Paper Mario

Overview

Paper Mario (tentative title) is the fourth installment in Intelligent Systems' Paper Mario series. It is a return to the traditional turn-based RPG-style gameplay of the first two Paper Mario games after the side-scrolling third installment, Super Paper Mario. It has been confirmed that more information will be announced at E3 2011. As with the first two Paper Mario games before it, the gameplay will mostly be on a separate stage, with players seeking out battles in multiple game environments.

Changes From Series

Although Paper Mario appears to remain faithful to the first two entries in the series, there are some notable changes expected from the classic formula. For one, partners appear to have been removed from the overworld. Screenshots and video footage of the game depict Mario exploring alone. There appear to be partners in battle however, demonstrated by the Chain Chomp ally in videos and snapshots. It is possible, however, that the partners have been hidden from public builds for various reasons (for example, they may have not been fully programmed yet).

In a video released by Nintendo, part of it shows Mario jumping on a Goomba, triggering the classic first-strike animation where Mario gets an extra turn to attack in the way the player attacked in the world. In this case, since Mario jumped on a Goomba, on the stage, Mario will get an extra jumping attack.

The game map also features the number of coins earned and Mario's health, although it is currently unknown whether Mario can increase it by leveling up. The game will be set in completely new areas not seen before in the Paper Mario series, but some places, such as a town and snowy area featured in the video, may remind Paper Mario veterans of previous iterations of the game.

Gameplay

Returning to its roots of being a hybrid of an RPG and a platformer, Paper Mario will feature similar gameplay to that of Paper Mario 64 and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, but will distance itself gameplay-wise from the third game, Super Paper Mario. The player will be traversing through different game worlds, fighting enemies, finding objects, and solving puzzles. Mario's jump and hammer abilities will help Mario get through different areas. In the game world, when an enemy wants to attack, an exclamation point will be above its head, and the enemy will try to attack Mario.

Battle Mode

Mario can either choose to try to attack the enemy first in the game world, or to run. If Mario does the former, a battle sequence will start, and the game setting will switch to a theatrical stage, with the game world that Mario is in acting like a background for a performance. Mario will gain a "first strike" move, which is basically an extra turn for Mario to attack using the move used in the normal game world.

After that, the action is turn-based. From here, Mario will have a multitude of choices: he can attack, increase defense, use items, or use stickers with special powers. Sometimes, Mario will have a partner to aid him in battle. If Mario has a partner, Mario will get a turn, along with his partner, and now enemies on the stage have to choose between attacking Mario or his partner during their turns.

After using his turn, Mario's enemies will have a time to choose between carrying out one of the aforementioned activities. Once Mario has defeated an enemy, the setting will switch back to the normal game mode.

Mapped out on-stage are Mario's health, the opponent's health, and a S meter that can be filled up. Mario's health shows how much damage Mario can take, and opponent's health has a similar purpose. The S meter's function is unknown at this point.

Each attack received and dealt out can inflict different amounts of damage, depending on the type and execution of the attack. The attack power and defense, along with special attributes such as spiky heads, will also help determine the most effective attack foes can use against each other.

Stickers

A notable addition to the game, and one that could replace some of the abilities of partners outside of battle, are stickers. These can be used in-battle to achieve certain effects, out of battle to remove certain obstacles, or allow Mario to advance.

The various types of stickers include one that is used to repair a bridge and a frog suit (the latter hinting that there might be suits of other classic power-ups). It has been said that stickers will have a major role in the new game, and they will be used both in battle and the game world. Some speculate that there could also be stickers that replace badges.

Characters

Characters and enemies confirmed to be making an appearance in the game are as follows:

Bosses

There is one enemy suggested to be a boss so far, which is a giant Monty Mole (a large Monty Mole that wears a crown). Its attacks have an attack power of about five, but its other abilities remain unknown. However, in the prerelease screenshot, the Monty Mole appears to be throwing something which is probably a rock with an attack power of 5.

Partners

The only known partner is the Chain Chomp partner, which can attack enemies by charging at them in battle. It has been shown by some released gameplay footage.

Development

Paper Mario was first demonstrated at E3 2010 in the form of a looping, non-playable demo. Paper Mario was also shown at Nintendo World 2011 in another looping video form, but with more areas visible.