Paper Mario: Sticker Star

 3DS
User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 613 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 221 out of 613
  2. Mixed: 161 out of 613
  3. Negative: 231 out of 613
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  1. Incarta
    Feb 16, 2014
    4
    I was very disappointed by the gameplay concept. It was far too simple and that's not what I play paper Mario for. This is the weakest game I've played in what has always been a charming series. Hope they put more effort in the future
  2. fuchikoma
    Jan 9, 2013
    4
    The game shows off 3D well. The dialogue is funny. There's hardly any skill involved though. Mainly you're just walking around and hoping not to get into another tedious, pointless battle that will neither harm you nor make any significant gains. Then, after you clear the first world, the second starts by gating you based on a rare sticker. So go explore all the levels in the first worldThe game shows off 3D well. The dialogue is funny. There's hardly any skill involved though. Mainly you're just walking around and hoping not to get into another tedious, pointless battle that will neither harm you nor make any significant gains. Then, after you clear the first world, the second starts by gating you based on a rare sticker. So go explore all the levels in the first world again, turning them upside down looking for it and grinding (but not earning XP or anything) for hours just so you can take the next step! Seriously, who thought of that?

    The game starts off with a hearty dose of charm, but the gameplay turns it into a slow, plodding chore that wears out its welcome as you retread already overly simplistic stages again and again looking for rare stickers.    … Expand
  3. Relytia
    Nov 6, 2013
    4
    I love Paper Mario. I always have. That's why it pains me to give this game a much lower score than I waited months to give it. There's no doubt the concepts in PMSS are sound, the presentation is spectacular both in audio and visually, and the charm is off the charts. The problem is there is no rewarding systems built into the game to justify some of the design choices. Turn based battlesI love Paper Mario. I always have. That's why it pains me to give this game a much lower score than I waited months to give it. There's no doubt the concepts in PMSS are sound, the presentation is spectacular both in audio and visually, and the charm is off the charts. The problem is there is no rewarding systems built into the game to justify some of the design choices. Turn based battles leave you with no sense of progress of satisfaction as there are no star points or leveling up, only coins and stickers which are all over the game world anyway. This was promised for a long time to be a return to the kind of Mario RPG masterpiece that 1,000-Year-Door was, but the game gets in the way of that promise at almost every pivotal turn. The fact this could have been a true sequel to TYD and perhaps even surpass it makes the disappointment and boredom this game offers all the more bitter. I'm sorry Paper Mario fans, I'm sorry Intelligent Systems, but I really don't like this game.… Expand
  4. Lavanio
    Jul 31, 2014
    4
    What was once considered a staple game series for Nintendo consoles has now devolved into a simplistic and uninspired rehash. The new Paper Mario game's main feature revolves around the use of consumable attacks known as "stickers" which restricts access to even the most basic of abilities if you don't have the consumable stickers to use them. This is stacked on top of a plethora ofWhat was once considered a staple game series for Nintendo consoles has now devolved into a simplistic and uninspired rehash. The new Paper Mario game's main feature revolves around the use of consumable attacks known as "stickers" which restricts access to even the most basic of abilities if you don't have the consumable stickers to use them. This is stacked on top of a plethora of removed features from the previous games such as a leveling system and the inclusion of companions to help Mario along his way. With the lack of basic RPG mechanics such as a leveling system, even the basic premise of the stickers is removed since actually engaging in battles serves no purpose but to gather more stickers for you even though enough of which to progress through the game are found scattered all over each individual level.

