Super Paper Mario (スーパーペーパーマリオ, Sūpā Pēpā Mario^?) is a 2007 platform role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. Super Paper Mario is the third game in the Paper Mario series of Mario role-playing games.

Super Paper Mario departs from the gameplay introduced in earlier Paper Mario titles, with a heavier focus on platforming. In 2011, the game has been re-issued as a Nintendo Selects title.

Gameplay[link]

Premise and setting[link]

Super Paper Mario is a platformer with role-playing video game elements. The player moves through a series of levels, where he explores various landscapes, fights enemies, and solves puzzles. The game is divided into 32 levels within eight chapters, each of which takes place in a unique location, or "dimension". The main objective is to collect the eight Pure Hearts, one in each chapter, which is used to gain access to the next. Each area is joined to a central hub, a town called Flipside.

The majority of gameplay is in 2D. Early in the game, Mario is given the ability to "flip" into 3D. By doing so, the perspective shifts and the 2D level rotates to reveal a hidden z-axis, placing Mario in a 3D environment. Flipping therefore allows the player to maneuver around obstacles impassable in the 2D perspective, or find items, enemies or varying landscapes only visible along the z-axis. However, staying in the 3D perspective too long depletes Mario's health.

The game uses a scoring system where points are accumulated through defeating enemies and using items. It also acts like the player's experience points system, however; points allow the player to level up and gain stronger attacks and higher resistance to damage from enemies or hazards. If the player's heart points (HP) reaches 0 from too much damage, they receive a game over and must resume play at the previous save point. Some recovery items, like mushrooms, restore HP.

As well as Mario, the player gains control of Princess Peach, Bowser, and Luigi as the game progresses and can switch between them at almost any point in the game. Princess Peach can float over long distances, Bowser can breathe fire, and Luigi can perform a super jump. Only Mario can flip between dimensions.

Controls[link]

The game is controlled by holding the Wii Remote sideways, akin to the Nintendo Entertainment System control scheme, though very little of the controller's motion sensing is implemented.^[1] During gameplay, the Pixl Tippi allows the player to use the Wii Remote pointer like a spotlight to highlight and read the descriptions of items and enemies, or spot any hidden objects. The 1 and 2 buttons on the Wii Remote allow the player to use the ability of a Pixl (a digital fairy-like character) and jump, respectively. Pixls grant the player abilities such as throwing or destroying obstacles, becoming tiny, or defending against enemies.

Wii Remote motion controls are used primarily for activating items through tilting the remote or shaking it. Also, shaking the remote after attacking an enemy causes the player to pull a "Stylish move" and earn extra points, and consecutive Stylish moves accumulate even more.

Plot[link]

Super Paper Mario opens with Mario and Luigi being alerted that Princess Peach was recently kidnapped. Suspecting that King Bowser is the culprit, they travel to his castle to retrieve her. After Mario and Luigi discover that Bowser was not responsible, Count Bleck, the true kidnapper, appears. Count Bleck, who possesses a prophetic tome called the "Dark Prognosticus," kidnaps Luigi and Bowser, and brainwashes Bowser's entire army. Count Bleck arranges a wedding between Peach and Bowser and, utilizing the hypnotic powers of his ally Nastasia, forces the two to marry. As foretold in the Dark Prognosticus, their marriage summons the Chaos Heart, a destructive power. Count Bleck uses the Chaos Heart to open a black hole known as "The Void" which will eventually grow large enough to engulf the entire universe.

Mario is found and greeted by Tippi, a butterfly-like Pixl, who transports him to the inter-dimensional town of Flipside. There, Mario meets the wizard Merlon, who tells Mario that he matches the description of the Hero described in the "Light Prognosticus," another prophetical tome. According to the Light Prognosticus, the Hero will travel to various dimensions to collect the eight Pure Hearts, which together can be used to banish the Chaos Heart and reverse the destruction. The tome also mentions that the Hero will ally with three other Heroes. Shortly after Mario and Tippi set off to collect the Pure Hearts and stop Count Bleck's plan, Mario is bestowed with the power to "flip" between dimensions as a means of easier travel. Count Bleck periodically sends out his minions, O'Chunks, a warrior; Mimi, a shapeshifter; and Dimentio, a magician, who oppose Mario as he progresses.

