Paper Mario (video game)
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Paper Mario (Japanese: マリオストーリー, Mario Story) is a video game for the Nintendo 64. It debuted in Japan on August 11 2000, in Canada and the United States on February 4 2001, and in Europe on October 5 2001.
The video game was developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. The spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars for the Super NES, Paper Mario was the last major Mario game produced for the Nintendo 64; it was also one of the system's few role-playing games. Its title comes from the fact that it has a unique graphical style, reminiscent of the older Mario titles, in which the characters are flat, two-dimensional-looking paper cutouts inhabiting a three-dimensional world, with a full range of 3D movement, as in Super Mario 64.
The game's story premise involves King Bowser Koopa and his assistant, Kammy Koopa, stealing the Star Rod and imprisoning the Seven Star Spirits. They then use their castle to steal Princess Peach's castle, with the Princess still in it. Mario and his eight new friends must now save the Star Spirits and Princess Peach, as well as take back the Star Rod. Paper Mario was scored by Yuka Tsujiyoko, the composer for the Fire Emblem series.
A sequel to Paper Mario, entitled Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, was released in late 2004 for the Nintendo GameCube.
Storyline
The story of Paper Mario begins with brothers Mario and Luigi spending a day at their house in Toad Town, a large city located in the Mushroom Kingdom. A mail carrier arrives at their door with an invitation from Princess Peach to a party at her castle. Mario and Luigi exit their house and, via a warp pipe, make their way through the busy Toad Town to Princess Peach's castle. Upon arrival, the brothers begin socializing with the many guests in attendance from around the Mushroom Kingdom. Eventually, the castle minister approaches Mario and informs him that the Princess has been looking for him and that she is located in her royal chamber. Mario ascends the castle and meets Princess Peach in a long hallway. She is pleased to see him and asks him if he would like to sit on the balcony while they socialize.
Before Mario and Princess Peach reach the balcony, a loud rumbling noise can be heard; many of the guests assume this to be an earthquake. The Princess's castle is then lifted into the sky by a fortress that had been located underneath the ground. The antagonist of the Mario series, Bowser, leader of the Koopa Troopas, enters the castle through force as he penetrates one of Princess Peach's windows. He is assisted by a witch known as Kammy Koopa. Bowser tells Mario and Princess Peach that he was responsible for the earthquake and that his fortress had elevated the castle into the sky. Princess Peach questions Bowser's powers as he had been incapable of such actions in preceding Mario titles. The Star Rod, a magical rod known for granting the wishes of the Mushroom Kingdom residents was stolen by Bowser; with the rod in his possession, he is enabled to perform any magical spell that he desires. He had been successful in transforming the protectors of the Star Rod, the Seven Star Spirits, into playing cards and scattered them throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario attempts to battle Bowser, but fails because of the Star Rod's power. After passing out, Bowser banishes Mario to the Mushroom Kingdom below. Princess Peach is shocked and is then ordered to be taken to her room, where she will not be permitted to exit.
Mario lands in an unknown forest in the Mushroom Kingdom. Projectiles of the Seven Star Spirits appear above Mario and with the strength that remains within them, they heal the wounded man. Eldstar, the leader of the Seven Star Spirits, asks Mario to find Shooting Star Summit; it is the closest place to the legendary Star Haven, where the Star Rod was stolen from. When Mario is situated on the summit, the Star Spirits have the ability to speak to him for longer periods of time because of the power. Once the Star Spirits disappear and Mario is found by a young Goomba, he must set out for Shooting Star Summit. Throughout his journey, eight partners join him in order to locate and save the Star Spirits from different regions in the Mushroom Kingdom.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Paper Mario features the 3D computer graphics used in Super Mario 64 (1996). However, the characters are designed with the use of 2D computer graphics, a former appearance video games included in the 1980s and early 1990s. Mario, the protagonist of the Mario series, retains several basic actions including walking, running, jumping, ground pounding, and spinning. Unlike previous Mario titles, however, he is incapable of swimming or crawling. Mario is placed in a newer version of his homeland the Mushroom Kingdom. Whereas the economy had previously been limited, many cities, islands, and numerous climates compose the Paper Mario edition of the kingdom. The Koopa Troopa King (also known as Bowser) has ascended Princess Peach's castle into the sky due to the magic of the Star Rod, a powerful magical wand used for granting the wishes of the Mushroom Kingdom's residents. With the rod in his hands, Bowser can accomplish any deed he desires. Mario must locate the Seven Star Spirits (the guardians of the Star Rod) that Bowser sealed away as playing cards in different places around the Mushroom Kingdom, and advance to the castle in the sky to defeat the Koopa Troopa.
