Paper Mario: TTYD [Tip of the Iceberg]

Hey guys, one thing I don't often get to do here at Penguins With Capes is simply discuss games. Most of the time, I'm writing about a larger topic. So, I've decided to introduce a new type of post to this this blog!  Entitled Tip of the Iceberg, I'll be sharing impressions on games that I'm currently playing. This will be a shorter, more casual series that will supplement the lengthier posts typical of my page. Those big features will still release every weekend, whereas Tip of the Iceberg will release during the week. Essentially, this series is just an addition on top of the PwC content I already create. I hope you enjoy this new venture!

       Paper Mario is a series that I've had an interesting relationship with. I first played Super Paper Mario when I got my Wii, and then soon after downloaded Paper Mario (N64) off of the Virtual Console. Having enjoyed both games, I bought Sticker Star upon release, and got Color Splash the Christmas that it came out. I actually prefer the latter two entries to the first three, I know, I know, blasphemy. But, you have to understand that I've never been an RPG guy. The lengthy campaigns, hyper focus on story, and statistic-based battle systems just don't click with me. So, the more action and exploration focused titles in the Paper Mario series naturally drew me in. I love the art style, after all. Still, I'd never experienced what is considered the series' magnum opus, the one game that is constantly brought up,  Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. So, I've finally decided to give this game a shot to find out what the fuss is about.

       I really haven't gotten that far yet, I just beat Hooktail, but I'm really surprised by how much I'm already enjoying this game. I love the game's sense of personality. The character designs are all so unique, and the locations Mario visits are quite diverse. I will say that I do find some of the character designs a bit too strange. Some of them just don't seem like Mario characters to me, but that is part of The Thousand Year Door's quirky charm. A perfect example of this is the opening town; Rogueport. It is a very unique locale for a Mario game, being a seedy port town. I like the motif a lot, and I really like its cast of characters, they give it a sort of dingy, thrown together look. However, I just find that Rogueport feels decidedly un-Mario: not bad, just not congruous with what I would consider "Mario". But, the more I play and experience The Thousand Year Door's world, the more I come to accept that this is uncharted territory for the mustached plumber; a new adventure that takes him, and myself out of our element.

       One thing that I definitely dislike though, and will not grow on me over time, is the overabundance of text. The story is plenty interesting, but the game has a bad habit of dumping exposition on you out of nowhere. For example, right after you beat Hooktail there are several lengthy scenes that consist of a lot of expository dialogue. They are all interesting sequences, one even begins to develop (oddly) a relationship between Princess Peach and a sentient computer, but they are certainly grating, especially when they drag on for many, many minutes at a time. It almost feels like the developers had all these great story beats in their head, but could not come up with a way to incorporate them into the moment-to-moment experience, instead choosing to insert them wholesale between gameplay beats. Hopefully, as the game really gets going and I leave the first act, there will be less of a need for these text-heavy interludes. I'm not crossing my fingers, though, as a heavy emphasis on story is a tentpole characteristic of this genre. So, while The Thousand Year Door is helping ease me into many RPG staples, the heavy story to gameplay ratio still is not doing it for me.

      What Thousand Year Door is selling me on, though, is the battle system. Traditional turn-based battle systems have never been interesting to me outside of Pokemon. However, both the Paper Mario, and Mario & Luigi battle systems spice things up with action commands. I've always found this extra level of interactivity quite engaging, but Mario and Luigi has always had the edge over Paper Mario in my book. Their battle system is just more complex, and features a lot of different techniques, such as the Bros. attacks, that Paper Mario lacks. Of course, this opinion was framed (essentially) around my experience with the Mario & Luigi games, and Paper Mario on the N64. Having now gotten into The Thousand Year Door, I can say with pretty good confidence that it now has my favorite RPG battle system.

       The framing of the battles as a stage-play is brilliant, and opens up many exciting opportunities. Chief amongst them being the crowd system. Essentially, as you pull off well-timed attacks, the crowd will cheer, and fill up a meter that allows you to unleash a special attack. This creates a really enjoyable feedback loop in which the more precise I am, the more dominant I become in battle. It also motivates me to do better, and really try to understand the timing of my attacks instead of just bouncing haphazardly off my enemy's head, doing just the minimum amount of damage (something I often do in other action command based systems). The crowd can get involved in other ways as well, sometimes attempting to harm Mario and friends by throwing things from the audience. However, sometimes they'll also toss goods such as mushrooms which will heal you in a pinch. Based on what is going on, you might have to jump down there and smash a Shy Guy with your hammer to stay out of harms way, or simply let the mushroom be tossed onto the stage. It's a somewhat odd addition, but I appreciated its inclusion. These random events help encourage a certain attentiveness that keeps me from zoning out during battle, as repeated fights can become somewhat tedious. There is a lot of repetition, which is the only issue I have with the combat system so far. Even though the game parcels out new moves and enemy types rather quickly, a string of three Goomba or Fuzzy encounters can be a drag.

        Overall though, I'm pretty excited to dig deeper into this one. I never quite understood why Paper Mario has been such a fan favorite, but I think I'm starting to get it. Whether or not I see this one through all the way to the end, I'm not sure yet. As long as The Thousand Year Door keeps up the pace of introducing new mechanics and scenarios, I'll stick around. I have issues with the game, but the elements here that are good, are really good. Is The Thousand Year Door going to get me into traditional RPGs? I doubt it. But, it is giving me a newfound appreciation for Paper Mario in particular. I love the battle system, which is quite rare for me to say. That is, perhaps, the game's crowning achievement in my book: Getting me excited over turn-based combat. It's quite interesting to see the turn Paper Mario has taken since The Thousand Year Door. There simply hasn't been another entry like this since. I'm not sure if Nintendo will ever revisit this formula, but I am sure of one thing: if we never get another traditional Paper Mario RPG, from what I've played so far, the series went out on a high note.

Have you played The Thousand Year Door? Did you love it? Did you hate it? Is Parakarry undeniably the best partner in all of Paper Mario? Let me know in the comments below!