Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

 3DS
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 235 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 147 out of 235
  2. Mixed: 48 out of 235
  3. Negative: 40 out of 235
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  1. Psychie
    Dec 27, 2019
    10
    I don't think Paper Jam is as good as the masterpiece that preceded it, but it's still a fantastic game. The gameplay is still fun, the music is still great (maybe even my favorite soundtrack in the series), and it gave Paper Mario the treatment that Sticker Star wishes it could give. Now, if only the story was a little better...
  2. RobotGuy405
    Jan 30, 2016
    10
    Mario and Luigi Paper Jam is an excellant RPG for all ages fun game play amazing humor great story an overall perfect game i felt like it wasn't too hard for the younger gamers and not to easy for the hardcore gamers i recommend you pick this game up you won't regret it.
  3. EpicLadySponge
    Jan 22, 2016
    8
    A lovely game for you to keep in your Nintendo 3DS collection. People have been dying to get it and they finally got what they deserved. Don't miss this, North America, at all!
  4. KaptonMan
    Feb 1, 2016
    8
    It's got minimum tutorials, as well as actual RPG combat. So it's actually pretty nice. Don't need anymore stickers to do stupid stuff. Only problem is the lack of new characters. Overall, it's fun. Can't wait to play more!
  5. LADDLY
    Jan 22, 2016
    9
    Mario & Luigi Paper Jam is an amazing suprise, I picked this game up on a whim, yes I've played the series before but it's been awhile. I passed on Dream Team due to the fact that my backlog had already became massive. Man oh man i sure am glad I picked Paper Jam up though. This is one of the most beautiful games on the 3ds, the amiibo support suits the game well and the story is fairlyMario & Luigi Paper Jam is an amazing suprise, I picked this game up on a whim, yes I've played the series before but it's been awhile. I passed on Dream Team due to the fact that my backlog had already became massive. Man oh man i sure am glad I picked Paper Jam up though. This is one of the most beautiful games on the 3ds, the amiibo support suits the game well and the story is fairly fun. Most importantly the fact that paper Mario is now in the series really sets this game apart. It truly is a unique experience that's full of nostalgia! I've noticed there are a few reviews out there already dissing this game but take it from me, make your own decision and if your a fan of the series you cannot, I repeat CANNOT miss this game! Enjoy!… Expand
  6. Isaac0390
    Jan 23, 2016
    10
    Its a KABOOM of FUN! Mario & Luigi Paper Jam is an amazing game with a fantastic gameplay, full of minigames, Duo a Trio Attacks, charming scenes. This is is made with LOVE, WONDERFUL!
  7. gloriousluigi
    Feb 2, 2016
    10
    this game is ABSOLUTELY amazing, and I just cannot believe the graphics, i LOVE the papercraft battles, and the story is absolutley stunning. The fact that luigi opens a magic book and paper characters come flying out, including paper mario, paper bowser and paper kamek, is just hilarious and fun.
  8. Mariofan
    Mar 21, 2016
    9
    This game is super awesome! DEFINITELY the best Mario & Luigi game. The storyline was great with the 2 dimensions. The graphics are good. The characters are great. I also really liked the dialogue. Mario & Luigi Paper Jam is such a great RPG game and I would definitely recommend it to everyone.
  9. GoldenEagle
    Jan 22, 2016
    9
    An extremely fun game! When I played this I couldn't put it down... People are disliking it for only using common mario characters, but for a crossover like this I don't see how they couldn't... There's also toad mini games... I thought some of them were pretty boring, but some were good too! and it's not like it takes up the entire game... Please note that this is a Mario&Luigi game withAn extremely fun game! When I played this I couldn't put it down... People are disliking it for only using common mario characters, but for a crossover like this I don't see how they couldn't... There's also toad mini games... I thought some of them were pretty boring, but some were good too! and it's not like it takes up the entire game... Please note that this is a Mario&Luigi game with paper elements rather than a paper mario game.… Expand
  10. NatT96
    Jan 24, 2016
    9