Battle System
Much like in Super Mario RPG, the battles in Paper Mario relied on a cross between traditional turn-based RPG gameplay, and timed button presses (or other motions) for increased damage on enemies, or reduced damage taken from enemies; Paper Mario built on this concept, introducing more moves, and actions to go with them. Unlike in Super Mario RPG, the size of a party in battle was reduced from 3 to 2, with Mario and one of the party members fighting against the enemies. However, partners were switchable, and it cost the partners their turn, unless equipped with a certain badge. Party members did not take damage like Mario did. Instead they were paralyzed for several turns depending on the damage they received, although it was very rare for enemies to directly attack them. If Mario ran out of HP, however, the game was immediately lost (unless a special item called a Life Shroom was in the inventory, in which case Mario was immediately revived.) Paper Mario also differed from its predecessor by implementing a more "common-sense" approach to battles. If Mario jumped or hammered an enemy in the area he was in, he would begin the battle by launching a preemptive strike. Keep in mind that many enemies also had the ability to launch a first strike themselves. Also, hammers were ineffective against flying foes, and jumping on a spiked enemy would only result in damaging himself. All this made for what many believe to be slightly more involving battles.
Heart Points, Flower Points, and Badge Points
Unlike many other RPGs, Paper Mario does not use large numbers of HP. The most Mario's HP can go up to normally is only 50 (although a few special badges can raise this total to 65), and enemies' HP tops out at 99 (for the final boss, Bowser, and an optional boss, the "Master"). Also unlike most RPGs, damage never exceeds two digits; in fact, an attack that does 10 points of damage can be considered lethal. The uniqueness of Paper Mario's battle system lies in both these small numbers and an addition/subtraction system for calculating damage and level-up increases. For instance, Mario using his basic hammer against an enemy with zero defense will do 1 damage, 2 if the Action Command is successfully executed. If the enemy has 1 defense, then the aforementioned attack would do no damage or 1 damage, respectively.
Flower Points, introduced in Super Mario RPG, are a shared resource between all characters, used for pulling off special techniques and other miscellaneous functions. Mario's special attacks require FP, as do party members'. Unlike Super Mario RPG, though, enemies do not need FP to perform special attacks. Like HP, FP maxes out at 50, with a few badges increasing the total to 65.
Badge Points were a method of limiting the amount of badges Mario could equip. Different badges use up a different amount of Badge Points, which effectively limits the amount of badges that are able to be equipped and forces strategy to be used in different situations. Mario's BP goes up to 30, and there are no badges that increase this amount.
Similar to the leveling system in Super Mario RPG, a levelup allows the player to choose between raising HP, FP, and BP. Unlike in Super Mario RPG, however, this was not a bonus to a set increase beforehand; this increase was the only method of raising the maximums. BP and FP could each be raised 9 times, to a maximum of 30 and 50, respectively, and HP only 8, placing Mario's maximum level at 27 (although it can reach higher, no stat increase takes place). It should also be noted that Mario's attack and defense could not be increased by leveling up; instead they can be increased by using badges (and, in the case of attack power, weapons).
Badges
Badges replace the traditional RPG staple of armor, accessories, and other such things being equipped on Mario. Badges provided a wide range of effects, such as bestowing powerful new abilities like the Ultra Smash or Mega Quake, allowing Mario to jump on enemies that would normally damage him when he did so, increasing attack or defense power, or temporarily increasing the maximum FP/HP. Different badges are effective in different situations, and many badges were hidden in hard to find places, providing a sidequest for completists who wanted to have all of the badges. There are 80 badges in all, many of which are hidden and very difficult to find.
Star Points
Mario earns these points when he and his team win a battle. If the Star Point meter goes up to 100, Mario can boost his HP and FP by 5 and boost his BP by 3. The player cannot get higher than level 27. At this point, Mario will not receive star points.
In addition, as the player levels up, previous enemies such as the goombas and koopas will be worth less star points. Eventually, they will be worth nothing at all. This forces the player to fight stronger enemies in order to level up.
Star Spirit Powers
Mario can use these powers after he rescues the first Star Spirit in the game. These are special powers that require Star Power to use. When the first Star Spirit is rescued, the player will have one bar of Star Power. The more star spirits the player rescues, the more bars of Star Power the player can have at maximum, and the more moves the player can use. When a power is used, it uses one, two, or three bars of star power, depending on the move. To gain more star power, the player has to use the Focus command in battle or rest in an inn. The Star Power bar can also fill up as a battle progresses.
Characters
Main Characters
Mario
The lead member of the team. Mario is defeated by King Bowser, but he did not lose completely. He goes around Mushroom Kingdom, gaining useful allies, to retrieve all the Stars in order to get the Star Rod back from Bowser, and to save all of the people kidnapped by Bowser and Kammy, including Princess Peach.
Princess Peach
Princess Peach is the damsel in distress of the game and many other Mario games. In this game, however, she often sneaks around the Castle to complete various tasks, and uses her Star friend, Twink, to send Mario and co. messages. But she possesses an unimaginable power that might aid Mario and his friends later in the game.
Bowser
The main villain of the game and the final boss. Bowser and Kammy broke into the story, and stole the Star Rod from them, trapping all of the Stars. He uses the Star Rod to make himself stronger, and has all of the Castle's occupants, including Princess Peach, held captive.
