Nintendo Paper Mario: The Origami King

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a difficult game for me to wrap my head around at times. I think it’s safe to say at this point that longtime Paper Mario fans want something more in line with the original N64 title or GameCube’s Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door .

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  Beautiful visuals, Fantastic writing that's very clever and funny, Puzzle battles are a lot of fun

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  Not the full-blown RPG many fans have been waiting for, Frequent puzzle solving won't appeal to everyone

Paper Mario: The Origami King weighs down a fun adventure with an unsatisfying, puzzle-based combat system that misses the mark.

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  Charming world to explore, Engaging boss fights, Plenty of collectibles

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  Regular fights are a dull slog, Weapons degrade and break

The Paper Mario series has gone through a lot of different changes since its N64 roots. While it was a traditional RPG for the first two entries of the series, the “sort of 2D but not really” franchise has seen games with wildly polarizing gameplay mechanics beginning with Super Paper Mario.

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  Thoughtful and endearing story; wonderfully stylistic presentation and soundtrack; uses the Switch’s features exceptionally well; memorable and innovative boss fights

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  Puzzle/turn-based combat gets repetitive and limited

Paper Mario has always eschewed the boundaries of what a two-dimensional being can do inside of a three-dimensional world, and the newest title in the series crimped those edges further, into a world creased by the evil machinations of an origami boy gone wrong.

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  Paper Mario has always eschewed the boundaries of what a two-dimensional being can do inside of a three-dimensional world, and the newest title in the series crimped those edges further, into a world creased by the evil machinations of an origami boy gone wrong.

A new approach to combat transforms the series' combat from its glaring weakness into one of its biggest strengths.

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  Grid-based battles are finely tuned and revitalize the series, Boss battles make great use of the new combat system, Tons of great gags and moments told through smart writing and gameplay, Light progression mechanics motivate you to explore the world...

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  ...but are still a little on the shallow side, Cast of characters isn't as charming as previous entries, Battle timer keeps things moving but ends up a frustrating restriction

“Paper Mario: The Origami King is a charming Mario adventure marred by a difficult and tedious battle system.”

The series' great aesthetic and sound design are on full display here, and it is always a joy to see them.

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  Great Paper Mario aesthetic and music, lots to do and collect, gameplay feels more like what fans want.

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  Double combat penalties if you're not good at puzzles, addresses grief poorly, poorly-balanced consumable boot/hammer attacks.

This review is based on a Nintendo Switch code provided by the publisher. Paper Mario: The Origami King is available now at retailers and through the Nintendo eShop for $59.99. The game is rated E.

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  Beautiful art style that expresses two diametrically opposed styles, Signature Paper Mario humor shines again, The story hits much harder than expected with a memorable ending, Wonderful characters, some of the best in the series, Clever battle system, especially for bosses

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  No XP and no leveling means almost no incentive to fight lesser foes, Weapons break! WHY???, Finding Toads feels like busy work, Plot starts to feel padded towards the middle, Occasional cheap deaths

Paper Mario: The Origami King is fun, light-hearted and a celebration of Super Mario with a strong story, great humour and brilliant characters.

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  Great story and characters, Beautiful world packed with secrets, Inventive battle system

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  Difficulty level varies wildly

Developed initially as Super Mario RPG 2 , the original Paper Mario was defined primarily not by its aesthetic but its overall quality as an RPG. Improving upon Super Mario RPG in virtually every respect, Paper Mario 's legacy was firmly established as one built on reflex-based gameplay, airtight...

Its a very charming and fun paper Mario game! Improves on the previous two paper Mario games, but still lacks a true RPG leveling system. The story is a little left to be desired but it makes up for it with the overwhelming attention to charm in the dialogue, characters and each area design.

Im not sure why Nintendo wont bring back the Super Mario RPG series that was on snes as it had a way better everything. These paper Mario series are at least something to fill that void of rpgs. For sure the story is enjoyable

Such a fun game! The battle system is a tad tedious, but that hasn’t ruined my experience. I can’t speak to how it compares to anything other than the N64 one. But I love this one

Great game. It has some Japanese words in there and I like that

I love this game! I personally have a jard tome on boss battles but with practice and patience it shouldn't be hard to get use to!

Better than expected. Even though the battle mechanics is weird and a little bit repetitive at times, the graphics are beautiful, the story is funny and interesting, and it provides a relaxing fun time. Tons of collectibles!

This is a very fun and beautiful game. For people who are more laid back players, this is a great game. The soundtrack and visuals are gorgeous. This a very enjoyable game. This game would be great for children and adults alike.

I liked the way it looked and finding all the toads. There is no leveling up and you get a ton of coins. The battling was just to much of a puzzle some easier than others and It was timed. The boss fights were very challenging and took to long to defeat the bosses.

It's fun. Not legendary, won't be a classic or even remembered much. But if you forget classic Paper Mario and just want a lighthearted romp through a gorgeous craft-scape, with a fantastic soundtrack, this is a great game.

Excellent game for all ages. Really captures the essence of earlier paper Mario's for long time fans.