Super Paper Mario was my first Paper Mario game. I got to enjoy it without even knowing about the older RPGs which honestly a blessing, since it was one of my favorite games on the Wii. It surprised me that you didn't care about the world being destroyed in Chapter 6! Was one of the most memorable parts of the game for me, but having heard your reasoning and thought process while playing the game, I can see why you felt that way. After all, as a kid me and my brother loved all the hide-and-seek platforming of this game, including the capture cards. Currently playing through TTYD, and I'm very happy I played SPM first just so that I could build the nostalgia for that game and its story, and then appreciating the RPG elements of the older games.
So glad to find people who feel the same as me and had a similar past. I didn’t get the opportunity to play the older ones. The way it played out though, allowed me to appreciate the game for what it is. This was maybe the 2nd Mario game I ever played, next to SMG. Playing two games back to back was quiet the experience as they are completely different games and made me excited to know what other Mario adventures were out there.
Hope you guys have been enjoying the Paper Mario retrospective so far! We're heading into the more divisive games in the series, and I've tried to tighten up my scriptwriting a bit to focus more on my perspective rather than just explaining what games are about. Hopefully it works for you guys! ALSO: at 2:55 I say that the game has no motion controls beyond pointing, which isn't actually true. It does have many motion controls used for items and Stylish Moves, but in terms of mandatory stuff, only pointing at the screen is necessary. Just wanted to clarify that!
My take on Super Paper Mario: If you're looking for a traditional RPG, you will be very disappointed, but if you're willing to try out a platformer with RPG elements, then you'll be pleasantly surprised I just beat the world 2 in Sticker Star. I hope you're progressing well on Sticker Star, too!
Very much agreed. I also say if you’re looking for more story than game play, this is it. Of course, it’s just a Mario game. But to me, it feels like an interactive story. It does frustrate me when I know what could’ve been if it did have better gameplay and whatnot. But I’ll appreciate this game for what it is since I can’t change that
@@meloncholy413 I used to think the Paper Mario series was a platformer, simply because my first ever experience with it was SPM. Super Paper Mario was the first Paper Mario game I ever played, but Sticker Star was the first one I ever owned. I've since come to regret buying it.
Hey if anyone ends up playing this game and thinks it's a lil difficult(even though it's pretty easy from memory) shake the remote, and you'll get a more points for killing enemies. Really good to know if your gonna attempt the non-ds related 100% the game.
At the very least, I love that you can play as the princess in this game. Loved it in Super Mario Bros. 2, loved it in Super Mario RPG, and I love it here. :)
Alrighty let's a do this! I can agree with some point and disagree but I still appreciate the game for what it is even its flawed and still love this game after 1 year :) The first 3 games are golden treasures!
Super paper mario is the apex of story while the thousand year is the apex of gameplay, it's really up to what you want more in a paper mario game, personally i prefer story and have a crush on mimi so i perfer super paper mario, but i can understand perfering ttyd too
Count Bleak's reasons are well understandable. A world without that one you love the nost is not worth, he wated to destroy the world that caused him so much pain. I like a lot the story of Count Bleak and Tippy. A tragic love story.
That isn't a contradiction outright, level design should be interesting, and while the hub world should also be interesting, having it be too big can be a slog to get through, there's also a difference between size and complexity.
"The chapters themselves aren't fun" Yeah, got it in one, as strong as the overall story was, the fact that playing the game feels like a slog to get to it is what I remember most about the game after all these years
Maybe a slog, but personally I enjoyed what bizarre scenarios the writers came up with. War between cavemen and technologically advanced and medieval monarchical plants? Cool! Wearing an empty fishbowl on your head to survive space and then fighting your brother in a giant robot in a crazy quasi parallel dimension? Never seen that in a Mario game before? Exploring an eccentric old woman’s mansion, slowly discovering it’s been taken over by the enemy? Great, though the debt paying off chapter is annoying. And the Samurguys whole deal, leading up to the doomed world and the devastation that follows. Maybe the moment to moment gameplay isn’t the best, but the scenario writers were just going nuts.
While I do agree the level design can be iffy, although I tolerate it more than you seem to have, I'm not sure what's iffy about the story by chapter per se. It seems you have tied the gameplay to the story, where your irritance with the gameplay affected how you tackled the story. I will say it feels the story could feel rushed, but I think each chapter is interesting in the sense there are one or two focus NPCs, that we get to know as the chapters progress. Quite surprised especially about your reaction about Whoa Zone, when it's oddity and confusion is what makes it interesting. I wonder if the mentality of playing this type of game is more of a speedrun style where flow is important and I feel how I play them is more careful and trying to be defensive against the enemies (seeing while I agree knockback here is iffy, it doesn't feel frequent).
You know what'd be interesting for a hub-world? It being a town again with the big thing you bring the Macguffins to, but the town treats it like a big tourist attraction.
