Paper Mario was first introduced back in the N64 era. For those of you too young to remember it was somewhat of a continuation to the Classic Mario RPG for the SNES. Paper Mario was the first of its kind to feature characters made out of paper in a 3D paper world. The story continued with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door for the Nintendo Gamecube. Just like any other RPG Mario could level up and grow stronger every time Mario and Company earned enough points.

Super Paper Mario was scheduled to be released for the Gamecube but Nintendo decided to cancel the title and bring it out for the Wii. Just like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princes which was originally a Gamecube title but then was ported to the Wii as a launch title.



The game-play in Super Paper Mario is similar to that of old Mario games for the SNES and NES. It is a mixture of platform game and RPG. Mario can increase in level every time he gets enough points from either; beating an enemy, or breaking blocks and gathering coins. Just like in any other Paper Mario game, coins are used for buying items at the shop, paying someone to do something for you or letting you through a certain part of the game.

As you move on through the stages you will find pixels that will help you through the course of the game just like the partners you used to have in the Paper Mario games. These pixels will help you with such tasks as; identify hidden pathways or give you info on the things that you point the Wii-mote to blow things up, catch enemies, grab items from far away etc.

Like the old Mario games, in Super Paper Mario you travel from point 1 to point 2 stomping on anyone that gets in your way, breaking bricks, grabbing mushrooms which will replenish your life, grabbing a flower that will let you grow into a huge version of the NES Mario, Peach or Bowser (depending on which character you’re using) and reach the end where a star awaits you.

Of course it isn't as simple as it sounds; you still need to solve the puzzles use items very carefully and make sure you don’t leave anything behind.




The Story is divided into Chapters and as soon as you pass one Chapter you move on to the next one. The Story is explained just like previous Paper Mario Games and begins with Mario and Luigi sitting at a table talking about how they haven’t seen Princess Peach in a while and they should go visit her.

Then Toad appears saying that the Princess has been kidnapped, Mario and Luigi both think that Bowser was the one to kidnap her and therefore go to Bowser’s castle. Of course later they find out that it wasn’t Bowser but it was Count Bleck, who ends up kidnapping Bowser and Luigi as well as Bowser’s Minions.

You then encounter Tippi who will help you along the way in order to stop count Bleck’s evil plan. Mario is then given the power to switch dimensions from 2D to 3D for a very short time. This can be used to access hidden items, pathways or to just avoid enemies that are otherwise unavoidable.




The Story is filled with comedy as well as drama as well as shocking moments. Bowser marrying Peach - how often does that happen? Of course this is against her will but it still makes for good story telling. A story this good deserves a decent sound track which the games accomplishes with happy music which changes every time a certain event occurs such as when you reach Bizarro Land where the music changes from happy to gloomy and scary.

There is no voice over (no surprises here) but just like any other Mario game that does not really affect anything because we are all used to reading.

Because Super Paper Mario is mainly a 2D game no one can really judge the graphics. As a matter of fact the character models look smooth and full of color which is what we have come to expect from a Paper Mario Game.

To play Super Paper Mario you must use the controller Side way and use the D-Pad to move, A button to flip from 2D to 3D and vice versa. When using Tippi you can flip the Wii mote to regular position to look for items by point and click. The game adapts well without the use of the extra buttons that the Wii-mote does not have in both the 2D and the 3D world. It does require some combinations or 2 Buttons every now and then and to bring up the quick menu to change characters or pixls (1 + 2) works well but when pressed both at the same time. Sometimes it won’t come up if you press one before the other.

The game does not offer a lot of replay value but for people who love Super Paper Mario wouldn’t mind playing the game over again. After all every one could use a good every now and then and Super Paper Mario delivers that laugh.

Closing Comments:

The game-play has always been addicting for the series ever Since Paper Mario on the N64 and the RPG style of Mario RPG for the SNES. Some people are going to miss the turn based RPG system that Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year door offered but that shouldn’t stop anyone from checking out other Paper Mario titles that Nintendo and Intelligent Systems has to offer. That and the fact that it’s probably the only Mario game that we will see until Mario Galaxy.

Game Play: Paper Mario mechanics mixed in with the old school Mario platform games. It’s fun and addictive. 10/10

Graphics: 2D sharp images of the characters and full of color. 9/10

Controls: Played using the Wii-mote sideways, fits both the 2D world and the 3D world with no flaws. 10/10

Sound: Soundtrack fits the wackiness and happiness that SPM has to offer and changes depending on the situation you’re in. 9/10

Life Span: Depending on your speed and exploration SPM is good for weeks and months to come. The story alone is worth playing this game over and over again. 10/10











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