*I played Paper Mario on an actual Nintendo 64 about a decade ago. This recent run was played through the Nintendo Switch.

Paper Mario is a comforting game and a nostalgic one. This was the very first JRPG I ever played and it stuck with me for many years.

For starters, the gameplay is pretty basic yet pretty fun. Mario has several commands to use (like jump, hammer, items, and strategy) and some of them has action commands that help deal more damage or help defend Mario from taking damage. Some actions require the use of badges to perform newer moves which cost flower points (Paper Mario's MP system). The battle system is simple, yet the action command keep the player's engaged in every fight.

For the overworld, Mario goes through different parts of Mushroom Kingdom to find the seven Star Spirits. The enemies are shown in the world, thus the player has the choice to either skip battles or fight enemies.

Mario is also accompanied by a handful of memorable partner characters from a Goomba that can tattle to a Boo that slaps the enemy. While they don't get much characterization, they are all memorable for their utility in battle.

The NPCs are all mostly nameless, though all of them are charming with their witty dialogue. Some may have names and some may be involved more than once, but overall they are simple, but fun to read their dialogue.

The visuals still hold up well with all the characters being paper cutouts in a setting that is still 3-D in nature. Yeah, every sequel may look visually better, but I still feel this held the storybook feel of Paper Mario the best (haven't played Thousand-Year Door yet so don't confirm if I'm wrong).

The pacing is excellent through the start and end. The game has 9 chapters (Prologue and Chapters 1-8) and each chapter doesn't take longer than two to three hours. Combine that with the fast battles, and this game respects the player's time.

Difficulty is pretty well balanced, though it depends on how much HP, FP, and BP you raised, the badges you equipped, and how well you use the action command. The only time it felt unfair was against the Chapter 7 boss and the final boss, though that's only because they were the only ones that regenerated a lot of health back.

Music is comforting and nostalgic. The music is solid in all fronts from the main battle themes, the dungeons, and the town themes. Favorites probably include the Chapter 3 boss theme, Shy Guy's Toybox, Flower Fields, the entirety of Chapter 7's music, the final dungeons, and the final boss.

The only negative I can really say about the game is that ultimately my badge builds all centered around using the Power Bounce badge. While initially hard to use early game, it become the best ability for the rest game due to the damage output it provides through executed well-timed action commands. It kind of invalidated a lot of the other badges that probably would've been useful.

Overall, Paper Mario is a great game that paved the way for me to become the JRPG-obsessed guy I am today. It's a solid beginner JRPG and a fun game that is really short and well-paced. Easy 4.5/5.

A pretty alright soulslike with some great additions and modifications to the genre to make this game feel very unique. But where this game shines most is in the character writing and story. Every character is super memorable and I love the themes of perseverance and anti-capitalism.

The mid game drags on for far too long ESPECIALLY with scuttleport, the worst stretch of the game that just keeps going. The balancing is also all over the place, I found this game all in all pretty easy for a soulslike, but there are a couple of seemingly deliberately ‘fuck you’ areas and enemies that just obliterate you. Most of the bosses are really great, it’s still just as satisfying to beat down an enemy larger and stronger than you.

I think this game fails a little bit in terms of its world building, but in a way where that was kind of inevitable. See, I think a core part of the soulslike experience is the mystery and intrigue of the world, and the atmosphere coupled on top of that make for such a great experience. Another Crab’s Treasure goes in a different direction, instead creating a world based on sea creatures’ perception of our world, and their interpretation of our items and concepts. It’s a very fun idea and is entertaining, but fundamentally loses that mystery aspect. For the first time i was playing a soulslike where I, the player, knew more about the world than the characters did, when usually it’s the other way around. This is not inherently a bad thing, but it does feel like it’s missing to me. There is some more classic ancient mystery later in the game, but it’s too late for it to really carry through the entire game.

But again, this game excels with its character writing and story. Kril has such an interesting journey as a purely reactive character for much of the game where he has to learn that might not be an option, someone who explicitly says he doesn’t like fighting and doesn’t want to do it, ending up doing it for the sake of others. Nemma deconstructing Kril’s desire to get his shell back and realizing it’s not because it made him happy, but because it was all he ever knew. Wishing he never saw the horrors of his world is something that grapples at him, and is a really interesting problem to have to deal with when it’s through his efforts that very world might be saved. Chitan and Konche were also highlights for me, Chitan especially being a very fun inspirational foil to Kril. Firth I genuinely found SO interesting as a representation of the person who says “bro if I was rich, I just wouldn’t be evil.” He’s fascinating to see develop this savior complex when he’s presented as this coward who does nothing for much of the game. He’s a lot like Roland, the main antagonist and CEO of the corporation that runs the sea, where they both don’t do anything and reap the rewards anyway. This game is also just genuinely hilarious? I’m glad it doesn’t take itself too seriously because one of the funniest additions to a punch line is removing punctuation, and I think this game does it to great effect. Excellent storytelling from Aggro Crab, and absolutely what kept me playing.

This game is very intentionally different, and I think it works very well for it. Where it makes changes to the formula it makes ones that compliment the strengths of the dev team, and is where the gameplay might not be as polished or engaging as a typical soulslike, it makes up for that with the style this game presents.

What a journey this has been. I initially played this in 2017/2018 and came back to finish it in 2024 after getting the urge to play it again. BOTW is an absolutely amazing game in itself, though I always felt that the lack of actual dungeons made it a weaker TLoZ. I get quite overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things to do in open worlds, and BOTW was no exception; honestly, I think this was the game that triggered that feeling the most.

Going back to it in 2024 and beating the final boss with absolutely no recollection of the controls was such a stupid idea, and I'm glad I did it.

Good game, but I wish there was more to the gameplay. I thought the first game had better gameplay, and seeing how sequels usually have better gameplay, it was a bit disappointing. I didn't really get into any of the new characters either, only slightly. The game does look amazing, however. Definitely one of the best-looking games I've ever seen. Sound design is on point again too, so I would say the game is worth playing for sound and visuals alone. If you only care about gameplay, then this is not the game for you.