Super Paper Mario is the only game in the Paper series I've played, and I'm really glad I did. It has interesting characters, (including redeemed villains which is my favorite genre of character arc) a dark story, and a decent combination of platforming and rpg elements. I think it has to be one of the best on the Wii, only shown up by Galaxy 2 and Okami imo. I feel like it's just not what people wanted when it came out. I can understand your problems with it. Playing through is pretty fun, but maybe it's one of those games that are more fun to watch someone play instead? Not to mention this game introduced Bowser's arms! The spinniest arms in the galaxyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
Things that suck about SPM: Chapters - Chapter 2: Merlee's rubee wheel - Chapter 3: Apple tree maze - Chapter 5: manually typing the word "please" 5 times in a row - Chapter 5: Cragnon block password - Chapter 6: Sammer's kingdom tournament - Chapter 6: World of nothing - Chapter 8: Chasing Dimentio through previous chapters - Chapter 8: Bleck's castle maze Miscellaneous - Bosses are extremely easy - Sub-par platforming - Pit of Trials is boring, have to do it twice - Long travel cutscenes can't be skipped, have to watch them multiple times - Giant boring hubworld, easy to get lost - Pixl partners are lifeless and annoying to swap between. Many of them are only used once or twice - Character designs are much worse than previous titles (basic geometric shapes) - Locations within chapters are very "samey", easy to get lost due to lack of unique areas - World is not cohesive; each area is seperate and only accessible via hubworld - Dialogue is overly-dramatic. Very awkward hearing some lines in a Mario title ("*Once again, Mario saw a nightmarish landscape beyond imagination...*")
My main complaint about Super Paper Mario is that, well, it's too easy of a game. Even younger me only got one game over and that was in Chapter 8-3 and it was, as you described, thanks to that infamous knockback when you get hit by enemies. I kept getting comboed by the Longators and Dimentio's spells and falling into the pit where I ran out of healing items and died. However, on other playthroughs, this game is so easy it isn't funny. Compare that to the previous two games where even on repeated playthroughs, bosses like Huff N' Puff, The Crystal King, and the Shadow Queen still give me a lot of trouble even if I come prepared. Plus, it's also part to the insane Bowser + Carrie combo which breaks the game into tiny bits of pieces. Don't get me wrong, I still love this game to death. However, the fact they took away the more "puzzle" gimmick to the majority of the bosses where you can just attack them until they die takes the fun out of it. Even the numerous of enemies in this game gave me more trouble than the bosses themselves.
@@J05TH-cam Ah you mean Bonechill where yeah you can beat him VERY quickly by using Luigi's Super Jump. I beat him before he could even make his first move lol
I agree the boss battles needed to be harder, maybe bigger HP and some phases that gives harder ways attack them, maybe have shields before being able to damage them (although Mimi does have that a bit), like with Croacus with needing ways to platform through his main flower.
The way I always describe this game to people is “imagine a Paper Mario metroidvania game” It’s really the only example of Ala Mario game attempting any sort of metroidvania traits.
I have a theory that Nintendo was so embarrassed by Super Paper Mario's plot and world being in a Mario game and it being the first Mario game for Wii and selling millions of units that they wanted to reboot the franchise. Let's be honest, if the series continued in the direction that Super Paper Mario set, story-wise, it would start to not be a Mario game anymore. However, I don't think that's a bad thing because Paper Mario forming an identity and world that transcends what we have seen in any Mario game would actually be really grand!
this is the common theory for why the mario mandate became a thing. spm was so not a mario game Nintendo needed to put a stop to it by having the spin offs be more in line with the main games. it's why the mario and luigi games on the ds mostly take place in the mushroom kingdom.
I personally loved Super Paper Mario! Knockback aside, I only really disliked getting lost in Space, and the three screens of block puzzle code forcing you to either take pictures or backtrack to check your handwritten notes.
For me, SPM was the first serious game I played on the Wii, not counting Mario Kart. I agree that the sudden gameplay shift is jarring and I missed the RPG system at first, but the story kept me going. Truly the best the series has offered, though TTYD is the best overall in all other respects. It deserves to be grouped with the first two games for sure in terms of good Paper Mario’s, with OK being only ok.
Man as a kid I thought it was the coolest thing lol. And I still do but I have grown up and learned a lot about what it actually is. But dang, this game made up my childhood and is one of the main memories I have. As a kid I was excited to share this game with people and talk about how great it is only to find out no one I knew knew about it and everyone that did hates it and I should feel shameful 😂
People are weird and easy to manipulate, just because your circle of friends are playstation players or the fandom for the game you like despises it, enjoy it. It was created with that intent, to reach the people that actually like it. I still believe its one of the coolest games I´ve ever played and saddens me to know that there is people that would´ve liked to try it that didn´t because it wasn´t "the next big thing".
Appreciate your opinion on this game, it's a very interesting take. The gameplay is never talked about much in discussions of this game. From what I can gather, I think you might enjoy Sticker Star more than this in a gameplay level, especially overworld movement.
I personally find this to be one of the greatest mario games. Yeah it lost the rpg elements and the 3d world. But the story of this game and the creativity of the chapters, and i am a sucker for the pixels and using them in levels. I think there’s truly alot to love about this game and it is in no way a bad game.
