Still Not Convinced On Paper Mario: The Origami King? This Accolades Trailer Might Do The Trick

All the accolades and trailers in the world won't change how much they've changed paper Mario games over the years.

The game just isn't for me anymore.

Sorely tempted but I have so many unfinished things on my Switch at the moment...still haven't finished Luigi's Mansion, still haven't finished SoR 4, barely scratched Grid although I had a good burst on it last night, barely scratched Smash...it'll be in that list of games I want to get but haven't pulled the trigger on like Link's Awakening, Astral Chain etc. I've been trying to avoid backlogs but damn, life gets in the way.

I am playing it these days and it is quite good. I mean, a good game. But I have not still beaten the game so ....
...But I am not sure about the battle system. The system itself is interesting, but the battles can be repetitive and I am not sure if it is suitable for this genre. It just feels kinda out of place.

Not the biggest fan of Paper Mario games to be honest. I did like the one that was on Wii but that’s about it.

This was my first Paper Mario game. I’m about 30 hours in and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve always preferred the Mario & Luigi series RPGs, but this is similar.

I just beat it a couple days ago. The combat system isn't the best but exploring the world and experiencing the characters was such a joy. Highly recommend.

Half way love it! Very good, and I don’t miss ‘xp’ or whatever at all. There’s still a great sense of progression in the game.

Doesn't change anything. Also the fact they didn't include ratings is because they never recieved anything higher than an 8 in the mainstream. IGN gave it a 7.

I'm actually really enjoying it. The only issue I would have had was the battling being pointless but the puzzles often add a difficulty that overrides that. I avoid battles where I can but i'm not annoyed when i'm in them. Some of the ring puzzles stump and annoy me because I can't do them!

@Snaplocket why are you saying that on a nintendo website? Anything relevant for us?

@nookmiler I was a bit on the fence too. Since I enjoyed 1000 year door so much when I replayed it with GameXplain a few weeks back. Bur this paper mario is very good in its own way! And also has fun characters, interesting story, good mechanics, collectibles, and just a ton of charm. Just as with 1000 year door, but in it’s own way. Just saying

And since when is an average of 8 considered bad?
https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/paper-mario-the-origami-king/critic-reviews

I was torn between this and Ghost of Tsushima, but in the end I put my paper down on the latter because of Paper Mario's past issues.

However, my interest in this is in-creasing after watching some reviews and gameplay, so I may cut out some time for it next month.

Accolades trailers don't really mean anything to me personally. There are quite a few games series that review well consistently yet every time I try one, it has problems which put me off (in some cases, the same problem). For example, Call of Duty frequently reviews well.

I am still not convinced that I will enjoy this Paper Mario any more than Sticker Star or Colour Splash.

I just beat Paper Mario in about 35 hours. Didn’t get 100% bec a few toads were way too hard to find for me. I’ve enjoyed every minute of this game, and brought back good feelings and vibes similar to when I played and beat Mario Odyssey (i still think Odyssey is way superior a game)

Is paper Mario a perfect game? Far from it. No game is perfect but sometimes you just want to play a game that is just pure fun and makes you smile constantly. PMTOK is that game.

It looks good, but I'm in no rush. This isn't a game that makes me feel the need to run out and buy it within days of release and push aside everything else I'm currently playing. I'd try a demo of it though, or if it ever falls into that trials system Nintendo like to utilise occasionally

Excellent game. Honestly Origami King is WAY more fun than the first two paper mario games, and I love those. I also had my doubts. I get the puzzle battles are obtuse at first, but when it when it clicks, it is extremely satisfying. I just want them to expand this style, like maybe add more actions for the partners. Other than that, I absolutely love this game so far. Hands down the best boss fights in a nintendo game in a long time. Kinda sad this game will probably always be judged for what its not.

the game looks great but who is the stupid combat system designed for. casuals will get frustrated rpg players will be switch it off. and only deluded happy clapper fan will go this is a great idea, especially to line up attacks some enemys from back look the same what moron thought wow great idea

I don't care how good the rest of the game is if the battling feels pointless and a constant hinderance to avoid. Don't care how charming the world is, or how great the dialog, etc. It's an adventure game that stops the flow, RPG style, but "isn't an RPG" so there is no good reason to battle, no exp, no rare gear, nothing. Nothing you get from it that you don't get from exploring the world. Most of the puzzles in the battle are easy, some are complex, but both you can barrel thru even if you do them wrong, because Nintendo. Who cares about accolades from a few select sites?

