Paper Mario is returning for another instalment this week, where a new story will literally unfold for Mario and his friends.
For those not familiar with the series, it often takes the traditional Mario format and turns it into an action RPG with an overworld to explore that changes to turn-based combat when encountering an enemy or boss.
Paper Mario: The Origami King sees a new villain added to the Mario universe: the Origami King, King Olly, whose arrival to the Mushroom Kingdom turns everything into origami. He steals Princess Peach’s castle, moving it to a faraway mountain, and then manipulates Bowser’s army with a plan to fold the entire world! It will be up to Paper Mario and his friends to undo the damage that has been folded upon their kingdom.
From what we’ve seen so far, the game’s design comes across as bright, colourful and fun with plenty of free-roam exploring to do. Like the other Paper Mario games, as well as some of the more recent Yoshi titles like Yoshi’s Woolly World and Yoshi’s Crafted World, The Origami King constructs what feels like a giant diorama of the Mushroom Kingdom. The game plays on this theme of papercraft so much that some of the bosses you’ll encounter are a group known as the Legion of Stationery, which includes characters like a tin of sharpened pencils, a rubber band man and a tape dispenser. Walking the aisles of Officeworks will never be the same.
On Mario’s journey through this 3D origami world, you’ll discover new areas to liberate from the Origami King’s wrath and free the Mushroom Kingdom’s inhabitants from places such as a vibrant forest spring, a warm autumn mountain, a spooky ninja mansion, a dank underground sewer and a lively desert oasis. You’ll confront King Olly’s origami army in a new and exciting ring-based combat system that will see you race against time to line up enemies for Mario to pummel and pulverize with a classic arsenal of items and power-ups.
Fellow party members will also be accessible during combat turns, which will give you the upper hand against battles that might otherwise see Mario outnumbered. Boss battles are a little bit different to regular combat, with bosses in the centre of the ring instead of Mario, and our favourite Italian plumber needing to find a path to them to deliver his attacks.
Mario will also be joined by a new ally in this adventure, an origami girl named Olivia, who also happens to be King Olly’s sister. After she joins you for a while, she will grant Mario a new ability, the 1000-fold arms, which gives Mario special folded spring arms that allow him to interact with the paper environment and reveal the Kingdom’s hidden secrets by pulling, peeling and hitting his way through the landscape.
And, of course, Mario will also be joined by some old fan-favourites on his journey, such as the many Toads who have been turned to Origami and hidden across the land. Freeing the Toads will give you advantages in battles and will also grant you access to Toad Town, a new location with more for Mario to do. Unlikely alliances will be formed as well when classic baddies who are also affected by the tyranny of King Olly show up to assist. Bowser, Kamek, Bowser Jr. and more will need to side with Mario to help him return everything in the world to normal.
Mini-games and collectibles will also be aplenty in this new adventure, with the current gameplay trailer teasing Toad Town activities like fishing, a shooting gallery, scuba diving and puzzles galore. Paper Mario: The Origami King is sure to be a crafty game full of excitement, humour and adventure.
‘Paper Mario: The Origami King’ unfolds on Nintendo Switch on July 17.
