Topic: Paper Mario: The Origami King

10+ hours in, currently at the Fire Vellumental Temple.

I've come to the conclusion that this game is brilliant. Not a perfect game, not a 10/10, but still fantastic! The world is so rich and detailed, the characters are lovely and the music is catchy as hell! Granted, I haven't played any other PM game besides Sticker Star prior to this, but I'm having a really good time so far!

@Quarth
I've decided this is in my top 3 Nintendo games on Switch along with Fire Emblem and BotW.

@rallydefault I wouldn't go that far personally, but maybe in the top 10.

@Quarth
It's the exact kind of game I love. Fun yet ultimately inconsequential story with awesome characters (I seriously think Olivia is one of the best characters Nintendo has made in a long time. Certainly the best companion since Navi), engaging and natural gameplay mechanics... just feels good to explore the world and whack things with the hammer, jump on things, throw the confetti. Collectibles don't feel like a second job.

Definitely top 3 for me. I'm not gonna count Mario Kart lol Hrm... maybe I'd kick out BotW for Mario Maker 2. It's tough. Switch has been such a great console.

@rallydefault for me it’s my favorite switch game to date, didn’t expect this not at all.
Game is so gorgeous, so much details I’m loving it so much.
Got it 100% complete.
My backlog is very big otherwise I whould have started it again!

@rallydefault I agree with everything you say about the game. I'm still not a big fan of the regular battles, but they're fine and not taking away any of the enjoyment from the rest of the game.

My top 10 Nintendo published games on Switch so far is:
1. Breath of the Wild
2. Mario Odyssey
3. Xenoblade Chronicles DE
4. Luigi's Mansion 3
5. FE Three Houses
6. Astral Chain
7. Link's Awakening
8. Super Mario Maker 2
9. Smash Bros Ultimate
10. Tropical Freeze

But if I drop Tropical Freeze, as that is a port, then Paper Mario might get the 10th spot. But then there's Splatoon 2, XC2, Animal Crossing, Clubhouse Games, etc.

@Quarth as a massive Luigi fan, (my favorite character in the Mario world)
I was very disappointed in everything I saw of the game, so never gave it a chance yet.
Looking at your list I see many quality games so I might still try it.

@Quarth
Your list is really close to mine! I'm still on the fence about Astral Chain. You really liked it? (I like Bayonetta, for comparison, but I don't absolutely love it.)

@rallydefault I think Astral Chain is better than Bayonetta. In terms of Platinum games I'd rank it below Nier Automata and above Bayonetta. I bought it at release but didn't have the motivation to play it until a few months ago, and was really surprised with how much I liked it.

I highly suggest KingK's video where he immensely praises the game if others haven't recommended it already or watched it. It actually sold me on the game despite seeing all the negative comments and reviews. It seems that most of the negativity comes from the limitations Nintendo stapled onto the Dev team and the battle system.

I'd argue that the battle system is very interesting as it tries something new and is essentially a puzzle game which can bring some seriously challenging battles. The EXP system has seemingly been replaced with coins which isn't inherently a poor decision as it serves the same purpose. Also, the restrictions may be seen as a huge downside, BUT there is a load of character in these Mario staples (such as everyone's favourite Bob-omb) and there are brand new characters in this game which baffles me as to why people exaggerate this issue as some major set-back. Sure, it limits creativity to a small extent, however this game is absolutely not devoid of creativity. It's chock-full of it. If anything these restrictions may have given the developers even more incentive to make these characters memorable with witty writing and storytelling.

I will absolutely give this game a fair go and I think other people should, rather than just following masses like sheep and missing out on this experience.

@Varkster Fantastic. The Origami King is a lot of fun. Most of the negativity comes from people who are upset it's not an RPG. If that's not a deal-breaker for you, and you have an open mind, you'll probably love the game.

I largely agree with the summation you provided, and I'll raise you this: the game's environments are large-ish, and there're secrets to find EVERYWHERE. And in at least that one respect, it's solidly better than The Thousand Year Door.

Anyway, it seems like games can't release anymore without some form of controversy accompanying them, so yeah, I'd invite you to ignore it.

@Ralizah I think having an open mind and enjoying a game for what it is, rather than hating on it for what it's not, is something people should do more often. That said I understand not all people have the time and patience to experiment with games outside of their comfort zone.

The user score on Metacritic is just plain unjustified especially when put in comparison with a much more controversial game: The Last of Us 2 - which for the most part failed in the story telling and world building aspect. That game is currently sitting at one point higher in score than Paper Mario which is baffling.

That's a whole other topic, however.

@DenDen I guess you're talking about Luigi's Mansion 3?
I loved it! Very atmospheric, great graphics (still one of the best looking games on the system), excellent music and enough new gameplay mechanics to make it feel fresh compared to the previous games, while still keeping that familiar LM feeling. A future classic IMO!

@rallydefault Yeah, I actually prefer Astral Chain to Bayonetta 1 and 2, which are also great games. While Bayonetta is more focused on extreme over the top action, Astral Chain feels a bit more tactical with the change in playstyle between the different legions and it also implements some detective work, making the gameplay more varied. It's also more serious in tone than Bayonetta, but still has some humour baked in. The one thing the Bayonetta games do better, are the characters. There's no one as charismatic as Bayo herself in Astral Chain. But both games are extremely well choreographed action titles, with fantastic world design and boss battles.

@Varkster The KingK video is great. It contains a lot of spoilers though, so beware.

@rallydefault,

Yeah, the toad-town theme is the game's main-theme. Though I prefer the Color-splash soundtrack, this one is also pretty good. And there is some crazy and lovely stuff in there, like the song you hear in the Snifit hotel.

@Cynas @Quarth
Good to know, thanks!

Finished the game recently. It was really good. Solid ending and loved the last castle.

Could have made it to legendary status if it didnt face the artificial restrictions places on it, but even despite that, the game is fantastic. On par with Luigi's Mansion 3, I'd say.

@JaxonH
I agree. I definitely like it more than Luigi's Mansion 3, though - it held my attention much better and I actually wanted to collect everything without it feeling like a chore. One of those few games where I beat the final boss, watched the credits.... and then immediately went back to start collecting the stuff I missed lol

I'm not that good at puzzles and I would buy this paper mario game but looking at boss battles in this game makes me confused. What's even worse is the the boss battles are timed.

@Fujin
The boss battles were overwhelming for me at first with all the icons and stuff. Like anything, it takes practice and time. As long as you have coins, you can buy more time in the battles. And you get accessories that significantly increase your time during the battles.