In the late 1990s, Mario went from two dimensions to three with the release of Super Mario 64. But he quickly went back to flat with a game celebrating its 15th anniversary in the U.S. this year – Paper Mario. The game launched in North America on February 5, 2001, about six months after its Japanese release, and kickstarted a whole series of side games to the primary Mario universe.
Paper Mario is a roleplaying game, actually the second Mario-focused RPG released after Super Mario RPG. Though Super Mario RPG remains a fan favorite to this day, Paper Mario is not a sequel. Like many other Super Mario titles, it tasks the player (in the role of Mario) with saving Princess Peach from Bowser, who has used an artifact called the Star Rod to make himself invulnerable. Throughout the game, Mario must collect the seven Star Spirits in order to negate the effects of the Star Rod and rescue the princess. The story is presented in the form of a novel (thus the “Paper” part of Paper Mario).
Along the way, Mario can ally himself with a number of partners, including Goombario the Goomba, Kooper the Koopa, Bombette the Bomb-omb, Parakarry the Paratroopa, Lady Bow the Boo, Watt the Lil’ Sparky, Sushie the Cheep-Cheep, and Lakilester the Lakitu. Each partner gives Mario a unique ability, like becoming invisible, lighting up rooms, or blowing up breakable walls.
Paper Mario received positive reviews when it released, getting praise for being an accessible RPG for people who might be primarily familiar with Mario through platformers. Though the game’s visual style was questioned when it was first unveiled, that too was positively received when the game actually launched.
Since Paper Mario’s launch, three direct sequels have launched: The Thousand-Year Door for the GameCube, Super Paper Mario for the Wii, and Paper Mario: Sticker Star for the Nintendo 3DS. In January 2016, a crossover game between Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi released – Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. With 15 years now in the rear view mirror, it’s now pretty evident that, while three-dimensional graphics are now the norm, Mario will continue on in just two with Paper Mario.
