A classic Mario RPG makes the jump to the Switch
Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars isn’t the only decades-old, beloved role-playing game starring Mario remade for the Nintendo Switch this year. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2002, has also received a visual overhaul. It’s the natural choice after Super Mario RPG, since both stand out as the best Mario RPGs ever made. Happily, The Thousand-Year Door still holds up, even if its fresh coat of paint is much lighter than the slathering Super Mario RPG received. It remains enough of a masterpiece to deserve its admittedly steep $59.99 price and earn our Editors’ Choice award.Story and Characters
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Princess Peach is in trouble, so Mario must find a certain number of magical objects that will help save her. As he searches for those items, Mario recruits a handful of new and interesting allies, most of which are located in unique areas. This is the plot of the Super Mario RPG and every Paper Mario game except Origami King (where you only have to find and defeat six bosses, not collect six magic items).
Rogueport is a lively and sordid town with many characters of ill repute, from pickpockets to gangsters. There’s even a gallows in the town’s center, one of the darkest images included in a Mario game. It’s all playful, though, even when Mario is doing favors for the town don. In fact, the don and his eloping daughter, both bright and colorful piantas from Super Mario Sunshine, are pretty darn likable.
Mario’s party is a fun little band, as well. They include the goomba scholar Goombella, the meek koopa Koops, and a masked mouse burglar named Ms. Mowz. Some characters are extremely similar in concept to the original Paper Mario’s party members, but they’re no less charming.Gameplay
If your exposure to Mario RPGs is limited to Super Mario RPG, you must deal with a few gameplay changes here.
