Paper Mario: The Origami King Review
Review Date: September 15, 2020
Note: A video review was not created for this game.
First off, let me say that I've never played the first three Paper Mario games, so I can't compare The Origami King to them. That being said, this game is easily the best of the so-called "modern era" of Paper Mario games.
STORY & CHARACTERS
I can certainly appreciate that this game provides a departure from the standard "Bowser kidnaps Peach" trope. The whole idea of King Olly wanting to fold the entire world into origami is new and creative, and it adds a new level of depth to the story. The fact that you end up partnering with Bowser's minions, characters who would originally be your enemies, is awesome. Some of these partners are downright hilarious and one such relationship is rather touching. Also, Olivia is certainly the best "full-time" partner in the modern Paper Mario games. She's not intrusive like Kersti and Huey were and her advice is, generally, actually helpful. All of this in turn makes Olivia a much more endearing partner. As a final aside regarding the story, the writing is hysterical. I got several genuine laughs from the dialogue in this game.
LEVEL DESIGN
If there's one thing The Origami King absolutely knocks out of the park, it is the level design. This game is packed with colorful, creative, environments and each area is filled to the brim with things to explore and discover. I have a feeling that many of these areas will go down in history as some of Nintendo's best locations; for example, Snif City, the Temple of Shrooms, Shangri-spa, and more. Although, I must give a special shout-out to Shogun Studios. Everything about this area - from the idea of exploring an abandoned theme park to the absolutely hilarious stage play that leads up to the area boss - is utter gaming perfection.
That being said, I do have a few quibbles with the level design. First, with the Purple Streamer Area, the Great Sea. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic area, but trying to find all the tiny islands in such a massive area gets tedious after a while. Second, the incessant backtracking of Sticker Star has sadly returned. Again, to use the Great Sea as an example: You first go out to the Great Sea to a very specific spot, only to be told "Oh no, there's fog, we need a map to get through!" So you go back to Toad Town, find the person with the map, and then go back to the same exact spot. It's just small moments like this that seem to only exist to pad out the game's length that bug me. The game is lengthy enough as it is; the backtracking totally isn't necessary.
The last thing I will point out is that the developers have said this game is "open-world." While there are some areas that are more vast and you can explore however you want, don't get me wrong: this is no Breath of the Wild. This game is still very much linear in how you progress through the story.
BATTLE SYSTEM & BOSSES
There's no denying the battle system has been the most controversial aspect of the modern Paper Mario games. I'll come out and say it, I like the ring system. I think it's creative and intuitive. That being said, I do agree with the critics when they say that the in-world battles become tedious after a while. There really isn't much incentive to engaging in a battle because all you're awarded with is coins and confetti, which are *literally* everywhere in this game. If I'm being honest, I think the ring system works better for boss battles. Here, the boss is placed in the center of the arena and you have to arrange the rings to create an appropriate path to a critical attack point.
Speaking of the boss battles, I think they are exceptionally creative. They come in two main varieties: Vellumentals and the Legion of Stationery. The Vellumentals give you unique abilities that will aid you on your journey and, in case it wasn't obvious from the soundtrack, they are elements of nature. The Legion of Stationery serve as the area boss battles. While it may seem like a stupid idea on paper to have a pack of colored pencils serve as a boss, these characters actually have insanely creative personalities. I can say with certainty that the Legion of Stationery are some of Nintendo's most unique and inventive boss battles.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
Finally, let's talk about the graphics and sound. This game is a visual marvel and is gorgeous to look at. Every area is crafted with care and it's immediately obvious that the developers put a ton of effort into making this game look good. The game also runs at a stable 30fps with only minor dips when you activate a Vellumental power. This is rather impressive considering how much is onscreen at once in some areas.
And then, there's the sound. I think it goes without saying that the soundtrack for this game - all 244 tracks - is a masterpiece. The music is absolutely marvelous and I am amazed at the incredibly diverse styles of music found in the game. From orchestral marvels to swinging jazz to western whistling to punk rock ballet remixes to 70s disco tunes, you can find literally everything in this soundtrack. As amazing as the soundtrack is, however, if I were to have one nitpick with it (and this is exceptionally minor), it's that it's not as catchy or memorable as Color Splash's was. Let's be real, Color Splash's music was extremely catchy. A similar comparison would be this: Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Odyssey both have masterpiece soundtracks, yet 3D World's music is catchier and more memorable than Odyssey's. The same is true here.
CONCLUSION
There is honestly so much more I could talk about with this game, but I'm going to leave it at this. Needless to say, this game is amazing. I loved almost every moment of it, with only the unnecessary backtracking standing in the way of complete enjoyment. The battle system could have used a little more fine-tuning and there could be more incentive to engage in battle in the first place, but that doesn't detract from the fact that this new system is innovative. No matter your opinion of the modern Paper Mario games, it's impossible to deny that this game is crafted with care. The Origami King is well worth a play. I'd recommend it to anybody.
