Out of nowhere, Nintendo has announced Paper Mario: The Origami King for the Nintendo Switch. The upcoming Switch exclusive marks the Paper Mario series' debut on the Switch, seeing Mario and the gang face off against an evil Origami King named Olly who has folded the paper Mushroom Kingdom and its residents, warping their personalities in the process. And luckily for fans of the Paper Mario franchise, the wait for Paper Mario: The Origami King won't be a terribly long one.
The Paper Mario: The Origami King trailer confirms that the game will be available on July 17, 2020, so fans only have to wait a couple of months to play it. As for why Nintendo has decided to announce the game on a random Thursday morning, one has to imagine that it was originally going to be part of the company's big June Nintendo Direct presentation that has reportedly been pushed back to later this summer.
Meanwhile, the official website for Paper Mario: The Origami King reveals more details about what the game will entail. Mario will be joined on his quest by Bowser, a new partner named Olivia, and some Toads as they do battle against King Olly's "Folded Soldiers." Of course, Mario and the gang will once again have to save Princess Peach, as she and many of her subjects have already been "folded."
Paper Mario: The Origami King will feature a variety of new gameplay features for fans of the franchise, with one of the most notable being the 1,000-Fold Arms ability. With this power, Mario is able to extend his arms to better explore the environment and solve puzzles. The game will also boast a new ring-based battle system that requires "both puzzle-solving skills and quick wit," according to Nintendo. More recent Paper Mario games have been criticized for their combat, so hopefully this new twist on battles by Intelligent Systems is well-received.
Something else of note in the Paper Mario: The Origami King trailer is the inclusion of other Nintendo franchise references. There is an instance where Mario is sailing on an ocean that looks almost exactly like something out of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and later he has on a Samus helmet. There's also what appears to be a papier-mache Donkey Kong head sitting on a shelf. It will be interesting to see what other Nintendo game references are hidden in Paper Mario: The Origami King once the game is available to the masses.
In the meantime, it should be noted that Paper Mario: The Origami King was previously leaked alongside some other Nintendo games, including the rumored 3D Super Mario collection. It could just be a coincidence, or it could mean that Nintendo Switch owners have some big announcements to look forward to in the near future.
Paper Mario: The Origami King launches on July 17, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.