Paper Mario
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| Paper Mario | |
| Missing image PaperMarioN64CoverArtUS.jpg Paper Mario cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Intelligent Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Release date(s) | August 11, 2000 (JP) February 4, 2001 (NA) October 5, 2001 (EU) |
| Genre | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Everyone (E) |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
Paper Mario, known in Japan as Mario Story (マリオストーリー), is a video game that was developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 and first released in 2000. The spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG for the Super Nintendo, Paper Mario was the last major Mario game produced for the N64; it was also one of the system's few role-playing games. Its title comes from the fact that it has a unique graphical style, in which the characters are flat, two-dimensional-looking paper cutouts inhabiting a three-dimensional world.
The game's story premise involves King Bowser Koopa and his assistant, Kammy Koopa, stealing the Star Rod and imprisoning the Seven Star Spirits. They then use their castle to steal Princess Peach Toadstool's castle, with the Princess still in it. Mario and his eight new friends must now save the Star Spirits and Princess Peach. Paper Mario was scored by Yuka Tsujiyoko, the composer for the Fire Emblem series.
These new friends include Goombario (a young Goomba who is a big fan of Mario), Kooper (a Koopa Troopa who likes adventure), Bombette (a pink Bob-omb who is a former slave of The Koopa Bros.), Parakarry (a Paratroopa who works as a postman), Lady Bow (a princess of Boos), Watt (a little Sparky who lights the way), Sushie (a Cheep-Cheep who can live out of water), and Lakilester (a Lakitu who used to work for Bowser).
The sequel to Paper Mario, called Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, was released in late 2004 for the Nintendo GameCube.
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Gameplay Elements
Battle System
PaperMarioN64Battle.jpg
Much like in Super Mario RPG, the battles in Paper Mario relied on a cross between traditional turn-based RPG gameplay, and timed button presses (or other motions) for increased damage on enemies, or reduced damage taken from enemies. Unlike in Super Mario RPG, the size of a party in battle was reduced from 3 to 2, with Mario and one of the sidekick characters beating on enemies. However, sidekick characters were switchable, and it cost the sidekick their turn, unless equipped with a certain badge. Sidekicks did not take damage like Mario did. Instead they were briefly incapacitated depending on the damage they received (Although very few enemies actually possessed the ability to damage them). If Mario ran out of Hit Points, however, the game was immediately lost (unless a Life Shroom was in your inventory, in which case Mario was immediately revived.) Paper Mario also differed from its predecessor by implementing a more "common-sense" approach to battles. If you jumped or hammered an enemy in the area you were in, you would begin the battle by launching a preemptive strike (although most enemies had the capability to launch a first strike of their own). Also, hammers were ineffective against flying foes, and jumping on a spiked enemy would only result in damaging yourself.
Hit Points, Flower Points, and Badge Points
Unlike many other RPGs, Paper Mario does not feature attacks that do 4,000 points of damage. The most Mario's Hit Points can go up to is normally only 50 (although special badges can raise this total to 65), and enemies' HP tops out at 99. An attack that does 10 damage can be considered extremely lethal. The uniqueness of Paper Mario's battle system lies in both these small numbers and an addition/subtraction system for calculating damage and level-up increases. For instance, Mario using his basic hammer against an enemy with zero defense will do 1 damage, 2 if the Action Command is successfully executed. If the enemy has 1 defense, then the aforementioned attack would do no damage or 1 damage, respectively.
Flower Points, like in Super Mario RPG, are a shared resource between all characters, used for pulling off special techniques and other miscellaneous functions.
Badge Points were a method of limiting the amount of Badges Mario could equip. Different badges use up a different amount of Badge Points, which effectively limits the amount of badges that are able to be equipped and forces strategy to be used in different situations.
Similar to the levelling system in Super Mario RPG, a levelup allows the player to choose between raising HP, FP, and BP. Unlike in SMRPG, however, this was not a bonus to a set increase beforehand; this increase was the only method of raising the maximums. BP and FP could each be raised 9 times, to a maximum of 30 and 50, respectively, and HP only 8, placing Mario's maximum level at 27.
Badges
Badges replace the traditional RPG staple of armor, weapons, and other such things being equipped on Mario. Badges provided a wide range of effects, such as bestowing powerful new abilities like the Ultra Smash or Mega Quake, allowing Mario to jump on enemies that would normally damage him when he did so, increasing attack or defense power, or temporarily increasing the maximum FP/HP. Different badges are effective in different situations, and many badges were hidden in hard to find places, providing a sidequest for completists who wanted to have all of the badges.