Oh, Ryan... Putting more gasoline on the fire?

Game's good! I enjoy it very much.

Amazing game from what I've played so far.

@Kalmaro So you haven't played it yet? You're missing a lot.

Totally the same reaction as when majoras mask AND wind waker were released. The dust hasn’t settled yet

If Nintendo really want us to reconsider how about a free demo so we can decide for ourselves?

I thought I would pass on this game, but some of the posts on this thread make me reconsider. I do love humor in a game, and the world does look good . . .

I too think Nintendo should put out a demo. After Sticker Star and Colour Splash I'm not really willing to risk buying the game without a chance to see how I feel about the battles.

I'm loving it! So so good.

@BulkSlash The battles are a very very small portion of the game. The exploration, story and boss battles are a joy.

I’ll buy it second hand in a month or two.

Don’t have time to play games in summer anyhow

Yeah when I heard that they've heard criticism and just didnt give 2 ***** I lost respect for whoever is making these games.

The only thing that can convince me to get this trainwreck would be a 15 euro pricetag at the very highest. And because this is a Nintendo title it will never drop to that price, or at least it will take years for it to get there. The series has become practically worthless to me.

@cowntsikin I don't believe so, this isn't the style of game I wanted. They've changed too much stuff over the years to make me interested in buying this unless it was heavily discounted.

I have three on my 3ds unplayed and then Color Splash unfinished. While I think this might be fun, I am over saturated on Mario RPGs at the moment.

Tbh, people seem hot on this game. I know TTYD enthusiasts who still like it, that says a lot about the game.

I played all the games in the series, and this one is in my top 3.
Everybody should give this one a chance it’s very good, the battle system needs to grow on you and it’s quite fun especially the boss battles.

@mossimac idk, I’d say the battles are a pretty big part of it. That said, I think they are really fun. I’ve yet to see an actual criticism of the battling that wasn’t rooted in the fact that there’s no xp. There’s a reason to battle, people! And it’s fun if you want to try something new for once!

@Crockin I think my biggest issue is that you aren't given an option to try something new, you're being forced to abandon a system some folks already liked for a new system that nobody asked for.

That said, I'm happy you're enjoying the game.

@WiltonRoots,

Same here, the game looks awesome, but just spending far too much time on Animal crossing.

@Crockin Wrong comparison. People didn't initially like WInd Waker because of the art style. Not the case here. I don't remember anyone hating Majora when it came out, some grumblings about not be able to play as adult Link, but that's it.

The amount of folks sleeping on this entry is really unfortunate.

Like, I get having felt burned after not getting a TTYD follow-up after all these years... but considering I've almost 100% Origami King, I can anecdotally attest that the gamer cynicism isnt always right, and if anything, spoils folks on potential enjoyment.

Going in blind doesnt always pay off for me, but I'm glad I did with this game.

Accolades won't change my mind about a game I've played and not enjoyed. The battle system sucks, pure and simple. And I'm not some Paper Mario aficionado - Color Splash is the only other one I've played and I loved that.

@Dang69 there was definitely majora backlash in 2000 over the fact that it was essentially Zelda with a timer. It wasn’t really considered a classic until later. As for wind waker, the comparison is more about judging the game based on what some people wanted it to be instead of on its on merit. And just like OK, it still got good reviews, and many criticisms were walked back.

Story and characters look fun. Battle system looks like a drag. This is a sale item for me. And max I'd pay 20 bucks so...

