Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | Switch Review

Like it or not, remakes and remasters of video games are releasing each and every month. Many of us would prefer developers to focus their energy on new games. I’m in the camp of people who love that classic games get a fresh coat of paint with the availability to play them legally on modern consoles. It’s especially nice for those who weren’t able (or old enough) to experience these titles when they originally released. The only downside for me personally is the fact that I’m reminded of just how old I am. The original Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door released almost twenty years ago on the GameCube. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems revived the game this year, and although it’s still a bit too long for my taste, it’s more than worth playing.

Hold the Door!

If you’ve never played The Thousand-Year Door, the main story will seem very familiar. Mario must collect (you guessed it) seven crystal shards to help keep an ancient door sealed. Grodus, the leader of a band of villains known as the X-T have plans to use the evil power within to rule the world. Our favorite plumber joins forces with a troop of charming characters to work his way through various worlds to collect the shards and eventually confront Grodus at The Thousand-Year Door. Oh, and of course Princess Peach needs rescuing. Shocker.

There may not be many surprises with the plot, but the fun comes with the memorable moments in between. Each time Mario acquires one of the shards, players get a chance to assume the role of both Princess Peach and Bowser. The princess, kidnapped by Grodus, develops a relationship with a sentient computer called TEC and has various short tasks to do. It seems TEC has a conscience and asks Peach to help uncover exactly what Grodus’ scheme is all about. Bowser is also after the crystal shards, but is always a few steps behind our hero.

Even Luigi is on his own adventure. Although we don’t see it directly, he pops up on occasion to recount his tales with his brother. All three of these elements are the real reason to play The Thousand-Year Door. The writing here is outstanding. I chuckled nearly every time I read Luigi reliving his experiences by saying, “Bro, you won’t believe what happened!”

Take Your Turn

Combat in The Thousand-Year Door is very similar to that in the original Paper Mario. The RPG stats are intentionally kept low to keep things simple, and the game is better because of it. “Plus one” stats are much more valuable than in other turn-based role playing games. It makes the game very accessible for newer players without giving off “baby’s first RPG vibes”.

The standard elements are present. Mario and his companion of choice each have their own HP, but they share flower points, which act as the game’s mana. In addition, you also have a star meter at your disposal. This acts as sort of a “summon” powered by the crystal shards that you collect. You replenish this meter by appealing to the crowd watching the fight. Landing timed hits correctly increases the crowd’s approval, and you can even select a battle menu action to increase it even further. The star powers allow you to regain HP or do massive amounts of damage to the enemy.

What also makes The Thousand-Year Door unique are your partners’ abilities. Each time you make a new friend, you’re granted a new ability that allows you access to new areas and secrets. This gives the game a gear-gated quality that makes it a ton of fun to explore.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Final Verdict

I’ve had a lot of great things to say about Paper Mario‘s first sequel. As enjoyable as it is, I have one minor complaint. The game’s pacing is just as much of a slog as it was back in 2004. As great as the dialogue is, some moments go on for entirely too long. Towards the end of the game, I was sent on a fetch quest to track down a certain character. I had to backtrack to every single place I visited only to be led right back to where I was. There are also moments where someone tells a story that goes on for such a long time that Mario actually falls asleep while listening.

I appreciate the humor, but at some point the joke gets old. I remember having the same issue when I first played the game in my 20s. My hope was that my increased patience in my 40s would change my mind, but it hasn’t.

If pacing in an RPG doesn’t bother you, than it’s a very easy recommendation, especially if you’ve never played it before. The Paper Mario formula still holds up in both art style and mechanics. The charming storytelling is more than worth the price of admission, and the combat, although not difficult at all, is very satisfying. There’s just enough complexity with the badge system to allow you to build Mario’s stats to your liking, but it never feels overwhelming. The modern tweaks to the mechanics are very subtle, and you’d have to be a die-hard player of the original to really notice the difference.

Although I was very happy to finally roll credits on Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it was still an immensely enjoyable experience. It makes me very excited about the upcoming release of Mario & Luigi: Brothership on November 7th.

To hear me talk more about Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, be sure to listen to the June 5, 2024 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast around the 1:22:57 time stamp.

This review is based on a purchased Nintendo Switch copy of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It is exclusive to this platform.