    If you're looking for the next Thousand Year Door, or even the next Super Paper Mario in terms of writing and overall quality and design, cast your eyes elsewhere because Sticker Star will not provide.    … Expand
  5. PostmortemEP
    May 6, 2013
    4
    I just don't get it... The first two paper mario games were absolute masterpieces. The third was very much a good idea, which I don't think was executed very well. Here's the thing... Paper Mario games had a way of getting me hooked and never wanting to stop. I almost had that with this game, but just couldn't simply because the design of it is horrible. Cutting up the world intoI just don't get it... The first two paper mario games were absolute masterpieces. The third was very much a good idea, which I don't think was executed very well. Here's the thing... Paper Mario games had a way of getting me hooked and never wanting to stop. I almost had that with this game, but just couldn't simply because the design of it is horrible. Cutting up the world into stages wouldn't be such a bad idea if it was just a simple sidescroller, but it isnt. It's got all of the frustration of an RPG overworld that forces you to backtrack and do things you've already done and are TIRED of doing again, and to no avail, you are forced to repeat and repeat. You can get to the second and third world of this game and realize that this is going to be a continuous thing. That's where I'd recommend stopping if you picked this game up, but don't. It's not worth it. Do yourself a favor and use your money on one of the other fantastic 3DS titles.… Expand
  6. JJ24-7
    May 22, 2013
    4
    Interesting new "sticker" mechanic. However they took out many core things that Paper Mario fans loved. Level progression, partner system, and even the badges. All the things that made Thousand Year Door such an amazing jump from the first Paper Mario were removed. Sure you had a few jokes here and there, but it was targeted to a much younger audience that the older fans just would findInteresting new "sticker" mechanic. However they took out many core things that Paper Mario fans loved. Level progression, partner system, and even the badges. All the things that made Thousand Year Door such an amazing jump from the first Paper Mario were removed. Sure you had a few jokes here and there, but it was targeted to a much younger audience that the older fans just would find dull. Your "partner" Kersti can get dull and tiring very similarly to the well known "Navi" from Legend of Zelda. Kersti will crack the same jokes, make the same boring faces, and get angry in the same way. Action commands are all the same (once you get to know them), but it's almost 100% based on timing your A button. Since there is no longer a partner system, you are given what is called the "Battle Spinner", which forces you to pay coins to take extra turns. This is either extremely good, or just plain dumb as you are relying heavily on luck most of the time. Gameplay is repetitive and the entire game has almost no replay value whatsoever. There are a few tedious "100%" completion tasks you can take part in, but for the most part there are little to no easter eggs. No hidden bosses, no challenging arenas, just hidden doors and more stickers. Not to mention the final boss is easily beaten once you figure it out. But after that there is literally nothing to do except go back and replay the entire game again (which is surprisingly short) trying to grind your coins back up to find your hidden doors. As I mentioned earlier, the game is extremely short in comparison to other Paper Mario games. Granted those were for a console, but to be able to complete the game in a few days is just sad. I believe my first playthrough took only 20-30 hours of gameplay. A few things to note that have been removed/changed from previous Paper Mario games (Excluding Super Paper Mario which was horrible):
    -No partner system. That means (no partner storyline, no hidden partners (miss mouze), no sidestories, no witty change of lines from your partners, nobody to help you take damage)
    -Kersti is the new Goomba partner, but with no tattle system. meaning no description of any of the enemies.
    -All your items are now stickers (good&bad. Good that you can more easily obtain items, Bad that the items are no longer unique and are only upgrades of the previous version. EVEN the "Thing" stickers!)
    -Unable to play as anyone other than Mario

    In the end, Paper Mario Sticker Star seems like it could have had a lot of potential. If they waited a bit longer and made it far more developed. The game features a very limited number of levels and would benefit greatly if they had far more. We know you can do it Nintendo! Just look at the Superstar Saga!    … Expand
  7. amstans
    Jul 9, 2014
    4
    This Paper Mario feels like nothing else in the series. It is hard to get into, with no real direction given. The combat is long and the combat system is clumsy. The stickers are not fun or very useful most of the time. There are so many limits placed on Mario. There is no flip world, and after playing Zelda Link Between Worlds I would say it is more loyal to the Paper Mario spirit thanThis Paper Mario feels like nothing else in the series. It is hard to get into, with no real direction given. The combat is long and the combat system is clumsy. The stickers are not fun or very useful most of the time. There are so many limits placed on Mario. There is no flip world, and after playing Zelda Link Between Worlds I would say it is more loyal to the Paper Mario spirit than Sticker Star. More than a little disappointed this game as it could have been something else without tarnishing the Mario brand.… Expand
  8. BrushedRed
    Oct 9, 2016
    4
    Nintendo took everything we knew about Paper Mario and flipped it on its head. All the fun worlds are now gone and replaced with a world map, endless backtracking, bland and one-dimensional characters (basically all Toads), pointless combat (uses up stickers and gives nothing in return), no humorous characters, and not much of a story. The graphics are definitely nice, but that's about theNintendo took everything we knew about Paper Mario and flipped it on its head. All the fun worlds are now gone and replaced with a world map, endless backtracking, bland and one-dimensional characters (basically all Toads), pointless combat (uses up stickers and gives nothing in return), no humorous characters, and not much of a story. The graphics are definitely nice, but that's about the only good thing I can say about it. I tried to be positive about this game but compared to the previous ones, it's bad.… Expand
  9. UltraTektite
    Mar 25, 2016
    4
    Paper Mario Sticker Star took away everything that made the first two Paper Mario games great, and was an immense disappointment.

