Were the Paper Mario Games Really That GOOD?

Were the Paper Mario Games REALLY that good or do they fold under the pressure :D

In this video, we take a deep dive into every Paper Mario game to determine if they really live up to the legendary status they’ve earned!

We’ll explore:

Paper Mario (N64): How the original set the bar for a new kind of Mario RPG and why it’s still considered one of the best in the series

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: Often hailed as the greatest Paper Mario game—was it truly the peak of the series, or is nostalgia clouding our judgment?

Super Paper Mario: A wild departure from the traditional formula—did the shift to platforming work, or was it a risky move?

Sticker Star, Color Splash, and Origami King: The evolution of the series brought a lot of changes, but were they for the better? We break down the gameplay mechanics, story, and fan reactions.

And MORE

Engage with me:

What’s your favorite Paper Mario game? Drop a comment below and let’s discuss!

Poll: Do you think Paper Mario has gotten better or worse over time? Vote in our poll!

Like and subscribe to stay tuned for more deep dives and nostalgic trips through your favorite Nintendo franchises!

Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to the series, this video gives you a complete breakdown of what made Paper Mario so unique and whether it’s still worth playing today.

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#PaperMario #ThousandYearDoor #SuperPaperMario #StickerStar #PaperMarioSeries #MarioRPG #Nintendo #MarioGames #RetroGaming #NintendoSwitch #GamingReview #BestMarioGames #MarioLegacy

[fawfulthegreat]

I'll be honest my gripes with the modern series are mainly how restricted the story and characters are. I honestly would not mind this series continuing to experiment with the gameplay if they dropped the restrictions and let the series pick back up with all the recurring characters, narrative traditions, strong references to each previous entry, and steadily-increasing stakes that were all dropped after SPM. After all SPM is very different gameplay-wise but I still consider it Paper Mario 3, whereas I feel like Paper Mario 4 has yet to happen because of how much of the series' DNA the next game threw out and subsequent entries only built on the little that was left after that.

[danielmoncrief]

I feel like Paper Mario 64 is so underrated. It's the one that started the whole series.

[ThatFanBoyGuy]

I know this isn't anything revolutionary, but I would rank these games-

1) Thousand Year Door
2) Paper Mario
3) Super Paper Mario
4) Origami King
5) Color Splash
6) Sticker Star

[bryanchow]

The person in charge of developing Sticker Star, Color Splash, and Origami King is a man named Kensuke Tanabe. There is one interview where he literally said that "Paper Mario is all about the paper, " and he really shoved that belief into those three games.

[PeachyFanboy]

Color Splash is such an underrated gem man, not the best thing ever, but I think it was a good improvement in some ways to Sticker Star and the gameplay/overworld were done very well for the most part

[nintendoswitchfan]

My ranking:
1) Super paper mario
2) PM64
3) ttyd (Remake and original)
4) Origami king
5) Colour splash
6) Sticker star

[RKMCHere]

That depends really, each Paper Mario game has their flaws imo but here's my thoughts about the ones that I have played:

Paper Mario: The level cap and battle system can be quite limited since your partner has no HP but the pacing, level design and the style of the music is pretty good! Bowser is the main villain though but it kinda works? No post game content though.

TTYD: It has the best battle system but there's a lot of backtracking and the level design is a downgrade of PM64. It improves on many aspects though and TTYD offers more. The remake fixes the majority of the issues. Also, the setting is creative this time and the story, plot and villains too!

SPM: It offers the best story but the gameplay can sometimes be not so great. Some chapters and areas can drag on for too long and there isn't much strategy. Some chapters can be good though but however like in TTYD, it has creativity!

TOK: Probably has the best soundtrack out of all the games imo, the overworld design is great and the areas feel open. Some of the locations are original but the battle ring system sadly drags it down and it's missing the uniqueness of TTYD and SPM because you don't see any new species. Some moments can pull you right into the strings though similar to SPM. I like Bobby and Olivia, their interaction, personalities and bonding was pretty cool.

[TheRealHedgehogSonic]

I can confirm my biases to the games of old isn't nostalgia talking. The new games are just filled with bone headed decisions. Origami King's useless battle system, Color Splash's unintuitive and very player vs. game type design and Sticker Star's EVERYTHING! That was a mess.

