I got my grubby paws on a copy of Super Paper Mario the other day, and after playing through two full levels (roughly about three or four hours of gameplay), I must say that I like what I see thus far. The basic plot structure is that Count Bleck, a newcomer to Mario’s list of villainous enemies, kidnaps both the Princess and Bowser and whisks them away to another dimension. By forcing them to get married, Bleck begins the process – written down in the Dark Prognosticus – to usher in the end of days. Must have been a hell of a wedding party.
As for the content, Super Paper Mario is a complete hodge podge of gaming styles, with distinct RPG elements at its core, and an odd fusion of retro and new age design that carries most of the gameplay. The addition of the rotating camera to create a sense of 3D adds a lot of depth to the game with cleverly disguised environments. The only problem with this is that the flipping camera is so vital to the game’s progression that it becomes a pain in the ass to use any other character, as only Mario can perform this function.
Another little quibble I have with the game stems from its 2D nature. If a developer opts for simple 2D environments in this next-gen age (sorry Chuf), then one should expect the environments to look gorgeous, since they are all prerendered. Sadly, this is not the case with this installment, and consequently, the Gamecube Paper Mario looked vastly superior.
However, this is only a minor annoyance. The gameplay is solid, and the dialogue is genuinely engaging and funny, which is always a refreshing change from your average RPG. The bosses have been a touch on the easy side, but as I’m not very far into the game, I can still hope that they will become more challenging as I progress. In any case, from what I have seen, this is a solid title for any Wii owner. It is certainly the best game released since . . . oh I don’t know . . . launch?
-Bedlam-