@Crockin The issue with the battles, the exp is one potential problem with it, just an example of a solution to the bigger probem. They made this an adventure game, but still insist on having rpg style battle encounters that pause the exploration. The reason exp is an issue here is that exp is incentive to not avoid battles. It also can be a nice way to scale up difficulty as a game progresses and give the player a sense of growth. Anything you receive from a battle here you easily already get from the environment while exploring. If they removed rpg style "stop everything" battle encounters and did more of a Super Paper Mario thing here where you battle more action game style that would be fine. If they embraced the rpg battle style and gave exp, or removed the ability to get confetti from the overworld (and made more areas that needed to be traversed thru use of confetti), reduced coins in the overworld and or gave you rare gear and loot from battles then this would also be fine. Instead you are left with this weird, inbetween RPG and adventure game Mario game, that wants to be easy for little kids, but also try to sort of appeal to the "core" crowd (as Nintendo keeps calling) that really does nothing for either except be very charming and very pretty to look at it. It's like having a trophy wife or trophy husband who is all style over substance.

Loving it, battle system for normal fights are still my downfall, but boss battles are great.
The stupid jokes and quips are there so I love it.

@DTFaux I agree 100%. It's not a real RPG.. but it's an incredible Mario game. Don't sleep on this. It's probably my 2nd favorite Nintendo game that has released this year. #1 Animal Crossing of course.

@johnvboy yep not even counting other things sitting on my wish list on the eshop. I think I’m good for games for a while. Besides which, it’s not like there’s a sell by date on these titles is there?

@Dang69 I’m well aware of all of that, and this game is not going to be for everyone. Doesn’t mean it’s bad design tho, just means it’s not for you and that is ok

I'm really enjoying it. I do miss the structure of TTYD, but I decided to go in to this with an open mind. As an adventure game it's great.

@Crockin I don't remember that being a criticism of Majora. Funny, I'm older, and I don't remember anybody saying much of anything about that game. Gamecube was coming out a year later and the PS2 had launched a month prior. I personally just forgot about it when it released. No one was talking about it in any of my circles at the time.

@BeefsoundMagnus As someone who has only played Sticker Star and TTYD myself, I'll say you're in for a good time. TOK has been exceeding my expectations pretty regularly since I've started playing.

@Dang69 anecdotal, but I was just starting in games journalism at that time, and there was definitely backlash. Not on the same level as wind waker for sure. My point is, origami king is different, maybe even a bit obtuse. But if you are able to get past what it isn’t, there is an excellent game here for you, warts and all. Majora is certainly more flawed than this I must add. Just have to actually play it to know for for sure though🤪

@Crockin I think it is badly designed tho. That's specifically what I'm saying. I'm not saying it is a bad game tho either. There is plenty of other high quality things in it, music, dialog, art direction, environments to offset the poor design of the battle system and how it works into the flow of the game, so that it isn't a BAD game.

This is a fantastic game. A must have for the switch. If you like paper mario. You will love this.

@Dang69 I would disagree on the battle design though. It works exactly as its supposed to, they teach succinctly how to do it, there’s a reason to do it, and you’re not bombarded with it at every turn. We probably won’t agree on that, but that’s ok. Have you played for yourself?

@1UP_MARIO Not if you love the 1st 2 games in the series you may not. A big appeal of the series initially that made it stand out was "hey guys isn't it weird that this platformer series is an RPG?!" The style of this game also follows the style of the last 2 games that were not that well received...so I'm curious as to what aspects of this, for older Paper Mario fans make this a must have? Maybe it's a good game for people who aren't Paper Mario fans tho?

@Crockin I've watched 3 different Twitch streamers I love play it for a few hours each. All 3 of them enjoyed them it, so I'm not copying any hate from them. Also have watched a million youtube videos...cuz I've been on the fence about it until recently. I actually love the idea of the puzzle system BUT all the points I've made previously negate my interest in that aspect. My issue with the battle system isn't entirely that it is puzzle based, it is how it works into the flow of the game and it's actual reason for existing. Also kudos to you for not be a fanatic and flying off the handle on me for being critical. Total respect.