I have played this game so many time but I don’t think I remember the Pixls being the souls of the deceased or them starting an uprising against the Ancients
This was an excellent video! I agreed with most of what you had to say and I appreciated that you tried to focus on the positive and negative aspects fairly. I would add a few points. First, something that drives me nuts about both the destruction of the Sammer Kingdom and Luvbi’s sacrifice is that both are undone in the aftergame. In some areas this game let choices have real consequences, but in two of its arguably most serious chapter narrative moments, it backpedaled and undid the full dramatic weight those could have had. I didn’t like them doing this in TTYD with the Moon Base and TEC returning, but I at least understood them wanting an engaging area that couldn’t permanently prevent you from obtaining items and finding secrets after it disappeared. I don’t think SPM has that excuse since the Sammer Kingdom’s items have no functional use (to my memory) and could easily have been given in another way. Second, this game does have a great overall story, but I hate how much of it is hidden behind just talking to NPCs at random points and paying some people to spout exposition. That was done some in the previous games, but they also had sidequests that, while sometimes tedious, managed world engagement, worldbuilding, and character interactions without just dumping text on you. Because of that, when I watched a recent lore video I was shocked at how little lore I really knew from this game since it was locked behind side content I had no desire to pursue. That wasn’t true in the other games, and I didn’t grow up with them. I grew up with Super Paper Mario. Third, I’d say that the biggest frustration for me in this game is the missed potential of so many aspects. It feels like it never quite committed to any one direction, and so all of its gameplay tended to suffer. It didn’t embrace good platforming enough to be a great platformer, didn’t retain enough good RPG mechanics to be a great RPG, didn’t encourage flipping enough to take full advantage of the 3D mechanic, didn’t let some of its hardest moments hit with full force, and didn’t present its excellent backstory in a particularly compelling way. That’s all a shame because there really is a great game in here, but it never seems to have gotten the direction it needed to come out. Playing this game drives me nuts because of both its frustrating gameplay and because of the constant display of how much missed potential was here. I think this could have been the absolute best Paper Mario game if it had been done right. That’s all my opinion, anyway. I wouldn’t call the game bad or say I hate it, but, despite a lot of aspects and moments I love, I wouldn’t say I love the game either. I like it as a concept and a story far more than as a game, and I wish that weren’t the case. Again, great video! I’ve enjoyed your videos on the first three games and look forward to watching the rest of your Paper Mario series!
Reasons why I disagree: Chapters - Chapter 2: Merlee's rubee wheel - Chapter 3: Apple tree maze - Chapter 5: manually typing the word "please" 5 times in a row - Chapter 5: Cragnon block password - Chapter 6: Sammer's kingdom tournament - Chapter 6: World of nothing - Chapter 8: Chasing Dimentio through previous chapters - Chapter 8: Bleck's castle maze Miscellaneous - Bosses are extremely easy - Sub-par platforming - knock back damage is annoying - Pit of Trials is boring, have to do it twice - Long travel cutscenes can't be skipped, have to watch them multiple times - Giant boring hubworld, easy to get lost - Pixl partners are lifeless and annoying to swap between. Many of them are only used once or twice - Character designs are much worse than previous titles (basic geometric shapes) - Locations within chapters are very "samey", easy to get lost due to lack of unique areas - World is not cohesive; each area is seperate and only accessible via hubworld - Dialogue is overly-dramatic. Very awkward hearing some lines in a Mario title ("*Once again, Mario saw a nightmarish landscape beyond imagination...*")
I think that this game has always gotten alot of crap for not being like the other two. I didn't buy this. I skipped it amd went straight to sticker star. I'm glad I did. When I came back to play it for the sale of beating it. I was expecting sticker star levels of garbage. Because holy cow. This game was fantastic!
Yeah it’s so interesting to hear that all the things that bothered you about this game, didn’t really bug me in the slightest. Loved the character design especially the MC Escher-esque design of the npc’s and some of the bosses, loved the variety of each chapter and the variety of locales, and gameplay styles. I have no issue with backtracking. I grew up on Zelda and Mario! 😂 And the ost for flip side, absolute fire 🔥 And to top it off what a story! Guess they really made this for me and no I wasn’t a kid I was in my post college years working in a warehouse and I was “playing baby games” according to my co workers. Fuck em. It was fun, that’s all that mattered! They definitely made this game for me. 😊 TTYD is still the best but this was a close second for me. 👊😎
Great video man. I totally understand that you didn't care for this game overall. There are some issues with the game when compared to the first two games. That being said, this was my very first exposure to the Paper Mario series. I then played the original Paper Mario a few years ago and loved it. I guess being the big platformer person I am, I fell in love with Super Paper Mario. Yes there are a few areas (like the stupid long code in 5-1) that are rather annoying and not very interesting but I will always have a soft spot for this game. I still really enjoyed your thoughts on it though. I'm really curious to see your thoughts on the last 3 games now.
This game was the last straw that led to Sticker Star turning up the way it did. A Club Nintendo survey found that most people didn't like this game's story.
