Super Paper Mario

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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BLEH HEH HEH HEH BLECK! I have finally completed one of the newer Wii games known as Super Paper Mario, bleck. Count Bleck took a hiatus due to laziness in getting the save data off a different Wii console. BUT BEHOLD, exclaimed Count Bleck, the deed is done the game is won. This is truly a triumph for Count Bleck, said Count Bleck.

Okay enough that, I don’t think I can keep it up the entire post … bleck. Super Paper Mario is by far one of the weirdest little games I’ve ever played (then again I never played the original Paper Marios.) This title drops the Mario characters in an almost completely alien territory, which at first might give you the feeling that the game could have been made without any Mario element at all, but, you know. It probably wouldn’t have sold then. But because of this change in locale we are introduced to the games unique villain: COUNT BLECK! Bleh heh heh heh, bleck.

The games dialogue is very reminiscent of Super Mario RPG (it was on the SNES you whipper-snappers), so naturally it was very silly and funny. The artistic style is very appealing (it’s like you’re playing a cartoon) and the level and baddie designs are very reminiscent of Yoshi’s Story (on the N64 you gassin’ fassin’ no good kids.) Bleck.

The first criticism people would be inclined to make about this game is that it doesn’t utilize the unique properties of the Wii remote very much. Instead you hold the remote sideways and play the game much like old 2D side-scrollers with just the D-pad and simple button controls. The remote only requires movement for a handful of things that don’t happen too often: one being using your magical Pixl friend Tippi to uncover hidden things and get tips on bad guys by pointing the remote at the screen. The other being that some items only work with specific movements of the remote and some status effects (like being frozen or being put to sleep) can only be lifted by shaking the remote wildly. There’s also "stylin’ moves" which will occur if you move the remote around after jumping on a baddie.

The second biggest criticism is likely that the game is quite easy. To that I have to say: c’mon. It’s rated E. Do we sometimes forget that video games need to be accessible to children as well? That said it’s still a very fun and surprisingly addictive game. 

This is Pixl
They are very strange creatures

And that’s the big thing: the gameplay. Much of the game invovles "flipping" from a 2D view to a 3D view. This leads to numerous puzzles, obstacles and such that can only be solved with flipping. It can also help you find secret places and and hidden items. Once flipped to 3D the levels still look rather simple, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless. You can’t stay in 3D too long, though, or Mario will lose some HP. The other element of gameplay is the Pixls. These are strange little creatures you acquire throughout the game that each grant you a different ability, from throwing things to bombs to shrinking yourself. They’re all very exuberant and eccentric with iconic designs and funky theme music. The Pixls are stored in a menu, and you can only use one at a time (in addition to the first one, Tippi, who I mentioned earlier), so you have to go to the menu and switch them alot sometimes. Much like Super Mario RPG you also eventually get control of Peach, Bowser and Luigi as well (although Luigi was left out of Mario RPG. Poor guy never gets a break.) Mario is the only character with the ability to "flip", however, but the other characters each have their own unique, and useful, ability.

As for the games plot. The plot is… somethin’ else, that’s for sure. First Mario and friends are sucked into an alternate dimension by COUNT BLECK! BLEH HEH HEH-*ahem* and seperated. There Mario learns of a prophecy from a book called the Light Prognostics which describes him as the Chosen Hero. He needs to counter the prophecy of the Dark Prognostics which Count Bleck is trying to fulfill, bleck. Mario then has to traverse all sorts of different worlds and while trying to locate his friends also locate these things known as Pure Hearts to counter the Chaos Heart Count Bleck has created, bleck, in his bid to destroy all worlds.

Yeah.

When this was first revealed in the game I said to myself  "a…are they serious?" but it soon becomes very apparent that Super Paper Mario is parodying many RPG cliches and perhaps many of the popular RPGs and other games out there, which makes the game all the more humorous and enjoyable.

At any rate, if you have a Wii, and you’re looking for s’more games, and you don’t mind cute silly things that are just fun, I totally reccomend this one!