Topic: Just recently finished paper mario 1 & 2 and having a blast with sticker star

So I am at the desert boss at 2-5 right now and I can finally sort of give my thoughts on this game I think.

I had been curious about it for a long time while going through the first 2 games. "What could it be that makes people dislike it so much. Could they're complaints be legit?" And i'm actually glad to say that for me all that i've read has been absolute nonsense. Everything I liked about the first 2 games shines really well in this game. What I liked about the first 2 paper mario games was the mostly the gameplay. Mostly all the absolutly clever designed fields etcetera, and sticker star does that too, allthough with less set of moves/no partners. I feel like sticker star benefits from restricting itself in this area.

The game doesn't have all the partners extra moves but keeps things with the hammer and jump and builds ideas around that. What sets is apart ofcourse are placing stickers at the right spots. This is where the cleverness comes imo. Being at the desert boss means I collected the puzzle pieces and it required me to explore around and figure things out a lot before I was able to enter 2-5 tower. I really loved doing this.

The battles. I think the stickers are a reaaally excellent idea for the battle system. Not only does it make you strategize more on what moves to use, but it also forces you to uses every move the game offers. In paper mario 1&2, kinda like every rpg; when you find the right effective set of moves that "work" you stop really exploring alternatives. The battles are very fun and fast paced. Also challenging at times.

My question is, what am I missing? Why don't people like this game so much? My guess is that people miss the elements that are become dear to them because of nostalgic sentiments. But honestly from a game design standpoint the only flaw I can point out is mandetory stickers having to be used at spots. Also I can imagine some frustrating moments because the game requires you to think at certain spots in which I imagine some would get stuck. IE getting rid of the tornado with the vacuum cleaner sticker.

I friggin love Nintendo for knowing when to listen to fans and when they shouldn't, and am glad that they're likely doing just that with color splash.

I do not miss any of the story because I couldnt care less about that. Maybe a little of the funny dialogue but i'm fine with spending more time playing . The nice fields and music, which were more impactful to my experience are thankfully still there.

Ps: I did find super paper mario really tedious and bad however.

@DJaa I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. Internet consensus confirms Sticker Star is a bad game. Please take yourself to the nearest gamer servicing station for remedial servicing

I've not played any of the Paper Mario series enough to have any opinions yet on any of them, but it always pleases me when someone sensible like you is happy to speak up for their positive experiences with what appears to be an unfairly treated title.

I certainly enjoyed it, it's an interesting blend of genres. You've turn based combat of many RPG games, the movement of a platformer and puzzles similar to many adventure games. I found it a step up from Super Paper Mario.

As someone who loves the battle system in the first two games (even getting into unnecessary battles as a result), my main gripe with this game is with the battle system. In particular, the over-reliance on stickers discourages me from encountering anything but the most important enemies (otherwise I'm just wasting my stickers!). Why would I play a game where I don't want to engage with one of the main forms of gameplay?

@Buizel

I dont know tbh I never looked at it the way you do. I see enemies and judge my action from there, which in my case is battling most of the time. I waste lots of stickers in the process sure but thats what makes it great in my experience as it keeps me alert on what cards to use and which to safe for the more nescesary situations

Isn't that kind of similar to the platform games though? Like they come at you and you go at them if you are that kind of player risking to get hit, or you run and jump over them/go around em.

I've encountered plenty of enemies that have been placed in a way or move in a way which made em unavoidable though, and it only gets worse as I progress. My playstyle is then again different because I like cleaning things up. But even then its nice not feeling "punished" when avoiding them after revisiting places.

I guess the reward for battling is a safe field, some coins and if lucky some nice exclusive stickers. The game in that sense really is truer to the franchise compared to the previous exp driven games.