    For starters, it reverted to the simple "Bowser kidnaps Peach" story, and thus lacks the interesting and original stories that previous Paper Mario games had. And even though this generic story could have been executed well, it wasn't. A bland story can still    Paper Mario Sticker Star took away everything that made the first two Paper Mario games great, and was an immense disappointment.

    For starters, it reverted to the simple "Bowser kidnaps Peach" story, and thus lacks the interesting and original stories that previous Paper Mario games had. And even though this generic story could have been executed well, it wasn't. A bland story can still be redeemed by interesting characters, but Sticker Star has none, with the game's cast consisting of Mario, Kersti, Peach, Bowser, and about a million Toads. Yes, that's right. Instead of the game being filled with interesting and unique characters, generic Toads make up the entire supporting cast.

    The gameplay has taken a dive as well. The battle system, albeit creative, is extremely irritating and lacks much depth. The lack of exp and leveling up takes away all sense of reward, and has essentially stripped the series of the RPG elements that made it great. In addition, the lack of a connected world has removed nearly all sense of exploration that the series once had. Also, the puzzles are unfairly cryptic, many times requiring some obscure sticker that you get halfway across the gameworld, with no clues leading to it whatsoever. The same applies to boss battles, each of which has a weakness to one thing sticker, and the outcome of the battle will usually depend solely on whether or not you have that sticker.

    I'd like to be able to say something good about this game, some way it improved over previous Paper Mario games. But it is a downgrade in every way imaginable. The fact that this game's gameplay style is the new standard for the series makes me want to cry. Paper Mario is dead.    … Expand
  10. StoopidPingas23
    Oct 19, 2015
    4
    If it ain't broke, don't fix it, that's how Miyamoto should have thought when he told the designers to change the concept to Sticker Star. Thanks to Miyamoto the end result became a huge dissapointment, with a broken battle system and a flat story. Even if the music is kinda nice, I would never recommend this to a true Paper Mario fan.
  11. PaperMe
    Mar 12, 2016
    4
    Paper Mario : Sticker Star shouldn't be a Paper Mario. We came from the excellent Paper Mario TTYD to this.. a game without soul! Yes, they had a great idea for a game on 3DS, but a Paper Mario without partner, badge and xp.. No, not for me!
  12. RalphcCiurczak
    Nov 27, 2021
    4
    +Art style is nice
    +Soundtrack is pretty good
    +Fun at first

    -Battle system sucks and is not fun
    -Quite lacking story(not telling you to avoid spoilers)
    -Sticker system works nice at first,but turns to be a huge drawback
    -Boss battles are lame,depsite what gameplay shows
    -No assistants to help in battle
    -Feels unrewarding
  13. Zethor
    Aug 17, 2020
    4
    A true disappointment of a game, Sticker Star fails to realize the aspects that made its series great. It encourages frustrating mechanics paired with trial-and-error boss fights, combined with a complete lack of incentive to fight enemies, uninspired gameplay, and a joke of a story that just leaves the game feeling completely hollow and boring.
  14. ND-Bringer
    Mar 31, 2021
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game depicts the fall of Paper Mario. Compared to the previous titles, Sticker Star is just uniquely bland. I originally had high hopes for this game, I mean it was the first Paper Mario game I ever laid eyes on. The moment I saw that E3 trailer I thought it was going to be an excellent game. It's an excellent disappointment, that's for sure. I really thought that this was what Paper Mario was meant to be.

