I did not expect to make this video.
In fact, I wasn’t even sure I was going
to buy this game a few weeks ago.
But, as you can see, I did end up making this
video which can only mean one thing.
For the unaware I am a huge fan of the original
Paper Mario and have covered the series at
length to discuss my distaste for the way
things have changed in the last few entries,
so hopefully you understand how much The Origami
King has to have blown me away to feature
it here on Good Game Design.
At first glance, it may appear to have very
little in common with the first two games
that many hold so dear, but that’s exactly
what made it all the more impressive - despite
its faults and switching up a beloved core
mechanic, it somehow still had the same charm
and spirit of the original classics.
Let’s talk about it.
I’ll be the first to admit that Origami
King has an exceptionally slow start.
It took several hours for things to take off,
and believe me I was grumbling for most of
the intro - I hadn’t been hit even once
in combat and had over 10,000 coins, what
is this?
But eventually, when the overbearing tutorials
subsided and I came to terms with the fact
that this was going to be something different,
it started to win me over.
It reminded me of the other things I loved
so much about Paper Mario - incredible setpieces,
memorable characters, and top-notch hilarious
writing - in fact, this is probably the best
the series has seen in that regard.
I love that all the regular enemies in the
Mushroom Kingdom are good guys now, origami
has taken over and they are the real threat.
This led to some hilarious dialogue and story
beats along the journey, I don’t know how
they made me care about a simple bob-omb,
but by Bobby the mad lads did it.
After around the first boss, things just continued
to get better and better until the end.
A particular highlight for me was the 4th
chapter where you’re set free to roam the
open sea and explore.
You’re not given any direction other than
trying to locate the source of the purple
streamer and had to discover hidden islands
and add them to your map to reveal your true
destination.
But really, each chapter was beautifully unique
and full of wacky scenarios that I’ve come
to expect from a Paper Mario adventure.
And the music only accentuated those fantastical
moments - this has an unbelievably bumpin’
soundtrack.
At first I was worried that it’d be shorter
than past entries since there's only 5 streamers
to find but its actually longer than 64 or
Thousand Year Door because each section has
lots of diversions and other objectives along
the way, as well as multiple boss fights and
upgrades in the form of vellumental powers.
Some of these can feel like “oh no whoopsie”
padding at first, but honestly every new wrench
thrown in ended up being a delight to experience.
I wanted to focus on the combat though, because
this was easily the most divisive change the
developers implemented.
The ring system seemed intriguing from the
trailers, but not having any control over your
partners, the lack of meaningful badges, and
(gasp) NO XP! were a big turn off for some.
And obviously, you should not go in expecting
the same system on a mechanical level, but
I will say over the course of the game it
did start to feel like the good ol’ days
in terms of strategy and plans of attack changing
over time.
Let me explain.
You start the game being able to turn rings
left and right or shift them up and down and
the goal is to either line up enemies to stomp
4 in a row, or lump them in a square closest
to you for a pulverizing hammer attack.
As I said, this starts out way too simple
for my liking, but it quickly picks up steam
until you’re thinking multiple moves ahead
and sitting there just trying to picture the
solution.
And the very first time you make a mistake
or don’t solve the riddle in time, you realize
just how bad a wrong move can be - these guys
pack a massive punch when they gang up on
you.
It’s less about the brute force required
to succeed and more about cracking the code
of the puzzle in order to stay alive.
And as the game progresses you’ll encounter
lots of clever switchups to keep you on your
toes.
Like the originals there’ll be spiky enemies
lined up for a jump or flying koopas out of
reach of your hammer, which means either having
to use specific weapons that will protect
you or rearranging the arena to make sure
you can damage your foes.
Eventually you’ll see snowballs used as
shields, piranha plants hiding underground
when you move, or my personal favorite: boos
that disappear after a few seconds, meaning
you have to memorize the correct solution
and pull it off blindly.
I felt like a boss the first time this happened
and I was able to remember the layout without
knowing what to expect - spacial awareness
skills on lock.
Even cooler, the game will introduce baddies
that adapt as you move around, like these
paper families that fold in on themselves
with every turn of the ring.
I wish guys like this were utilized more often,
they really kept the battle system interesting.
So the puzzles get a lot more difficult as
you go, but luckily there’s also tons of
options at your disposal to ease up on the
challenge.
The one I ended up using the most was enlisting
cheers from the various Toads I’ve rescued.
As long as you give them at least 100 coins,
they’ll complete the first move for you
which was normally enough to nudge me toward
the final solution, and since you typically
get over 100 coins per battle anyway, it doesn’t
really feel like a punishment, but rather
an additional option if you're stuck.
You also gain little bonus rewards the more
Toads you collect, like health or damage to
enemies so this encourages exploration in
the world as well, I love it.
But in case you don’t want an exact answer
just given to you, you can also buy more time
to think longer or also ask Olivia for a hint.
You can buy a 1-up mushroom to gain a second
chance if you reach zero hitpoints, or if
you mess up and happen to find yourself in
a pinch, special items like the POW block
can easily save you from a nasty death.