@Dang69 I love the first two in the series and I know it also has its problems. I love super paper mario too. I didn’t finish sticker star but colour splash was great.

I ve played all previous paper mario and this is an excellent paper mario..

@Dang69 well you do actually have to play the game to weigh in on the good or bad design criticisms! But definitely also fair to see something that isn’t your cup of tea and give it a pass.

Looks cute but not into the series enough to spend 60 bucks now. I'm still playing Animal Crossing now and then and just got Carrion instead. Really enjoying Carrion and will probably hit my backlog and other games until Nintendo announces something I MUST HAVE.

@Crockin shh don't say anything negative about the first two paper Mario games, everyone's gonna get mad!

@Benhop07 I didn't! lol. I love those games too!

@Crockin I dont think I always have to play a game to understand it before I potentially spend $60 bucks on it. Something like a fighting game or 3rd or 1st person shooter, yes, you really need to physically play it, because of how the game mechanically feels, the on-sighting, the lag built into the systems, the bloom on weapon sprays, the responsiveness of moves, etc, but not this. Those sorts of sensitivities don't factor in. Watched PM on Twitch for hours, HOURS, with 3 different streamers I'm talking to, while they play it (are smaller channels so they reply). It's the same as sitting on the couch next to someone.

I personally find discounts more convincing.

@DenDen But there's only 6 games in the series (not sure if one counts Paper Jam), so top 3 isn't saying much. Where would you place it specifically?

I never got into the Paper Mario games. I would much rather have a sequel (or remake) to Super Mario RPG but thanks to Square-Enix that will probably never happen...

I don’t give a damn how many accolades this game gets, still doesn’t make it a proper Paper Mario in my eyes. Hard pass until they bring back combat system, leveling, and compelling characters that aren’t all toads.

....Nope, still not getting it...

If they patch the game and fix the problems with the battle system I would consider buying it but until then nope

Nah, I'm not into it and nothing is gonna change my mind. I've seen much gameplay at this point, and my feelings toward it have changed not a bit. Nothing will change my mind.

I was forged in a world where Paper Mario was a title that meant the game was a storybook RPG full of fantastical lands and varied characters. Anything less is nothing but disappointment, and no amount of hollow gimmickry and insipid referential pandering will change that.

Tempted. Still the battle system doesn't look like I'd enjoy it for too long. Will buy eventually, just not at full retail price.

@drewber2635 Maybe, maybe not. The reason PM exists int he first place is because Nintendo went with a cartridge based console for N64, which prompted (after tests) Square to release games FFVII on PS. This then prompted Nintendo to tell Square to "Never Come Back" (google that phrase, NL even has an article on it). This created a ton of bad blood for years. PM was Nintendo's answer to both losing any opportunity to follow up on another game with Square AND the limitations of the N64 cartridges. N64 was more powerful than PS in many ways BUT cartridges were so limited in the amount data that could be written to them that things like textures, cutscenes and music took a huge hit. That's why Paper Mario's world is paper, as well as being a clever hook.

Yup. Still not convinced.

I've been on the fence about picking it up, but decided against it. Art direction is amazing and the writing is quite amusing, but I can't get over the absolutely horrid combat system.
If I wanted to play a puzzle game under time pressure, I'd pick up Tetris, Columns, Puyo Puyo, Puzzle Bobble and whatnot.

I guess Ninty might bring back exploring the Mushroom kingdom on a traditional RPG-fare, xp, equipment and items with the next installment in the series, but I can always just go back to the N64- and GC-version if they don't.

That glowing GeekDad endorsement, tho.
Like, they cited GeekDad when Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash needed accolades. That's telling.

I Pre ordered the game with the origami sheets and have been playing it with my daughter. Loving it so far, The Thousand Year Door has always been the series highlight for me and no entry has come close to that so far in my opinion so i was sceptical to say the least, but I have been pleasantly surprised. So far it seems to have the perfect balance of great level design, comedy storytelling, turn based battles and rpg elements (even if it's not as rpg heavy as PM2) The only downside is I can't play it unless my 4 year old daughter is with me as she won't let me haha 😅

@NerdyBoutKirby hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day! xD

@Crockin That's... is where you're mistaken. It is bad design in general.