Hey man I love your retrospective videos . But can you please retrospective xman legends 1 and 2 . I think there a hidden gem 💎. And I love to see your thoughts on it its a great rpg
I still remembered the first time I played this game after so long of not having a Wii. Finally got to buy a wii with my own money as a teenager, paid for this game and 2 others. Sit back and relax, ready to dive in. It didn't take me so long before knowing that this isn't Paper Mario game. Don't get me wrong, there is a some great points (music, story, Dimentio) but also flaws that keeps overshadowing the great things. This is not a Paper Mario game, this is a super mario games flatten in a book. It could have been more, it could have been greater than the older games but they just had to dumb down the game to a 2D sidescroller with uninteresting worlds when the whole story is based around travelling through dimension. Before I get raided with comments, I did finish this game 2 times, but that's nothing compared to the number of playthrough that I did for the older ones.
I remember having a lot of fun with it at the time but going back to it years later just wasn't enjoyable. The art style is ugly and having to turn the Wii Remote at the screen everywhere just felt fiddly. It has its place but it's just not for me anymore.
this was my fave paper mario game as a kid for like two years. now its probably ttyd as much as i hate to admit it. i still love spm but the gameplay isnt as fun to me. in its defense, back in 2012, i played the game seven times in like six months. yeah... i never rly liked the original mario games where you jump and get to the end, which is what spm largely is. the ost and story are gorgeous, though. writing, too. also gotta say i never cared for the art style. i loved the gamecube sprites, but the levels and characters were... bleh. chapter 3 is especially ugly. i know its referencing 8bit games, but i dont care. still ugly. and i never got why everyone liked gloam valleys music so much lol
While I wasn't in love with the platforming in this game, it wasn't the main thing that bothered me compared to the first two games. I know this is such a shallow complaint but...I hate looking at this game. I hate the weird asymmetric pixel thing they were trying to do. I just think so much of the world and its characters are painful to look at. Even at its very best when I was enjoying the title I just did not enjoy what I was looking at. And yeah, it would've been nice if the partners had a bit more personality because I actually did like them as a concept.
No offense but ligitimally you are like. The only one i have ever heard say you don't care that an entire world was devastated. I feel like your dislike for the game play bled into the actual story of each chapter and just made you turn away from it. Which is fine like it's you're experience! But I have noticed that you are in the minority here, instead of the majority.
Actually made it to the end, and yeah its easy to tell you did not like it, and then went ahead and threw in that it´s also considerably weaker to its predecessors while also not being on the same category? "the platforming isn´t fun" coming from a guy that cannot play vertical levels is just laughable. Actually makes me happy that you don´t like it, I don´t want to be associated with the "paper mario downfall" people or your toxic gamer mentality. The next time instead of looking for points to review, try to enjoy the game for what its creators intended instead of being such a dislikable biased prick about every little thing giving a wrong precognition on a very good game that took time to develop just for you to trash talk in half an hour. Just because I have liked several of the games you have reviewed, now I have to remember the name of the channel, to return the favor and not click by mistake into anything. Take care tho, godspeed to your fanbase, to run faaaaar away
Super Paper Mario was my first Paper Mario game. I got to enjoy it without even knowing about the older RPGs which honestly a blessing, since it was one of my favorite games on the Wii. It surprised me that you didn't care about the world being destroyed in Chapter 6! Was one of the most memorable parts of the game for me, but having heard your reasoning and thought process while playing the game, I can see why you felt that way. After all, as a kid me and my brother loved all the hide-and-seek platforming of this game, including the capture cards.
Currently playing through TTYD, and I'm very happy I played SPM first just so that I could build the nostalgia for that game and its story, and then appreciating the RPG elements of the older games.
Facts! Its the first and only paper mario game I have played, one of my favourite games as a child its amazing
So glad to find people who feel the same as me and had a similar past. I didn’t get the opportunity to play the older ones. The way it played out though, allowed me to appreciate the game for what it is. This was maybe the 2nd Mario game I ever played, next to SMG. Playing two games back to back was quiet the experience as they are completely different games and made me excited to know what other Mario adventures were out there.
I did not play the original paper Mario until after I played super paper Mario! Now I have ttyd to look forward to playing!
Mee too but back then i didnt know english a i didnt udrstanf a shit so i forget that i haved ot
Yes please. Next half hour is officially spoken for.
Hope you guys have been enjoying the Paper Mario retrospective so far! We're heading into the more divisive games in the series, and I've tried to tighten up my scriptwriting a bit to focus more on my perspective rather than just explaining what games are about. Hopefully it works for you guys!
ALSO: at 2:55 I say that the game has no motion controls beyond pointing, which isn't actually true. It does have many motion controls used for items and Stylish Moves, but in terms of mandatory stuff, only pointing at the screen is necessary. Just wanted to clarify that!
My take on Super Paper Mario: If you're looking for a traditional RPG, you will be very disappointed, but if you're willing to try out a platformer with RPG elements, then you'll be pleasantly surprised
I just beat the world 2 in Sticker Star. I hope you're progressing well on Sticker Star, too!