Party Members
Goombario
The first member of Mario's party. When Mario is knocked out of the castle, he loses consciousness, and wakes up in a Goomba Village, where a Goomba family lives. After some misadventures, one of the family members, Goombario, a big fan of Mario's, will join Mario's party. Out of battle, he has the ability to tell Mario about people and the area he's in and give him hints. In battle, he has the ability to tell the player about the enemy.
Kooper
The second member of Mario's party. He is an adventure-loving Koopa Troopa with a Blue Shell, and he needs Mario's help in order to get it back from the Fuzzies, who invaded his hometown and stole the villager's shells. Once Mario defeats the Fuzzies and brings Kooper's Blue Shell back, he puts it on, and joins his party. Kooper has the ability to hit switches or retrieve items that Mario can't reach and can attack enemies outside of battle.
Bombette
The third member of Mario's party. She is a Pink Bob-omb, modeled after Super Mario 64's Bob-omb Buddies, and is being held captive in the Koopa Bros' Castle. Once Mario falls into the prison where she is kept, she helps them all escape, joining his party soon afterwards. She has the ability to explode, destroy weak walls and boulders, flip switches, and attack enemies outside of battle.
Parakarry
The fourth member of Mario's party. He's a Koopa Paratroopa mailman, the same mailman from the introductory cutscene of the game, and he lost several letters at Mt. Rugged. When Mario meets him, he asks for his help in finding them. Once Mario obtains them all, Parakarry joins his party. Parakarry can carry Mario over pits and fly for a short period of time.
Lady Bow
The fifth member of Mario's party and a distinguished Boo. She has one of the Star Spirits held captive, and refuses to give it to Mario unless he defeats Tubba Blubba, a giant monster that eats whatever boo he can get his hands on. She joins Mario's party to assist in defeating him. She has the ability to make Mario transparent, hiding him from enemies and making him impervious to their attacks as well as get through retracting spike filled rooms that cannot be crossed fast enough. Her attacks possess the power to do more damage than other partners' regular attack, but since she deals many blows at a time, she is not a good choice to attack enemies with "defense."
Watt
The sixth member of Mario's team. Watt is a young Lil' Sparky, an enemy from Super Mario World. She is being held captive in the Big Lantern Ghost's Lantern. Defeat him, and she will join Mario's party. Watt has the ability to lighten up dark areas and can reveal invisible blocks. Her basic attack ignores an enemy's "defense" factor, which is critically important in defeating enemies like Kent C. Koopa.
Sushie
The seventh member of Mario's team, Sushie is a Cheep-Cheep. She is the babysitter of several Baby Yoshis, but when they all run off, she joins Mario's party to find them. Mario can swim in and dive down into water using her. She attacks with water, which makes her a good choice to take down fire-based foes.
Lakilester
The eighth and final member of Mario's team, Lakilester is a Lakitu. At first, he attacks Mario under his nickname "Spike," but when he defeats him, his girlfriend, Lakilulu, flies down and inadvertently reveals his true name. He joins Mario's team to defeat Huff N. Puff. Mario can hover safely across certain areas, such as spikes, without being hurt.
Guardians of the Star Spirits (Bosses)
Koopa Bros.
The Koopa Bros. are 4 Koopa Troopas that wear ninja gear and live in a fortress that was once the home for Bob-Ombs, like Bombette for example. Their names are Red, Black, Yellow and Green and they guard the first Star Spirit, Eldstar.
Tutankoopa
Tutankoopa, whose name is a pun on King Tutankhamen, is a Koopa Troopa that lives in the Dry, Dry Ruins and has the power to manipulate Chomps. As Mario and co. enter the ruins, he tries to frighten them off with warnings. He guards the second Star Spirit, Mamar.
Tubba Blubba
Tubba Blubba is a giant Clubba who has a taste for ghosts and was made invincible after his heart was removed from his body (the heart is hidden in the windmill and is his weak point). He was to guard the third Star Spirit, Skolar, but Skolar escaped and got captured by Bow, who promised Mario and co. she'd free him after his defeat.
General Guy
When Shy Guys invade Toad Town and steal the townspeople's belongings, Mario and co. track the Shy Guys to their hideout and base-- the Shy Guy Toy Box. Mario and his team eventually meet up with their leader, General Guy. General Guy holds Muskular, the fourth Star Spirit.
Lava Piranha
Lava Piranha is a giant Piranha Plant that lives deep in Mt. Lavalava and guards the fifth Star Spirit, Misstar.
Huff N. Puff
Huff N. Puff is a giant cloud monster that has built a cloud creation machine. His machine is probably powerful enough to keep the sun out of Flower Fields. He guards the sixth Star Spirit, Klevar.
Crystal King
The Crystal King is a king that lives in the Crystal Palace and has the ability to duplicate himself, not to mention that he guards the seventh and final Star Spirit, Kalmar.
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