Paper Mario: The Origami King will have more of an open world feel
- jul
- 02
The sixth installment in the Paper Mario series releases this summer on Nintendo Switch!
I remember when the first Paper Mario game released on N64 back in 2001. It was such a massive change from the other Mario games of the time since it offered an RPG experience similar to my favorite SNES game, Super Mario RPG. I replayed that first Paper Mario game so many times, and to this day, it is still one of my favorites. I've also played each of the sequential titles in the series. Many of the latest ones have been lackluster, to say the least. But I've been holding out hope that another glorious Paper Mario would grace us.
So, you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I discovered that the sixth installment in the series, Paper Mario: The Origami King, is scheduled to release on Nintendo Switch during the summer of 2020. Here's everything you need to know about this upcoming game.
Plumber's Paper Cut VI
Paper Mario: The Origami King
Defeat the origami invaders
Mario and the other citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom discover that a hoard of origami villains has overtaken their home. An origami Peach is on the throne, and it's up to our favorite stumpy plumber to set things right.
Paper Mario: The Origami King — Everything you need to know
- What is the plot?
- Is this an open-world game?
- What is the combat system like?
- Are there companions?
- What are Mario's new abilities?
- Are there hidden items?
- Who are the bosses?
- Why does Mario wear a Metroid helmet in the video?
- What is the release date?
What is the plot for Paper Mario: The Origami King?
This game starts like so many others. Mario and Luigi receive an invitation from Princess Peach inviting them to the castle, this time to attend an origami festival. The brothers run off to enjoy the festivities only to discover that Peach has been turned into origami by the evil King Olly. What's more, King Olly has used his origami warriors to invade the Mushroom Kingdom and take over Peach's castle.
Mario must band together with Olly's sister, Olivia, to fight off these invaders and return peace to the land. Bowser's minions have also been turned into origami and have betrayed their Koopa King, so a partially-folded Bowser is forced to join Mario on his quest. This looks like it's going to be a hilariously fun adventure.
Is this an open-world game?
Yes, in an interview, Masahiko Nagaya, director at Intelligent Systems, explained that for the first time in Paper Mario history, this game will be doing away with the chapter-based progression in favor of seamless travel between regions.
"One major feature that makes the world where this adventure takes place special is that there are huge maps to explore at every turn. Because the game is laid out this way, we were careful during the design phase to make sure there is always something in the player's field of vision to catch their attention."
To help players get around in this large map, Mario will be able to take advantage of various modes of transportation, including a boot-shaped car, an airship, a boat, and more.
What is the combat system like?
A brand new Battle Ring System is in play within Paper Mario: The Origami King. Players can manupulate the battlefield by sliding Mario's foes to different positions for a better lined up attack. The official videos show Mario jumping on rows of origami enemies using Shiny Boots. We've also seen Mario slamming down a Shiny Hammer on a grouping of four Goombas with one strike. However, you'll have to think fast as there's a time limit for how long you can manipulate the field. That being the case, it seems that the challenge for this battle style will be arranging your enemies in some order so that you can efficiently inflict the most damage within a time limit.
However, when it comes to boss fights, the Battle Ring System will function a little differently. Instead of moving the enemies around, players will need to rotate the field in such a way that it creates a path that allows Mario to reach the boss. Then once he's gotten close, Mario can deliver devastating attacks.
Will Mario have any traveling companions?
The first two games in the Paper Mario series were especially fun because of the special skills and personalities that Mario's partners brought to the table. However, companions have been missing from the last few games (aside from the tutorial-heavy sidekicks). That's why we're excited that traveling companions will once again be returning in Paper Mario: The Origami King, albeit they will work differently than before.
In one of the trailers, it was noted that Mario will be meeting several characters and "some of them will even aid in battling Mario's enemies." In particular, we know for sure that Bobby, the Bob-omb with amnesia will definitely be able to fight alongside Mario during battles. Other potential companions might include Kamek the Magikoopa and Professor Toad. However, it's unclear whether these are simply interesting characters Mario meets along the way or if they will also fight alongside him.