Meanwhile, Peach awakens in Castle Bleck and, during her escape, is cornered by Nastasia. Peach is suddenly spirited away from the castle by an unknown force before Nastasia could brainwash her. Mario and Peach reunite in Flipside, and Peach agrees to help Mario find the Pure Hearts. They also reunite with Bowser, who reluctantly joins their quest. Luigi, however, is not able to escape Castle Bleck and is brainwashed into a gentleman thief alter ego named Mr. L, who also antagonizes Mario and company as they progress.

The Void grows dangerously in size and becomes more prominent in the sky as the adventure moves forward. Before Mario, Peach, and Bowser can obtain the seventh Pure Heart, the world it resides in is consumed by The Void, leaving behind a bleak, colorless space. There, Mr. L attempts to steal the petrified Pure Heart but is defeated by Mario, regaining the Pure Heart. Dimentio appears to Mr. L and seemingly obliterates him from existence. Dimentio then ambushes the group, and obliterates them as well. Mario reawakens in a heaven and hell-inspired afterlife, where he reunites with Luigi, who has had his memory restored. The Pure Heart is revitalized by one of the rulers of the afterlife; Mario and Luigi are soon able to reunite with Tippi, Peach, and Bowser. After eventually collecting the eighth Pure Heart, the group returns to Flipside.

A series of flashbacks dispersed throughout the game tell the story of a romantic relationship between two people, Blumiere and Timpani, that was ended by the hand of Blumiere's disdainful father, who banished Timpani to wander between dimensions and left her to die. The identity of these characters and their relationship to the story are initially unknown, but it is gradually revealed that Tippi is Timpani and "Count Bleck" is the pseudonym of the devastated Blumiere, who—unknowing of Timpani's rescue and transformation into a Pixl by Merlon—was driven insane by the loss of his love. After he took on the persona of Count Bleck, Blumiere sought to bring existence to ruin and turned to the Dark Prognosticus. Over the course of the game, Blumiere and Timpani begin to realize the other's true identities, and Blumiere begins to regret his actions; nevertheless, Blumiere continues with his plans, knowing that he has gone too far to stop.

Mario, Timpani, and company open a portal to the final dimension where Castle Bleck resides. They fight and defeat O'Chunks and Mimi, losing contact with Bowser and Peach in the process. Mario, Luigi, and Timpani confront Dimentio, who reveals his true intentions to betray Blumiere. Dimentio reveals he had anonymously helped the group along, first rescuing Peach and Bowser from Castle Bleck and then sending the group into the afterlife, knowing it was the only place the seventh Pure Heart could be revitalized. Dimentio offers alliance with Mario, who refuses. Luigi fights and defeats Dimentio, who commits suicide, bringing Luigi with him. Mario and Timpani continue their journey through Castle Bleck.

Mario and Timpani confront Blumiere but are unable to attack due to the power of the Chaos Heart. Peach, Bowser, and Luigi reappear and use the Pure Hearts to destroy Blumiere's defenses. They then proceed to defeat Blumiere, but fail to halt The Void's destruction. Dimentio appears and takes the Chaos Heart from Blumiere's possession. Dimentio reveals that he has studied the Dark Prognosticus extensively and that he wishes to use the Chaos Heart and the Void in conjunction to create an entirely new universe in his image. Dimentio takes control of Luigi once more, saying that the Dark Prognosticus revealed him as the ideal host for the Chaos Heart. Dimentio fuses the Chaos Heart, Luigi, and himself into one entity called Super Dimentio, who has complete control over The Void; Super Dimentio uses this power to shatter the Pure Hearts, and begins making his new universe. However, Blumiere and Timpani's renewed love for one another, as well as the feelings of loyalty felt towards Blumiere by his remaining minions, restore the Pure Hearts. Mario uses their power to battle Super Dimentio, who upon defeat splits back into Luigi, the Chaos Heart, and Dimentio. Dimentio is destroyed, but his lasting influence on the Chaos Heart causes The Void to expand uncontrollably.