    It's a pretty darn interesting addition to the Mario RPG family. My gosh I must say this is an amazing improvement over the last 2 Mario RPG games released on the 3DS and of course it doesn't come near as the best out of the series. I have to agree with some review sites good points on its weak points, such as toad collection repetition and a pretty bland over world, but man I'd have toIt's a pretty darn interesting addition to the Mario RPG family. My gosh I must say this is an amazing improvement over the last 2 Mario RPG games released on the 3DS and of course it doesn't come near as the best out of the series. I have to agree with some review sites good points on its weak points, such as toad collection repetition and a pretty bland over world, but man I'd have to say that, that's really its only weaknesses! I could not find anything wrong in dialogue, matter a fact i actually was able to chuckle at some of the presented jokes in the game, the combat works really well and the story is decent enough to keep you interested because you get to see two Mario universes collide. Would I agree with IGN's negative rating recently? Hell no! Matter a fact the flaws that review sites have called out don't effect the game much at all, and most of the negatives get outweighed by the positives and make all its flaws well forgivable(skipable tutorials and entertaining combat paper elements). Strange enough Paper Mario: SS and M&L Dream Team got higher scores on sites like IGN and those games were near abysmal! So yes, pick this game up, its so damn fun!… Expand
  11. BaranIsCool
    Dec 26, 2016
    8
    Pretty good. It handles most tutorials better than Dream Team by making them optional/skippable. The only tutorials you can't skip is for the Battle Cards which is a new mechanic which makes it's first appearance here. The over-world design is a bit bland but the music makes it more bearable. The newest mechanic sprinting makes traversing this world easier since areas are much larger. ThePretty good. It handles most tutorials better than Dream Team by making them optional/skippable. The only tutorials you can't skip is for the Battle Cards which is a new mechanic which makes it's first appearance here. The over-world design is a bit bland but the music makes it more bearable. The newest mechanic sprinting makes traversing this world easier since areas are much larger. The combat is fantastic and is on par with Dream Team (which has my favourite combat in the series. The story may be weak but the dialogue and character interactions are fantastic and very entertaining. The toad mini-games are okay some are better than others but there are a few I didn't enjoy (the stealth mini-games for example). The giant paper craft battles are okay as well, they aren't as good as the giant Luigi battles from Dream Team. I'd say the giant paper craft battles are on par with the giant bowser fights found in Bowser's Inside Story. Overall I had a fun time It's currently tied with Bowser's Inside Story as my third favourite in the series. I don't think it's as good as Superstar Saga or Dream Team but it's definitely better than Partners in Time. If you are a Mario & Luigi fan you'll enjoy it. If you are a Paper Mario fan whose never played a Mario & Luigi game before this is the perfect entry point.… Expand
  12. xX_Paper_Jam_Xx
    Feb 22, 2016
    10
    This game is the best game EVAR!!! It has amazing graphics and outstanding music. I actually liked the Paper Toad hunts, the Papercraft battles were epic, and I didn't find any problem with the story. If you did, I wouldn't understand you giving this game 6's and 7's because of only ONE minor aspect. Overall, this game is so underrated! It deserves a 100% Metascore!
  13. DamienFletch
    Jan 29, 2016
    8
    It's a lot of fun. The battle system has never been better, it plays very smoothly and has some really awesome attacks. The story is what you'd expect. It isn't anything memorable and the forced Toad Quests get old fast but I really enjoyed my time with this game, it's a good blend of two different styles that executes what it set out to do decently.
  14. Mitchzap65
    May 5, 2016
    9