    The description claims that it also has exciting combat mechanics, but instead of having a fun turn-based battle system or digital pixies...were using item attacks during the whole freaking game. Oh, didn’t you know that Mario can’t jump unless he has a jump sticker?

    Sticker Star...while it may have nice graphics and music, looks aren’t everything. Most of the time you’ll be forced to backtrack over and over again just to get a missed “Thing”. And these are really important “Things”, so important that they make up most of the game. You can grab a pair of scissors for instance and turn it into a sticker to use in battles and to solve some blockade puzzles.

    While these attacks may be cool they get old real fast. And if your prime gimmick is this new battle system, what am I supposed to learn from it? I’m not gaining any experience from these battles, they're just annoying. I might as well just run away from these foes because they disappear anyway, even if I retreat. And these levels, some of them are passable and yet they're all so generic. You might as well call it “New Super Paper Mario Bros” because we don’t really have any original characters round these parts. Were you hoping to play as good guy versions of Bowser’s minions? Well too bad, this world mainly consists of poetic Toads for some reason.

    The short story is, a big celebration is held every whatever amount of years to honor the great Sticker Comet(Not to be confused with the Star Festival from Super Mario Galaxy)which has the power to make wishes come true. But then Bowser crashes the party and steals one of the comet’s fragments, a Royal Sticker, and gains the ultimate, shiny power!
    We don’t really see what happens after that, but I guess after Mario jumps on Bowser I assume Bowser knocks him out in battle and if that’s a reference to the first game it doesn’t deserve it. Or the Paper Mario Parade! It doesn’t even feel like this game is in the same universe. Everything is a little too colorful, not only is there a lack of dark elements that helped the series stand, but this is just a repeat of the original story when you really think about it.

    So Mario and the Sticker Fairy Kersti are on a quest to recover the Royal Stickers. First off, my biggest complaint in this game is that the tutorial level where you have to search for Toads, drags on way too long. Fifteen minutes in and I was still searching! These morons are hidden too well, you may not even get to try out the new battle system because this level just drags on way too long.

    And it gets worse with the Paperization puzzles. Every once in a while, you have to stop time and pull off a piece of the world and stick it in its rightful place in order to continue through the level. While it may be a creative feature it's hard to know when to use it, some of these objects blend into the background and you find yourself circling around the area for an hour unsure of what to do. A good puzzle helps sharpen the mind, but these levels are just tedious. As for positives, World 3 probably has the best levels. No generic Goomba gangs, we’re instead recovering lost inventory in the spider tunnels, traversing through poisonous rivers, competing in a toxic Snifit game show? That’s the Paper Mario I know and love.

    As for the boss fights, most of them are just big enemy battles. Sure these battles are fun to watch, but the gameplay is just a bunch of button mashing that doesn’t get better with the “Thing Attacks”. In order to power your attacks up, timing is key. Just wait till the yellow signal appears next to Mario if you wish to know when to press the A button. Though it doesn’t appear in a few Thing attacks for some reason, so have fun randomly mashing your controls hoping to get the move to work.

