Open a Portal to Fun and Adventure in ‘Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door’

With all the talk about an upcoming Switch successor, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Nintendo has all but abandoned its plucky current-generation hybrid console/handheld. Yet that is decidedly not the case. This very week the Switch receives an amazing new release, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door—another fine example of how a proper remake can help an old game feel brand new again. Moreover, it’s a reminder that the system still has plenty of gas left in the proverbial tank.

While likely not as iconic as Super Mario RPG—which received its own stellar Switch remake last year—The Thousand-Year Door was originally released on the GameCube in 2004. Though the ‘Cube itself struggled here in the West, this Paper Mario adventure was greeted with nigh universal acclaim, with its gorgeous papercraft world further pushing the limits of its N64 forebear and helping to influence the “handmade” aesthetic present in future titles like Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Yoshi’s Crafted World.

Taking place in and around the rough and tumble seaside city of Rogueport, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door begins with the capture of Princess Peach by the dastardly X-Nauts. To save the Princess and preserve the kingdom, Mario sets out to collect the seven Crystal Stars needed to unlock the titular Thousand-Year Door, a mysterious portal hidden deep beneath Rogueport itself.

Along the way he encounters friends and foes both strange and familiar, partnering with each in due time to engage in turn-based battles (supplemented by Action Commands) against a myriad of enemies. This tried-and-true combination of traditional RPG combat and timed button and control stick inputs helps keep players on their toes, as does the adoring (and occasionally outright hostile) audience of Mushroom Kingdom denizens who gather to observe each battle.

Like any Mario RPG worth its salt, The Thousand-Year Door plays with the classical conventions even down to its core stats. In addition to character HP, Mario and his partner also share a pool of Flower Points (FP) used in place of mana or energy to perform more punishing attacks. Mario also has Badge Points (BP), which determine the maximum combined value of all the helpful badges he may equip at one time. Since badges grant additional special attacks, buffs, and abilities, you’ll need to think strategically even as you carve out your own preferred playstyle.

Rather than rely on the more pedestrian “experience,” leveling is instead tied to Star Points. Win a battle (and dazzle your onlookers) to earn Star Points. Collect 100 Star Points, and your party levels up, allowing Mario to increase HP, FP, or BP. As the man says, it ain’t much but it’s honest work.

A story lives and dies by its characters, and while the baddies in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door are quirky enough, it’s the allies who really make the experience. Not only do they provide their unique talents in the heat of combat, but they can also perform special actions in the overworld to uncover hidden goodies, unlock new paths, and generally wreak good-natured havoc on the world around them.

And oh what a world it is! Teaming with life, shimmering with magic, and, okay, occasionally falling to pieces, the environments of The Thousand-Year Door are nothing short of gorgeous. I remember being impressed by the original, but the Switch hardware takes these beautifully stylized visuals firmly into the 21st century. (The Great Tree, home of the adorable Puni Tribe, really blew me away—so much so that I insisted the rest of the family join me in the den to bask in its magnificence.)

The same can be said about the game’s stirring soundtrack, which is pitch-perfect in its new orchestrations. Fans of the original, however, can employ another new addition, the Nostalgic Tunes badge, to enjoy the original tracks in all their retro glory.

As a remake, The Thousand-Year Door does an admirable job of balancing the old with the new. The game’s recurring motif of Mario being “cursed,” which allows him to fold his two-dimensional body into helpful shapes like a paper airplane, still feels as fun and fresh as it did 20 years ago. Meanwhile, things like an expanded hint system and the new Partner Ring, which lets you swap out your helper character without having to trudge through multiple menu screens, are exactly the kinds of modern tweaks needed to update the overall gameplay experience.

That said, my only gripes about this shiny new Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door are much the same as they were two decades ago. First and foremost, it is, like many of our roleplaying experiences in the Mushroom Kingdom, text-heavy. Like, seriously text-heavy. And as Nintendo generally eschews voice acting, this means that players are in for veritable walls of narrative dialog. It’s humorous and generally enjoyable, but there sure is a lot of it.

Also, the difficulty can feel a little uneven at times. Early on this is due to the twitchy nature of the Action Command system. Trying to land an effective attack with my old favorite partner Madame Flurrie honestly took me a lot more attempts than I’m freely willing to admit. As the game progresses, though, it can occasionally just feel cheap. The remedy to this (on both counts) is a winning combination of practice and preparation. Know your team. Know your enemy. Know your way around your power-ups (mushrooms, fire flowers, and beyond) and when to use Mario’s jump attack vs. his trusty hammer.

Even with these minor imperfections, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a jewel of an experience—whether as a new player or a returning fan. It looks, sounds, and plays beautifully, and its blend of captivating characters and lush environments is sure to please. And while newcomers like the Shadow Sirens and Ms. Mowz tend to get a lot of the fan attention, it’s the slightly off-kilter characterizations of longtime cast members like Bowser, Peach, and Luigi that kept me giggling throughout my adventure.

So round up Goombella and Koops, pin on your favorite Badges (Power Smash and HP Plus are a great place to start), and prepare to give the audience all you’ve got when Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door arrives on the Nintendo Switch this Thursday, May 23rd.

Review materials provided by Nintendo of America. This post contains affiliate links. Do it for Petuni!