On the same day as my contest round ended, I finished Paper Mario (if you can call it that). I beat the game (the final boss), and as I was watching the ending cutscene, the electricity in the neighborhood cut off. No, really. Seriously. Anyways, I beat the game, and some day I’ll go back and beat the last boss again and tackle the pit of 100 trials. Here’s the review.

If you’ve looked around my site a little, you might know that I really like the idea of 2d sprites on 3d backgrounds. Paper Mario takes that idea to the max by making the 2d sprites really, really 2d. You and all the characters in the game are paper (yes, as in that white woody-like stuff). The graphics are really nice, and the paper element is really unique. The audio is also nice, but the lack of voice acting is a small downside. Then again, I find myself hating RPGs with voice acting.

The gameplay is also very unique. Like its predecessors, PM uses a special kind of combat system that features Action Commands. These commands, when executed correctly can effectively double the attack power of any move. There are 7 partners that you can take with you, and each has a specific set of moves both in battle and out. The outside portion of the game is very satisfying, but never too difficult. Like stated above, partners can be used to access new areas, get items, etc. Each town has a different look to it, and each partnering dungeon features a specific set of puzzles to wade through. All in all, the game plays just like you would expect from a side-scrolling RPG (which is what PM is, basically).

The game took me right at 30 hours to complete, and I got all 42 Shines and all 100 Star Pieces. Tackling the 100 pits might take a little longer, but all in all, nothing more than 35 hours. Replay value is high, I guess, as the game was rather fun to play through. If you haven’t played PM for the GC, now’s the time to do so: it’s less than 20 dollars now, so there’s no point in waiting.