Bethany Plays: May 2023

Paper Mario 64 stands as the product of two competing sets of expectations. In its time, it was the follow-up to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Square Enix's interpretation of the Mario world. Now, it is the progenitor of Thousand Year Door and Super Paper Mario, and in turn the modern Paper Mario games following.

Let's start with the basics- the plot. Of the four grand RPG stories named above, Paper Mario is the only one to be a classic "Bowser kidnapped the princess" plot with an RPG twist. The stakes of the story are higher than usual, and the game's attempts to communicate such almost feel at odds with the familiarity of the story and the goofiness of its villain. Bowser's strengths as a villain are in his hamminess, his courage in the face of the adversity of losing all the time, and the fact that he'd actually be a pretty reasonable king if he didn't keep trying to kidnap Peach. An epic story where Bowser is the one responsible for large-scale destruction and misery does not match his skills, and this is something all the other Mario RPGs, from SMRPG to Paper Mario to Mario & Luigi, recognise- including the ones that use Bowser as the ultimate villain. Paper Mario's weaknesses buckle most strongly when it is trying to ignore this and present Bowser as a monster equal in ferocity to Smithy and the villains we'll meet in TTYD and SPM.

As for the world, this is the Mushroom Kingdom in a way that almost feels unique to this game. There's a mixture of Mario's casual playfulness and the intrigue found in TTYD. Each Chapter, except 4, has its own functional community, with some interconnections for fun, and while they don't always have their own Town Story, they are directly impacted by the events of their Chapters and have opinions to share nonetheless. Mario platformers almost never have towns (in fact, I think the only example of such is Isle Delfino in Mario's next outing), and NPCs almost always give direct gameplay clues rather than world development- that is, bold assuming the worlds are anything more than vehicles for gameplay. This serves Mario well, but it does mean RPGs have to do a lot more heavy lifting to create the environments its needs to do its job. But hey, normal RPGs have to build worlds from scratch all the time, why would Mario's worlds being so underbaked be an obstacle?

Mechanically, Paper Mario took Timed Hits from Super Mario RPG and defined the game around them. In SMRPG? They were brief button prompts that often had nothing to do with the attack being performed. Paper Mario made it so that not only was it clear why Action Commands are working, but made you think about how to win a fight by considering what your attacks do. Spiky? Don't jump on it. Flying? You're not getting your hammer up there. Shelled? Flip him like a pancake. Stuck on the ceiling? Earthquake. You have a limited selection of options, and you can always tell how effective your options are simply by thinking through the logical consequences of trying them. This is Mario's platforming design at its most effective, and it is matched by the low numbers of damage meaning that a player can be reasonably expected to know exactly how much damage they need to do, how much they have done, and what attacks they need to perform to do that damage. This game is made by the guys that made Fire Emblem, and both games use the same philosophy for opposite ends. Sadly, this element of the combat system is arguably the thing the modern games fail at. While Sticker Star and Colour Splash look like the combat system of old, that intuitive attack system and reliable damage feedback is missing, leaving the game as a conventional RPG masquerading as a simplified one. Origami King takes things a step further, turning battles into puzzles in and of itself and minimising the importance of math while maintaining the importance of gear. Then again, I suppose Fire Emblem has been going wild with skills, unpredictable damage, and number inflation, hasn't it...?

Ultimately, I think Paper Mario 64 is my favourite game in the classic trilogy to play, and while its story is simple and sloppy in some places, it is also the game with the most pleasant way to skip dialogue: Just hold B. This feels the most like a game that is fun to replay, refine and explore the depth available- and the game's robust randomiser brings that element to the forefront. Paper Mario 64 will always be held in the same breath as TTYD and SPM by those seeking the return of the latter, but it is clear that although it gestures at concepts that TTYD would seize upon and refine to their true potential narratively, the parts it values more highly are different. It is not a grandiose epic like TTYD, but a fun comfort game that combines the length and world structure of TTYD with the depth-with-simplicity and general Mario whimsy of the platformers. This is a game that wants to be more than it is, but is amazing where it started.

Saturday 27 May 2023

Paper Mario Ending: Party at Peach's Place

Next we see of Mario, he's at home, recounting all the exciting things for his brother, who missed the whole thing.

