#game-review #finishedgame2023 # Super Paper Mario  [Console:: Nintendo Wii] [Status:: Beaten] [Approximate Start Date:: 2023-01-20] [Finish Date:: 2023-04-16] [Clear Time:: 17h 13m] [Total Play Time:: 39h ] [nReplays:: 1] ## [Rating:: 89] *Super Paper Mario* is a game that earnestly believes in itself and its ability to capture fans of the Mario series, especially those were fans of the previous two games in the franchise. It boldly asks the player to accept that this game is going to be playing in 2D for about 90% of the whole game, that the combat is going to be more action-platformer than JRPG, that the story is going to actually be quite deep (even more so than its Gamecube predecessor), and that the game prioritizes its best parts and as a result leaves a lot of padding and flat characters, all of which add to one of the most fascinating games in the Mario franchise. Of the four playable characters, only one, Mario is able to shift between 2D and 3D. The other characters also have little tricks that make them unique and helpful as well: Peach is able to float across gaps, Luigi can jump super high, and Bowser can break the game! These characters, of course, aren't Mario, and as such only work in a 2D space. You wanted 3D gameplay? how about only with Mario? Why else would anyone use Mario otherwise? The game dopes a great job at using the 3D mechanic and it's clear that there were plenty ideas of how this flipping between 2D and 3D mechanic could work, while still keeping the gameplay unique and fun. I'm particularly impressed by the maze in 8-3 where one has to appropriately navigate the path top take with Luigi, but the arrows are only visible in 3D with Mario. *Super* dares these fans of *Paper Mario* and *Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door* and dares them to play something different than before. And to Super Paper Mario's credit, its attempts at a different take on gameplay were still quite manageable, dare I say still even fun, unlike the later games in the franchise. That, of course, isn't fair to Super Paper Mario; the development team absolutely took a risk in ditching the JRPG turn-based combat for something closer to a story-based platformer, and I think they got a really good amount of mileage out of it. There are, of course plenty of other parts of the combat and overworld exploration that I wish were slightly different (having the game not be broken by Bowser + Carrie, having fewer motion controlled mechanics for healing items, giving Peach more movement moves beyond invincibility frames and a hover mechanic), but alas, it is what it is. It's not like these concerns of mine actively detract from *Super*. The plot is something that feels as though the scenario was written for an entirely different game, and then by some strange miracle it was retconned to have Mario characters. The love story between Blumiere and Timpani, especially given its unconventional method when considered against other video games of the day. I love how in every chapter, the story leading up to the events of the game regarding Tippi and Bleck is methodically revealed to us solely with dialogue, a literal memory of the previous events. I love the way that it made me confused at the start, like I had been suddenly thrown from a goofy wacky Mario game with a character named O'Chunks who farts to fly off screen to a story of two nameless voices falling in love was so jarring, but also wonder, and I'm glad that it was presented to me in this whiplash-like contrasting way. *Super*'s weakest aspect is no doubt, its supporting cast. Beyond the main cast and the villains, everyone else is notably quite forgettable. Barring perhaps Luvbi and Francis, the rest of the "so-called" characters are either obnoxiously or otherwise silent after their initial dialogue. I am, of course, talking about the Pixls. While listening to Slim clearly go off his rocker with non-sequiturs, Thudley investigating the party's "girth", and Fleeps's bizzaro need t sing in faux-Italian to alert the party they need toilet paper are all amusing in their own rights, after this initial conversation, Pixls are little more than quite literal upgrades for Mario, rather than unique and distinct characters. The fun in exploring the world with characters like Lady Bow or the baby Yoshi in the previous two games did not carry over into *Super* and it's a real disappointment I have with the game. I kept track of the number of times this game elicited a genuine reaction out of me, whether it be laughter, disgust, frustration, or a singular tear rolling down my cheek. These moments totaled to around 40 through the course of 32 chapters. Whether they be positive (the cutscene after beating the Chapter 7 boss), negative (the 5-1 