I didn’t know what to expect going in to Paper Mario: The Origami King. This was my first experience with the Paper Mario series and all I really knew was that it was a kind of RPG lite game. Over the last thirty-five years though, we have been contidioned by Nintendo to know that when Mario is in the game title it is a sign of quality and that line of thinking definitely holds firm here.
Let’s start with the graphics and art style. One simple look at a screenshot or a trailer and you will see the beauty shine through. The world is expertly crafted. Landscapes and buildings appear as pieces of cardboard, but still, give the illusion of depth. When static, the world feels like a 3D model that you could almost reach out and touch. I would love to see this world in VR.
The story is pretty standard fare. Princess Peach is under threat once again, this time from Olly – the Origami King – who has folded her and a bunch of Bowser’s goons up and pitted them against you. As tends to be the case, it’s up to Mario, along with Olly’s sister Olivia, to save the day. It’s not the most dynamic story, but instead its a vehicle for all the witty dialogue we get throughout the game.
So often in gaming humour fails to land properly but in the Origami King that couldn’t be further from the truth. As I stated in the opening of this review, this was my introduction to the Paper Mario series and I found myself laughing out loud frequently throughout my journey. Never did I think we’d see so much personality from a goomba.
The battle system has been a divisive topic online, with people either loving or hating it. I personally thought it was a unique take on turn-based combat, which not being a huge RPG guy is still something I am a relative novice at. Battles take place on a circular grid. You get a certain amount of moves, which is timed, to rotate the grid and line up as many enemies as possible. You then select your attack and have to time button prompts to do the maximum damage.
In many ways, the combat reminded me of the South Park games. Pretty simplified turn-based combat but complete with enough depth to make it engaging and fun. These smaller encounters do lose some steam later on though, as victory grants you confetti and coins rather than XP, but you can earn plenty of both in other ways so it doesn’t feel like a fitting reward.
Boss battles mix up the formula and add a more strategic approach to the game with puzzle-like elements. Each boss requires a different approach and I found them really creative and amusing, especially the rubber band guy and the stapler. In any other context, the last sentence wouldn’t make sense, but it works here. Honest.
I reached out to a friend who is a big fan of the Paper Mario series and he assured me that fans of the series will find plenty to enjoy with the Origami King. It doesn’t reach the heights of the Thousand-Year Door but it is a superb entry to the Nintendo Switch catalogue. Coming in with a run-time of around 30-40 hours, there is plenty to sink your teeth into here and countless laughs to be had.
Some reviews I have seen state that the formula of Paper Mario is getting a little old, but as a lapsed Mario fan (Odyssey was the first Mario game I saw through to the end since Sunshine) I really enjoyed it. I had never seen this side of the wee red plumber before and so it was not only fresh but beautifully designed, really funny and with that signature Nintendo polish. I highly recommend checking the Origami King out.
-Craig ✌️
A review code for this product was kindly provided by the publisher. Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.