For my final new video game review, I decided on one of the franchises that started it all: Mario. The mustachioed Italian’s been through a lot. He’s been a ref, hit the links, played some hoops, thrown seven parties and on top of all that, he saved the princess every time. I thought it fitting to end on a game such as Mario.
Lucky for me, “Super Paper Mario” for the Nintendo Wii just came out. The third installment in the “Paper Mario” series, Nintendo deviates vastly from the regular “Paper Mario” gameplay here.
Instead of being a turn-based RPG like its predecessors, “Super Paper Mario” combines the worlds of RPG and platformer, 2D and 3D, to make a fresh gaming experience all its own.
“Super Paper Mario” starts out as you might expect: Princess Peach has been captured, and it’s up to Mario to save her. However, this time, it’s not Bowser who’s behind the devious plot but the enigmatic Count Bleck (yeah, Nintendo’s gotten pretty lazy with their names, frequently adopting onomatopoeias).
Bleck’s captured the princess in hopes to start a chain of events, ultimately leading to the end of all worlds.
With a minor flaw in Bleck’s plans, Peach escapes and joins Mario and Bowser in their efforts to thwart Bleck and save all the worlds in existence.
As I mentioned before, “Super Paper Mario” departs from the normal “Paper Mario” gameplay. Instead of a turn-based RPG interface, you’re able to control Mario like it’s an old-school platformer, stomping on Goombas’ heads and kicking turtle shells.
However, along the way, you gain points for beating enemies and grabbing power-ups.
Once your score reaches a certain amount, you level up, increasing Mario’s strength and HP, much like experience points.
This new gameplay feels much more at home for a “Mario” game and is very welcomed.
The big highlight to “Super Paper Mario” is Mario’s ability to shift between 2D and 3D perspectives.
With a tap of the A button, the world spins around, allowing Mario to navigate in bi- or tri-dimensional space.
Such a feature adds a lot of depth to the Mario world. See a pipe in your way too high for even Mario to jump over?
Just flip into 3D and walk right around it.
Can’t find a way to get to the second story of a building? Flip again to find a special entrance. The possibilities are endless and Nintendo uses its vast creative to their advantage.
There’s a catch, however. There’s a timer to stay in the third dimension. If the timer runs out, you lose health. So look around, find what you need, and get out of there.
Along the way, you’re aided by beings called Pixls. These wire frame creatures give Mario special abilities such as throwing, the ground-pound attack and bombs. Not only supportive in combat, Pixls are key to solving puzzles.
Not only do Pixls assist Mario in his quest but Bowser and Peach as well.
Once you acquire these characters, you can switch to them anytime you wish, giving you new abilities.
Peach, with her umbrella, can hover to far distances, while Bowser’s fire does massive medium-ranged damage.
Once again, having these characters is essential for some intriguing puzzles along the way.
Honestly, there are just too many great things to list here about “Super Paper Mario.” I didn’t even begin to scratch the surface.
Nintendo really hit this one out of the park, with such great diversity in game play and a fresh new way to experience Mario.
Is this game a reason to buy the Wii? Let’s leave that honor to “Zelda.” However, if you have a Wii, you definitely don’t want to miss out on this game.
After more than 20 years, the little plumber still has plenty of spunk in him.
The bottom line: “Super Paper Mario” for the Nintendo Wii: 9.5/10