The battles serve no real purpose. They're literally only there to waste your resources so you spend coins, just like in Sticker Star and Color Splash. In the first 3 Paper Mario games (yes I am including Super because it had exp), the use of your resources (FP, and Items) was the trade-off for obtaining your EXP (or Star Points) and it made a system where you were getting something of substance out of it and a feeling of growth and progression. With these battles it's basically the Elixir Hoarding issue that is common with JRPs turned up to 11.

SS, CS, and now the Origami King are only keeping the RPG battles because it's a series staple and much like the aforementioned piece of papercraft equipment, it feels like they're just tacking it on in attempt to entice old players and the only thing you get out of it is more coins, where you can get so many of them it essentially becomes meaningless eventually.

If the use of coins was more prominent outside of buying yourself items to use and was major part of the gameplay and the story, then these design choices could be justified more, but then it would turn into something more suited for having Wario as the protagonist than Mario.

Overall point is: if a part of your system design is a net negative to the overall play of the game, then it's a bad system and it needs to go back to the drawing board.

I'm happy I've ignored the negativity from people who've never played the game. It's pretty fun
Lack of level grinding is a feature to me

It's a great game. Probably my #2 fave in series behind 64. Give Paper a chance.

The worst thing associated to Origami King are Tanabe's comments in that interview released right before the game. I almost skipped the game partially due to those comments. I have the game though and have been enjoying the game a lot. It reminds me a lot of my first play through of Super Mario Odyssey, without its more filler kingdoms, so far, but I'm not willing to say it is better just yet. I do think it has the potential to end up as my favorite Mario IP release on the Switch.

"The Origami King" is easily on top with the original game and "The Thousand Year Door". There are some points which are not so good and some which are definitely better than the first two entries.
But the endgame is clearly the best of them all.

@MegaVel91 not really, because the game is fun! And the battles do serve a purpose. You need coins to buy stuff and you need to battle to progress at certain times and you can use them in battle to add more time or get help from toads. Sorry, wrong wrong wrong lol try again!

For the Next time someone says

"Reviews and final number scores do not matter"

Obviously it does 😉

Bought it - playing it. Not liking the battles (yep, they are not great) does not ruin the entire game for me. Still a pretty fun game as a whole, and laughed a bunch of times playing it. Always a good sign during a crap commute 👍

I'm close to the halfway point.

The battles are getting a lot more involved, and the puzzles are getting challenging! I also go looking for a fight because I'm on a confetti shortage. It also means I can't run away anymore.... Why was that a problem again?!

The game itself is amazing. Every little thing is polished beyond belief. Every little area is themed, has new (battle) music and is filled to the brim with clever secrets.

I'm still in love!!

@Crockin You could literally bypass all the enemies in the overworld that aren't required fights and it wouldn't change anything. That's how bad it is.

It's the same issue with Sticker Star and Color Splash. If your system is that inconsequential to the game as a whole, that's a problem.

Making systems in such a way that they are largely unnecessary is is objectively bad design.

@MegaVel91 Nope, still just echoing the same tired argument as others, and clearly have not played the game🤣 you can bypass some enemies, but you won’t have enough coins for weapons, which you’ll need because enemies get stronger, and puzzles get harder so you need to practice the pattern recognition. It makes me wonder if you’ve even played Ss or CS to compare it.

I'm very much enjoying Origami King so far. The new battle system isn't perfect but is a big improvement over Color Splash, the area design and visuals are great (whoever worked on the water effects deserves a raise), the soundtrack may very well crack my top 10, the bosses so far all have interesting mechanics to set them apart, and the writing is very good. I hope people don't sleep on it.

@Crockin Bold of you to compare the success of a Paper Mario game (modern or not) to Zelda, arguably one of the most important game IPs on the planet, but go off. It's not impossible to compare them, but your argument is weak. The criticisms levied at Majora's Mask and Wind Waker were over difficulty and art direction, respectively—not criticisms based in how the games function mechanically over decisions to leave core gameplay elements behind.

