Paper Mario: The Origami King, the new Paper Mario game leaked near the beginning of the year and announced a month and a half ago, is shaping up to be a very unique entry in Nintendo's series of RPGs. In a recent interview, the game's development team said that this will be the first Paper Mario game to feature a seamless open-world format.
We already know a good deal about the story and gameplay details about Paper Mario: The Origami King from a recently-released trailer. However, there are still more details about the game that are capable of drawing some attention. In a recent interview with Game Informer, the development team spoke about the game's structure and progression. Instead of the game being divided into chapters that take place in their own dedicated areas, players can travel from region to region in a seamless open-world design.
“One major feature that makes the world where this adventure takes place special is that there are huge maps to explore at every turn,” says Intelligent Systems director Masahiko Magaya. “Because the game is laid out this way, we were careful during the design phase to make sure there is always something in the player’s field of vision to catch their attention.” One feature that's certain to grab the player's attention are the five streamers preventing access to Peach's castle, trailing through the sky and giving players a hint as to where to go.
With such a large world, Mario is going to need some assistance getting around. Fortunately, Mario has access to a variety of vehicles to get around, including a boot-shaped car that might be a nod to the Kuribo's Shoe power-up from Super Mario Bros. 3, a boat, and an airship which Mario will have to defend from paper planes. There's good reason to stop and explore the world, though. By rescuing folded-up Toads, Mario can unlock new shops in Toad Town or get more Toads to join into the game's battle system, watching from the sidelines and sometimes aiding Mario (especially if he's willing to pay them.)
There are also some new details on the various companions Mario can get on his travels. Olivia, the titular villain's sister, will always be by Mario's side, but the other characters will join and leave as a function of the story, so players won't be able to choose who to bring along. Kensuke Tanabe, a producer at Nintendo, went in-depth as to why they did this:
We never considered whether or not we should implement a party-based system like some other games. As we worked on Paper Mario: The Origami King, we decided we could create more memorable moments if Olivia and the other characters team up with Mario along the way. In other words, we first determine what elements are needed in a game and then figure out how to implement and program them. Bobby, the Bob-omb, was the first character we decided to include, and from there we chose the characters that would be the best fit for the events in each stage of the game. Bowser Jr. was an exception. The director, Mr. Masahiko Nagaya, personally had strong feelings about including a storyline where a son sets out to save his father, so in this case, we decided to include the character before deciding exactly what we would have him do.
Paper Mario: The Origami King will release on the Nintendo Switch on July 17th.
Source: Game Informer