Nintendo reworks old franchise with Super Paper Mario
By Nicole Bonomini, Staff Writer
April 23, 2007 | 9:22 p.m.
The Mario franchise’s first foray into the Wii console, “Super Paper Mario,” combines the best of classic Mario with the usual characters, a 2-D and 3-D game and some RPG elements thrown in to create a unique, quirky experience.
The famous plumber jumps from surreal and bizarre, cheesy levels to sometimes nostalgic levels, one of the best parts of the game. Remember the original “Super Mario Bros.” from Nintendo? It shows up sporadically in the game with slight changes – players even hold the Wii remote sideways, similar to the original controls.
But “Paper Mario” is far from perfect.
The major downfall of the game? The storyline. The game begins slowly with about 20 minutes of introduction. One day, Mario and Luigi decide to go visit Princess Peach. On the way they run into Toad, who frantically explains that Peach has been kidnapped. Naturally the brothers run to Bowser, believing him to be the culprit. But Bowser isn’t the kidnapper. Enter Count Bleck, a well-mannered foe who attempts to bring chaos to the universe and who takes Princess Peach in order to carry out his exploits. He creates a hole in the universe and grabs Bowser, all of his minions and Luigi, leaving Mario behind to rescue them all, as usual.
Peach awakens in Count Bleck’s lair to find herself at the altar, about to marry Bowser. Before she can protest she is hypnotized into saying “I do.” The union is foretold in the “Dark Prognosticus,” a book by Bleck that predicts an end of all the worlds. A void is opened in reality, threatening to swallow up everything unless the hero of light, Mario, can gather up the seven hearts needed to defeat the dark count, as foretold by the “Light Prognosticus.”
To make things worse, the story unfolds in text bubble after text bubble, taking the form of a novel in between levels to explain the plot. The long-winded speeches and explanations interfere with the play and pace of the game.
All of that aside, Nintendo has reworked an old franchise to make it a must for Wii-owners. The one-player game starts with only Mario, but you pick up other members of the game as you go along. Eventually, players are able to choose from Mario, Peach, Bowser and Luigi to play each level. The levels are entertaining for players of all ages, with challenging bosses that show up sporadically in the levels and puzzles along the way.
There are mascots, Koopas and fireballs, of course, but the main appeal of “Super Paper Mario” comes from the game’s ability to switch between 2-D and 3-D perspectives. And players are forced to switch between the dimensions as players can only see certain things such as pipes in 3-D, but other necessary items or bad guys in paper form. There are advantages and disadvantages to both views. Players simply press A to switch between the two. Even enemies that cannot be seen in one dimension will materialize in the other – the same goes for doors and exits. But be careful: the 3-D ability is timed. There is a bar at the top of the screen that decreases the longer he stays in 3-D – if it gets to zero, Mario loses one health point.
At first, "Super Paper Mario" may seem like an average, 2-D side-scroller, but entertaining game play and role-playing elements create another success for Nintendo’s main icon. If you can get past the bad graphics and lame plot line, you’ll find yourself wrapped up in a compelling game that keeps you playing with puzzles, role playing, interactivity with the Wiimote and clever and challenging levels