Lastly, if puzzles aren’t really your thing
and you find yourself struggling, you can
go to the Battle Lab to practice various setups
and hone your skill.
All of these failsafes really came in handy
because the boss fights, while some of my
favorite parts of the game, are also the most
demanding.
Instead of turning the stage around yourself,
now the goal is to reach the boss at the
center and figure out the most effective way
to take it down.
Sometimes that means opening chests to unlock
the on switch so you can use Magic Circles
and toss them into the air while other times
you need to attack them at specific sections
to lower their defenses or protect yourself
from a devastating blow.
Each one had unique strategies and clever
mechanics to try and work around, like tape
forcing two rows to move together or objects
covered in ice breaking if you shifted them
off screen.
You have to prioritize your options since
you only have a few moves, so while it might
be nice to add an extra attack to your route,
maybe it’s better to play it safe and transfer
a heart along the way instead.
On some occasions it felt a little like trial
and error to figure out the right way to proceed,
but again there are methods to help you out
in the form of hints or notes scattered on
the battlefield.
I will say the real-life objects of colored
pencils and staplers being bosses felt eh,
out of place in a cartoony Mario universe,
but I was happy to find that there is an actual
story explanation for this being possible
so at least that made them semi-believable
as villains.
Regardless, the mechanics more than made up
for it, and I found this spin on the ring
system a great way to round out the combat.
But then, they didn’t stop there!
In a way to appease those that don’t like
the turn-based aspects, they incorporated
Paper Macho battles where you don’t enter
a special screen at all, but instead have
to skirmish in real time against these giant
cobbled abominations.
While they’re not quite as intensive in
terms of strategy, I think they’re a perfect
addition to break up the monotony of traditional
encounters.
They’re equally unique in presentation and
kept the whole adventure running smoothly
- variety is the spice of life after all.
This results in a system that feels very accessible
and able to be tailored however you’d like
- say you want to avoid battles altogether,
for the most part they’re pretty easy to
skirt past, and they even give you a special
item midway through to turn yourself invisible
and avoid suspicions.
If you only engage when you really want to
it makes the occasional required battle feel
less tedious.
Obviously it has some downsides - I never
really got the hang of fleeing, I guess it’s
just really tight timing but I almost always
failed and then you just get destroyed and
have to try again anyway.
And once you’re powered up enough you can
beat weaker enemies with your hammer and not
have to fight them at all, but if they hit
you first you still have to go through the
confrontation, that was annoying.
But it does feel like the whole package is
pretty balanced and made with its strengths
in mind.
You do ‘level up’ over time, its just
by collecting heart pieces throughout the
world, and there is reason for battling because
sometimes you need confetti to progress in
the game, as well as fat stacks of coins,
so I wouldn’t say it’s bad, just different,
and more focused on exploring every inch of
the colorful landscapes.
All of this combined to create a memorable
adventure that once I had finished, I simply
wished there was more of.
I had a blast from start to finish, and something
Origami King does have that the older games
lacked is a plethora of various collectibles
to gather that’ll keep me busy in the endgame
for quite some time.
There’s a museum chocked full of rewards
for all the toads you’ve saved, holes you’ve
filled, and treasures you’ve discovered,
from a music jukebox to a 3D gallery, to behind-the-scenes
developer sketches and cut content.
There’s even a wall of trophies for special
achievements that I hadn’t received a single
one for, even after beating the game!
Somehow it still had that Paper Mario flavor
I’ve loved for decades while using drastically
different building blocks to get there, and
that is truly an accomplishment worth celebrating.
At the end of the day, I had to remind myself
that the original games aren’t going anywhere
- I can always go back and play them if I
want to feel nostalgic.
But if you are really yearning for something
new that is in the same vein as 64 and Thousand
Year Door I would be completely remiss if
I didn’t mention Bug Fables.
You have to check this game out - battles
have all that old school goodness (experience,
badges, Flower points) but it has some cool
new additions too, like the order of your
characters affecting their attack power and
their vulnerability on the battlefield, but
you can switch them up mid battle in order
to gain an advantage.
While you don’t grow a whole team of partners,
there are 3 with varying abilities that you
synergize together to solve puzzles and take
down challenging bosses.
I can’t say it’s quite as funny or charming
as the Paper Mario we know and love, but it’s
by far the closest thing I’ve seen since
the Gamecube era, so if Origami King doesn’t
quite wet your whistle, please give this one
a go (it’s on Switch now so you have no
excuse)!
That being said I really hope people don’t
write off Mario’s latest folded outing just
because it’s not more of the same, it truly
is that enjoyable and had just as many wondrous
settings and situations as the best indie
games that I’ve praised to high heavens
all over this channel.
From Luigi inadvertently saving the day, to
Shy guy game shows and disco dance parties,
there’s something here for everyone.
If for nothing else, do it for Bobby, man.
Please?
You gotta do it for Bobby! *sniff*
