Paper Mario: The Origami King Nintendo Switch Game Review

The Paper Mario series has made its way onto the Nintendo Switch, and even though Paper Mario: The Origami King has left behind much of the classic RPG gameplay that put the series on the map, it remains an incredibly charming journey. 

The World of Paper Mario: The Origami King Trailer

The Story

The game begins with Mario and Luigi being invited to yet another party at Princess Peach’s castle. When are these plumbers going to learn that bad things happen when Peach invites them for parties? Upon arrival, it is clear that something is wrong. As they step into the castle, Peach emerges in a new, origami form and acts strangely. From there the brothers are captured by King Olly, who has turned the Mushroom Kingdom into an origami prison. It is then up to you as Mario to escape, make new friends (and meet up with old villains), and save the Papercraft Mushroom Kingdom once again. Like a lot of the best Mario games, you travel to many interesting locales and meet often hilarious characters, but the scale in this one feels much larger than before as Mario traverses forests, oceans cities, and more in his mission to set things right. 

When will they learn?

Gameplay

Origami King controls very similarly to the Paper Mario games of the past but with a bit more freedom to exploration. You as Mario explore the environment, search for treasure and items, and interact with a wacky cast of characters. Where the game differs this time around, is in its progression and combat system. The Origami King does not have your traditional leveling up for Mario this time, so you won’t be gaining experience from turn-based battles and upgrading your character. In Origami King, you are instead tasked with upgr specific tools in Mario’s arsenal and collecting special items and trinkets to increase his health. You start with a basic set of boots and a hammer to use in fights, but you'll be constantly getting better equipment as battles become more intense. The trade-off being, tools you get from weapon shops break after too much use so you're forced to either go back to your old trust hammer, or make sure you have enough tools as you progress. Mario also gets new abilities like the 1000-Fold arms that allow him to stretch his arms up to hard to reach places and manipulate the world. 

Each location feels unique, I always looked forward to seeing where the game would take Mario next.

The battle system is much different too. Instead of two sides standing in front of each other and taking turns to strike, combat plays out more like a puzzle. Mario is in the center of a series of circles that the player can spin to line up enemies to jump on. I have not encountered a system like this in a game before, so getting used to the strategy element of rotating the right enemies at the right times before striking kept me on my toes. I don’t think the system is quite as engaging in the long run, especially if you like Paper Mario games as RPGs, but is still unique and engaging. The companions that sometimes join Mario in the fight are a nice way to mix things up too, like Bobby, the Bob-omb suffering from a slight case of amnesia.

Battles are different this time, but still strategic and with plenty of challenge.

Final Thoughts

Paper Mario: The Origami King might not be the Paper Mario I wanted, a return to form of the N64 original and its sequel The Thousand-Year Door, but in a year where we can use all the wholesome gaming experiences we can get, Origami King delights where it needs to. The visuals are incredibly artistic, and the characters remain quirky and funny throughout. The battle system is unique, and even though the game doesn’t have a traditional RPG structure, it is a big improvement from the last couple of portable Paper Mario games for sure.

King Olly is the villain of this story.

Pros

• Gorgeous papercraft visuals
• Fun characters
• Puzzle-like combat system

Cons

• Still not the true RPG experience fans might want

Paper Mario: The Origami King Game Rating:

Origami King's Box Art.

Available Now for Nintendo Switch

Share Your Thoughts

What do you think of Paper Mario: The Origami King? What Nintendo franchise do you want to see reimagined into paper? Let us know below!

*Nintendo provided us with a copy of the game for review.