Over at the tree house labeled Nintendo.com, one monkey has revealed some information about the sleeper hit of E3, Super Paper Mario, set for release later this year.

The next game in the origami series will essentially be a 2D platformer, looking quite similar to New Super Mario Bros. at first glance, however it promises to be so much more.

"You can switch among Mario, Bowser and Peach by pressing left on the D-pad. Squeeze R and Bowser breathes fire or, if you are playing as Peach, she'll float long distances using her umbrella, Super Princess Peach-style."

The Nintendo monkey goes on to explain what, to me, sounds the most interesting of all.

"But the king of all moves belongs to Mario. Again by pressing R, you change his world from 2D to 3D. As a full-bodied guy in a world where almost everything else is flatter than a week-old Fanta, Mario can now simply walk around troublesome enemies. Items that were invisible in 2D (because you were viewing them from the side) are now fully visible. Even better, you can interact with them. Can't reach a door in 2D? Switch to 3D and a box might appear that Mario can use as a stepping-stone."

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This approach certainly "disrupts" the classic essence of a Mario game, remember those hidden areas you accessed in Super Mario Bros 3 by going "behind" the level? Super Paper Mario seems to extend that idea by switching the level into 3D and allowing you vision where you could previously never explore.

"While objects and enemies remain 2D, any surface that 3D Mario can tread on is definitely 3D. Mario may find himself standing comfortably in 2D, only to find himself flailing in mid-air, Wiley Coyote-style, when he goes to 3D. For example, steps that appear unified in 2D may be split into left, right and center components in 3D. This inter-dimensional mayhem is rich with puzzling possibilities, which the appropriately named developer Intelligent Systems is sure to exploit to the max. "

After the success of New Mario Bros on the DS, can we really expect two new 2D based Mario games to really work? This gamer hopes so. Good work bros'.

[source nintendo.com]