Review: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (2024 Nintendo Switch Port)
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I haven’t picked up my Nintendo Switch in quite a while. I finished all the games I wanted to and just put it down. Given I’m not an avid gamer and don’t usually cover topics like this, at the time I didn’t think there would be another game that I would be excited to talk about.
That is, until I played Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door recently. I started hearing about this game back when I was playing my first Paper Mario game. However, I didn’t understand why people praised The Thousand Year Door as if it were the best game in the Paper Mario franchise.
Well now, I understand the hype. This game may have just become my favorite Mario (not just Paper Mario) title of all time, and I mean that!
Before I get into more detail, I want to go over some general thoughts I have. Given how well-known this game is, I don’t think a summary is necessary this time around. Let’s get into it!
Thoughts
This game is perfect. That’s it. I have no notes.
Source: Paper Mario Wiki
I’m joking. It’s close to flawless in my opinion, but there are still some things I want to discuss. I reacted to this game in a similar way I would to a captivating book, often finding myself wrapped up in the various plot developments and twists. The scope of the narrative feels grand, pitting Mario up against several interesting antagonists. This leads to a convoluted storyline, but the way it comes together is nothing short of breathtaking! I was floored by just how well the plot was executed, making me want to finish the game and see how the story ended!
I think part of the reason for this story being so intriguing is the setting. Many of the locations are vast and fun to explore! Each area was unique, so there was always something new to see. I think my favorite area is Rogueport Underground, where the room housing the titular Thousand Year Door is located. The ambiance of this room is positively magnetic, making me wonder every time I walked through just what was locked behind that mysterious entrance. And the rest of the underground system didn’t disappoint either, revealing a massive network of halls and rooms that made me want to explore the entire area!
Overall, the setting and the story both ended up working together extremely well to create an experience that hooked me very early on!
For a while I’ve been thinking about removing the character section from my reviews for the sake of brevity. However, in this case, I feel it’s necessary to talk about them. Let’s do it!
Characters
I can’t zero in on any one character because there are so many to choose from, so I’m going to talk about a few at once here.
Concerning heroes, all of Mario’s companions are interesting and memorable. Each character has a fleshed out, interesting personality that set them apart from the others. I also like that all the companions are by Mario’s side up until the end, playing crucial roles leading up to and in the final chapter of the game! The emphasis the story puts on each partner’s strengths is something that I really appreciated, because these characters further fleshed out the world of the game in interesting ways.
Source: Super Mario Wiki
Antagonists were equally as memorable. They all had unique characteristics, giving them the time they needed to make an impression. And their personalities reflect the type of antagonist they are, whether it be comedic or serious. With the comedic relief, I like that the game starts out by highlighting the funnier sides to these characters before progressively showing how they are still challenges for the player. With the more serious ones, a lot of them only had a few short scenes at most to make an impression. During these encounters, the dialogue they had nailed exactly what they should have been as villains and raised the stakes. It was fantastic!
Overall, the characters easily contribute to the strength of this game’s story, making it easy for me to care about whatever happened as the plot developed.
Now that we’ve covered characters, let’s move on to gameplay.
Gameplay
I find the gameplay mechanics enjoyable for the most part. The combat system is significantly simpler than the one used in the first Paper Mario game I played. The main idea here is picking attacks strategically and landing them at the right time for maximum effect. The special moves used with the crystal stars have awesome effects that make the fights more dynamic. They add some color to each encounter.
Source: Super Mario Wiki
However, there is one mechanic outside of combat that I found frustrating: the paper airplane maneuver. This move is incredibly difficult to master. A lot of times I found myself dreading coming across the panels for it. While the concept is cool, learning to control it took me a very long time. And even once I did start to get better at using it, I occasionally made mistakes that slowed me down because not executing a maneuver perfectly sometimes meant going back to the airplane panel and doing it over again until I got it right.
Despite some issues I had, I still enjoyed most of the gameplay mechanics.
I think that’s all I have on gameplay. Let’s move on to music!
Music
Admittedly, while playing the game I got so wrapped up in the story that I didn’t take the time to seriously consider what some of my favorite music tracks are. However, thinking back on it, there are quite a few pieces that stick out to me. The main ones are the different themes that play in the room with the Thousand Year Door. Each track perfectly encapsulates the mystery surrounding the door and what secrets it may hold. Every time I entered that room I noticed the music, because each rendition fit the atmosphere perfectly as the plot progressed.
One track I want to go into more specific detail about is the song that plays as the story is introduced. This track is beautiful, beginning the story of Rogueport and drawing the player in with musical cues that evoke a sense of wonder and innocence. This is as the opening montage introduces a storybook from which the main narrative will be told. As the song continues, it builds and builds to an epic conclusion as more instruments are added into the mix. This is a great parallel to how the main story starts with a simple premise, only to grow more complex as the player progresses.
While I wasn’t as invested in the music as I was the story, I still really enjoyed a lot of the tracks present in the game and feel they add to the scenes they’re in beautifully!
Well, now that I’ve discussed music, let’s talk about humor.
Humor
Much like Origami King, this game has its own unique style of humor present throughout the story. And overall, a lot of the jokes really land well! There are several fourth wall jokes in this game, but because they’re not repeated too frequently and often have different setups for each one, they always managed to make me smile! I love that the writing was careful about spacing them out along with their presentations, because it meant I often didn’t expect it when one came up!
Source: Paper Mario Wiki
Speaking of humor, I also want to talk about Bowser. A lot of the comedy with him involves his own quest for the Crystal Stars and the crazy situations he gets into as a result. Seeing him go through different scenarios that frustrate him at the end of each chapter adds levity to the story while tying his character into the main plot in a unique way.
Honestly, most of the humor in this game was genuinely funny and well-paced. The jokes added a lighter air to the story that was enjoyable and memorable!
Now that I’ve discussed the comedy, let’s talk about this game’s replay value.
Replay Value
I was surprised to learn that there isn’t much pressure to complete the game to one hundred percent. You can go through just the main storyline and experience most of what the game has to offer. Truth be told, I like that. While it is necessary to get Mario to a certain level to beat the game’s main story, that is the only thing required. There are apparently up to ninety-nine levels Mario can reach in this game, but finishing the main story alone doesn’t require leveling up that high.
However, I think the Pit of 100 Trials is something that could keep players coming back after finishing. I tried a few of these levels while I was playing, but ultimately didn’t stick with them when I realized I couldn’t save my progress and come back. For me, it quickly became tedious, and I was more interested in the main plot. That said, I think it is a good challenge if a player is looking for more content after the rest is finished.
Unlike my last Paper Mario experience, I don’t feel like this installment heavily pushes the player to complete every aspect of the game and I like that quite a bit.
Well, I think that covers everything I wanted to discuss. Let’s wrap this review up.
Conclusion
Wow… just, wow! I am so happy with my experience with this game! Going into this, I didn’t entirely know what to expect. But everything comes together seamlessly to create a gripping and enjoyable experience! The story is captivating, the gameplay is fun, and the world is vast enough that it makes you want to keep exploring every aspect of it!
I’d say, if you’re a Paper Mario fan and haven’t tried this iteration of Thousand Year Door, I would highly recommend it! This ended up being an awesome experience for me and I think it’s more than worth playing for both fans of the Paper Mario franchise and new players alike!
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