Note: A video review was not created for this game.
First off, let me say that I've never played the first three Paper Mario games, so I can't compare The Origami King to them. That being said, this game is easily the best of the so-called "modern era" of Paper Mario games.
STORY & CHARACTERS
I can certainly appreciate that this game provides a departure from the standard "Bowser kidnaps Peach" trope. The whole idea of King Olly wanting to fold the entire world into origami is new and creative, and it adds a new level of depth to the story. The fact that you end up partnering with Bowser's minions, characters who would originally be your enemies, is awesome. Some of these partners are downright hilarious and one such relationship is rather touching. Also, Olivia is certainly the best "full-time" partner in the modern Paper Mario games. She's not intrusive like Kersti and Huey were and her advice is, generally, actually helpful. All of this in turn makes Olivia a much more endearing partner. As a final aside regarding the story, the writing is hysterical. I got several genuine laughs from the dialogue in this game.
LEVEL DESIGN
If there's one thing The Origami King absolutely knocks out of the park, it is the level design. This game is packed with colorful, creative, environments and each area is filled to the brim with things to explore and discover. I have a feeling that many of these areas will go down in history as some of Nintendo's best locations; for example, Snif City, the Temple of Shrooms, Shangri-spa, and more. Although, I must give a special shout-out to Shogun Studios. Everything about this area - from the idea of exploring an abandoned theme park to the absolutely hilarious stage play that leads up to the area boss - is utter gaming perfection.
That being said, I do have a few quibbles with the level design. First, with the Purple Streamer Area, the Great Sea. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic area, but trying to find all the tiny islands in such a massive area gets tedious after a while. Second, the incessant backtracking of Sticker Star has sadly returned. Again, to use the Great Sea as an example: You first go out to the Great Sea to a very specific spot, only to be told "Oh no, there's fog, we need a map to get through!" So you go back to Toad Town, find the person with the map, and then go back to the same exact spot. It's just small moments like this that seem to only exist to pad out the game's length that bug me. The game is lengthy enough as it is; the backtracking totally isn't necessary.
The last thing I will point out is that the developers have said this game is "open-world." While there are some areas that are more vast and you can explore however you want, don't get me wrong: this is no Breath of the Wild. This game is still very much linear in how you progress through the story.
BATTLE SYSTEM & BOSSES
There's no denying the battle system has been the most controversial aspect of the modern Paper Mario games. I'll come out and say it, I like the ring system. I think it's creative and intuitive. That being said, I do agree with the critics when they say that the in-world battles become tedious after a while. There really isn't much incentive to engaging in a battle because all you're awarded with is coins and confetti, which are *literally* everywhere in this game. If I'm being honest, I think the ring system works better for boss battles. Here, the boss is placed in the center of the arena and you have to arrange the rings to create an appropriate path to a critical attack point.
Speaking of the boss battles, I think they are exceptionally creative. They come in two main varieties: Vellumentals and the Legion of Stationery. The Vellumentals give you unique abilities that will aid you on your journey and, in case it wasn't obvious from the soundtrack, they are elements of nature. The Legion of Stationery serve as the area boss battles. While it may seem like a stupid idea on paper to have a pack of colored pencils serve as a boss, these characters actually have insanely creative personalities. I can say with certainty that the Legion of Stationery are some of Nintendo's most unique and inventive boss battles.
GRAPHICS & SOUND
Finally, let's talk about the graphics and sound. This game is a visual marvel and is gorgeous to look at. Every area is crafted with care and it's immediately obvious that the developers put a ton of effort into making this game look good. The game also runs at a stable 30fps with only minor dips when you activate a Vellumental power. This is rather impressive considering how much is onscreen at once in some areas.
And then, there's the sound. I think it goes without saying that the soundtrack for this game - all 244 tracks - is a masterpiece. The music is absolutely marvelous and I am amazed at the incredibly diverse styles of music found in the game. From orchestral marvels to swinging jazz to western whistling to punk rock ballet remixes to 70s disco tunes, you can find literally everything in this soundtrack. As amazing as the soundtrack is, however, if I were to have one nitpick with it (and this is exceptionally minor), it's that it's not as catchy or memorable as Color Splash's was. Let's be real, Color Splash's music was extremely catchy. A similar comparison would be this: Super Mario 3D World and Super Mario Odyssey both have masterpiece soundtracks, yet 3D World's music is catchier and more memorable than Odyssey's. The same is true here.
CONCLUSION
There is honestly so much more I could talk about with this game, but I'm going to leave it at this. Needless to say, this game is amazing. I loved almost every moment of it, with only the unnecessary backtracking standing in the way of complete enjoyment. The battle system could have used a little more fine-tuning and there could be more incentive to engage in battle in the first place, but that doesn't detract from the fact that this new system is innovative. No matter your opinion of the modern Paper Mario games, it's impossible to deny that this game is crafted with care. The Origami King is well worth a play. I'd recommend it to anybody.
PROS
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CONS
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