It was certainly a shock seeing this game finally getting remade, but was a great time seeing it and the older Paper Mario formula be given a chance. I never got a chance to play the original, only watched stuff online for it, so it was an exciting time to finally get to play it.
For the gameplay, it's a the classic turn based system with action commands where proper timing of moves and blocks are key to winning. It's pretty simple, but very much effective. Learning and slowly mastering action commands makes combat feel so much fun. They just give so much extra oomph to your actions to help you you engaged with the game.
What also really helps the combat are the partners as they were re-worked compared to Paper Mario 64 as they're now more proper party members with their own HP bars and able to use item just like Mario. On paper this seems like a minor change, but it adds so much more depth to the combat and resolves one of my biggest issues with 64's handling with Partners (in that game, if Partners got hurt, they'd be knocked out for a few turns, which in some boss battles got really annoying).
However, what makes the combat work so well are the level up and badge systems. Once you hit 100 EXP, you get to choose between HP to improve longevity, FP (your MP), or most importantly, BP or badge points, which lets you equip more badges. Badges themselves are one of the coolest aspect of Paper Mario as you can equip them to gain new attacks, let you gain special effects, and so much more. While I still think BP is very overpowered as a level up choice (especially since there are badges to boost the other two stats AND the BP limit has been vastly increased from 64), it still creates one of the most interesting level up systems as you weigh on what stats you need more at the moment. Plus the Badge system leads to a higher level of creativity and customization during your run.
That said, while I enjoy these systems, I do have one major critique for it when it comes to this game. I'm not sure why, but I feel like the "flow" of badges doesn't feel quite as nicely back in 64. By that, I mean the order of how you get them doesn't feel as natural and the feeling of finding major upgrades via new badges isn't as satisfying. While there are some great ones you can find early, including the all important Quick Change (switching party members without eating a turn) far sooner compared to 64, I feel like it takes longer to get a consistent flow of badges you actually want to equip and make room for. And some badges that were REALLY nice to have early, such as Spike Shield and Feeling Fine, take so long to get. The latter is especially egregious as there's A LOT of places you want to have it for to stop status effects, but it doesn't come until the second to last chapter of the game. It feels like you have to go more out of your way to find the more worthwhile badges, but not in a good way. This flaw alone is why I can't give this game a full five stars and why I was tempted to give to give it only four at first when I factor in later issues too but decided against that.
For another flaw I have with combat is how you can't see more detailed information on enemy resistances. I fully admit this one is just me being spoiled by the Super Mario RPG Remake and how Thought Peak made specific note of status effect resistances and weaknesses. And to be fair to this game, Goombella (your party member who analyzes your foes), is really good at making note of certain elements not working on foes and warning you about if enemies have status effects they can use too. However, it would have been REALLY nice being able to see status effect resistances in this game too. I felt like, outside of Burn and Stop, I feel like I hardly made use of status effects in this game compared to 64. What makes this more of a shame is how unlike in Super Mario RPG's remake, you can pull up your tattle log mid-battle for the enemies your facing and get their information again. That would have been the perfect place to include such information. On the note of Status effects, again I really dislike how Feeling Fine comes in so late as there's no specific badges to protect you from each Status Effects early on, making some fights annoying. Namely Atomic Boo since you messing up one guard could mean you getting hit by the very dangerous Stop status effect.
For final combat nitpicks... Despite how much more was added to the game's systems to 64, it feels too easy for what was added. Yes, this is supposed to be a more "general" game where newcomers to RPGs can settle into as well. That's perfectly fine. However, given the praise for this game and how much this game really expands things, I feel like not enough was done with the difficulty to make as engaging it should be (save for something we'll mention later). Also, while most party members are perfectly viable and offer their own roles, I feel like the best of them REALLY break this game and the worst one really sucks too much to use them regularly. I also dislike how the game's cooking system feels a lot less impactful compared to 64's as well.
For other aspects of the gameplay, it's mainly the world and level design. For the world design, now that I've experienced it, I do think there's a lot more "straight line" design places in the world. I wouldn't say it's nearly as bad as what I like to call the "Straight Hallway Problem" in other RPGs that I've played, but it does get a bit more grating and feels like a downgrade from 64. That said, I still feel like the dungeon design of this game is still on point and offers a lot more variety. Plus in addition to your hammer and boot upgrades to improve exploration and combat, you also find new field abilities Mario can use to help more the world that adds its own flair for exploration and puzzle solving.
Now onto story and characters. The overall plot is quite simple as it's a maguffin hunt, but what makes it so good are the characters and writing. The Mario RPGs offer some of the most charming and funny character writing you can find in games. It just makes so many characters have such fun personalities and lets you have a nice laugh on a consistent basis. And yet in spite of its more humorous moments, the game knows how to properly build up stakes, how to hype up big battles, and when to be more serious and emotional. You still can get quite invested into this game's story and world like one can for more classical tells. All thanks to this game's excellent and witty writing. There's a reason why so many of its characters are beloved and why many clamored for this type of writing again.