[thelolmaster]

Honestly I like them all except Sticker Star

[jaretco]

I think the first 2 Paper Mario games still holds up remarkably well and are still the best to this day. Not only were the story & characters more charming, but the gameplay was just as simple, yet compelling that's smooth & engaging and what an Paper Mario game should be. I don't mind some constant changes into the gameplay style in later games. But they didn't have the same aspects as the first 2 had like experience points, level ups, badges and other things that we've come to known. Not to mentioned they weren't all that good. I hope the new Paper Mario goes back to it's root since TTYD and bring back the magic of the franchise. With TTYD Remake doing so well, who knows.

[Cakeman]

Super paper Mario is my favorite one for sure

[StiffBenson]

Super Paper Mario is peak gaming and deserves a remaster/port or a sequel

[darkdragonmedeus]

Paper Mario: This is my personal favorite of the series for many years; mainly because nostalgia but also because I'd say it has the best music and originally had my personal favorite boss fights. Especially the Master

The Thousand Year Door: The definitive best in the series and never really disagreed, but it's not without some flaws. It's the only one of the first three games with a legit not so good chapter; especially the aforementioned back tracking. But ever since the Switch remake, I finally conceded to being my favorite. They fixed the back tracking that fixed the worst issues I had with Chapters 4 and 7; but Chapter 2 still is the worst chapter in the game. But another big change is the addition of Prince Mush as a Superboss; finally a boss that tops The Master from the OG Paper Mario.

Super Paper Mario: Easily the best in terms of story, dialogue, and characterization. It plays more like a classic Super Mario Bros game than it does Paper Mario, but at least they kept the level up system. But sadly, the weakest part is that the combat is too easy. Mario can uses his 2D/3D flip to elude every dangerous obstacle, Peach can make herself basically invulnerable, Bowser can sweep every boss in the game with his Fire Breath, and Luigi can Super Jump over every boss in the game and position himself for an automatic Power Bounce sweep.

Sticker Star: Only one I outright think it's bad, Chuggaconroy did a full analysis on this. It has good music and animation, but that's about it. There is nothing to gain from enemy encounters via no level up system, just using up stickers/ammunition. And even running basically KO's them and gives you most coins. Every boss in the game can either be OHKO'd or have a tough fight; and Kersti literally insults you for not taking the easy way out. Not the worst game ever made, far from it, but I definitely still think the gameplay has more bad than good.

Color Splash: On paper, it looks like Sticker Star 2.0, but they made a lot of efforts to improve the formula. Cards are much more manageable than stickers, and paint is a neat HP mechanic. Bosses and story are far better designed, but it still lacks the charm of the first 2, or even the first three games that could have been resolved with a simple level up system and more partner variety.

Origami King: Another attempted effort, they brought back partners even if lacking artistic designs but they give personality. One of the best attempts at improving the story and humor though not quite Super Paper Mario tier. Battle system interesting on paper and excellent for boss battles, but in some ways it might ironically be worse than the previous two for regular enemies. And once again, it lacks the level up system. Which was the number one thing I wanted back.

Overall, the first three games are phenomenal in their own rights. Sticker Star bad, Color Splash is decent and somewhat underrated but wouldn't say great. Origami King is also decent, but still has set backs.

[ThesSlasherLibrarian]

He used the starrod to get that thing under the castle. Wished it.

[realTNN]

TTYD is such a gem. Even better when modding it and making your own little ajustations or rules

[ethanhawkins]

The original PM64 was such a great game with a lot of charm, though more simplistic. TTYD is masterful and really built on almost everything from the first and made most aspects even better. SPM is a bit of a departure, but an excellent story and fun game mechanics. ToK was incredibly refreshing, loved the various environments and the implementation of paper aesthetics. Just wish the battle system didn’t get as repetitive and they Nintendo allowed them to use unique characters again!

[alexanderruhe]

Playing TTYD for the first time now. Loved this video about the rest of the series I have to look forward to!

[awesomeocelot]

TTYD on switch is a full remake not a port or remaster…

[c.k.mcknight]

Hey, we got a new Mario and Luigi game! Which I certainly wasn't expecting. It's not outside the realm of possibility that we'll get a new Paper Mario game before too long. Imagine how beautiful it would look on whatever console succeeds the Switch.

[dougmccarren]

I mean technically 64 has an upgrade system that you can only access as you get stronger so there is kind of a level-up along side Mario feature