Hello Enthusiasts,
Today I will be reviewing Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. This game was released in 2004 and was exclusively a GameCube title.
This title follows Mario as he receives a letter from Princess Peach about an ancient treasure in a distant land. The treasure is behind the Thousand Year Door (roll credits), which can only be opened by collecting the seven Crystal Stars. The stars can only be found using a magic map, which is included in the letter that the princess sends to Mario. Mario sets off to Rogueport, where Princess Peach said she would be waiting. However, upon arrival, it appears that Peach has done what she does best and got herself kidnapped. Mario's only hope to find her is to collect the seven Crystal Stars, since Peach's captors (the X-Nauts) are also hoping to open the Thousand Year Door. Along the way Mario receives help from a few new characters, all with their own special abilities to assist Mario in solving puzzles and accessing new locations.
So this game, unlike most Mario games, is an RPG with turn-based attacks during fights. As it sounds, almost everything in the game appears to be on paper, so all of the characters are 2-D, even though their environment has a Z-axis to travel on. Mario has several different lands to explore, and can go back and forth between them at the players pleasure (most of the time). There are always various factors to consider when fighting in the turn-based combat, such as not jumping on spiked enemies and having to use stronger attacks on some enemies that have stronger defenses. The fights also utilize "Flower Points" which allow Mario to perform so more complex and powerful moves, like a multi-jump and a power-hammer attack. There are also special attacks that are unlocked as Mario gathers the Crystal Stars that can help in fights, but the only way to recharge them is to earn audience approval. Each of the companions that Mario collects along the way have their own attacks to use, though only ally can be present in a fight, and switching them out counts as either Mario's turn or his ally's turn.
So let's cover the positives in the game. The fights are a lot of fun and get to be addicting. My favorite part of the game is actually when Mario joins a fighting tournament to rise through the ranks and become the champion, because it was just fight after fight. They incorporate the strategy of choosing actions and attacks for Mario and his companion, but also require some quick timing to get the most out of an attack or block some damage from an enemies assault. The player can also get an extra attack in at the start of the fight if they are able to attack their opponent outside of the regular fight mode, when Mario and his companion are roaming around. The area of the game outside of the fights is also a lot of fun, with some decent puzzles to solve and exploration. Because of the unique style of the game, there are a lot of hidden areas that take a bit of training to start catching as you're moving around. On top of that, Mario will get new abilities throughout the game that assist him in traveling to previously blocked locations, like being able to roll up like a paper towel tube and roll around (the game really exploits the paper thing).
The story itself is pretty strong for a Mario game, since Peach is usually just captured by Bowser for no particular reason. She is held for information about where the map is and how to obtain the Crystal Stars. The dialogue in the game is also pretty solid, with some good humor that doesn't hold back the plot from advancing. Most of the side missions feel like they do have a point to them (unlike some other RPG's) and I rarely felt like the tasks were tedious or anything. The characters all have distinct personalities, and it just overall felt like the game was flushed out well.
I don't feel like there are too many bad spots for this game, but the Peach missions certainly seem to fall into that category. They are short, there's no action to them, and I feel like I would have gotten just as much information from a cut scene. There are a couple of Bowser scenes as well, and some of them work, but others really don't feel like they matter (though I like the set up for them, which was like the original Mario Bros. game). Also, some of the special moves that get unlocked with the Crystal Stars are underwhelming, and I found myself sticking to the same few if I was using the special moves. When you have moves that can do significant damage or heal you, your ally, and replenish Flower Points, the power to immobilize the enemy for a move or two doesn't seem as appealing.
Overall, this game is a bunch of fun. Despite a couple of drawbacks, I didn't ever really feel like I should stop playing. I haven't gotten a chance to play any of the other games in this series, but if they're anything like this title, they're probably worth a play as well. If you have a GameCube and haven't had a chance to get this title yet, go grab it and have a blast.
I give Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door a 9 out of 10.
Sincerely,
The Bored Enthusiast
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