passwords and almost all of 7-3), or anywhere in between (finding Flopside to be just a *worse* version of Flipside made me laugh for some reason), *Super* kept me interested and engaged for almost all the time, even when [I was holding left on my controller to run while an NPC designed like an Egyptian slave master ways a whip back and forth]. In what other Mario game can you say that? You could replace that sentence with any of the following bulleted scenarios and the game would be just as wacky. - A giant cybernetic dragon emerged from the desert and quoted Zelda II and used the Wii Shop searching icon - A mansion's maid is able to transform into a mechanical spider by channeling '*The Exorcist*'. - A nerdy salamander otaku boots up Swoon.exe, a dating sim texting interface to talk with Princess Peach - An outhouse in space is out of toilet paper, and your companion REALLY has gotta go. (also I did laugh at that the fact that there finally is a "toilet paper" joke in the Paper Mario Franchise) - A surfer dude caveman named Jasperoid asks you to type out the word "Please" five times - THE WORLD ENDS - MARIO GOES TO HELL AND THEN ASCENDS INTO HEAVEN TO FIGHT SATAN I state again, in what other Mario game do situations like these actually happen? Who cares if the pixls are quite literally flat characters when you have Luigi being the apocalypse maiden? The game's short enough to finish in a couple sittings, each chapter is pretty accomplishable provided that one knows which items to pick at which spots (again, 7-3), so why not give it a shot. It isn't 64 or TTYD's gameplay, but it is it's own fantastic and unique story with a LOT of memorable moments # Playthrough Notes Played on an XBox One controller with my Steam Deck, docked into the TV screen, so the most roundabout way to play this game. Especially amusing to me considering I also have a Wii and the disc for the game. I might come back to do the Pit 100 Trials for both Flipside and Flopside, since it seems doable now as an adult. I don't plan to get every card in the game # My Thoughts Super has aged very well in both gameplay and writing. - [[Every Chapter in Super Paper Mario is a Wedding Vow]] - [[Super Paper Mario has so many absurd yet special moments which makes it memorable to me, which therefore makes it one of my favorite games]] ## General Notes - [[Super Paper Mario is a really funny game despite the serious moments and should be added to the Pantheon of Humorous yet Deep Games]] - [[Super Paper Mario Uses Funny Moments to Make Serious Moments Hit MUCH Harder]] ### Flipside and Flopside are really fun hub worlds I really like the vibes of Flipside, how it manages to be a little town that's arranged in a tower-like shape and has outskirts with monsters if you go exploring. Exploring Flipside and Flopside are really fun as a way to explore this space between dimensions. Also I like that Flopside is just a shittier and dirtier Flipside. It reminds me of that one meme "A dark version, my mind is so twisted" alol. Great hub zone, better than Rogueport in my humble objective opinion. ## Chapter Specific Notes ### Chapter 1 It's shocking to me how easy this game is compared to how I remember it. The last time I played through the game I was in my preteen years, and as such, I was a little *stupid*. I remember chapters 1-2 and 1-3 taking a very long time, to the point where my parents would tell me to stop playing the game. Maybe it's also because we were always renting this game and we never actually bought this game until well after I beat it. All the same, the town section 1-2 goes very fast once you know what you're doing, and 1-3 isn't a giant maze the way I remember it. Especially when getting Thoreau, I remember being stuck in that basement, and then now I understood how to pick up the block and throw it at the switch. The same thing happened with the fight against O'Chunks in 1-3, how now I understood that just throwing O'Chunks doesn't actually hurt him, but it stuns him long enough to jump on him and damage him. After beating Fracktail you get to meet one of the ancients (whose name eludes me), and they make the same joke as [[Paper Mario]], where of the old person telling a story so boring Mario falls asleep, only to wake up at the very end of the story and Mario pretends he was awake the whole time. I get why they do that, it's a funny joke. #### Fracktail as a Boss Surprisingly really easy compared to my expectations. It was surprisingly easy to jump over the gap and skip the waiting cycle and all that. Also really enjoyed how many Nintendo References they gave Fracktail (Wii Shop Searching, "I am Error", etc.), just goes back to the idea that Super Paper Mario is one of those "humor games". Despite the fun moments, Fracktail is kind of a bad boss at time since you have to sit in the foreground as Fracktail just flies around in the background. There's no threat here for almost 30 seconds, and I know it's the first boss in the game, but this is a little stupid. ### Chapter 2 Chapter 2-1 is a cool way to introduce the ways Peach plays, as well as how to use other Pixls like Boomer. Beyond the funny little prisoner to hint at everything, 2-1 is pretty much just platforming. The only really cool thig about it that at thee end there's just a giant hole in the ground with some Cards. 