Majora's Mask was a typical and somewhat dark Zelda game with a doomsday clock tacked on to create a sense of urgency. Wind Waker's art direction was viewed with skepticism because it was shown/released during a time when "realism" was just becoming graphically possible, and people were surprised to see Nintendo ignore current trends to create what would end up being a game that aged remarkably well. You can actually say the same thing about the older Paper Mario games, considering the hardware they ran on.

The heart of the criticisms being made against Paper Mario aren't because of superficial concerns or gripes with difficulty. They're rooted in a departure from what the series once was. Even with the transition to 3D, the "Zelda formula" remained mostly unchanged. Zelda's core gameplay loop is so heralded, it spawned a term people use to describe it, and it has been invoked to criticize games that significantly depart from the established gameplay mechanics of the series.

Skyward Sword is one game to be criticized this way (and, to some extent, Breath of the Wild). It's much more apt to compare the fan reaction to Skyward Sword and modern Paper Mario games. In fact, I'm going to do that now. The first two (or three, depending on whom you ask) games in Paper Mario are more or less your universally well-received Zelda titles, and everything that came after is Skyward Sword.

Paper Mario! Already at Shogun Studios (about 2/3 of the way through streamer 2) and can't wait for more!!!

@jtmnm lol I explained that. OK is largely being judged on what it is not, and not on its own merits, and mostly by people who haven't played or out right refuse to have anything to do with it. The same thing happened to Windwaker, banjo kazooie nuts and bolts, DKC tropical freeze, despite largely good reviews. you just kinda outlined my point. Thank u for the scholarly response, but you blew it daddio

Edit:Majora's mask probably wasnt the best example, but not for the reasons you've outlined

@Crockin My argument is perfectly sound, actually, and yours is still weak—but thanks for showing everyone you can't engage beyond memeing. Even in your meme response, you didn't grapple with anything I said. You conflate criticisms against a variety of games as if they're equal. They're not, though, and comparing complaints over art direction to a game series that transitioned from being a platformer to a car-building sim is either blatantly disingenuous or stupid.

@jtmnm 🤣🤣🤣🤣who’s next?

@Crockin Memer confirmed.

"Accolades Trailer"

Translation:
"The Marketing For Which We Provided Game Copies"
or
"The 'Yep, It's Definitely Mediocre or Bad if We're Having to Make One of These' Trailer"

@1UP_MARIO
Is it better than the previous games? Im having doubts about buying it, i dont know why.

for it's flaws, you can't deny it has heart.

Not interested in Paper Mario games that aren't really Paper Mario games, so I'm still gonna pass. Wake me up when we get another game in the vein of the original or TTYD. I learned my lesson with Sticker Star.

@The-Chosen-one if you played the previous paper mario games then you’d love this one. Sure it has its problems but so do the others if not more. Hope you get to enjoy it

Contrary to the popular opinion, I actually really like it so far. I'm on the third area and some pretty funny things have happened, some very dark things happened, and some just odd things have happened aka a Paper Mario game.

I do actually like the battle system, it is quick and engaging. I can see if they do a sequel to this they can really expand this system out in a couple easy ways.
1. Experience/leveling system. Without the leveling tied to battles (it's actually tied to explorations which has it's own positives) I rarely get into a fight twice once I clear an area, just avoiding them. But when I think back to TTYD I rarely got into many fights outside of the current chapter area because it gave such little experience that it would be such a grind to get even 1 level so I would end up avoiding them.
2. Partner turns with direct control. Their different attacks can hit different areas on the board compared to Mario's hammer, jump, and items.
3. More boss battles. They're seriously the best part of the battle system and just want more like that.
4. Enemy variety taking up more spaces/shapes on the board. Don't know if that's going to happen but hasn't yet and I can see that adding a challenge to the puzzle aspect.
5. Take away turns on the puzzle and just have a shorter time limit. This way players can position enemies as they see fit and with the other changes will make it easier to design them.