Kensuke Tanage, producer at Nintendo has explained that unlike previous partners, the ones in The Origami King will join your party and leave at various parts of the story. This means that you don't get to choose who is in your party at various parts of the game.
"We never considered whether or not we should implement a party-based system like some other games. As we worked on Paper Mario: The Origami King, we decided we could create more memorable moments if Olivia and the other characters team up with Mario along the way. In other words, we first determine what elements are needed in a game and then figure out how to implement and program them. Bobby, the Bob-omb, was the first character we decided to include, and from there we chose the characters that would be the best fit for the events in each stage of the game. Bowser Jr. was an exception. The director, Mr. Masahiko Nagaya, personally had strong feelings about including a storyline where a son sets out to save his father, so in this case, we decided to include the character before deciding exactly what we would have him do."
Being forced to use a specific partner during different parts of the story might just prove to be a fun challenge for new and returning Paper Mario fans. We'll have to see how well this new set up works when the game releases later this month.
Are there any new abilities?
There sure are. So far we've seen that Mario has a new tool, the 1,000-Fold Arms, which allow him to interact with his environment in order to solve puzzles or find hidden items. In the video, Mario demonstrated by pulling down a paper tab on the side of a house. Nintendo has also explained that these arms can be used to pull, peel, hit, and more. We're guessing that there might be other abilities and tools introduced into this game, but we don't know what they are at present. We'll update when we learn more.
Are there hidden items?
In previous games there are hidden Question Mark Boxes, badges, healing items, and Toads for players to find. We're guessing that most of these things will be returning in The Origami King. However, of these hidden objects and items, only hidden Toads have been confirmed so far.
Players will need to locate Toads who have been folded into origami shapes and restore them to their proper forms by wacking them with a hammer. These origami shapes can take the form of an origami bug on a tree trunk, an origami dog, and so on, so you'll need to keep an eye out for suspicious folded paper items in your travels.
Once a Toad has been restored to its proper form, it might return to Toad Town and offer a helpful service like opening a store or unlocking an area of the map.
Additionally, players will find holes in the diorama-inspired world that can be filled by tossing, what appears to be, confetti construction paper into them. This is an element of game play similar to what we saw in Paper Mario: Color Splash, where players could restore colorless areas of the world with paint. We're guessing there will be some sort of perk for fixing these areas as you play through The Origami King.
What bosses does Mario face?
Obviously, Mario will be squaring off against Olly, the titular Origami King at some point. Before then it seems that Mario's goal will be to undo the various streamers wrapped around Princess Peach's castle. The end of each streamer will be guarded by one of the members of the Legion of Stationary. So far, we know that these foes include Colored Pencils, Rubber Band, and Tape. We'll add information as more gets revealed.
Why does Mario wear a Metroid helmet in the video?
Some people are wondering if the presence of Samus Aran's papier-mâché Metroid Helmet at the end of the official release video might be teasing Metroid Prime 4 on the Nintendo Switch. We honestly don't know if that's the case. However, it's likely that this is just an inside joke placed by Intelligent Systems, the developers behind Paper Mario: The Origami King.
You see, Intelligent Systems has done a lot of support work and programming on various Nintendo games including Metroid games and Donkey Kong games. As you can see in the picture, there's also a papier-mâché Donkey Kong head and a Goomba head in the shot. We're pretty sure this is just a silly easter egg that nods to that fact.
When will Paper Mario: The Origami King release?
Paper Mario: The Origami King is slated to release for Nintendo Switch on July 17, 2020. It will sell for $60, and pre-orders are currently available.
Plumber's Paper Cut VI
Paper Mario: The Origami King
Defeat the origami invaders
Mario and the other citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom discover that a hoard of origami villains has overtaken their home. An origami Peach is on the throne, and it's up to our favorite stumpy plumber to set things right.
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