2-2 follows up well by introducing the ominous atmosphere of Merlee's mansion, from the dogs that kick you out being in both 2D and 3D, to the hidden secrets outside. The traps in Merlee's mansion are also options to an extent, and I appreciate that they have alternative options in rooms to explore and trap the player. The true trap is cool too, with the ceiling crashing you unless you flip into 3D, that feels like a perfect kind of puzzle that they used to sell the game initially. For 2-3, I still found the act of collecting Rubees to be as mind-numbing as before, and even though I knew the passcodes from a previous play through, I still went and got the necessary Rubees to pay the in guys. I remember 2-3 being way bigger, but it is honestly a pretty creative and memorable level, all things considered (debt = slavery???). 2-4 is pretty fun too, as a maze, and with the jokes during the encounter with Merlee and Mimi, definitely a lot more manageable now that I'm an adult and not a child. #### Mimi in Chapter 2 Let's not kid ourselves, Mimi is the star of Chapter 2. It's not even close. She makes the otherwise short or tedious levels in Merlee's Mansion that much more interesting and exciting. And also she's horrifying, what with her *neck-breaking* transformation?!?!?! like, wtf, where did *that* come from Nintendo? Jesus. That scared me a ton as a kid and even now, it's still moderately unsettling for an otherwise green square girl character. Unrelated to the spider form, I also really enjoy that Mimi changes outfits over the course of the game, it's a nice touch. ### Chapter 3 - bit: Francis played as David foster Wallace's way of speaking. I think this is really funny - the Koopa taking an invincibility star after mario immediate has done one is objectively funny, made even better when mario then gets ANOTHER star to kill the Koopa again with no effort. Perfect dark comedy. - I also remember the stretch after the Red Pipes leading into the soccer koopa section and the castle siege into the Bowser fight to be really hard as a kid, so naturally I was able to beat it on my first try with little to no effort. - I remember thinking during 3-1 "Why do I remember not liking this music very much?", and then I got to Chapter 3-3 "Up Up and a Tree" and remembered why. - Which, to be fair, 3-3 is a very challenging early-game chapter that makes you think about how the button pressing and character swapping can be made the most of. - But yeah 3-3 is kind of a bottom tier chapter because it is really annoying and stressful #### The Battle of Fort Francis is one of the best Chapters in the Game Because of the Humor This chapter is unironically one of my favorite parts of the game because you just know that the writers were going absolutely nuts with all the flavor text. You don't really see the Mario franchise laying into toxic fandom and the negative aspects of nerd culture in the mid 2000s but Francis is such a funny stereotype that it works so well. all the talk about how you have to buy multiple first edition copies of comics, all the figurines stay IN BOX, "I love going onto online message boards to complain bout games I've never played.", like, come on. It's brilliant. The enemy design in here is really cool too, the cat cubic cat maids are just so uncanny because you know that there's someone out there who unironically wishes he had a nerd lair with android catgirl maids (I wonder if these Robomeows know they take up space in 3D?). Then you get Carrie, who allows you to basically do a MadLibs on Francis and then they agree with what you think of him ,which always gets me. AND THEN you have the Swoon.exe moment, which is just so inspired and funny. It's much funnier now that i'm older and have experience a dating sim or two, and can appreciate the small touches like the soft diagonally scrolling background which is similar to a lot of PS1 Dating Sims like Tokimeki Memorial, for example. It's just such a creative level that you will likely never see in a Mario game ever again. It all goes back to the idea that [[Super Paper Mario is a really funny game despite the serious moments and should be added to the Pantheon of Humorous yet Deep Games]], because this