Super Paper Mario

Super Paper Mario is a JRPG platform hybrid and is part of the paper Mario spin off games know for the use of paper cutout artstyle. Like in any other Mario game, you can play it in any order without having to know what happened in the past. The story has a darker tone but maintains the lighthearted appeal of a Mario game, especially the dialogue. The musical score has tracks that have a sombre tone from time to time but still has the playfulness of the Mario canon. The characters new and old in the game are all really entertaining and the villains were outstanding.

Princess Peach has a lot more personality unlike in the mainline games. She is not afraid to speak her mind in situations which is a really refreshing. Dimentio in particular was really funny and charming and unpredictable. He was always one step ahead of everyone and you always wonder what he would do next.

Swoon.EXE is a parody of romance visual novels and was by far one of the best examples of humor in the game. The dialogue and interactions are so on point to what a typical romance visual novel would be and every single second of it was pure comedy gold.

Each world you visit has its own unique style and also many enemies both new and familiar ones. You can always revisit worlds anytime you like. You can get power ups like in any other Mario game like the star that gives you invincibility and also enlarges you to kill enemies in one hit. The controls were very easy to follow. There's also a good amount of side quests and collectibles to find like cards. The Pit of 100 Trials makes its return from the Thousand Doors.

Flipside is the games hub world where you can purchase items, rest and eat food for benefits and also see a psychic for hints on where to go next. As you progress through the game, you find “pixls” which are small fairy like beings each with their own unique ability. Carrie for example is used to hover around obstacles.

The graphics and paper artstyle really looks very charming. The musical score as well was really great. The game has its own shortcomings to it. The level design really has not aged well, The puzzle solving is very cryptic AF and you really have almost no clue as what to do. The boss fights literally only took me one time to beat and not once did I die in the game it was too easy. Some of them did repeat from time to time. The text can be really super wordy as well. It was also really annoying to be constantly reminded about your health running very low.

Bowser was really super powerful and add it with Carrie and you have a near invincible character.

Its overall a really fun game and fans of Mario franchise would not be disappointed.

It gets 5 stars.