Very much agreed. I also say if you’re looking for more story than game play, this is it. Of course, it’s just a Mario game. But to me, it feels like an interactive story. It does frustrate me when I know what could’ve been if it did have better gameplay and whatnot. But I’ll appreciate this game for what it is since I can’t change that
@@meloncholy413 I used to think the Paper Mario series was a platformer, simply because my first ever experience with it was SPM.
Super Paper Mario was the first Paper Mario game I ever played, but Sticker Star was the first one I ever owned. I've since come to regret buying it.
Hey if anyone ends up playing this game and thinks it's a lil difficult(even though it's pretty easy from memory) shake the remote, and you'll get a more points for killing enemies. Really good to know if your gonna attempt the non-ds related 100% the game.
At the very least, I love that you can play as the princess in this game. Loved it in Super Mario Bros. 2, loved it in Super Mario RPG, and I love it here. :)
Super paper mario loses its rpg like gameplay but the soul of it is still present
I agree, this was my first paper Mario game years ago so that probably makes me agree with you more.
Super Paper Mario was one of the first games I had for the Nintendo Wii. Very Great game to start off the new system.
Alrighty let's a do this!
I can agree with some point and disagree but I still appreciate the game for what it is even its flawed and still love this game after 1 year :)
The first 3 games are golden treasures!
I definitely respect that! Even if I don't enjoy it, this game has its fans and I can understand why
Super paper mario is the apex of story while the thousand year is the apex of gameplay, it's really up to what you want more in a paper mario game, personally i prefer story and have a crush on mimi so i perfer super paper mario, but i can understand perfering ttyd too
@@radiokunio3738 I actually love both even when prefering SPM
Also lol my profile pic is Mimi
Count Bleak's reasons are well understandable. A world without that one you love the nost is not worth, he wated to destroy the world that caused him so much pain. I like a lot the story of Count Bleak and Tippy. A tragic love story.
Back then, this to me was a masterpiece.
And a work of art. It still is, actually.
Vinesauce's playthrough of this game made me love it
Feel like he contradicted himself when criticizing flip/flop side for being to big while also say level design is too simple
the level design of the CHAPTERS are to simple. flipside is the hub.
I was thinking the exact same thing when he mentioned that!
Another angle: it could be too big to be as simple as it was/is.
That isn't a contradiction outright, level design should be interesting, and while the hub world should also be interesting, having it be too big can be a slog to get through, there's also a difference between size and complexity.
Big and simple aren't mutually exclusive
"The chapters themselves aren't fun"
Yeah, got it in one, as strong as the overall story was, the fact that playing the game feels like a slog to get to it is what I remember most about the game after all these years
Maybe a slog, but personally I enjoyed what bizarre scenarios the writers came up with. War between cavemen and technologically advanced and medieval monarchical plants? Cool! Wearing an empty fishbowl on your head to survive space and then fighting your brother in a giant robot in a crazy quasi parallel dimension? Never seen that in a Mario game before? Exploring an eccentric old woman’s mansion, slowly discovering it’s been taken over by the enemy? Great, though the debt paying off chapter is annoying. And the Samurguys whole deal, leading up to the doomed world and the devastation that follows.
Maybe the moment to moment gameplay isn’t the best, but the scenario writers were just going nuts.
2:21 Man I can't help but feel an internal rage when I see this face
the irony of this statement makes me rage.
super paper mario is my favorite game ever
to this day, nothing has defeated it
While I do agree the level design can be iffy, although I tolerate it more than you seem to have, I'm not sure what's iffy about the story by chapter per se. It seems you have tied the gameplay to the story, where your irritance with the gameplay affected how you tackled the story.
I will say it feels the story could feel rushed, but I think each chapter is interesting in the sense there are one or two focus NPCs, that we get to know as the chapters progress. Quite surprised especially about your reaction about Whoa Zone, when it's oddity and confusion is what makes it interesting.
I wonder if the mentality of playing this type of game is more of a speedrun style where flow is important and I feel how I play them is more careful and trying to be defensive against the enemies (seeing while I agree knockback here is iffy, it doesn't feel frequent).
You know what'd be interesting for a hub-world? It being a town again with the big thing you bring the Macguffins to, but the town treats it like a big tourist attraction.
Super Paper Mario is the only game in the Paper series I've played, and I'm really glad I did. It has interesting characters, (including redeemed villains which is my favorite genre of character arc) a dark story, and a decent combination of platforming and rpg elements. I think it has to be one of the best on the Wii, only shown up by Galaxy 2 and Okami imo. I feel like it's just not what people wanted when it came out. I can understand your problems with it. Playing through is pretty fun, but maybe it's one of those games that are more fun to watch someone play instead?
Not to mention this game introduced Bowser's arms! The spinniest arms in the galaxyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
The characters kinda suck compared to the first two games
I really did not really experience the negative things you describe.
