The next installment in a well established series of Super Mario spin-offs is only a couple weeks away. Paper Mario: The Origami King arrives in mid-July, and many fans are hoping for a return to form after a few contentious Paper Mario games in the last few years.
The Paper Mario games are famous for combining RPG elements with a unique 2D aesthetic for Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom, but The Origami King is introducing some unique twists to turn based combat. Some details remain nebulous, but Nintendo has shared enough for a basic picture of Mario's tactics in the battle against Olly, the Origami King. Here's what we know so far.
Paper Mario: The Origami King Combat System
Some of Mario's bread and butter RPG attacks, like jumping on enemies and swinging a hammer, will make a return in The Origami King. However, the system is far from traditional. Mario needs to arrange the battlefield in order to get the most advantage out of his attacks. Enemies are placed on a series of concentric circles in battle, and before taking his turn, Mario can rotate and shift enemies around in an attempt to group them up or arrange them in lines. If he manages to arrange them efficiently before the timer runs out, not only will he be able to hit more enemies with one attack, but he can earn a bonus to damage.
Once the enemies are arranged, Mario has a wealth of options for how to strike. Nintendo's trailers show that Mario can attack with all kinds of classic Mario items alongside his traditional jumps and hammer. For instance, Mario can pull out a Fire Flower to throw fireballs in lines or hit a POW Block to deal a devastating blow. While only a handful of items have been shown off, Nintendo is sure to have come up with creative uses for many more items than these.
Mario takes on boss battles very differently from standard battles. Rather than fighting enemies from inside the circle, Mario is outside of the circles with the boss at the center. The spaces on the circles are marked with arrows for movement and other special spaces. On his turns, Mario has to arrange the circles in search of a path to the boss. Once he reaches his foe, he can finally strike.
Paper Mario: The Origami King Partners
The Origami King will also be bringing back a fan favorite mechanic of the Paper Mario series: companions. It seems that Mario will find all kinds of unlikely allies in his latest quest. His main companion will be Olivia, the sister of the Origami King, who is also determined to stop her brother's plot. Mario will meet allies like a Bob-omb called Bobby and an archaeologist named Professor Toad. Most unlikely of all, it looks like Mario will team up with Bowser and Bowser Jr., since they too have lost their kingdom to the Origami King, at least to some degree.
The exact mechanics of these companions are unknown, but the Paper Mario franchise is famous for finding unique skill sets for each of Mario's adventuring partners. They are likely to come in handy during battle, one trailer showing Bobby stepping in during battle to tackle an enemy. However, one noteworthy change to the companion mechanics is that all of Mario's companions are region locked. Each area he explores has a different companion that he can't bring with him to other places.
Mario does have an additional group of companions that he can ally with on top of these named characters. Many Toads have been turned into origami constructs and hidden around the Mushroom Kingdom. If Mario saves these Toads from the curse, they will apparently show up in battle to lend a helping hand when needed, such as by giving Mario items.
The game promises lots of side content yet to be explored on top of the details of combat yet to be revealed. Although there is still a lot to learn about The Origami King, many fans agree the potential is there. Thankfully, the wait is almost over.
Paper Mario: The Origami King releases for Nintendo Switch on July 17th.