All and all so far for me it's just behind TTYD because I do miss the party aspect with partners having an active role in the battles. But story-wise I've felt more for Bobby's story than 90% of the partners in TTYD.

And anyone complaining about it not being TTYD (most complaints I see are that it's not a straight forward RPG) then there are a ton of Mario & Luigi games waiting for you (one even with Paper Mario). But going through these comments you can see the people who have played the game and who haven't.

If it underperforms saleswise, maybe Nintendo will take it down the same path as Mario + Rabbids, 75% off on a regular basis. I'd probably try it then, or if they release a demo. Even though it has it's fans, the overall conversation about the battle system puts me off.

I got no money for this so not today nintendo

That interview was too harrowing, it’s hard to want to get behind those design principles. I am glad they seemed to make something enjoyable for others despite those parameters, but I’m still gonna pass.

The jokes in this Paper Mario game does not save it from what is fundamental wrong with it.

There is a neat little game in there and if it was longer with less dialogue and battles, it would have been better.

But the dialogue is to long, to often and to much The battle system is to easy, no strategy needed and frustrating and repetitive.

For an AAA Nintendo game with a high price tag and Mario, it is let down by the battle system.

Media reviews aside, it seems to be going down well with many people who’ve actually played it. I’m interested in giving it a shot, but the one thing I’m missing is time!

@Crockin people are judging the game on the merits of it's current system. You don't need to own the game to do that if you've watched people play it. It isn't just "this isn't TTYD" it's that the game has rpg style encounters, without an rpg style system that properly incentivizes it. This game should either be MORE of an rpg or LESS of an rpg and focus on regular action adventure game style combat. This weird middle thing makes battles pointless. THAT is the problem people are having with the game. It's cool that you like it, but I bet you'd love it even more if they properly thought this out. The system as it stands is Nintendo simply trying to get a core audience (their words not mine) to buy it, but also have it be verrrrrry easy for little kids to play. However, like a lot of when they do this stuff, the game is way too text heavy for the age they are scaling down the difficulty for.

Having beaten it this morning (with most of the Toads found and the other side-tasks accomplished), I personally feel it's a good game with a lot of rough edges, mostly from a mechanical standpoint. Some of the hidden Toads/ items and puzzles are pretty clever, the environments are fairly varied, and the music is certainly catchy at times. Of course the visual aesthetics fit the theme perfectly as well.

Yes, the normal battles are overlong and tedious, and the lack of experience gain or leveling-up greatly diminishes your incentive to do them. Likewise the lack of attack types (boots, hammer, and a handful of items, each with their own incremental upgrades) adds to the sense of repetitiveness. But the Boss battles are actually varied and change up the panel system in a lot of creative ways. I generally enjoyed them a lot more.

Where the game misses, at least for me personally, is that in certain places it suddenly throws a new and mechanically very different challenge at you in a "win or Game Over" scenario. Eddy River is the first example; once you start you must complete it all the way through before your boat's health runs out. It's decently tough just doing that, but for completists it throws in the nightmarish (if optional) tasks of filling two Near-Bottomless Holes and collecting every single coin on the route for "a special prize". The problem here is that the river is literally minutes long, and when you fail (and you WILL), you have to go through the Game Over screen and the boat pilot's long, slow, unskippable monologue to try again. Oh, and did I mention you can't back out of doing the entire course even if you've already completed it earlier in the story?

But that pales in comparison to two late-game, do-or-die challenges, including the final form of the Final Boss. Do you like having a completely new type of (almost Rubik's Cube-level) puzzle sprung on you with just a few seconds to work out the solution? Do you like repeating SEVERAL MINUTES' WORTH of loading screens, dialogue, and said challenge should you fail? Issues like that don't merely make a game feel wildly uneven, they often feel cheap and can easily enter rage-quit territory.

Again, I managed to beat the game, so obviously it's doable. But looking back through it, certain design choices were questionable at best. I definitely see the examples I gave being walls that many players may simply not have the patience to bother getting past. The sheer spikes in difficulty sometimes feel like nasty, sadistic, and cheap surprises, the kind that can make you lose interest. I confess that I almost did myself a few times.