There only two noticeable gripes I have with the writing. The first is how a lot of Party Members fall into the "no longer relevant when their arc is over" trope. While I don't need every party member to be relevant every single moment, some more moments for them would have been great. However that's not enough to really dent my positive opinion of the overall writing. Plus, each Party Member has lines for every scene you have them out for, so you still get to hear them remark and have some new lines to find later on in repeat lines depending on who's out at the moment.
The second issue on the other hand is a bit more annoying however. Early on, the game feels "inconsistent" with what it's allowed to show. When it was revealed the game would be using the original JP version, I was intrigued on seeing the stuff we didn't get before. However, not included was the one body outline you can find in Rougeport. I find this weird since the game was still fine having the Gallows in Town Square for an E Rated Title in 2024 (something Yo Kai Watch 3 had to censor with its own set despite its higher age rating). Then also early on is how some enemies have their lines change for what I assume for what wouldn't be appropriate for a younger audience... To only then include a new line later on after the first chapter boss that plays into a fetish joke that feels grosser to the previous mentioned lines that got changed. Thankfully however, it's only really like the first few hours of the game where this inconsistency feels prominent and if there are any other similar changes, you probably have to squint to find them. So in spite of those flaws, the writing still feels praiseworthy for the most part.
Another thing worthy of praise is the OST. I think TTYD has a pretty enjoyable and great soundtrack. What makes it even better is how the Remake adds in A LOT more new songs from more character/boss battle themes and gives most chapters/areas their own battle theme, which is great. One thing I'm iffy on is how some songs from the OG are more so side grades than rather full on upgrades; They're great at offering their own spin without steering into the issue Demon Souls had with its remake, but there were some songs I wish that got to be "upgraded" rather than getting a different take. That said, still not enough for me to stop enjoying this game's OST.
The last major area I'll cover is what specifically the remake adds and their impact. Besides the improved graphics that really help to improve the visuals of the game, this remake offers a lot. First is the Battle Master, who is not only great for helping players who need to practice action commands, but also provides more in depth tips, including explaining less talked about aspects, like how the audience works and what can cause stage hazards in battle. Another major improvement, probably THE most important change, is this game's improvement for fixing backtracking. While I do think the backtracking complaints were sometimes exaggerated, it's great seeing the game address this flaw. Not only do we sometimes get slight changes in level design to reduce backtracking (like new short cuts or new merchant spots to help you restock without running back to Rougeport), but they created an entirely new room that updates over time that acts as a fast travel room to all previous major areas of the game. That alone is a major help to many players and reduces a great deal of tedium (especially for Chapter 7, which was the most infamous for that). Another addition I love to this remake is how it takes a page out of the Mario & Luigi games and gives each character their own voice. Not voice acting, but different sound effects for when each character speaks. I'm probably not doing a good job of explaining it, but trust me when I say this change to how character speaks is an amazing addition for injecting even more personality into an already colorful cast of characters. Finally, I really enjoy the inclusion of both a sound test AND concept art that you can unlock. Just really nice when games include stuff like this for the player to enjoy. Overall, most of these new additions are great.
[Notice: If you played the OG, BUT have not done everything in the remake yet, DO NOT read beyond this point if you already disregarded the general spoiler warning.]
While the remake adds many new things that I adore, there is one thing I'm kind of mixed on. Or rather, two optional, but VERY noteworthy things to be more precise. While the game is still quite easy to get through, when it comes to 100%ing, the game decided to throw in two new challenges to give one last hurray before you're truly done. While I love these two new challenges for how natural and fitting they are for the game, I have issues with execution. For the first new one, for the most part it's great and works as it should... Until you hit the second phase where Super Guarding, an optional and very hard to pull off mechanic, suddenly becomes required. If you know of a certain annoying Post Game Fight from Super Mario RPG, this fight falls victim to the "too much perfection" issue too. That said, not nearly to the same degree as there's A LOT more counterplea this time, including ways to cheese the fight to end it before the second phase happens. But if you play it straight without super guarding up to until that point, it'll be rough. The second challenge also has a super guarding issue, but only if you're reckless until the need for it sometimes pops up. But it's not that bad in that regard. What it does have issues is how if you're not prepared for this second fight or need to get stuff to do it properly after failing it, you're gonna have to leave and redo the Pit of 100 Trails to have another whack at them (and maybe the whole thing if they don't have the 300 coins to skip the first half). And were I not spoiled on this challenge, that would have been the very frustrating fate that would have befallen onto me too. Even in spite of all of that, I still feel most fine with these inclusions. Plus, the rest of everything else the remake adds in is great and really helps to improve the experience.
Overall, despite how much I may have complained, the TTYD Remake is a fun and great time. Again, it's such a charming and wonderful experience to go through with so many offerings to both new and old players. It's amazing to have seen this game not only remade, but remade well for the most part. It's another game I will recommend to people and I hope this remake means more Mario RPGs like this.