I've never seen a Mario RPG to the end before because they're always too basic for my liking but this is the "GOAT" I've been hearing about for so many years and yeah it definitely grabbed my attention more than the rest. The level design is kinda 90% straight hallways and it takes way too long to traverse them with no PM64 spin or anything, and the story while leagues above typical Mario fare is still nothing crazy for RPGs - just a "collect the thingies and beat a demon" plot elevated by some humorous side characters. But I really was expecting some more unique environments after Boggly Woods' striking un-Mario appearance and the seediness of Rogueport. Only the Twilight Town really reached that level of different after that, and backtracking just got worse from there. It's surprisingly the combat which kept me interested in the slowest parts, specifically the badge system. You can combine them in the most optimal way to the point you can break the bosses in half with amazing attributes, or go the opposite direction and set handicaps on yourself to make it harder. Each of the partners introduce further mechanics and the perfect timing superguard and stylish mechanics also added more depth. So I enjoyed the gameplay quite a lot overall.

This is not an example of a masterpiece RPG or how to "make RPGs better" or whatever millennial Youtubers have been calling it, but it is a good example of how much cooler the Mario series can be without restrictions to maintain a squeaky clean brand, and also a good introduction to the wider genre. But that hasn't really worked as most Paper Mario fans downright refuse to engage with other RPGs, and later entries didn't expand on this formula but stripped all those mechanics out... The remake also appears to be rewriting most of the risque dialogue.