Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Review

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Fast Facts

Lovingly Reimagined

It’s finally here, and this time it was less an ace up Nintendo’s sleeve and more a response to the cries of fans across the globe! Paper Mario as a series is steeped in the origins of true J-RPG, stacked with comedy and depth, and has an unbelievable following.

Having reviewed Paper Mario The Origami King back in 2020, that was my very first experience of the Paper Mario series. I unquestionably fell in love with the RPG elements of this wonderfully crafted world. In fact I gave it a Solid Gold 5/5. Now when it comes to Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door I genuinely feel like the only Nintendo Fan that hasn’t already played this game multiple times.

This is my advantage. No nostalgia, no bias, and purely an opportunity to share my experiences of this game, with my first playthrough.

Rolling Back The Years

Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door is unquestionably the biggest fan favourite of the Paper Mario series. The game was originally released on the Nintendo Gamecube in late 2004. It was swiftly acclaimed by critics across the planet and stood out alongside a handful of other must buys for the short-lived Nintendo Console. In fact even to this day, a physical copy of the game fetches a high price and is becoming ever increasingly collectible.

Fast forward to September 2023, and fans finally had the news they had demanded for years. A remake was on its way. There is always a little apprehension when you hear the words remake vs remaster. Retaining the spirit and identity of the original game needs careful consideration and planning. After a little research into these changes you can tell this one has been well thought through.

Set The Scene

To set the scene for players new to the series, we follow our wonderful protagonist Mario, who is working to rescue the serially kidnapped Princess Peach. This time however it’s the intergalactic X-Nauts that have done the kidnapping, and the mysteries that lie behind the Thousand Year door are where we start this story.

The design of Paper Mario continues to delight me. With a 2D side scrolling RPG, that incorporates free-roaming elements, as well as the 3D depth we saw in Origami King, it’s a truly unique style. I’m totally here for it. There is such a freshness in the puzzles included in this game. Early on experiences such as flipping a staircase that protrudes outwards into the screen and then settles in the opposite direction, helped me to conquer a 10 minute head scratcher. Yet the entire 10 minutes I had a smile on my face, knowing despite its trickiness I’d get there and feel a real sense of achievement.

Twenty hours in…. this feeling increases 10 fold… (sorry). As players free roam through this beautifully vibrant and colourful world, they are met with a huge array of characters. Many are utterly bonkers, and made me laugh out loud. Every single chat was a joy to read and every single segment of text was a delight.

Keeping Things Authentic

The puzzles felt a little more catch and return than Origami King, and although the world felt smaller, there’s something so charming about this game. I think the combat felt somewhat different and dare I say simpler than origami king, the centre stage styling and audience participation felt more intimate.

When I mentioned the vibrant and colourful world previously, I don’t know that I offered this justice. The Thousand Year Door on the switch is totally gorgeous. I just cannot comprehend how the switch hardware is capable of delivering this, but an OLED model is a must to truly see this masterclass. I spent some time observing screenshot comparisons between the Gamecube and Switch and assets are super sharp, saturation is up to the max and the colours pop every single time.

The approach of this remake is by no means a light touch however, and as I looked even closer into the changes you can see design evolution also. This comes right down to flipping the orientation of a chimney flue to create a better room aesthetic.

The soundtrack is expansive by design and feels almost orchestral and Final Fantasy like. Big Epic presentations, zero corners cut from battle scenes and wonderful world map transitions with everything in between. The audio design is pro across every single moment and we are truly fortunate to get to experience this.

When All Is Said & Done

So how does this 20 year old game stand up I hear you say? Its incredible. It’s everything I wanted and more. Puzzles galore, comedy out the wazoo and an emotional story that kept me hooked throughout it’s 30+ hours. I simply adore this game. As a pairing gamers are just plain spoilt to have these two Paper Mario games side by side on the Nintendo Switch. If you haven’t tackled any Paper Mario games so far, you are seriously missing out. Dive in right here and prepare to have your mind blown over and over again.

Rapid Reviews Rating

4.5 out of 5

4.5

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is available to purchase here