Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Without a doubt, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. is just as solid an RPG adventure as its predecessors, avoiding the pit that Partners in Time fell into with its multi-character approach.

For those who enjoy what it offers, Paper Jam delivers a fine representation without varying the formula much.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is an odd game, a semi-successful title that achieves a lot of success in its different elements but fails to come together as a cohesive title.

Though it’s not the best game in either series, Paper Jam delivers enough well-executed turn-based combat to please fans of both Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi. It’s unfortunate that the writing and humor aren’t quite up to snuff, but fast-forward through the dialogue and you’ll soon find yourself staring at another gang of bad guys just asking for a fire flower to the face. That’s a jam worth playing.

With Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Nintendo and AlphaDream have presented yet another solid RPG set in the iconic Mushroom Kingdom. There's lots of familiar gameplay to be found, which fans should enjoy, as well as some humorous juxtaposition that results from two worlds colliding. However, the game doesn't do enough to make itself feel unique, and its new mechanics are hit and miss.

While not bringing anything particularly new to the series, Paper Jam Bros. still manages to be a thoroughly enjoyable game in the Mario & Luigi franchise. It's a simple, fun and colorful RPG – sometimes brought down by tedious fetch quests and bland paper battles, but with a big, soft heart on the outside.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is just as wacky and enjoyable as any other past iteration of the series, but it fails to change things up in a meaningful way for longtime fans.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam can get a bit grindy at times and drag on at certain times, especially the first time where it looks like the game's end is at hand. But there's more than enough masterfully comedic writing to carry the day, between the sight gags, fourth-wall-breaking references, and Luigi's pratfalls.

Satirical and self-referential, backed with some boundlessly creative combat systems and the endlessly bright Mario aesthetic, Paper Jam might not be a huge step forward from its predecessor on the Nintendo 3DS, but it is every bit as much fun.

It’s certainly not a bad game by any means, it just doesn’t do enough with the Mario and Luigi RPG or Paper Mario brands to really stand out.

This attempt to fuse two very different Mario worlds is more than the sum of its mismatched parts. [Jan 2016, p.122]

There’s a disappointing lack of invention in the paper thin story and characters, but the combat and witty dialogue is as good as the series has ever been.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. sadly falls flat on its face at the final hurdle, but is a light-hearted and hugely enjoyable romp up until that point. There are great nods to both Mario & Luigi RPG and Paper Mario franchises, and the three protagonists make a great team in this 3DS RPG. Questionable decisions around the use of Amiibo and the mini-game side-quests can’t be ignored, but the charm of Paper Jam Bros. can’t be understated.

As expected, fitting Paper Mario into the universe of Mario & Luigi falls flat from a narrative point of view, although Paper Jam Bros. brilliantly unfolds the multifaceted powers of Mario's slimmest incarnation.

The battle system is inventive and addicting, the graphics are lovely, and much of the dialogue is good for some genuine laughs, but at the end of the day Paper Jam doesn’t do enough to capitalize on its otherwise novel premise of merging the Mario & Luigi world with Paper Mario’s.

Just don’t expect anything you haven’t seen before.

I have never been so completely charmed – and yet so utterly frustrated – by the same game, at the same time. [Issue #19 – January/February 2016, p.67]

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam excels at RPG combat, but is bogged down by tedious minigames and a disappointing story.

Painfully generic, Paper Jam is dull and boring in many respects, but at least has some decent mechanics going for it.

Those desperate for a dose of Mario could do far worse, but it's hard to look inside this machine without seeing what's gotten tangled up inside.

As with many Nintendo games of the last few years, its gameplay elements are immaculately designed but risk nothing.

As Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Paper Mario: Sticker Star proved, Nintendo has a knack for showcasing new and inventive ideas in both series. Paper Jam effectively relies (and often coasts) on its novel crossover appeal.

Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam is a crumpled up discarded note, recycled into a paper-thin product. At its core, it’s good. The dynamic combat system has never felt better, but the rest of the package is padded with poor mini games and excessive backtracking. As a die-hard fan of both series, this was a let down.

A safe and conversation mash-up that fails to meet the high standards of the best Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario games.