"And once again, I am not a part of it."

Through rain, sleet, snow, and Bowser getting invincibility, Mario will always win. It's amazing they have any tension.

...The game's not over yet. What do you mean, there's been days? I guess it makes sense, but we just walked off from that?

So what are the partners up to now the adventure's over? They've had... enough time to establish themselves, but not that much.

PM Battle with Final Bowser: Evil King of the Koopas

A far cry from its glory days, all right.

Since we're here with Mario, this guy is now relevant.

Thankfully, his days of hiding in a closet are drawing to a close.

And we can use this as a Toad House. Admittedly, there was a Heart Block not too far before Junior, but this also covers Star Power.

All the rooms are still here, and lit far more pleasantly than the main lobby, and this is your only chance to see Goombario talk about them.

It's a kitchen. I'm just guessing, but I bet this is where they make the meals. The castle's head chef probably cooks all the meals, don't you think? I wonder what kinds of savory dishes he knows how to make. Hey, Mario... Have you ever eaten here?

...Do you know you're being ironic? Most of the time Mario eats at Peach's Castle, Peach is the one doing the cooking, which makes me suspect either they don't actually hire a full-time cook or Peach is playing the longest through-his-stomach game ever.

It's a dining room. It looks like somebody has eaten here recently. Probably not the princess- they're probably starving her! People always say that the meals served here are delectable. I'd love to eat here sometime.

It's less that they're starving her and more that none of them know how to cook. Living in Bowser's Castle is suffering.

If Peach has put any items in here that Mario hasn't yet taken out, you can do so from this chest as well as the usual one on Shooting Star Summit.

Wow! So many books. If we weren't in the middle of such an adventure, I'd love to read some of these.

At least he's a studious kid. We saw this Life Shroom in the corner during the pre-Chapter 3 intermission, but this is our first chance to grab it for ourselves.

This room doesn't have anything in it, although Goombario will acknowledge the frequent passage of an ash-covered princess wandering through this room.

Wow! This is Princess Peach's room, isn't it? It smells great in here! It's such a cheerful room, just like Princess Peach. I can't believe she was locked up in here for so long, all by herself. She must've been so lonely... We've got to rescue her, right now!!

Peach's room has all the same easter eggs as usual, although it's worth noting you cannot find the secret passage. Not that you need it.

PM Chapter 8 Part 2: Return of the Squad

What can we find as we proceed forward?

Well, Bony Beetles somewhere Goombario can see them.

And Bony Beetles getting hit by Magikoopa effects. Love to see that.

Watt is very angry at you.

...Really wish I had a plan that ended with me not bothering with Star Beam. A multi-targeting attack that does 2 damage (with a partner) or 3 (with Mario) would do it.

...At least they won't buff each other?

This is Bow's fight. She can two-shot Magikoopas (assuming they don't heal). Watt is short.

Fortunately, they can miss. That'll keep us in a good position.

Oh, this room. This is a fun pair of rooms.

PM Chapter 8 Part 1: Ascent into the Keep

We're going to start with Shooting Star Summit today. I felt it made sense.

Oh come on, are we still doing the static messages? I get it, you had cool text filters, and it's not like this is as horrible in motion as it is in still. But we restored your powers, you don't need to deal with this anymore.

Now, it's not going to be a free ticket, but it's going to be near enough to.

We still need to figure out our plan for beating the Star Rod. We have all seven Star Spirits, but that needs a mechanical answer.

And that would be the Star Road.

And up we climb! There's a cool little jingle while we're ascending.

And, because all the Star-themed locations have one, a cool theme for the Star Way.

PM Post-Chapter 7: Becoming the Master

We have one last Peach segment to go. Although there's little Peach could tell us- not only are we going right to her, but the game can't tell how we're going to get to Toad Town to set a Twink ambush.

Today, we're starting with an introspective scene on the balcony.

...I'm sorry to say this, Peach, but no you're not. Twink is only visiting us half the time, and usually the half of the time where "directions in which to go" is not the factor in question. Knowing there's a Star Spirit at a location mattered for Dry Dry Desert and Mt. Lavalava on a narrative level, but we were bound to wind up in Koopa Bros. Fortress and Shy Guy's Toy Box, while Lady Bow, Wise Wisterwood and Merle reached out to us for the Star Spirits in Gusty Gulch, Flower Fields and Shiver Mountain.

