An Origami Charm Offensive
The Paper Mario franchise has been in a downward spiral ever since Super Paper Mario for the Wii. The games started out as simple but deep turn-based RPGs with each subsequent game shedding these traditional RPG mechanics in favor of arts & crafts gimmicks. First there were stickers in “Sticker Star”, then paint in “Color Splash” and now origami with Paper Mario: The Origami King. While the game still retains the fantastic writing and humor the series is known for, it unfortunately is not a return to its beloved RPG origins. The core battle mechanic overstays its welcome and the lack of any experience gains, incentivises avoiding combat altogether. A large swath of the game feels like a pointless collectathon. And the game features a bit too many samey Toad NPCs. Origami King on paper (no pun intended) has no right being good but manages to course correct with its impressive visuals and charming presentation.
Princess Peach has been kidnapped yet again, not by Bowser, but by a mysterious origami figure named Ollie. Ollie has the ability to fold and manipulate the paper denizens into brainwashed origami beings. Mario faces off against an origami Princess Peach who urges him to be folded and transformed just like she was. Mario is able to successfully escape with the help of a friendly origami named Olivia, who also happens to be Ollie’s sister. Ollie uses his powers to move Peach’s Castle atop a mountain and envelops the castle with streamers. It’s up to Mario and Olivia to figure out how to remove the streamers and rescue Peach from Ollie.
The art in Origami King is a distinctive blend of sprite based 2D models and 3D origami figures. Mario and the other unfolded characters are displayed as sprites similar to previous Paper Mario games, while the origami figures are 3D models with proper lighting and motion. Usually this mix of styles is hard to get right since both 2D and 3D models are occupying the same space. Surprisingly the mix of styles work. It tickled my nostalgia of the old Paper Mario games, yet provides a modern flare only possible on the Switch. It’s a similar experience to playing Octopath Traveler and seeing its mix of 2D and 3D styles.
The exploration will feel quite familiar to Paper Mario fans. Mario has the ability to jump and hit things with a hammer. Instead of partner abilities, Mario can team up with Olivia and use origami magic to traverse obstacles. Olivia can enhance Mario’s arms to be the 1000-Fold Arms to peel away paper in the environment or could transform herself into a Vellumental such as the Earth Vellumental to raise the floor. In addition, Mario also has the ability to throw confetti to fill holes in the world and rescue numerous folded Toads the pair meet along the way.
The biggest problem I had with Origami King is that the entire game feels like an adventure of collecting things and ticking off boxes. Filling in the world with confetti (outside of a few main plot points) is a completely optional endeavor and only rewards you with coins. When you rescue a folded Toad, you get a brief funny line and a minute improvement when asking for their assistance in combat. Finding a hidden path in a dungeon rewards you with a chest often containing a Trophy. Trophies offer no gameplay benefit and are only viewable in the game’s museum. There is no substantial payoff doing any of these things and the only way Mario gets noticeably stronger is by defeating the bosses guarding each streamer.
The origami battles are an interesting take on combat but quickly become tedious once you realize they are completely optional. Mario starts in the center of a gridded circle and has to rearrange foes into a 1x4 line or a 2x2 square within a number of turns and a time limit. If you successfully do so, Mario gains bonus damage when jumping or hammering the origami goons. If you get stuck, you can pay coins to have the Toads assist you or to extend the timer. The novelty wears off once you start seeing the same patterns over and over. Rather than feeling clever solving a tricky puzzle, it becomes a menial task of using the same solution used in previous encounters. The only rewards in victory are confetti and coins. The problem is that you can get a bountiful amount of either thing doing other tasks without spending time through these origami fights. This is exacerbated by the fact that the use of confetti is optional and coins are almost solely used to purchase accessories and items to assist Mario in combat. You can skip most fights, mainline the game and you would be no worse for wear in the boss fights.
The boss fights are easily the highlight of the origami battles. Instead of Mario being in the center, the roles are reversed where Mario starts on the perimeter and you have to shift the tiles so that Mario can reach the boss in the center. Each boss is cleverly designed with unique attacks and hidden weak points. Ironically, repeated battles with normal origami foes do not help you prepare against the bosses and actually reinforce the idea that you are better off skipping the regular fights.
Paper Mario: The Origami King, outside of the prologue, makes for a terrible first impression. One of the biggest problems with the last Paper Mario game, Color Splash, is the use of Toads for every single NPC. It made the whole world feel homogenous and boring. Origami King is no different. For the first quarter of the game, there are mostly Toads as NPCs. Sure there are a few Bowser minions you can speak to but that is the exception to the rule.
Partner characters are back, but instead of being a member of your party, they tag along and sometimes help in battle. They are also bound to certain areas and give a pretty lame excuse why they can’t follow you once you leave their boundaries. Since Mario is mute in this franchise, this makes Olivia the only uniquely identifiable character who speaks and follows Mario throughout the journey. Like it or not, Olivia becomes a very, very talkative backseat driver.
Lastly, it sometimes feels as if the NPCs are complete automatons with no self-awareness. There is one specific level (that also happens to be filled with Toad NPCs) where the NPCs are completely ignorant that there are origami monsters roaming about. They don’t even flinch or get scared or anything even if there is an origami foe literally inches from them. It completely breaks the illusion that there is a catastrophe needing to be resolved because these NPCs seem to be fine knowing that they could be folded into monstrosities.
As odd as it sounds, I don’t think this game is abysmal. After leaping through the hurdles of the first quarter of the game, I was pleasantly entertained by the game’s charm. There are random dance numbers, singing and mini-games that are hard not to smile at. Bowser’s minions play a largely sympathetic role and engage in 3rd wall breaking conversations like asking Mario whether he thinks Goombas or Koopas are tougher. There are also scenes where it feels as if the developers are poking fun at themselves and their own design decisions. Some levels in the game feature little to no origami battles and by consequence are my favorite parts in the game. Everytime the game forces me into a series of pointless origami fights, the game delivers a wonderful unexpected surprise in the next sequence. The best way to sum up Origami King is a quote from Olivia: “For every valley fold, there is a mountain fold”.