    This game is just as good as all of the others for the most part, but it does have a couple more problems, along with nice additions to the game that balances out. The story is as easy to follow and enjoyable as the previous titles. The premise here is that while Luigi was cleaning out one of the castle’s closets, a book was discovered. When the book opened, a paper version of the MushroomThis game is just as good as all of the others for the most part, but it does have a couple more problems, along with nice additions to the game that balances out. The story is as easy to follow and enjoyable as the previous titles. The premise here is that while Luigi was cleaning out one of the castle’s closets, a book was discovered. When the book opened, a paper version of the Mushroom Kingdom, the same world as the one in the Paper Mario games, shoots out of the book and combines with the three-dimensional world. So now there are two Marioes, two Peaches, and yes, two Bowsers. And so the adventure begins with Mario, Luigi, Starlow (a strong, female protagonist added in Bowser’s Inside Story), and Paper Mario off to fight two bowsers and save two princesses, while bringing the Paper World back to where it belongs.
    The gameplay is addicting as always, now utilizing not only the A and B buttons, but now the Y button for Paper Mario. With the addition of a new character, new mechanics have been added for all of the puzzles you will run into. And now commands like Jump and Hammer are now easier to access using the 3DS touch screen, why they did not use this in the previous three games I’m not sure. The combat is also very fun, and adds many things, like Paper Mario’s Trio Attacks, which use all three buttons for one powerful attack. Even the original Bros. Attacks have seen new additions like Toad Trail and Dill Shell. Plus, the Battle Cards make the game much easier.
    The music is great, the composer Yoko Shimomura is very talented in creating orchestrated pieces that gives sounds of adventure, suspense, action, and emotion. It is probably some of the best tracks I have ever heard. Yoko also composed the Kingdom Hearts games, and share that similar style, so if you know what the KH OST sounds like, you can guess what this game sounds like.
    The characters are more memorable here than the regular Mario games, which honestly is not saying much, but you do not want to skip anything in terms of cut scenes, because not only the characters have emotion, including Bowser, which is unheard of, but also with the fact that this game is rather funny! Yeah, a lot of the jokes here stick well, and even when they don’t, you can tell they were trying.
    This game is not perfect, let me make that clear. The Papercraft battles, a form of boss battle, though it is fun, can be repetitive, tedious, and slow. Plus, if you are not stocked up on items 24/7, you could be caught off guard by an unexpected boss battle, for they normally show up out of nowhere and take you by surprise. Especially if you played the previous game, Dream Team, which you could expect a boss battle, giving you time to buy the healing items you need. But here, you are unprepared and have to fend off a hard boss, and dying a lot.
    Besides that, this game is excellent, with the story, music, characters, gameplay, and a whole 40-50 hours for $40? Definitely worth buying, along with the past four games, you won’t regret it.    … Expand
  15. Djungelorm
    Jul 10, 2016
    9
    Paper Jam is a solid entry in the Mario and Luigi series. I found the battles in this game to be the best and most interesting battles in the series, especially the bosses. The introduction of both Paper Mario and the paper enemies adds a new dynamic to battles, whereby paper creatures, including Paper Mario, get stronger when they have more copies, but lose these copies when they takePaper Jam is a solid entry in the Mario and Luigi series. I found the battles in this game to be the best and most interesting battles in the series, especially the bosses. The introduction of both Paper Mario and the paper enemies adds a new dynamic to battles, whereby paper creatures, including Paper Mario, get stronger when they have more copies, but lose these copies when they take damage. Paper Mario can replenish these copies at the cost of a turn. This gives another strategic decision to players, and makes the game feel unique among the entries in the series. Having 3 party members also adds to the challenge when trying to avoid attacks, and enemies can use certain attacks only against Paper Mario. In future installments of the series, I hope to see the mechanic of having 3 party members remain as it makes battles more interesting. Continuing on a positive note, the soundtrack to this game is outstanding, living up to the high standards of the series.