Same by 1000% 👍😃
Yeah word that games is a good 8/10
@@melhody4692 Seems fair to me. It's good but the mechanics of the game outside story and characters are just good, not more
Same for the most part
Things that suck about SPM:
Chapters
- Chapter 2: Merlee's rubee wheel
- Chapter 3: Apple tree maze
- Chapter 5: manually typing the word "please" 5 times in a row
- Chapter 5: Cragnon block password
- Chapter 6: Sammer's kingdom tournament
- Chapter 6: World of nothing
- Chapter 8: Chasing Dimentio through previous chapters
- Chapter 8: Bleck's castle maze
Miscellaneous
- Bosses are extremely easy
- Sub-par platforming
- Pit of Trials is boring, have to do it twice
- Long travel cutscenes can't be skipped, have to watch them multiple times
- Giant boring hubworld, easy to get lost
- Pixl partners are lifeless and annoying to swap between. Many of them are only used once or twice
- Character designs are much worse than previous titles (basic geometric shapes)
- Locations within chapters are very "samey", easy to get lost due to lack of unique areas
- World is not cohesive; each area is seperate and only accessible via hubworld
- Dialogue is overly-dramatic. Very awkward hearing some lines in a Mario title ("*Once again, Mario saw a nightmarish landscape beyond imagination...*")
Another great video bro keep up the hard work
Oh boy I can't wait until you get to sticker star ;^)
I just watched the other videos a couple days ago I got great timing
My main complaint about Super Paper Mario is that, well, it's too easy of a game. Even younger me only got one game over and that was in Chapter 8-3 and it was, as you described, thanks to that infamous knockback when you get hit by enemies. I kept getting comboed by the Longators and Dimentio's spells and falling into the pit where I ran out of healing items and died. However, on other playthroughs, this game is so easy it isn't funny. Compare that to the previous two games where even on repeated playthroughs, bosses like Huff N' Puff, The Crystal King, and the Shadow Queen still give me a lot of trouble even if I come prepared. Plus, it's also part to the insane Bowser + Carrie combo which breaks the game into tiny bits of pieces. Don't get me wrong, I still love this game to death. However, the fact they took away the more "puzzle" gimmick to the majority of the bosses where you can just attack them until they die takes the fun out of it. Even the numerous of enemies in this game gave me more trouble than the bosses themselves.
You know there's a problem when the final boss of the second to last world can be beaten in less than 5 seconds with minimal thinking required lol.
@@J05TH-cam Ah you mean Bonechill where yeah you can beat him VERY quickly by using Luigi's Super Jump. I beat him before he could even make his first move lol
I agree the boss battles needed to be harder, maybe bigger HP and some phases that gives harder ways attack them, maybe have shields before being able to damage them (although Mimi does have that a bit), like with Croacus with needing ways to platform through his main flower.
I honestly believe the story to this game is in the top 3 when it comes to Mario games, with TTYD and Super Mario RPG above it
The way I always describe this game to people is “imagine a Paper Mario metroidvania game”
It’s really the only example of Ala Mario game attempting any sort of metroidvania traits.
How do you not have more subscribers and views? Your vids are amazing!
Agreed.
I have a theory that Nintendo was so embarrassed by Super Paper Mario's plot and world being in a Mario game and it being the first Mario game for Wii and selling millions of units that they wanted to reboot the franchise. Let's be honest, if the series continued in the direction that Super Paper Mario set, story-wise, it would start to not be a Mario game anymore. However, I don't think that's a bad thing because Paper Mario forming an identity and world that transcends what we have seen in any Mario game would actually be really grand!
this is the common theory for why the mario mandate became a thing. spm was so not a mario game Nintendo needed to put a stop to it by having the spin offs be more in line with the main games.
it's why the mario and luigi games on the ds mostly take place in the mushroom kingdom.
Paper Mario has lost it's identity because of these idiotic restrictions on character designs, as it greatly limits storytelling potential and ideas.
It barely feels like a Mario game anyways. You could replace all of the characters and literally nothing about the story would change
Excited to see your opinion on this game!
Well? What did ya think?
you missed the whole point of chapter 6... and francis.
Super paper Mario is the last paper Mario game I’ve played and even though the new ones aren’t to my tastes I still love the series
I personally loved Super Paper Mario! Knockback aside, I only really disliked getting lost in Space, and the three screens of block puzzle code forcing you to either take pictures or backtrack to check your handwritten notes.
For me, SPM was the first serious game I played on the Wii, not counting Mario Kart. I agree that the sudden gameplay shift is jarring and I missed the RPG system at first, but the story kept me going. Truly the best the series has offered, though TTYD is the best overall in all other respects. It deserves to be grouped with the first two games for sure in terms of good Paper Mario’s, with OK being only ok.
Man as a kid I thought it was the coolest thing lol. And I still do but I have grown up and learned a lot about what it actually is. But dang, this game made up my childhood and is one of the main memories I have. As a kid I was excited to share this game with people and talk about how great it is only to find out no one I knew knew about it and everyone that did hates it and I should feel shameful 😂
People are weird and easy to manipulate, just because your circle of friends are playstation players or the fandom for the game you like despises it, enjoy it. It was created with that intent, to reach the people that actually like it. I still believe its one of the coolest games I´ve ever played and saddens me to know that there is people that would´ve liked to try it that didn´t because it wasn´t "the next big thing".
