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Friday 8 February, 2008
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This entry is pretty much spoiler-free. I only discuss elements from the game’s Prologue – stuff that’s likely been discussed in reviews and previews, anyway.
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SUMMARY
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“Paper Mario” (2001 – Intelligent Systems/Nintendo – N64) is a Role-Playing Game based in the Mario universe that features a distinct artistic style. In “Paper Mario”, you play as Mario, who must travel across the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue seven elder stars in order to gain the power to defeat Bowser, who possesses the Star Rod – a rod with the power to grant wishes. This game, while it is a role-playing game, also features certain action/platforming elements both while travelling and in battle.
GAMEPLAY
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Once again, like before, I must clarify that this game is being played via the Wii Virtual Console. However, for this game, I went with a GameCube controller, as it more closely resembles the N64 controller.
Inevitably, while I am playing this game, I am reminiscing to other classic Mario RPGs that I have played, including the classic “Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars” (SNES) and more recent “Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga” (GBA). However, despite having played those RPGs and “Super Paper Mario” (Wii), I had not played “Paper Mario” before this GameLog. I had always been interested to see what all the fuss was about, but had never gotten the chance.
So far, I’ve been having an enjoyable time playing “Paper Mario.” For reference, I have played through most of the tutorial stuff, to Toad Town, up to Shooting Star Summit, and back to Toad Town. I think an inevitable aspect of games with a tutorial level is that the opening can be a bit slow. While I will say that the opening areas did drag a bit, this was by no means to the degree that I’ve experienced in other games.
I think what made the prologue items bearable for me, as well as what helps make this game distinct, is the certain level of charm everything has. The music is light and playful, the characters are fun and lively, and the overall presentation has this nearly cartoonish feel to it. Character reactions are more comic than realistic (example: Mario expresses surprise with a big exclamation mark over his head) and the allies you find early on in the game are slightly ironic. After all, Mario’s ally for the Prologue is Goombarino, a kid Goomba that know a lot about everything in the Mushroom Kingdom.
In terms of combat, it’s a lot like traditional turn-based RPGs. When you get attacked, you lose HP. When you attack enemies with special powers, you use Flower Points (FP – the equivalent of MP in the game). What makes this game distinct, however, is the action elements added into this combat. If you can time your button press just right when you attack an enemy, you’ll inflict more damage. The same holds true for defending against attacks. Also, when walking around in the world, you’ll gain the advantage of “First Strike” by attacking the enemy in the field. I guess what’s frustrating about this, though, is that you don’t learn how to use “action commands” – a.k.a. the timed button presses for extra damage – until towards the end of the Prologue. Having played “Super Mario RPG,” I was used to this mechanic and was expecting a reaction for my button presses early on. It was a tad frustrating, but not inexcusable.
I have enjoyed playing “Paper Mario” so far because it has a unique, comedic style that makes the world fun to explore. That said, I really look forward to the game picking up a bit as I move ahead into the first chapter.
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