Nintendo is a magical organization. It somehow manages to hold true to the core principles of its loveable franchises while still innovating in impressive ways. For Paper Mario: The Oragami King, this is certainly true. In a recent interview, the producer for The Oragami King talked about how important it is to continually alter aspects of the franchise.
Paper Mario: The Oragami King has been reviewed well by critics and fans alike. The game is extremely funny, filled with surprises, and introduces a new combat system. The change to the way Paper Mario fights against his opponents has seemingly been different with every new edition of the game, and this is by design.
While speaking to PCGames, producer Kensuke Tanabe talked about the creative approach to Paper Mario. He and his team have been working on the game in secret for years, as Paper Mario had a quick reveal to release turnaround, and the team has a philosophy of striving for innovation in systems and gameplay, which is why Tanabe says that "it is a necessity that the combat system changes in every game."
According to Tanabe, the team has quite a lot of freedom with the game's design. But Shigeru Miyamoto, who has been recognized in Japan and around the world for his amazing contributions to gaming and beyond, had just a few specific restrictions with Paper Mario's game design. The characters need to be Super Mario based, meaning nothing new, the atmosphere should be fresh, and the story doesn't need to be a central focus. Tanabe says that because they are unable to innovate in areas of character or story, the natural place to add new ideas is the world itself and the combat and systems.
Paper Mario: The Origami King has opened the doors to more opportunities for the Paper Mario franchise. The games have long been beloved, and the Switch version is a great addition to the series. Changing up the combat formula is certainly an interesting way to keep things fresh, and although some fans may enjoy the combat flow of a previous game better, there's no denying that each game has a unique feel thanks to this approach.
There are tons of great secrets in The Origami King and so much to explore. One aspect of the series is no longer a secret, however, Paper Mario will always innovate with its combat system and gameplay.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is available now for Switch.
Source: PCGames (via NintendoLife)