The player knows. You've told Mario virtually nothing, Twink.

That part, though, there is no argument against.

And hey, if it works, that's all we needed to do, right?

Paper Mario Chapter 7: A Star Spirit on Ice

Chapter 7 is the most RPG chapter in this game designed as a sequel to Super Mario RPG. And it seems like they've played it up for more of a gimmick than a design ethos.

The first thing we see in Shiver City is a proper Town Story, the likes of which are compared only to Chapter 1's Fuzzy invasion and Chapter 5's lost Yoshi Kids. The whole story is based on a misunderstanding- everyone is obsessed with the works of a mystery author, and at the first chance, they leap into acting as if they have become embroiled in one without going through due process. As a result, they come out looking like buffoons. The seriousness of the murder mystery is somewhat undercut by the poor judicial process and the fact that nobody seemed to be adequately prepared for what, exactly, the murderer was doing- since it's a mystery first and a homicide second, everyone, even Mario, is scrambling for a whodunnit and not a whydunnit.

Following this, we get to visit Starborn Valley, guarded by a mysterious monster that terrifies the locals of Shiver City... played entirely for laughs, since it is all bark and no bite. And then begins the exposition with Merle- and, not long after, with Madam Merlar. These long discussions culminate in getting key items to be immediately used- to compound on their jokes, Merle's ordinary Scarf is treated as a mysterious and esoteric artifact, while Merlar's backstory bomb is completely ignored and her place of rest sealed. Clearly, the joke here is at the expense of overlong long and irrelevant exposition crawls- a joke expanded upon by the fact Merle does not become a recurring character, while Merlar is brought back only to make the exact same joke. RPGs with overly verbose exposition is considered one of their faults alongside inactive combat systems, and it seems the Paper Mario devs take objection to both. With that said, TTYD and SPM would adopt some of this exposition- both the fun optional kind, and the dull mandatory kind (the latter moreso in SPM).

Crystal Palace is the final and coolest of the dungeons, with a unique defining gimmick in the mirror, although also characterised by confining hallways that all but force combat with the enemies therein. While confined spaces to avoid enemies are not new, the claustrophobia of this chapter, combined with all the other RPG jokes, makes me feel like this is intended to capture the frustration of random encounters in a game that has field encounters. Alongside this is the appearance of the Duplighosts, monsters that would make you feel cautious around your party members... if your party members had enough character to stand out. I'm not sure if the Duplighosts being such failures is supposed to be an allusion to this lack of character or if they're just meant to be funny and the difficulty of finding your real partner in a legitimate challenge an unintended side-effect. Finally, we have the Crystal King, another allusion to esoteric RPG bosses and a clear friend of Culex's, along some family tree or other. In all, the real joke is not so much "look at how funny RPGs are", but perhaps more aptly "look how funny it is Super Mario is in this RPG". Which is a joke we're going to be seeing a lot of come SPM.

Mechanically, Chapter 7 is as tricky as one might expect- Frost Piranhas to freeze you, Gulpits to do obscene damage with a gimmick you can't block as much as the game thinks you might like to, White Clubbas throw out some serious damage on a whim, and the Crystal Palace is filled with Magikoopas to make every formation that much spicier. The Duplighosts and Swoopulas in the palace are almost breathers in comparison, especially with Zap Tap for the latter. While Monstar is a joke, Jr. Troopa is there to give you a warning about damage races, telling you to make sure you have the damage to match your healing. The Crystal King is not as difficult as Huff N. Puff, but it is telling you what Bowser's going to be throwing at you later, so take notes. Despite the enemy increase in power, the level design isn't that much worse. The mirror puzzles might trip you up, but in practice, they're not that bad in comparison to some of the earlier dungeons. It's just a short fetch quest for Herringway, a slightly longer fetch quest for the Scarf and Bucket, and then a fairly linear trek up Shiver Mountain to a slightly less linear but still easy to trace dungeon. Not that this is too awful a setup- we had the complex web of Chapter 6 beforehand and a final dungeon promising a host of ability switches ahead.