    As for the final showdown with Bowser, you first have to go through a painful magic carpet ride. And the battle has a few fun moments but it feels like Bowser’s minions are doing all the work. And after it looks like Bowser is defeated he transforms into his giant form...where have I seen this before...I think I had more fun beating Kamek with flip flops, then dealing with yet another giant Bowser battle. I just blasted my boom box and then sent out a flurry of Thing attacks, the 2nd stage of the battle was a lot easier than the first. This game isn’t even worth replaying. Everything on display is just a sad reminder for the rise and fall of the Paper Mario series.    … Expand
  15. Noctilum
    Mar 7, 2023
    4
    most of the game is boring and inoffensive, plus theres some parts of this game that are outright frustrating. combat sucks too, you get rewarded more from running away from fights than actually doing them, coins are plentiful and have basically no purpose. There is some good here though: I REALLY like the OST and visual style of it, plus the animations for things are really nice andmost of the game is boring and inoffensive, plus theres some parts of this game that are outright frustrating. combat sucks too, you get rewarded more from running away from fights than actually doing them, coins are plentiful and have basically no purpose. There is some good here though: I REALLY like the OST and visual style of it, plus the animations for things are really nice and filled with personality. the writing is good too, when it happens (as in just individual characters and not the actual story, the story sucks). overall: dont play it, listen to the ost on youtube or something, maybe watch an LP of it. a lot of this game are ideas that sound good on paper but are horrible in execution though. i think its completely wrong to call this game soulless though.

    as a paper mario game however, this is completely awful and much much worse than games 2, 3 and 6 (i havent played 1 and 5). just dont play it    … Expand
  16. LegendaryQ
    Nov 14, 2014
    3
    I like the Paper Mario games because of their light-hearted, but still validly present story, and always interesting game mechanics. Unfortunately, while Sticker Star makes a valid attempt at both, it is flawed on both counts.

    The story is even more shallow than is to be expected: while the humor is still present, the underlying story is weak and in tatters. The gameplay is flawed in    I like the Paper Mario games because of their light-hearted, but still validly present story, and always interesting game mechanics. Unfortunately, while Sticker Star makes a valid attempt at both, it is flawed on both counts.

    The story is even more shallow than is to be expected: while the humor is still present, the underlying story is weak and in tatters.

    The gameplay is flawed in that your inventory of various attacks and abilities are useless against bosses -- forcing you to use "things" to attack them effectively. If you haven't found the right "thing" or haven't paid enough in-game currency, you're out of luck.

    The idea of an inventory of attacks is interesting, but is often undercut by issues like the above.

    Overall, the game is an attempt at a good Paper Mario game that just completely fails in its execution.    … Expand
  17. JHH62
    Dec 27, 2012
    3
    There are so many things wrong with this game, first of all the plot is too linear you play as Mario throughout the whole game you don't get to play as peach or bowser, there are no new characters other than kersti, all the characters in the game are from the Mario platformers, there are no exp so you can't level up and if you run out of stickers you have no choice but to run away, peachThere are so many things wrong with this game, first of all the plot is too linear you play as Mario throughout the whole game you don't get to play as peach or bowser, there are no new characters other than kersti, all the characters in the game are from the Mario platformers, there are no exp so you can't level up and if you run out of stickers you have no choice but to run away, peach only has about five lines, bowser is the main antagonist and he has no dialogue, in the previous installments the main antagonist always had dialogue, and one of this game's worst problems is that luigi went from being a playable character to a glorified cameo, I have no idea what nintendo was thinking when they made this game.… Expand
  18. Globox_ARG
    Sep 22, 2013
    3
    Lo malo que tiene este juego es que no podes subir de nivel, entonces cuando terminas una batalla no recibis nada de recompensa y tenes que conseguir o comprar mas pegatinas porque las perdes, me esperaba mucho mas de este juego
  19. Giga_Gamby
    Mar 29, 2014
    3
    Before we tackle why I gave this a 3, let's discuss what made it's predecessors great. First, the RPG elements made each battle worth it, with minimal grinding, battles were always enjoyable and it felt as if you were making a difference. Unfortunately, Sticker Star did not live up to this, with no RPG elements within the game it made battling a chore. The sticker system made it so you areBefore we tackle why I gave this a 3, let's discuss what made it's predecessors great. First, the RPG elements made each battle worth it, with minimal grinding, battles were always enjoyable and it felt as if you were making a difference. Unfortunately, Sticker Star did not live up to this, with no RPG elements within the game it made battling a chore. The sticker system made it so you are forced to attack with the penalty of losing a sticker when you use it, and what do you get after wasting your time battling? Coins used to buy more stickers and replace the ones you just used. It's just a circle of buy and use giving no incentive for battle.
    Another specialty the past games had was partners. The partner system gave the past games a sense of difference between other RPG's. Although Super Paper Mario was a bit iffy with their partner system, I still enjoyed the execution I've played and beat all past Paper Mario games and was eagerly awaiting to see what partners were to come. My hopes fell flat when I saw no partners in the game whatsoever. Instead there's an annoying crown shaped sprite following you throughout your useless journey.
    Also, the open world in previous games gave a sense of freedom throughout the game. All games lived up to this, from roaming the main towns, to warping through the doors of flipside. I was again disappointed with the the generic travel through level select. I'm not saying level select is bad, but Paper Mario wise, it should be a necessity.
    Lastly, the execution of story line. Past games have impacted my childhood like no game could have ever had. I remember saving the Mushroom Kingdom, the world, then the entire universe! It was a delightful adventure that I will always treasure from my childhood. What's the story line here?... Rescue the royal stickers... why? Because of the sticker festival in the beginning... This poor presentation of what I'm fighting for gives little to no incentive for me to complete the game. "Hooray! I got all the Royal Stickers!" "Now we can party!" That's just not appealing to me whatsoever.
    Now that we got the comparison between predecessors, let's talk about why it was a bad game... Everything above! No RPG elements, partners, open world, or story makes this "adventure" fall flat on its face and has forced me to give it a painful score of 3.
    It's as the title predicts, it's 2 dimensional. If you haven't played the past games, play those instead of this paper thin mess.    … Expand
  20. darxodia
    Mar 2, 2015
    3
    Simply, the worst Paper Mario game by far, Nintendo changed all good mechanics of the previous games for annoying non-intuitive new ones.