Characters
- Mario - The lead member of Mario's party. Mario is defeated by King Bowser, but he didn't lose completely. He goes around Mushroom Kingdom, gaining useful allies, to retrieve all the Stars in order to get the Star Rod back from Bowser, and to save all of the people kidnapped by Bowser and Kammy, including Princess Peach.
- Goombario - The first member of Mario's party. When Mario is knocked out of the Castle, he loses consciousness, and wakes up in a Goomba Village, where several Goombas live, such as Goombario, Goompa, Gooma, etc. After some misadventures, he will join Mario's party. Out of battle, he has the ability to tell Mario about people and the area he's in and give him hints. In battle, he has the ability to tell you about the enemy.
- Kooper - The second member of Mario's party. He is a Koopa Troopa with a Blue Shell, and he needs Mario's help in order to get it back from the Fuzzies for him. Once Mario defeats the Fuzzies and brings Kooper's Blue Shell back, he puts it on, and joins your party. He has the ability to hit switches or retrieve items that Mario can't reach.
- Bombette - The third member of Mario's party. She is a Pink Bob-omb, modeled after Super Mario 64's Friendly Bob-ombs, and is being held captive in the Koopa Bros' Castle. Once Mario falls into her cage, he helps them all escape, and she joins your party. She has the ability to explode, destroying weak walls.
- Parakarry - The fourth member of Mario's party. He's a mailman, the same mailman from the intro, and he's lost several letters, and needs Mario's help to find them. Once Mario gets them all, Parakarry joins your party. Parakarry can carry Mario and fly for a short period of time.
- Lady Bow - The fifth member of Mario's party. A distinguished Boo, she has one of the Stars held captive, and refuses to give it to Mario unless he defeats Tubba Blubba. She joins Mario's party to assist in defeating him and his Heart. She has the ability to conceal Mario, to hide Mario from enemies. Also has an attack that ignores Defense.
- Watt - The sixth member of Mario's team. Watt is a young girl Spark, and is being held captive in the Big Lantern Ghost's Lantern. Defeat him, and she will join Mario's party. Watt has the ability to lighten up dark areas.
- Sushie - The seventh member of Mario's team. She is the babysitter of several Baby Yoshis, but when they all run off, she joins Mario's party to find them. Mario can swim in water on her, and dive down in it too.
- Lakilester - The final member of Mario's team. At first, he attacks Mario under the name Spike, but when he defeats him, his girlfriend, Lakilulu, flies down and inadvertently reveals his name. He joins Mario's team to defeat Huff N. Puff. Mario can hover across areas, such as spikes, without being hurt.
- Princess Peach - The damsel in distress of the game. She often sneaks around the Castle to complete various tasks, and uses her Star friend, Twink, to send Mario messages.
- King Bowser - The main villain of the game. Bowser and Kamek broke into the story, and stole the Star Rod from them, trapping all of the Stars. He uses the Star Rod to make himself stronger, and has all of the Castle's occupants held captive.
- Kammy Koopa - Bowser's right-hand Magikoopa.
- Twink - A small Star that appears when Princess Peach makes a wish. He helps all through the adventure, mostly for Princess Peach. He helps Peach by delivering messages to Mario.
- Jr. Troopa - A young Koopa Troopa that is still stuck in his Egg. He seems to resent Mario, and chases him every which way. He has many upgrades. At first, all he has is his Egg Shell, but the more times you fight him, the more abilities he gets. He gets the ability to duck into his Shell, raising Defense, gains a Spike on his Shell, protecting him from Jumps, gains Wings to protect from Hammer attacks, gains the ability to use a Wand, and eventually, combines all of these abilities.
- Luigi - The underdog of the two brothers. He is often bugged that he can't tag along, and wants to hear all about Mario's adventures. He has a diary underneath the floor in their house.
- Merlon - Merlon is one of the wizards in the game. He helps Mario at various points in the game, and can be consulted anytime (for a price) for guidance as to what to do next.
External links
- RPGClassics' Paper Mario Shrine (http://www.rpgclassics.com/shrines/n64/papermario/)
- Dmoz.org - Paper Mario (http://dmoz.org/Games/Video_Games/Platform/Mario_Games/Super_Mario_RPG_Series/Paper_Mario/)