This game his good by himself.
Im more disappointed on the next game because I was hoping a true following of the series.
You're not alone on this one
Yeah I was a dumb kid for thinking they’d continue the story of SPM or even any of the previous games. I had high expectations
this channel slaps!! great content man, i'm sure you'll blow up soon enough with this level of effort and quiality
Appreciate your opinion on this game, it's a very interesting take. The gameplay is never talked about much in discussions of this game. From what I can gather, I think you might enjoy Sticker Star more than this in a gameplay level, especially overworld movement.
I personally find this to be one of the greatest mario games. Yeah it lost the rpg elements and the 3d world. But the story of this game and the creativity of the chapters, and i am a sucker for the pixels and using them in levels. I think there’s truly alot to love about this game and it is in no way a bad game.
wait a minute, those are red koopas in disguise !
I have played this game so many time but I don’t think I remember the Pixls being the souls of the deceased or them starting an uprising against the Ancients
I still cry thinking about the Black TP side back story
This was an excellent video! I agreed with most of what you had to say and I appreciated that you tried to focus on the positive and negative aspects fairly.
I would add a few points. First, something that drives me nuts about both the destruction of the Sammer Kingdom and Luvbi’s sacrifice is that both are undone in the aftergame. In some areas this game let choices have real consequences, but in two of its arguably most serious chapter narrative moments, it backpedaled and undid the full dramatic weight those could have had. I didn’t like them doing this in TTYD with the Moon Base and TEC returning, but I at least understood them wanting an engaging area that couldn’t permanently prevent you from obtaining items and finding secrets after it disappeared. I don’t think SPM has that excuse since the Sammer Kingdom’s items have no functional use (to my memory) and could easily have been given in another way.
Second, this game does have a great overall story, but I hate how much of it is hidden behind just talking to NPCs at random points and paying some people to spout exposition. That was done some in the previous games, but they also had sidequests that, while sometimes tedious, managed world engagement, worldbuilding, and character interactions without just dumping text on you. Because of that, when I watched a recent lore video I was shocked at how little lore I really knew from this game since it was locked behind side content I had no desire to pursue. That wasn’t true in the other games, and I didn’t grow up with them. I grew up with Super Paper Mario.
Third, I’d say that the biggest frustration for me in this game is the missed potential of so many aspects. It feels like it never quite committed to any one direction, and so all of its gameplay tended to suffer. It didn’t embrace good platforming enough to be a great platformer, didn’t retain enough good RPG mechanics to be a great RPG, didn’t encourage flipping enough to take full advantage of the 3D mechanic, didn’t let some of its hardest moments hit with full force, and didn’t present its excellent backstory in a particularly compelling way. That’s all a shame because there really is a great game in here, but it never seems to have gotten the direction it needed to come out. Playing this game drives me nuts because of both its frustrating gameplay and because of the constant display of how much missed potential was here. I think this could have been the absolute best Paper Mario game if it had been done right.
That’s all my opinion, anyway. I wouldn’t call the game bad or say I hate it, but, despite a lot of aspects and moments I love, I wouldn’t say I love the game either. I like it as a concept and a story far more than as a game, and I wish that weren’t the case.
Again, great video! I’ve enjoyed your videos on the first three games and look forward to watching the rest of your Paper Mario series!
Super Paper Mario is a very well-made game...it has a little something something for everyone.
Reasons why I disagree:
Chapters
- Chapter 2: Merlee's rubee wheel
- Chapter 3: Apple tree maze
- Chapter 5: manually typing the word "please" 5 times in a row
- Chapter 5: Cragnon block password
- Chapter 6: Sammer's kingdom tournament
- Chapter 6: World of nothing
- Chapter 8: Chasing Dimentio through previous chapters
- Chapter 8: Bleck's castle maze
Miscellaneous
- Bosses are extremely easy
- Sub-par platforming
- knock back damage is annoying
- Pit of Trials is boring, have to do it twice
- Long travel cutscenes can't be skipped, have to watch them multiple times
- Giant boring hubworld, easy to get lost
- Pixl partners are lifeless and annoying to swap between. Many of them are only used once or twice
- Character designs are much worse than previous titles (basic geometric shapes)
- Locations within chapters are very "samey", easy to get lost due to lack of unique areas
- World is not cohesive; each area is seperate and only accessible via hubworld
- Dialogue is overly-dramatic. Very awkward hearing some lines in a Mario title ("*Once again, Mario saw a nightmarish landscape beyond imagination...*")
Interesting
I think that this game has always gotten alot of crap for not being like the other two. I didn't buy this. I skipped it amd went straight to sticker star.
I'm glad I did. When I came back to play it for the sale of beating it. I was expecting sticker star levels of garbage. Because holy cow. This game was fantastic!
