Nintendo’s original Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door from 2004 has always captivated players with its charming visuals and unique gameplay experience. And this has paid off once again in the entry brought to the Nintendo Switch version. With its enhanced lighting effects and more, TTYD breathes new life into the game, making it look striking and up-to-date.
But it’s not just about looks. The gameplay has seen thoughtful tweaks too. Faster partner switching and handy shortcut keys are among the minor adjustments that collectively smooth out the gaming experience, addressing several of the original’s minor irritations. These improvements ensure that both long-time fans and newcomers can enjoy a more seamless and enjoyable adventure.
The combat in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is also fairly engaging, preserving its core mechanics without needing major updates but it does have its flaws, particularly in repetition and playing as Mario’s partners (though this is subjective and may not bother you much). The timed-button pressing, typically a staple in RPGs, is especially rewarding here. However, it can be a bit irritating that the execution prompts persist throughout the game and relying on the mechanic heavily throughout. The special abilities, while tactically beneficial, are lengthy and sometimes feel cumbersome to activate. This sentiment also applied to the partners which made them less fun to play but you may feel differently depending on who and what you like to play as.
Throughout its history, the Mario RPG series has oscillated between being an adventure game and a traditional RPG but Thousand-Year Door for Switch represents a shift towards the adventure side.
The game also shines in its world-building and character design, as is to be expected with a charmingly delightful title like this one. Encountering new characters in a Mario game is refreshing, especially when they feel slightly out of place within the Mario universe. Each new location and its inhabitants were consistently enjoyable and fun to engage with.
However, the game’s mix of adventure and RPG elements leads to a lot of backtracking. Many areas require fetching an item, returning it to someone, and then retracing your steps, redoing all the battles along the way. With limited fast travel options, this process often felt tedious. The non-Mario segments are similar in this as some playable characters felt uninspired or entirely unnecessary. Again, you may feel differently here but will likely agree in some aspects.
Despite the repetitive areas and the sometimes slow combat, Thousand-Year Door remains a delightfully worthy entry in the series but its visuals, unique characters, and quirky charm create a delightful experience on a modern platform, allowing a new generation of players to enjoy.
You can pick up Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for Switch via digital and physical editions for $59.99.
