Conclusion and awards
In summing up, it has to be said that whilst Super Paper Mario may not be much to look at, Nintendo have unleashed their full creative powers on this one which makes Super Paper Mario something pretty stunning. Sure, it looks simple enough and the controls could be learnt by my mum in less than a minute but even from the first level you’ll be hooked.Super Paper Mario’s strength lies in its simplicity to learn and complexity of gameplay further in. The difficulty curve is so finely tuned that it’s not until you reach later levels where you’ll be taking on multiple, tough opponents at once that you realise how gently the game sucks you in. And, as usual, even if you do die you find that you have to go back and give it another shot and you invariably get a bit further each time.
The 3D/2D flip brings an entirely new aspect to Super Paper Mario, taking it way beyond being a standard 2D platformer. Being able to flip into 3D essentially gives you a completely new way to play each and every level and later on, cunning use of the flip is essential to progression.
The addition of a team of characters to choose from at any point in the game is inspired. Brilliantly there’s only a very places where it obvious which character to use, which leaves you free to play a level as you see fit. It’s refreshing to not be forced into using a specific character in specific areas and adds masses to Super Paper Mario in allowing you to experiment… and there’s bags of satisfaction to be had from battling through with one character to then find that another makes the level far easier… it sounds odd I know, but it’s true.
For me, the only downside with Super Paper Mario is the Flipside/Flopside ‘hub’ where, after having played through a section and won a Pure Heart, I now had a load of exploring to do to find the Heart Pillar and open up the next doorway. It’s fun finding new areas the first time but when you’ve got to trek all the way there and back again, essentially just running an errand, it gets a tad tiresome. My other concern is the length of Super Paper Mario. It’s by no means short but I have a feeling that compared with previous Mario games, Super Paper Mario is going to be one of the shortest. So far I’ve played through 7 of the eight chapters with each chapter having 5 episodes… and whilst it’s been a huge amount of fun, I have a feeling it’ll all be over too soon. This very likely won’t stop me trying to complete the Pit of 100 Trials (I just can’t beat the end boss!) or going back and exploring some more, but it does nag in my mind that Super Paper Mario is going to be one of the shorter Mario games.
Other than that I really can’t find any faults with Super Paper Mario and frankly it’s another massive triumph for Nintendo. The slight retro look, the references to classic Mario’s from the past and the superb gameplay almost feels like Super Paper Mario is beckoning lost gamers back to the Mario fold. You really will be doing yourself and your Wii a massive disservice if you don’t get this.
Pros
Classic Mario action
New Mario action
Incredibly easy to learn, tricky to master
Loads of ways to play
Unique ‘flip mode’ brings a whole new dimension
Easy to use interface
Brilliant fun
Cons
Perhaps a bit shorter than other Mario games?
Flipside/Flopside sections can get a bit repetitive
Do you and your Wii a favour and buy Super Paper Mario, it’s brilliant.
HEXUS Awards
Super Paper Mario -Wii