Yeah it’s so interesting to hear that all the things that bothered you about this game, didn’t really bug me in the slightest. Loved the character design especially the MC Escher-esque design of the npc’s and some of the bosses, loved the variety of each chapter and the variety of locales, and gameplay styles. I have no issue with backtracking. I grew up on Zelda and Mario! 😂 And the ost for flip side, absolute fire 🔥 And to top it off what a story!
Guess they really made this for me and no I wasn’t a kid I was in my post college years working in a warehouse and I was “playing baby games” according to my co workers. Fuck em. It was fun, that’s all that mattered! They definitely made this game for me. 😊 TTYD is still the best but this was a close second for me. 👊😎
Great video man. I totally understand that you didn't care for this game overall. There are some issues with the game when compared to the first two games.
That being said, this was my very first exposure to the Paper Mario series. I then played the original Paper Mario a few years ago and loved it. I guess being the big platformer person I am, I fell in love with Super Paper Mario. Yes there are a few areas (like the stupid long code in 5-1) that are rather annoying and not very interesting but I will always have a soft spot for this game. I still really enjoyed your thoughts on it though. I'm really curious to see your thoughts on the last 3 games now.
This game was the last straw that led to Sticker Star turning up the way it did. A Club Nintendo survey found that most people didn't like this game's story.
another papermario retrospective.......ugh here we go again!
Hey man I love your retrospective videos . But can you please retrospective xman legends 1 and 2 . I think there a hidden gem 💎. And I love to see your thoughts on it its a great rpg
I Hate super Paper Mario for its complete change in game play amd mechanics. But I love Super Paper Mario for its absolute phenomenal story.
After this game is when the series entered the dark age. Next up, the generic New Super Paper Mario Bros era, ugh!
I still remembered the first time I played this game after so long of not having a Wii. Finally got to buy a wii with my own money as a teenager, paid for this game and 2 others. Sit back and relax, ready to dive in. It didn't take me so long before knowing that this isn't Paper Mario game.
Don't get me wrong, there is a some great points (music, story, Dimentio) but also flaws that keeps overshadowing the great things. This is not a Paper Mario game, this is a super mario games flatten in a book. It could have been more, it could have been greater than the older games but they just had to dumb down the game to a 2D sidescroller with uninteresting worlds when the whole story is based around travelling through dimension.
Before I get raided with comments, I did finish this game 2 times, but that's nothing compared to the number of playthrough that I did for the older ones.
I remember having a lot of fun with it at the time but going back to it years later just wasn't enjoyable. The art style is ugly and having to turn the Wii Remote at the screen everywhere just felt fiddly. It has its place but it's just not for me anymore.
this was ok not a TTYD or paper mario 64
yeah the actual chapters in spm are not fun. the only thing keeping spm together is it's writing.
this was my fave paper mario game as a kid for like two years. now its probably ttyd as much as i hate to admit it. i still love spm but the gameplay isnt as fun to me. in its defense, back in 2012, i played the game seven times in like six months. yeah... i never rly liked the original mario games where you jump and get to the end, which is what spm largely is.
the ost and story are gorgeous, though. writing, too.
also gotta say i never cared for the art style. i loved the gamecube sprites, but the levels and characters were... bleh. chapter 3 is especially ugly. i know its referencing 8bit games, but i dont care. still ugly. and i never got why everyone liked gloam valleys music so much lol
hmm there are a lot of points here i disagree with but one big one was chapter six
i thought the sammer kingdom really was suspenseful
ill also say spm is a game thats really fun the first time
but once you learned the story its not as fun cause a lot of the appeal was the story
This is the game that ruined the franchise for me. They had the perfect formula but had to be extra
While I wasn't in love with the platforming in this game, it wasn't the main thing that bothered me compared to the first two games. I know this is such a shallow complaint but...I hate looking at this game. I hate the weird asymmetric pixel thing they were trying to do. I just think so much of the world and its characters are painful to look at. Even at its very best when I was enjoying the title I just did not enjoy what I was looking at.
And yeah, it would've been nice if the partners had a bit more personality because I actually did like them as a concept.
Super paper Mario is a good game, but a bad paper Mario game
2nd view
No offense but ligitimally you are like. The only one i have ever heard say you don't care that an entire world was devastated. I feel like your dislike for the game play bled into the actual story of each chapter and just made you turn away from it. Which is fine like it's you're experience! But I have noticed that you are in the minority here, instead of the majority.
Actually made it to the end, and yeah its easy to tell you did not like it, and then went ahead and threw in that it´s also considerably weaker to its predecessors while also not being on the same category?
"the platforming isn´t fun" coming from a guy that cannot play vertical levels is just laughable. Actually makes me happy that you don´t like it, I don´t want to be associated with the "paper mario downfall" people or your toxic gamer mentality. The next time instead of looking for points to review, try to enjoy the game for what its creators intended instead of being such a dislikable biased prick about every little thing giving a wrong precognition on a very good game that took time to develop just for you to trash talk in half an hour. Just because I have liked several of the games you have reviewed, now I have to remember the name of the channel, to return the favor and not click by mistake into anything. Take care tho, godspeed to your fanbase, to run faaaaar away