PAPER MARIO: The Dark Side of Nostalgia | GEEK CRITIQUE

Paper Mario was NOT Super Mario RPG 2.

[mino]

i love how in his notes it's all about how different and fun the game is and then just "The goomba dad looks like my dad"

[papersonic]

One thing I love about the game is in fact how... immersive the world is. For a game released in the N64, there's a ton of dialogue that changes depending on your actions. Every NPC has a name, and depending on the chapter, they may change their location and what they're doing. While the partners can be paper-thin (ha) with regards to personality at times, they all have a place in the world and people they interact with. For example, you can make Kooper talk to Kolorado and he'll gush over his idol. And you mentioned Mario receiving letters, but if you go to the post office, each of the partners also receive letters from friends and family, worried about them. It helps with the feeling that you're helping these people out and that your actions have an impact, which is an odd feeling to feel about a Mario game.

The game in general just has such a crazy level of attention to detail (something the next two games also nail) it's honestly crazy. It makes the world so much more fun to explore than most RPGs. I always yearn to return to Toad Town to see what's changed; like at one point Goombario's family goes there and you can just hang out with them. Someone at Intelligent Systems wrote a crapton of tattle dialogue for Goombario that most players won't see, but someone will, and it rewards that player's curiosity.

EDIT: also, that whole "people wanting something to be just like when they were children" speech is gonna be very relevant next time you cover Sonic games, haha

[SwedenTheHedgehog]

Something I want to point out, on the “slow start and story front-loading” segment:

I played this as a 9 or 10 year old, but as someone who wasn’t born in an English-speaking country. On one hand it is one of the games I attribute to having learned English so early; not knowing the language the game is written in gives it a COMPLETELY different perspective.

Me and my friend got stuck in the desert on the “Starts with L, ends with EMON” part, but up until that part we trial and errored our way forth, and having things be so clear to us, in just imaging was what made us love this game.
We didn’t know what the Star-Spirits said, we didn’t know where we were meant to go based on hints.
But seeing Mario fall out of the castle, getting to play Peach between chapters made us understand the game’s story without being able to read it.
We ended up having to sit there with a borrowed dictionary, whenever we got stuck (which was OFTEN), but it was so worth it to get through this game as kids.

Looking back, it’s amazing to me that a game which is so text-based can also be so accessible to people who doesn’t know what the game is telling you with words. We started by learning with what it showed us!

[dmerkaGU]

you didn't even mention Luigi's diary, one of the best insights into his character, especially before Luigi's mansion.

[Hensama]

This is the Paper Mario breakdown I've been trying to make for years.

Kudos to you Josh. The youtube-verse is filled with folks giving a quick gloss over history, lore, what the game is, and that's about it.

But you introduce another element. PERSPECTIVE. And I love that, because its presented in such a way that even folks who don't have a shared experience/similar experience will enjoy the video, and become interested in the subject matter.

Love it. Keep it up!

[GeekCritique]

I've gotten comments from people who missed both Mario RPG AND Samus Returns, because YouTube never notified or recommended them. MY wish on the Star Spirits is that YouTube stops fiddling around with subscriptions.

So I guess I'd better remind you to ring the bell to please the algorithm. Maybe they won't screw around with that one! Thank you everyone, happy holidays, and I hope you enjoy the episode! This was SO much fun to put together.

[Kurayamiblack]

"I didn't judge it for what it was; I dismissed it for what it wasn't."

If I had a dollar for every time my friends did that shit to something I liked...

[FletcherReedsRandomness]

“Let’s take off those rose-tinted glasses”
*plays clip of 2001 Josh taking off glasses*

[anonymouskaiju]

I know it's delayed but hearing you talk about this games soundtrack makes me so excited for the mario and luigi video since the same composer from mario rpg returns and it's so fast and fun

[Luigiofthegods]

This is the second most ominous thumbnail I've ever seen in my life

[Cloudeefella]

I know that the story isn’t as engaging as RPG, but the one thing I LOVE about this game’s story is the way it builds up the final battle.

You mentioned last time that RPG did a great job showing Exor as a threat but I think they did an even better job with Bowser in this game.

He kicks your butt in the beginning, you see him acting cocky and having his way with the Princess after every chapter. A lot of the characters make reference to wishes or dreams they have but they can’t come true because of HIM.

But over time, he gets angry and scared of you making progress. The Star Spirits spell it out for you in their speeches. Going up to his castle and powering through and eventually beating him in the same place you were defeated before feels SO GOOD. Even if the GAMEPLAY isn’t a climax, the STORY is.

This game above all else makes him seem like a huge threat and I LOVE it. I wish they did it more in future games.

[chibi]

Josh: VIDEOGAMES DON'T NEED FILLER.

Thousand Year Door: *sweats in backtracking*

[beanie]

I still remember the Crystal Palace chapter of Paper Mario as one of the best moments I’ve ever experienced in gaming. It felt like such a fun adventure to solve that murder mystery, make that trek up the snowy mountain, defeat the Crystal King. It was just so awesome.

[marplatense]

"Forgive the lack of Geno"

Oooooh! Too soon!

[Jaaskle]

“Love without maturity yields passion without perspective.” Damn dude, I wasn’t expecting such a truth bomb. Well said!

[edenengland]

"peach has no equipment"
*proceeds to show him using one of the pieces of equipment peach gets*

[charliestoops]

THANK YOU for talking about MistareFusion. That’s a channel that needs more love!

[arios]

Personally, I love the final boss because it feels like something the whole game leads up to.

Paper Mario is interesting because it takes the core conceit of an RPG, growing ever stronger, and places it at the heart of the story. Mario wasn't strong enough to beat Bowser the first time, but with the help of his new friends and allies throughout the world, he will be. Bowser, on the other hand, seeks power through wishes, without putting in the effort. In that way, one final slugfest feels like an appropriate, thematic way to end the story.

Love the content TGC, and look forward to an eventual TTYD review.

[kode-man]

I know exactly what you mean by "being right on the cusp" of when a game like Paper Mario isn't cool. I'm fortunate that I never played it until my 20's. There was a lot from that era that I probably missed out because I was "too cool" for it haha.

[ImMattOnline]

Perspective. I think that's what I love about your videos. Not just hearing your personal perspective (of child you and current you), but your willingness to remark other potential perspectives and feel more informed as a result. Especially with Paper Mario as a series, there's been so much tiring back-and-forth and "betrayals" of what IS and what ISN'T a true game in the series. But this vid showed that even from Mario RPG to the first Paper game, there's always been a break in tradition and expectations. And every break deserves recognition for both its deviation from its predecessor and its carving of a new path. And I'm glad you addressed both your original unfair bias to the game and your newfound enjoyment of it. Keep being excellent.