    The new Papercraft bosses replace the Giant Bowser and Giant Luigi battles from previous M&L games, and I would say they are a slight improvement on those, though they are still far from the quality of the standard battles. You control a gigantic cardboard character, and move around trying to destroy giant cardboard enemies using attacks. Each fight gives you a different attack unique to that papercraft, keeping them fresh.
    As an RPG, story is also an important factor. In this game, it does feel like the story is not as good as in the previous games, being less developed and completely lacking in original characters. However, the humour the series is known for is still there, although less abundant, particularly between the two Bowsers.
    Unfortunately, there is one thing that really lets it down, this being the infamous toad hunt minigames that you are forced to do. Some of them are mildly entertaining, while others can be quite painful. On one occasion, I spent 15 minutes searching a snowy village searching for the last Paper Toad. Thankfully, I was spurred on by the prospect of another boss battle.
    While Paper Jam is not up to the high standards set by the DS iterations of this beloved series, it is a solid entry on par with Dream Team and I would recommend playing it.    … Expand
  16. WiiUHighlights
    Apr 8, 2016
    9
    This game is simply amazing. It has humorous and creative dialogue. The battle system is now more creative and unique with various new elements. The story is more creative than it appears, it's not just a save peach story. It looks great and the paper objects give it a unique charm. The missions are very fun to play and don't break the pace of the game; also the pacing is much better thanThis game is simply amazing. It has humorous and creative dialogue. The battle system is now more creative and unique with various new elements. The story is more creative than it appears, it's not just a save peach story. It looks great and the paper objects give it a unique charm. The missions are very fun to play and don't break the pace of the game; also the pacing is much better than previous entries in the series. The locations and story aren't perfect (they are a bit uncreative). However overall this is the best game is the mario and luigi series and I highly recommend you play it for yourself so you can experience the fabulous game for yourself.… Expand
  17. Bentonator389
    Jun 4, 2016
    9
    Good gameplay, excellent combat and battle, and an okay story. This is a fresh idea from Nintendo and Alphadream to make this crossover with Mario and Luigi and Paper Mario
  18. wariothelegend
    Jul 17, 2016
    8
    A cross over between two beloved Mario RPGs. While it doesn't bring any new characters or story line like most RPG titles in the series, it does bring an excellent battle system with epic music to enjoy listening to, and it's fun for anybody at any age. The two problems I had with the game is the excessive Paper Toad Hunts, and the game's too short. But I'd highly recommend it.
  19. Anxo
    Jul 18, 2017
    8
    Otro juego maravilloso de esta increible saga RPG. Está al nivel del resto de juegos de esta serie, y como siempre la historia no es lo mas importante de este juego, ni la jugabilidad. El apartado técnico excelente como siempre, y la curva de mejora 10/10
  20. EpicNintendoFan
    Aug 8, 2018
    9
    Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam is one of the best games in the series. The game is mostly fun, but I ended up getting stumped several times throughout the game. I recently started playing, and it's a great game! I think you would enjoy it too!
  21. runopan
    Feb 16, 2016
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. a great game, really funny, great for anybody and I really liked the toad searching game.If you are one of the "older" gamers, if you call it boring or "just another Mario game", think again!… Expand
  22. JRRR
    Feb 10, 2016
    8
    It's a great game, better than the previous installment, Dream Team, in my opinion. It has great gameplay, the paper characters blend great, it's another M&L game. However the world seems bland, the jokes, something the series is known for are not the strongest here, but overall it's a great game. Recommended.
  23. DBPirate1129
    Mar 22, 2016
    9
    I just really can't seem to stop flip-flopping on games now, can I? First AC: Rogue and now this! I previously gave this game an 8. Now a big switch, but I'd still like to make a few changes.

