Highlights

  • Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is often considered the fan-favorite of the franchise, with a strong storyline and engaging battle system.
  • Paper Mario: Sticker Star introduced adorable papercraft visuals and collectible stickers, but received criticism for difficulty and lack of character variation.
  • Paper Mario: The Origami King refreshes the franchise with the addition of origami, creating new gameplay options and overhauling the battle system.

The first Paper Mario title was released in 2001 for the Nintendo 64 and introduced fans to a new style of RPG. Though Nintendo had previously dabbled with Mario in an RPG setting in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars in 1996 for the SNES, Paper Mario wowed fans with its adorable 2D art in a 3D world style.

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The first game was critically acclaimed, and so naturally, it went on to have several sequels and became an established series. With the Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake set to launch on the Switch in 2024, this is a great time for newcomers and long-time fans to revisit the franchise's best (and weakest) entries. None of these titles are bad, but which release is the best Paper Mario game?

Updated October 3, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Paper Mario has built a strange resume and reputation. Generally speaking, the franchise has yet to produce anything resembling a dud, with each entry overflowing with creativity, personality, and humor. However, most of the recent entries have been very divisive, a response stemming from the series gradually stepping away from its turn-based JRPG roots. That's not to say these titles are bad, just that they might not be what long-time fans are searching for. Still, the worst Paper Mario game is still pretty good.

6 Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Paper Mario Sticker Star Mario jumping on snowy path
Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Platform(s)
3DS
Released
November 11, 2012
Developer(s)
Intelligent Systems
How Long To Beat
21 Hours

Paper Mario: Sticker Star was the first handheld Paper Mario title. This entry refreshed the style that fans had grown accustomed to by adding an adorable papercraft feel to the graphics and making the game more of an action-adventure genre. Additionally, it lived up to its name by incorporating collectible stickers into the gameplay, with players being able to use them both in battle and the overworld. Stickers ranged in their use, mainly being used to perform abilities, but also being used in puzzle-solving or unlocking new areas.

The game received positive reviews on release, but they weren't without their criticisms. While players and critics enjoyed the new charm of the papercraft visuals, there was negative feedback about the difficulty and the need to backtrack as players were lost about how and where they needed to progress. Additionally, fans disliked the lack of character variation that was present in some of the previous titles.

5 Paper Mario: Color Splash

Bowser with a Rainbow Shell in Paper Mario Color Splash
Paper Mario: Color Splash

Platform(s)
Wii U
Released
October 7, 2016
Developer(s)
Intelligent Systems
How Long To Beat
30 Hours

Paper Mario: Color Splash was specifically designed to make the most out of the Wii U's unique touchscreen controller. To this end, Nintendo introduced a new battle system that used cards, so players could use the gamepad's touchscreen to paint, sort, and use them. Upon its reveal, fans were initially negative about the similarities between Color Splash and its predecessor Sticker Star, as both were more action-adventure than the earlier Paper Mario titles. Additionally, they both utilized the same collectible esthetics, though this time it was cards instead of stickers.

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Despite the negativity before its launch, which also included fan petitions calling for the game to be canceled, Color Splash launched to positive reviews with many praising its delightful soundtrack and the detailed graphics of the craft items, such as the paper and paint.

4 Paper Mario: The Origami King

paper mario
Paper Mario: The Origami King

Platform(s)
Switch
Released
July 17, 2020
Developer(s)
Intelligent Systems
How Long To Beat
27 Hours

The latest title to join the Paper Mario lineup is Paper Mario: The Origami King, which has just released for Nintendo Switch. This new title seeks to refresh the franchise once again by adding a new element — origami. Not only does this add a quirky and cute aesthetic to the game, but it also creates new gameplay options. For example, not far into the game, Mario is given the 1000-Fold Arms move. As well as being a powerful battle move, this can also be used in the overworld to tear back parts of the scenery and uncover the way forward.

The battle system has also been overhauled; it still keeps the turn-based element of its predecessors, but also adds a new ring-based feature that allows players to think more tactically about their moves in these new puzzle-like battles.

3 Super Paper Mario

Screenshot from Super Paper Mario, seeing him jump in a platform level typical of Maril
Super Paper Mario

Platform(s)
Wii
Released
April 9, 2007
Developer(s)
Intelligent Systems
How Long To Beat
20 Hours

Super Paper Mario mixed up the gameplay of the series by largely making the game utilize side-scrolling, adding more of a platformer feel. Mario can "flip" the levels, essentially changing between 2D and 3D perspectives, so that he can circumvent any obstacles in his way. This side-scrolling gameplay was inspired by a minigame from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, where players control Bowser in a side-scrolling stage.

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Players can take control of Mario, Princess Peach, Luigi, and Bowser, all of whom have their own unique abilities, with Mario's of course being able to flip dimensions. The game was praised for its humor and storyline, but there were criticisms about its lackluster soundtrack, as well as that the game was better when in 2D, as flipping to 3D made the environment seem barren.

2 Paper Mario

Paper Mario

Platform(s)
Nintendo 64
Released
February 5, 2001
Developer(s)
Intelligent Systems
How Long To Beat
23 Hours

Paper Mario was the first of its kind, blending traditional RPG elements with the characters and elements from the Super Mario series to treat fans to a whole new experience. Though players take on the role of Mario, they are accompanied by NPC partners who each have unique skills in order to help Mario progress through the game, helping him to solve puzzles in the overworld as well as accompanying him in battle.

Though players criticized that the puzzles and boss battles were surprisingly easy, the game was well-received and became one of the best-selling titles for the Nintendo 64. In comparison to some of the later entries in the series, the storyline is arguably weaker in the original Paper Mario, but it still remains fantastic.

1 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Platform(s)
Nintendo GameCube
Released
October 11, 2004
Developer(s)
Intelligent Systems
How Long To Beat
31 Hours

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is generally considered to be the fan-favorite of the franchise. As the second Paper Mario title in the series, the game drew on many of the original elements of the first title, such as the visual style and turn-based battles. The Thousand-Year Door has been heralded as having the best storyline out of all the Paper Mario titles, though the plot can be a bit of slow burner at the beginning.

Another well-loved aspect of the game is its use of NPCs, in particular, Mario's NPC partners, similar to the same partner feature of the first title, and fans and critics alike found the battle system to be fun and engaging. The game also featured strong RPG elements, such as Mario being able to equip badges to gain better stats, as well as Mario's strength being determined by his stats and consumable items being available in order to boost this.

MORE: Best Mario Games On The Nintendo 64