Blumiere and Timpani enter the wedding chapel used to wed Bowser and Peach, where they exchange their vows. The Pure Hearts then unify and banish the Chaos Heart, sealing The Void and restoring order in the universe, effectively nullifying the prediction in the Dark Prognosticus. Mario, Peach, Bowser, Luigi, and Blumiere's minions awaken in Flipside. However, Timpani and Blumiere have disappeared and it is assumed that they did not survive. Merlon states that they are likely in a better place, and everyone leaves to celebrate their victory with a meal. Blumiere and a human Timpani are then shown together in a place resembling a paradise.

Development[link]

Super Paper Mario was created out of a desire to combine the familiar look of the Paper Mario series with a new style of gameplay.^[2] Chief director Ryota Kawade was on a train thinking about ways to adapt a mini-game from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in which the player controls a large Bowser in a short side-scrolling stage; he noticed that the other end of the train looked like a stage in a Mario game and envisioned switching between two and three dimensions.^[3] When producer Kensuke Tanabe was told about the idea, he decided to make the sequel an action-adventure game,^[2] but retained some role-playing elements to establish the game in the Paper Mario franchise.^[4] Kawade and Tanabe also felt that these elements, as well as the ability to switch between two and three dimensions, would make the game more accessible to players unaccustomed to action games.^[5] The team played side-scrolling Mario titles for inspiration, envisioning how the levels would look in 3D.^[4]

Super Paper Mario was announced by Nintendo on May 11, 2006 at E3 for the Nintendo GameCube.^[6] On May 30, 2006, Nintendo set a release date of October 9, 2006.^[7] That summer, the game was "silently moved" to the Wii.^[8]

PAL copies of the game contain a bug if the language is set to English, German, or Spanish. In Chapter 2-2, the game will freeze if Mario speaks to the character Mimi without first picking up the key. Nintendo of Europe is replacing the game disc for no charge with a version that does not contain the bug.^[9] Nintendo of Europe announced details of the replacement on their website in November 2007.^[10]

Reception[link]

Reviews for Super Paper Mario were generally positive. One comment by IGN was that Mario's flip ability was somewhat overused. NGamer magazine also stated that the 3D flipped worlds were rather barren compared to the 2D worlds. As of March 31, 2008, the game has sold 2.28 million copies worldwide, with 500,000 copies sold in Japan.^[21]

Super Paper Mario's plot has been praised by most critics. GameSpot said that its plot's history has a "great sense of humor",^[22] while GameSpy called it "funny". However, X-Play criticized the plot as a "con" of the game, stating that it is "cutesy". The graphics were also well received.^[20] GameSpy praised its "clean visuals" and IGN, giving the graphics a score of 7.5 out of 10, said "A beautiful 2D platformer and an uninspired 3D one. The worlds Mario explores look fantastic when they're flat, but the moment they gain depth they become barren landscapes".^[23] X-Play said that "everyone should rejoice that the long suffering 2D platform genre has gotten a much needed makeover courtesy of the mustachioed man that helped create it in the first place."^[24] In 2010, IGN named the game the 9th best game on the Wii, on their "The Top 25 Wii Games".^[25]

There were also some complaints about the game. Game Informer criticized the after-end of the game and the side-quests (such as recipes), as said "There also isn’t much impetus to collect enemy cards, bake things, or do anything extra since the game never gets hard enough to warrant it. And after beating the game (it takes a little over 20 hours), there isn't any significant additional content to keep players coming back."^[26] GameSpot criticized the audio, saying "The weakest element is the game's audio, which is a little too retro. Although the soundtrack is solid, there are no standout tracks. The sound effects are effective, albeit a bit too familiar. Voice is used too sparingly, though what's there fits the archetype set by the previous games."^[22] Though IGN praised the plot, they said "The writing is well-crafted and humorous, but there is so much to read that it actually interrupts the flow of the game."^[23]

References[link]

• Thomason, Steve (April 2007). "A Matter of Perspective". Nintendo Power 214: 44–48. ISSN 1041-9551. 
• Williams, Drew (May 2007). "Super Paper Mario: The Interview". Nintendo Power 215: 76–78. ISSN 1041-9551. 

External links[link]

	Nintendo portal
	Video games portal

• Official website (Europe)
• Official website (North America)
• Official website (Japan)

	Book: Mario video games
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