    First of all and most important, the new sticker battle mechanic is irritating most of the times, and particularly, on boss battles. Normal enemies only drop coins, and occasionally, stickers, so there's no need to fight them unless you want to trash    Simply, the worst Paper Mario game by far, Nintendo changed all good mechanics of the previous games for annoying non-intuitive new ones.

    First of all and most important, the new sticker battle mechanic is irritating most of the times, and particularly, on boss battles. Normal enemies only drop coins, and occasionally, stickers, so there's no need to fight them unless you want to trash weak stickers. Most of the times you're going to escape these fights to save your valuables stickers. Without a battle partner the game tends to be very monotone and repetitive. The controls are basics and they don't take advantage of the 3DS.

    Taking off the battle system, it could be a very good game, like Super Paper Mario, because the story is interesting, the graphics are appealing and the music recalls the original atmosphere of the series.

    If you enjoyed the older games, please don't buy this one, you're going to have a bad time.    … Expand
  21. ali2005
    Nov 27, 2015
    3
    This game has got some of the worst gameplay ever!I can't even make it past the second level because this game just throws you in and expects the impossible!Although I have never played the first two games,they have got really good reviews and Super Paper Mario is a really good game,but Sticker Star is just horrible!The only good part about this game is the absolutely amazingThis game has got some of the worst gameplay ever!I can't even make it past the second level because this game just throws you in and expects the impossible!Although I have never played the first two games,they have got really good reviews and Super Paper Mario is a really good game,but Sticker Star is just horrible!The only good part about this game is the absolutely amazing soundtrack,but that is the only positive about this game.DON'T BUY THIS GAME!!!!!… Expand
  22. Tobann
    Mar 12, 2016
    3
    I just cannot recommend this game to anyone except die hard Mario fans and even then maybe not even them. Yes the turn based combat came back witch was good but it really lost something. The loss of gaining experience and gaining something from battles is so great that it makes battle something to avoid rather than take on and overcome. The worst thing that I have heard from people is thatI just cannot recommend this game to anyone except die hard Mario fans and even then maybe not even them. Yes the turn based combat came back witch was good but it really lost something. The loss of gaining experience and gaining something from battles is so great that it makes battle something to avoid rather than take on and overcome. The worst thing that I have heard from people is that you can run out of attack stickers. Like how on earth do you make a game where you can leave your player defenseless just because they have fought too many things. There are also so many generic toads,and I know that Nintendo can do better, they have in the past, they've created amazing worlds and people in those worlds but now they're just missing. They have taken out what made this a great game series, stripped it of all rpg elements that made it great. I have to be honest, I have not finished the game, I was just so put off that I got fed up with it and I think that I will be very hesitant in getting the next game in the series.… Expand
  23. GamecubeLover
    Jul 14, 2016
    3
    Paper Mario is amazing so is the thousand year door and super paper mario and this game...is alright. Story is bad and the gameplay is really bad. The graphics are okay and the fighting combat is probably the worse thing about this game! Did I say this game was okay? No it's trash instead.
  24. Dweep
    Jul 23, 2016
    3
    This game was so bad that I had to make an account on Metacricit just to down vote it.