level is a shining example of it. ### Chapter 4 Space is a tricky thing to do properly and it's clear that 4-1 and 4-3 had to be done in such a way that you didn't get too too lost. There's actually only like 4 rooms in these chapters, because any more and I imagine people woud've been lost. Also, this is such a random though, but the idea of the random walk theorem where the drunken man will eventually return home while the drunken bird might be lost forever applies here. Space is SO much easier to navigate in 2D than in 3D. I think Chapter 4 is probably the weakest chapter in the game so far, but that's only because the others are pretty strong. In 4-1 squirps tells you that you can only respond to him with either "Yes sir" And "gotcha" And then the game offers a text option to respond and then onlyoffers those two. It's the game telling you what options will be in the next menu. It's a small little meta joke that reminds me of [[Undertale]]'s humor #### A Paper Emergency I cannot believe that 1. the joke about toilet paper took this long to appear in a Paper Mario game, and 2. that it appears in a Paper Mario game. By the title of the chapter you might think "Oh 'A paper emergency', that's a very generic name", and then the chapter itself involves traversing a small planet in search of a piece of paper you can give to an italian (Spanish?) singing Pixl named "FLEEP" who has waited for 10,000 years for toilet paper, all so he'll leave and Squirps can take a shit. The laconic sentence of this chapter is so ridiculous, I can't help but smile. #### The Whoa Zone is actually a good dungeon design, but doesn't feel like Space 4-4 is a really unique chapter that plays with perspective and gravity, but remains easy to control It feels like this chapter was more designed for like "going into a computer or something" but hey, I can't complain. the Mr. L and Brobot fights are good and fun boss fights that, once again, I remember having trouble with as a kid that I absolutely breezed through as an adult. Such is life. At least the puzzles in the Woah Zone were well thought out, making this chapter quite good from a gameplay perspective, in my opinion. ### Chapter 5 The Gap of Crag is a weird one because I have like zero memories of playing 5-1, so I have to assume my brother played that one. I think that's for the best because 5-1 is probably my least favorite chapter in the game because you have to do that weird "block hit" puzzle that has way too many inputs, and the Cragnons all kind of suck to talk with. Jasperoid making you say "Please" 5 times is also amusing but tedious after the third time. I made Cudge say "FUCK!!!!" :] #### Chapter 5-4 is the best example of a "dungeon" in Super Paper Mario The Floro Sapiens caverns in 5-4 on the other hand is maybe one of the most fun dynamic chapters that actually is a challenge of having to explore the caverns. It's a good time going around the spaces to find the key to unlock dottie who allows you to get the security card which then frees the hypnotized cragnons, which allows you to fight O'Chunks and get the sapling which allows you to bypass the security system to enter the throne room from King Croacus which itself has a really neat puzzle and provides interesting lore (like how King Croacus is the fourth iteration and was an advisor to the previous king which means there may have been foul play involved?). It's a really in-depth chapter that actually feels like you're making progress towards a goal, whereas 5-3 is more of a "find X and Y". 5-4 is a great one IMO. Real cute of the game to reward you for jumping over all the hypnotized cragnons successfully with a card that makes you do double damage to them. "This appeal to green cragnons" made me lol ### Chapter 6 Shit hits the fan and I think it's fundamentally irresponsible for King Sammer to make us fight all of his Sammer Guys as the world is ending. Of course, at the reveal in 6-2, I guess that was Mimi all along. The continuity isn't entirely clear, so for the sake of assuming the real King Sammer is a good dude, I'm gonna say Sammer in 6-1 is Mimi as well.. #### Super Paper Mario Wants Us to See that when we allow ourselves to step away from our grief, we might just find reasons to live once again. Is it a coincidence that the first time we see count Bleck outside of his monochrome castle, stewing away reading the Dark Prognosticus, he sees Tippi and starts to get cold feet? Hmmmmmmmmmmm. ### Chapter 7 #### Chapter 7-1 is a superb way to kick off one of the most thematic chapters in the game. Wakin' up in what someone calls "World -1" is not only a great refernece to the original Mario bros. glitch but also just a way to express the fact that Mario is apparently dead! It's great having to explore