    I'll address the good parts of the game first, and then the bad. The changes you are most likely to notice once you jump into the game are the ability to sprint and the ability to skip through    I just really can't seem to stop flip-flopping on games now, can I? First AC: Rogue and now this! I previously gave this game an 8. Now a big switch, but I'd still like to make a few changes.

    I'll address the good parts of the game first, and then the bad. The changes you are most likely to notice once you jump into the game are the ability to sprint and the ability to skip through dialogue. Both of these are very welcome changes, though I personally didn't have any problem with this in Dream Team. You are also able to skip tutorials, but strangely for some reason people forget that you can skip nearly every single tutorial in that game. Selective memory, I suppose. I did like how the game treated you as though you had played Dream Team, but I'm not sure how players will feel about this if it's their first time playing the series.

    The many Bros. mechanics (that's the only term that suits them, I think) that you can use in the open world is another improvement over Dream Team. I'm nearly 13 hours and about halfway through the game and I can safely say that they are much easier to keep track of. Dream Team seemed to throw a lot of the "spinning" and "digging" moves at you rapidly (especially in the Mount Pajamaja section of the game) while Paper Jam takes the time for you to get to know each one.

    The combat is simply fantastic, especially with the addition of Paper Mario. True, the fact that there are three characters for you to control makes it a bit harder, but you can switch to "Easy Mode" whenever you want, which helps you time your attacks easier and also points out which player the enemy will attack. The new Trio Attacks are all very simple to use, unlike the Luiginary Attacks in Dream Team which I found myself rarely using. Other that fairly obvious improvement, I'd say the rest of the combat is on par with Dream Team. I did find the boss battles a tad more repetitive and annoying than DT, but I appreciate their uniqueness.

    On to the bad parts. The cast of characters is slightly lacking---there are no original characters that haven't appeared in another game appearing here, which is disappointing. I found the original characters in DT (Dreambert, Brickle, Britta, Eldream, Antasma, etc.) all engaging and interesting. However, I have to admit I did like how they integrated the Mario characters we all KNOW and love in this game, such as the Koopalings, Big Bob-omb, Petey Piranha, and Wiggler. Paper Jam does have something over Sticker Star in this respect. I'm sure that when Miyamoto told Intelligent Systems to use "original Mario characters," he didn't mean use only Mario.

    The Papercraft battles are not something I enjoyed. They are very straightforward with no twist. The best part of this mechanic was actually refilling your energy required to attack. The Papercraft battles mostly consist of headbutt, jump, headbutt, refill energy, repeat. The game is also constantly interrupted by annoying Toad Hunts that constantly get on my nerves. They have no importance being in the already meh story. The music, though I hate to admit it, is also disappointing. While I have about 22 tracks from Dream Team in my Mac's music library, I only have 4 from Paper jam. Perhaps I just need more time to warm up to the music but it seems a little dull. And speaking of dull, my final gripe with this game is that it's too generic. I didn't find it very funny either. The locations are uninspired and the game feels slightly NSMB to me. I wish I could elaborate, but that's the only way I can put it.

    Well, that's all of my thoughts on the game. Thanks for taking the time to read this group of text walls (if you actually did)>    … Expand
  24. PowerKamek
    Apr 8, 2016
    9
    I played this game for five and a half hours already, and I love it! The Paper Craft Battles are my favorite so far.
    So far, the parts I've been through are pretty fun. I like how Paper Mario joins Mario and Luigi, they make a great team.
  25. Davrosdaleks1
    Sep 10, 2019
    8
    This is a generally fun game, but it isn't a standout in the series.

    To clarify this is really a M+L game and not a Paper Mario game. The gameplay like in the previous games is a fun combination of RPG battles and button timing. Paper Mario with his own unique abilities is a fun addition. However, I did find several of the special moves and avoidances for boss attacks to be a bit    This is a generally fun game, but it isn't a standout in the series.

    To clarify this is really a M+L game and not a Paper Mario game. The gameplay like in the previous games is a fun combination of RPG battles and button timing. Paper Mario with his own unique abilities is a fun addition. However, I did find several of the special moves and avoidances for boss attacks to be a bit trickier than needed. I'm happy to say they got rid of the long gameplay tutorials from Dream Team.

    This game drops the double-screen/sidescrolling stages from the last two games. I'm okay with that as Dream Team, while fun, just couldn't sustain the energy the concept had when it was first introduced in Bowser's Inside Story.

    Also instead of the giant fights from the last two games, we get cardboard fights in which the characters fight each with cardboard bots in a tank warfare style situation. It's an interesting idea, but it always feels too drawn out for it's own good. You have to recharge your weapons with a musical rhythm timing game, and it gets tedious real fast.

