The Paper Mario series has seen its ups and downs in recent years. The majority of fans agree on the fact that Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was the last real/good Paper Mario — which is saying a lot, considering that there are three other games that were released after that one.
When Nintendo and Paper Mario series developer Intelligent Systems announced Paper Mario: The Origami King, fans of the series were cautiously optimistic about this brand-new title. The reason? The game looks great and all, but combat is the one thing that can make or break this new title, and the developers have been rather vague about this particular aspect of the game.
As it turns out, Paper Mario: The Origami King is introducing a new combat system that is still turn-based, but some fans of the series still aren't convinced, and it seems that this new game will end up being a rather divisive title.
In a recent interview with Game Informer, Paper Mario: The Origami King Producer Kensuke Tanabe has revealed that Intelligent Systems wants to deliver new experiences and surprises to their fans, and in order to do this they have to give them something new without reusing the same formula that worked in past games.
"When continuing a game series, it’s much easier to carry over the basics from an existing game system rather than building new systems for each new installment. But that’s not how you create new experiences or unexpected surprises. As a game designer, I want to deliver new experiences and surprises to our fans, so I always challenge myself to create something new," explained Tanabe.
"To be sure, I will sometimes use the same system in a subsequent game to further develop that system until I feel it has reached its full potential. But my goal is to continue to tackle new challenges as much as possible."
While this my not be the combat system that fans of the Paper Mario series have been clamouring for, what will really be a decisive factor will be the addition of experience points. Nintendo has yet to reveal whether fights will actually be encouraged, or complete waste of time like in the previous two games.
Hopefully, Nintendo will give fans an in-depth look at the combat system in Paper Mario: The Origami King, since the game looks great and the combat system is interesting enough; without experience points, or a real reason to actually engage in fights, though, this doesn't really mean much.
The kingdom has been ravaged by an origami menace! Join Mario and his new partner, Olivia, as they team up with unlikely allies like Bowser and the Toads to battle evil Folded Soldiers.
Paper Mario: The Origami King will release exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on Friday the 17th of July.