Review: Super Paper Mario (Wii)

Traditionally, the end of a console's commercial life sees the release of its most impressive games. When technical boundaries are pushed down and ideas are free to roam and form memorable experiences. The Wii finds itself in a lucky position whereby it can claim late Gamecube games as its own, boosting an otherwise ordinary post-launch schedule. Good for Nintendo, but for Gamecube veterans still on the Wii fence, it must be disappointing to see something as inspired as Super Paper Mario disappear from their radar.

For those who have played the previous Paper Mario game on the Gamecube, things will be familiar. Yes, the perspective has changed to a two-dimensional one, but the essentials are quite similar. A hub world (Flipside) connects to different chapters, each acting like a dungeon to be cleared. Townsfolk can be spoken to, items and upgrades can be acquired to access new areas, and there's the usual selection of shops, inns, and a fortune teller to help you on your quest. The main difference now is that combat isn't turn-based - it's realtime and direct. You jump on an enemy's head to deal damage based on your strength stat (two hits usually does the job), you can chase down mushrooms to recover hit points, and pick up coins to buy new potions and power-ups. It's not quite a straight platformer, but the idea is reducing the RPG side to basics while keeping the game fun.

That's not the remarkable thing about Super Paper Mario, though; its most impressive and innovative feature is the 'flip'. When playing as Mario, a press of the A button twists the world around into a three-dimensional version. Blocks and platforms which were previously aligned next to each other may appear on opposite 'sides' of the level, and hidden doors, switches and enemies that were hiding their flat edge from the screen are revealed. Flipping those classic Mario levels is like breaking an illusion you've been familiar with for years. In an early situation, you have to flip to reveal that the landscape (which appeared to be in the distance) is actually a secret ledge that passes around the outside of an otherwise impassable hole in the ground. It's utterly mesmerising, and on every new chapter, you'll want to flip it just to see how the level is really built.

This 'flipping' mechanic is the basis for most of the puzzles from beginning to end, and while the solution to them is pretty obvious in hindsight ("have you tried flipping?"), they always seem to surprise and delight in how clever they are. Ease is apparent in the game on the whole - even the end-of-level bosses won't work up much of a sweat - but this isn't a problem. Fights and puzzles are fun, engaging and will keep your attention for the twenty hours the game lasts, which is what matters.

To look at Super Paper Mario is to see an incredible artistic talent at work. The inspiration of the characters and worlds are obviously age-old classics, but the modern implementation is phenomenal. Abstract symbols litter the skyline in cloud-like patterns, paper props peel and fold away, levels get drawn, coloured and spring to life, and Mario's giant transformation will have you watching in awe as retro meets modern. The music is a mix of recognisable classic tunes and new arrangements, accompanying the classic sound effects perfectly.

Mario's adventure is concerned with the collection of Pure Hearts, eight of which are required to fight back the growing void that threatens to engulf all worlds (as foretold by the Prognosticus, a prophetic ancient book). At the helm of this evil scheme is Count Bleck - mad as a hatter and constantly referring to himself in the third person - and his band of cronies. They're all uniquely characterised and their screen-time is a joy. Dialogue is quite heavy in the game, but is entertaining, not tedious.

On his quest, Mario encounters 'Pixls' which give him powers like grabbing, bombing, flipping and stomping. In addition, new characters (Peach, Bowser and Luigi) are added to the roster, bringing their own abilities; eventually, your move list becomes vast and puzzles require you to use everything. It's a very well-paced game, always moving forwards, and something new (or just plain hilarious) always crops up, so nothing ever has the time to get dull.

In terms of Wii-specific features, this is the very definition of "tacked-on". Normal control has you holding the remote sideways, NES-style, but you can point at the screen to uncover secrets or get information on anything. Using power-ups means shaking or pointing the remote to get their full effect. That's about it. It doesn't hurt the game at all, but these are clearly last minute additions.

Occasionally, the game suffers from a little 'padding' - asking the player to do mundane things like running around in a treadmill for five minutes or battling an entire army of warriors one-at-a-time - but somehow it gets away with it. If it wasn't so utterly charming, perhaps we wouldn't have bothered; but the truth is, Super Paper Mario is thoroughly imaginative, refreshing and creative. Its characters come to life with a quality of script-writing that you rarely see these days. It breaks the fourth wall on occasion, uses geek humour to mock and parody, and only concerns itself with being entertaining, which it succeeds at doing beautifully.

Rating: 8 / 10

Words by Daniel James