    The overall map isn't as big as some of the other games; a little too much backtracking for it's own good. You just don't get as many sidequests or additional characters, too. I am disappointed there are no real new character or bad guys to fight in this.

    The plot is decent but pretty basic. Watching Luigi's antics remain a highlight of the game.

    I liked playing the this, but it also reminded me how the previous games were stronger.    … Expand
  26. robertoiglesias
    Nov 10, 2019
    10
    Another solid entry this time also featuring Paper Mario. This gameplay is enjoyable and I love this game
  27. Nessfan4000
    Oct 10, 2019
    10
    This game is AMAZING! a blast for anyone who likes the Mario and Luigi series and the Paper Mario
    series!
  28. TSNintendogamer
    May 13, 2022
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is great. I haven't played dream team but this is the first mario and luigi game I owned. I've played others like bowser's inside story, partners in time, and the remakes but when I first played the game, I played the ones I mentioned before the remake. Yes some people may complain about there being no original characters but I think they did well with that unlike paper mario sticker star. Yes you have to rescue the paper toads which isn't so fun but it's not that hard so it's kind of fun. It's funny how the lokitu even mocks you about it saying "I bet you're just itching to rescue some paper toads." I feel like they made the best of using established characters because the game does have good writing in other places too. The story is solid because you may have to save peach from bowser once again but lots of things happen during that journey. As for the gameplay, it's really fun to solve puzzles with paper mario there, the paper craft battles are fun too and that's the action part of the game, and the game can get hard too if you play it on normal. Even harder than mario and luigi bowser's inside story. Lastly I remember feeling nostalgic for the game after listening to the ost recently even though I was 23 years old when I first played the game.… Expand
  29. DoktarioMyst
    Oct 13, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. + de tutorial is optioneel

    +/- Paper Mario veranderd de battle system niet heel veel (vergeleken met Bowser) maar hij veranderd wel hoe je door de overwereld gaat

    - de 2D levels zijn er niet meer

    + deze game zal wel de meeste minigames in de hele serie hebben (en ik vind de minigames de hoogtepunten van de serie)

    + ondanks deze game de "bland Mario" stijl heeft vind ik het niet erg want ze maken vol gebruik van alle karakters. en de meeste zijn nieuw in de serie

    + deze game zit vol met specifieke momenten

    + deze game is uitdagend

    - de toad hide & seek minigames zijn random en omdat sommige een tijdlimiet hebben vind ik dat vervelend

    - ik vind de giant fights een downgrade. ik moet wel punten geven omdat ze iets anders probeerte

    +/- de duoaanvallen krijg je nu door nabbit te vangen. het maakt verkennen minder spannend omdat je geen aanvalstukjes kunt zoeken. ze balanceren het door meer collectibles toe te voegen maar als je niet voor 100% gaat heb je geen reden om erachter te gaan

    conclusie:
    als je van de minigames houd is dit de defenitieve M&L game    … Expand
  30. MarkusZ
    Aug 5, 2023
    10
    This game is a great mix of Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario. Nice story, beautiful worlds, great battles!

Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Best 3DS Game of 2016
8
#8 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2016
2
#2 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 76 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 49 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 76
  3. Negative: 1 out of 76
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Mar 28, 2016
    80
    Mario and Luigi Paper Jam successfully mixes the two long-running Mario RPG series, but outside of a few new Paper-based gameplay surprises it’s the same solid, self-aware role playing experience you’d expect from the Mario and Luigi series.
    Read full review
  2. CD-Action
    Mar 4, 2016
    85
    Despite recycling Paper Jam Bros. never looks like a half-hearted effort. [02/2016, p.69]
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 3, 2016
    84
    Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros is an action-packed, varied and in places, amusing RPG with familiar Mario-faces. The story is pretty much nonsense, though. [Feb 2016]
See all critic reviews »