    Its not a good Paper Mario, and its not a good game in general. Frustrating level design, bad combat system and no sense of progression (its better to skip all combat because you get no XP, you only waste resources by fighting). Uninteresting story, bad characters and weird layout of things. One of    This game was so bad that I had to make an account on Metacricit just to down vote it.

    Its not a good Paper Mario, and its not a good game in general. Frustrating level design, bad combat system and no sense of progression (its better to skip all combat because you get no XP, you only waste resources by fighting).

    Uninteresting story, bad characters and weird layout of things. One of the few games ever I quit because it was too bad and boring :(

    This will not go down as a "real" Paper Mario, its just a bad Mario and Luigi.    … Expand
  25. CyberRobotnix
    Mar 8, 2018
    3
    The battle concept, despite being innovative, is not nice.

    It may add some strategy elements, but otherwise it barely works. The stickers are limited which forces you to keep them for later use. Also, I heavily dislike the fact that you can finish a boss off as quickly as you started fighting it. So basically it has most of the flaws that modern Mario games have and it is mostly    The battle concept, despite being innovative, is not nice.

    It may add some strategy elements, but otherwise it barely works.
    The stickers are limited which forces you to keep them for later use.

    Also, I heavily dislike the fact that you can finish a boss off as quickly as you started fighting it.

    So basically it has most of the flaws that modern Mario games have and it is mostly obnoxious.

    The worst with this game are still the puzzles, they drag on and on and on for too long sometimes, imagine chapter 4 of TTYD, but instead of being one single chapter IT IS THE ENTIRE GAME!!!

    Too much backtracking, no replayability value and no story at all.

    Avoid this game at all costs.    … Expand
  26. MeatwadMeatwad
    Jun 14, 2018
    3
    This is by far the worst paper Mario game because it just over relies on the stickers and makes the combat very frustrating and annoying because you forgot to search around for some stickers that are semi-decent. The puzzles are also very difficult to figure out because it's just a search fest for these very specific puzzles to get these special stickers to trigger scripted events and youThis is by far the worst paper Mario game because it just over relies on the stickers and makes the combat very frustrating and annoying because you forgot to search around for some stickers that are semi-decent. The puzzles are also very difficult to figure out because it's just a search fest for these very specific puzzles to get these special stickers to trigger scripted events and you can't complete the game unless you look up how or get lucky. The battles are more of just a hindrance than something you'll want to do because you get a pointless reward which is literally just coins.… Expand
  27. Namel
    Jun 3, 2019
    3
    Worst Paper Mario ever.

    i won't say details, ill only say that the game sucks, taking all of the spirit that paper Mario series have.

