take full advantage of your Pixls.

Okay, by now you're probably wondering what a Pixl is... these little babies, each with their own name, give your character (typically Mario) the ability to do different things. Thoreau looks like a little hand and allows you to grab objects and throw them. Boomer is a bomb and lets you drop/explode one bomb at a time at your will. Cudge is a hammer that lets you slam enemies and blocks. There are a number of these guys and they are necessary to solving puzzles. They're pretty fun. The only catch is that you can only use one Pixl at a time (but you can switch anytime during gameplay). You will see the one you're currently working with as it flies around you as you move.

The characters involved throughout the game are the classics... Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Bowser. BOWSER? Yep. Each has their own special ability that is critical for progressing. Mario is the only character that can flip from the side-scrolling 2D view to the 3D view (looking down towards the end of the side-scrolling board). This allows you to pick out things you can't see in 2D. Its a real fun twist and you have to "flip" often to help you throughout the game. You'll find pipes hiding behind stairs, coin boxes and items, a means to avoid enemies, and a way to get through the game. Luigi can jump really high... surprise, surprise. Peach can "float," just like in Super Mario 2 and when she ducks, she protects herself with her umbrella. Bowser, who joined the team to help prevent "all games from ending," is the slowest of the bunch, but does twice the damage and can blow fire. When the game starts, its just you, Mario. As you go along you eventually pick up the rest of the characters at different times, then you lose a few, then you get them back... etc. etc. You never lose Mario though, who you use the most anyway.

As for the story, I tended to enjoy it. I don't want to go into it too much, but here's how it all starts out. The villain, Count Bleck, has read this book, the Dark Prognosticus, which tells its reader how the future will bring an end to the world if he can do a few things to set it all up. To battle this, a Light Prognosticus was created to combat it. The first step require the creation of the Chaos Heart, which is created when Peach marries Bowser. This puts the whole story into motion. Its a pretty bizarre start to a good adventure. As you go along, there are some funny jokes about the plumbers and how ridiculous the whole premise is, which keeps things light. I do think the game/story goes on a little bit longer than I'd prefer.

There are side missions that are optional too. They have "Capture Cards" that you can collect throughout the journey. There is one for each enemy and most characters involved. I think there are over 250 cards to find. I opted not to, but have fun with that. They also have maps that you can purchase. Each map has a different screen shot of a place you've been. Once you go there, you use a Pixl named Fleep to reveal a treasure. The only problem is that you can't find the treasure at all until you purchase the map. There is also an arcade with some fun mini-games too.

Graphics: For trying to hold onto what Mario has been, this game does a great job at bridging the gap between old and new. Its a very clean and crisp looking game. I think they did a great job here. Its obviously not a realistic as Zelda or any other game, however, that isn't what they were going for when it was created. I think they hit the nail on the head here.

Sound: One major downfall with the Wii games I've played so far is their sound. I guess I shouldn't expect much from Super Paper Mario though. There isn't any dialog, but I think its important to leave that out with these characters. There is the occasional "Ooh!" and "Yea!" from Mario, but that's about it. I don't have a lot of good things to say, but then again, I don't have a lot of bad things to say either.

Replay-ability: Like most all Mario games, this game does have some replay-ability. Not as much as Zelda, and the length of the game doesn't make it as replay-able as any of the old Marios, but I would probably pick it up again to search out those maps or play some of the mini-games.

Wrap-Up: Overall, I enjoyed playing this game. The story kept me intrigued, the puzzles kept me thinking, the levels were unique, the characters were fun. Its a very casual game to get involved with. Even my wife enjoys playing it, which is always an added bonus around the house. Either way, I recommend picking it up at some point.