Maybe half a star is too harsh considering the undeniable production values, but this was such a massive step down from the previous three Paper Marios. It's bland, generic, safe, predictable, all words I had previously never associated with the series.
And maybe I could stomach the watered-down story and level themes if the gameplay was good. After all, Paper Mario 64 is a relatively straightforward Mario vs. Bowser story. But Sticker Star's gameplay is just not very fun, and the world is nowhere near as charming as 64's. Combat is shallow and easy despite consumable attacks on paper being an interesting idea, bosses all require specific "things" to beat, there's only nameless toads to talk to, Bowser has next to no personality when he used to be the star of the show in the previous games (and in Bowser's Inside Story), the list goes on and on. Forgettable, yet unforgettably disappointing.
And maybe I could stomach the watered-down story and level themes if the gameplay was good. After all, Paper Mario 64 is a relatively straightforward Mario vs. Bowser story. But Sticker Star's gameplay is just not very fun, and the world is nowhere near as charming as 64's. Combat is shallow and easy despite consumable attacks on paper being an interesting idea, bosses all require specific "things" to beat, there's only nameless toads to talk to, Bowser has next to no personality when he used to be the star of the show in the previous games (and in Bowser's Inside Story), the list goes on and on. Forgettable, yet unforgettably disappointing.