    Don't play this game.
  28. Resetto
    Jan 23, 2023
    3
    Imagine ruining your franchise that much. Like how do you make a game that much worse than the first 3 Paper Mario games?
  29. APaperMarioFan
    Oct 25, 2020
    3
    Someone would usually say they played TTYD for its great battle system and unique plot. But someone who plays Sticker Star just has less things to say. The only thing they would probably think of are its decent levels and its charm. TTYD isn’t flawless, as its linearity is a bit annoying, as well as the exploration. But TTYD’s positives are much greater as it had a complex plot, amazingSomeone would usually say they played TTYD for its great battle system and unique plot. But someone who plays Sticker Star just has less things to say. The only thing they would probably think of are its decent levels and its charm. TTYD isn’t flawless, as its linearity is a bit annoying, as well as the exploration. But TTYD’s positives are much greater as it had a complex plot, amazing battle system, and lots of creativity. Sticker Star doesn't do that. Paper Mario games usually consist of three things: a good story, a burst of creativity, and a good battle system. These three things are what make Paper Mario great. This is why I still recognize Super as a good game, it had at least two of those things and its positives outweighed its negatives by a large margin. Sticker Star has none of those things, it may have decent level design as well as a healthy dose of charm, but its negatives outweighed the positives. Some may say TTYD fans like me put the new games to an impossible standard, and that we have our nostalgia goggles on too tight. But that is a lie. Bug Fables is a game that shows what Paper Mario should be today, it had a good plot, a great battle system, and creativity shooting through the roof. Overall, it was an amazing game, a good 9.5/10. This was done by a small Indie studio, if they can do something like that, it is not impossible for Nintendo to live up to TTYD’s standards. Sticker Star had the chance to bring the series back from the still great but disappointing Super Paper Mario. But it ended up going to the worst point in the series. Sticker Star can only be enjoyed by a small number of people with certain gaming tastes. But for me Sticker Star isn’t a true Paper Mario, it wasn’t anything like the original three and had nothing in common with them other than it being attached to the Paper Mario franchise. Up to this point the games were all either great or amazing games, but this game tarnished the name of Paper Mario and the series has still not recovered from this. I’m going to be generous and give Paper Mario Sticker Star a 3/10.… Expand
  30. LazyLenni
    Jun 23, 2021
    3
    Unfortunately this game marks the end of the traditional Paper Mario games, which were known for their unique characters, interesting story and strategical gameplay and the beginning of an era of mediocre videogames.

    With this game they took out all of the traits, that made Paper Mario so beloved: The leveldesign is bland and similar to standard levels from the NSMB series. Similar to    Unfortunately this game marks the end of the traditional Paper Mario games, which were known for their unique characters, interesting story and strategical gameplay and the beginning of an era of mediocre videogames.

    With this game they took out all of the traits, that made Paper Mario so beloved: The leveldesign is bland and similar to standard levels from the NSMB series. Similar to that, the interesting characters were mostly replaced with nameless Toads, whose individual oneliners are not even worth remembering.
    Also fights are not as fun anymore, as you do not gain experience points anymore and badges, partners, counters and many more elements, that made them more strategical, were removed.

    This is just the beginning, of what I would have to critisize Paper Mario Sticker Star for. In the end I just cannot understand, why the producers (such as Kensuke Tanabe) would follow through with such flawed gamedesign in the next games.
    Also, instead of completely followng through with their new ideology, they seem to be bringing some of Paper Marios best elements back, but only in an extremely halfhearted way!
    (For example the ,,badges´´ or ,,partners´´ in The Origami King, which had almost no significance for thr overall gameplay)

    At this point I am not even disappointed anymore by newer Paper Mario games.

    To anyone, who read this,

    -play Bug Fables! It is a great alternative for Paper Mario, as it builds on the style of the first 2 titles.
    -I would recommend, supporting Arlo´s petition for Paper Mario.

    Thank you for reading!    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best 3DS Game of 2012
2
#2 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2012
5
#5 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 69 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 69
  3. Negative: 1 out of 69
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Feb 21, 2013
    78
    Brilliant humor and an interesting world won't save Mario's latest RPG offering. Even though the stickers add a lot of variety to the turn based battles, an RPG without any character development tends to turn repetitive eventually. Unfortunately for Mario such is the case with Sticker Star. [Feb 2013]
  2. Hyper Magazine
    Feb 10, 2013
    80
    A great reinterpretation of what makes Mario work. [March 2013, p.72]
  3. DarkStation
    Feb 7, 2013
    70
    Unfortunately for it, Paper Mario: Sticker Star has to deal with being a “pretty good” entry in a series that is usually considered amongst the best games on their respective consoles. While I did have fun with it, there were times when I felt like I was just going through the motions, and very little of the innovation or character of previous entries shone through.
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