@Dang69 u have my permission to skip it

@AtlanteanMan the eddy river made me want to die. I think I had to do it like 30 times. These kinds of bs challenges are nothing new in Nintendo games but they gotta knock it off with that

@MindfulGamer
Ubisoft published Mario+Rabbids, which unlike Nintendo discounts their games regularly.

Don't expect the same here for anything more than 25% on a holiday sale.

@NookMiler it doesn't change the fact that it's a great game, that is correct

Unsure if it’s worth it... it’ll be my first game in the series since Super.

What I get from these comments:

-People that haven't played but looked at some videos: Bad game with a terrible battle system. Sorry, but won't play.

-People that have played it: great game and great Paper Mario. Don't sleep on it.

I think I trust more the people that have played the game, honestly XD

I miss the days when people were just excited to have new games and looked for the good in them instead of just crapping on everything. Back before the exact same people who complain about Nintendo making the same game over and over started complaining about how Nintendo AREN’T making the same game over and over.

I'm in the 4th area, and love the art style and writing so far. It doesn't bother me there are Toads everywhere, they're mostly funny one-liners that put a smile on your face.

The battles though, I've tried my best to like it, but I can't. They're very easy for the most part, yet pointless and time consuming. I feel like putting the game down and playing something else every time I get into one.

Anyways, curious to see how the story will end.

@Crockin I know I do, but then...what new Nintendo is there for me when this eassssssiiiiiily could have been?

And some how I can't stop thinking of the Simpsons Moe going "oh good, my ah...laundry, is done..."

Wow, really weird comments section. So many people bashing the game that haven't even played it.
Played it. Beat it. Loved it. If anyones on the fence about this because Sticker Star sucked, all I can say is, this is miles better.

In Nintendo’s quest to make every game and franchise “accessible” to everyone they’ve diluted the combat so much it’s as fun as watching paint dry.

Such a shame they can no longer give the fans that built the company’s success the games they want.

Still holding out hope for a TTYD remaster...

@Savino I am so sorry your only experience with PM had to be sticker star. Left a bad taste in your mouth. However, this mindset is not beneficial to you. Kind of like playing GO! Pikmin and saying you officially will never play a Pikmin game.

I picked it up a bit late but am loving it so far. The battles are a little weird and take some getting used to and I like that. I feel like if I wanted to play TTYD, I'd just play TTYD, or one of those indie games. I like that Nintendo does weird things all of the time, it keeps me interested and it's why I can barely seem to care about whatever new game Sony or MS are making since it's usually just more of their same old games with a fresh coat of paint.

If you don't like puzzles in your games, stay far away from this game. The combat system, while innovative at least, is not for me. Only the boss battles I looked forward to. Once I realized how pointless the regular enemy battles were, I just avoided any battles I could. And when I did have to play them, I just spend the 999 coins every fight to let the toads do the work to get them over with ASAP. While the production values were high, and I enjoyed the puns and writing, the battle system, and some of the latter puzzle solving really turned me off the game.

@Crockin awesome perspective.
I’ve only beat the first world so far but I’m really enjoying it. More than I thought I would based off what I’ve read. The battles aren’t boring at all to me. Sometimes I would like more depth to the combat and character progression, but it feels like you have just enough “leveling up” to satisfy my inner rpg nerd. I really hope people don’t ignore this game for what it doesn’t have like you said!

@neogyo Yeah, i find the battles pretty fun! And they do get harder and varied with certain enemies later on. The bosses are really the best though. I can't think of a nintendo game in recent memory at least that have the same frantic energy and unique strategy.

@Crockin yeaa I’m usually sorta disappointed with Nintendo boss battles. They always look so cool but end up being so simple ha. I just fought the water volumental and couldn’t ever line it up right to block that dam mega water blast attack. I actually get stumped a lot in battles even in this early part of the game. Makes me feel dumb sometimes haha