the underworld (The Underwhere lol) to find his brother Luigi who is also "killed" by Dimentio. #### Chapter 7-2 is thematically cool, but really sucks from a gameplay perspective when climbing the stairs. You're telling me jumping back and forth in the dark is really fun? and that if I get hit by foes I can't see, I might fall and lose all my progress? Thematically, the climb to escape hell is a really cool idea, but from a gameplay perspective, it's soooooo not very fun. #### Chapter 7-3 isn't a good chapter, and its made WORSE with Cyrrus's request for the Red Apple You have to go through the chapter finding the proper apple to give princess Peach, which is the Black apple (or the Taboo Fruit). There are other apple trees along the way including the Red Apple tree which is near the bottom of the Overthere Stair. If you don't think to have one by the time you reach basically the end of the Chapter and meet Cyrrus, you'll have to go ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE BOTTOM to get an apple and then back up again. This is just a rude and unnecessary gameplay point that's nothing more than a GOTCHA moment, and rewards only the players who thought to have a second Red Apple just in case. It's horrendous when you consider how platforming heavy and how generally unforgiving the Overthere Stair climb is. Furthermore, if you didn't know what the Red Apple did somehow, then you have to try out every single apple on Cyrrus as well. It's tiring. #### Chapter 7-4 My game wouldn't load the save right before the Bonechill fight, seriously considered what to do assuming I couldn't load the save no matter what. Luckily I got it by making a new save. The gameplay of this chapter is pretty alright, I have no strong feelings about it one way or another because it's like, go here, and then follow the main bath to the three branches of the path to find the guys to unlock the path. It's structured like a dungeon with keys and locks. ##### Bonechill is a very disappointing boss I ended up beating Bonechill in under 6 seconds THREE TIMES just to show it could be done. By using a Hot Sauce and Luigi, I beat it so incredibly fast by just doing two super jumps. I should probably go get more Hot Sauce from the shop in 7-4 for the final boss too maybe, maybe. all the same. Bonechill haws the potential to be an incredible boss, what with the whole Dante's inferno references and the idea thta Bonechill is the equivalent of Satan in this universe what with the Skelebits and Nimbis and all. Ah well, I have a save copied explicitly at that point inthe game because the scene between Luvbi, Grambi and Jaydes is one of my favorites in the game ##### The scene between Luvbi, Grambi and Jaydes is one of my favorites in the game because it's both touching and Unintenionally Hilarious Before the fight begins, Bonechill reveals that Luvbi is the Pure Heart to the surprise of Luvbi and the player, and this revelation is investigated further after the fight is over. The scene that comes afterwards is a very serious scene: Luvbi realizes her whole purpose in life is to saave the world as an inanimate Pure Heart, and this plan was designed by the people she considered to be her Father and Mother. Luvbi, being written as a 14 year old teenager, rightfully cannot process this well, and results to what a normally moody teenage girl might do "Why didn't you let me go play out in the world if you knew my role in life and that I'd eventually have to sacrifice myself" is basically the point, but of course she also says "why withold my allowance?". And she and Grmabi get in a whole spat about it, but it feels very real, like something you'd actually hear a 14 year old girl ajnd her father arguing over to some degree. And then you have to remember that shtey're all using Shakespearean old english prose, so the discussion of modern topics and slang joind with the "olde English" makes it even more amusing but also sad. Oh and then Luigi's also there. The throwaway joke line about Luvbi looking for a Prince and Mario or Luigi actually being the prince actually coming true is pretty funny as well. But this scene is such a mature and serious one for a Mario game, especially when you consider that Luvbi's sacrifice is the last one needed to go in and stop Count Bleck from destroying the world. It's familial love and understanding that makes this sacrifice possible. It's a great scene, made unintenionally hilarious by Luigi saying "Okeydokey". # Favorite Moments / Memories - Chapter 2-3 and 2-4 are both really really memorably levels - 3-4 is a great level for the flavor text # What were you doing when not playing this? *Can we tie the time you did this playthrough to any real-world events?* # Relevant Links *Links to associated media.*