Paper Mario: The Origami King

While The Origami King can feel formulaic at times, the entry does more to reimagine the franchise than not. It won't impress fans who were hoping for a larger RPG focus, but its charming characters and story will keep fans hooked. Paper Mario has never felt more fun than with The Origami King, and its lighthearted feel is the perfect thing for gamers to sit with this summer.

Paper Mario: The Origami King arrives on Nintendo Switch with very high quality graphics, a pleasant soundtrack and a plot full of very good humor, typical of the Paper Mario series. Among countless places to visit, bosses to win, and puzzles to solve, the game can be considered one of the best in the franchise.

There are no paper cuts in store for you here. Paper Mario: The Origami King is as smooth as butter. I expected an epic journey as the franchise has provided in the past, but I had no clue I would fall in love with this game as much as I have. If you’re a Switch owner, you can’t miss it. And if you’ve been on the fence about purchasing one, The Origami King proves the grass really is greener on the other side. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems hooked Paper Mario up to the defibrillator, delivered 3000 volts to his chest, and now I’m here to tell you - Our boy is gonna live!

Paper Mario is back with one of the best games in the franchise. It’s a big, beautiful adventure, full of humor, creativity, originality, good ideas and many surprises.

The Origami King is one of the most entertaining chapters in the long-lasting Paper Mario franchise and will surprise you with some fresh gameplay solutions.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a full-fledged, large and very beautiful adventure with role-playing elements, which pleases with an abundance of gameplay mechanics, a great sense of humor, an interesting plot, a well-developed world and a huge number of entertaining puzzles. The game will give you dozens of exciting hours in the paper world and is just a must-buy for all owners of Nintendo Switch.

Despite a combat system that gets old quickly, Paper Mario: The Origami King's writing, puzzles, worldbuilding, and visuals make it the best entry in the series since The Thousand-Year Door.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a wonderful addition to the series. While the battle system isn’t my favorite, it’s challenging. The overall game is hilarious with an engaging story and fun gameplay.

Origami King has the trademark humor and heart the series is known for, as well as a unique battle system. It continues the tradition of great Paper Mario games while being different enough to stand on its own. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll most likely be a fan of this one as well.

The Origami King has so much exuberance and confidence in all of its designs that even if you’re not completely sold on the combat—and there are modifiers that allow you to get rescued Toads to help solve it for you—the game will still win over all but the most puzzle-phobic and pun-hating players.

There is fun to be had with Paper Mario: The Origami King. That much is certain. It is a beautiful game with delightful music and clever moments. Its boss fights especially do a good job of making you feel smart. But, while it looks like a Paper Mario game, it doesn’t feel like its predecessors and abandons more of the RPG elements that originally made this series so special.

A successful return to the roots of the Paper Mario series. The Origami King is a charming RPG that is going to satisfy everyone expecting a good sense of humor, inventive battles and a powerful exploration system.

A crazy, very cool and above all, well-executed combat system that basically mixes a puzzle game with the fundamentals of a turn-based RPG; a script that will literally make you laugh out loud in a moment and at the same time cry with unexpected and intense scenes; brilliant and very complex art direction that is perfectly executed by beautiful graphics; as well as intricate, highly interactive level design are just a few of the great values of the new Nintendo Switch exclusive... Paper Mario: The Origami King is a great comeback for the franchise thanks to its amazing world and original combat system. An epic journey that you should experience.

A constant flow of imagination and good ideas, filled with variety and surprises at every corner. From now on, every time the words "fun as hell" come to our mind, we'll remember Paper Mario: The Origami King.

Creased and folded with meticulous care, Paper Mario: The Origami King is a cut above the rest that sees the paper-crafted series back at its best since the rightly lauded Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The moustachioed paper cut-out’s journey to liberate Peach’s Castle offers a personality-packed adventure that’s worth setting out on, and one that will be remembered for the laughter, thrills and standout moments that it delivers.

Paper Mario: The Origami King came in hot to a system that’s boasted excellent new adaptations of flagship games. It’s impossible to ignore the high bar Nintendo sets with these releases and the quality we come to expect from them. This one absolutely delivers on being fresh and new, living up to the quality we expect and is an exciting addition to the switch roster for those of us looking for the next great game to commit to. We have come to expect only the best from Mario RPG’s and this one still manages to blow through expectations and leave confetti flying.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a hilarious game with a ton of variety in its world and a clever new puzzle-based battle system. There's so much fun to be had that if you don't already own a Switch, this will act as a fantastic reason to go out and get one.

That level of creativity, imagination and personality is at the heart of what makes The Origami King such a fantastic ride. There is so much heart, joy and humour seeping from every fold that it is impossible not to have a good time. The way overall character progression works may fumble, but every other aspect of this adventure is concentrated happiness from start to finish. It excels with hilarious writing, charming presentation, inventive boss battles and a superbly paced blend of activities. This latest entry is the most fun I have had with Paper Mario since The Thousand-Year Door, and I had a smile on my face the whole time.

Paper Mario's heritage still floats over The Origami King, but didn't cause writer's block with this blank page, folded upside down thanks to the fantastic imagination applied to the staging and the story, decidedly audacious. Intelligent Systems' inventiveness also deploys through the ingenious architecture of this interconnected world and the tactical dimension unrolled by the battles, that become real puzzles. Such a well hammered increase of depth doesn't give headaches though, the main quest unwrapping along the realm's spread richness, so this moustached RPG asserts itself as the undisputed lord of its very own domain.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is fun, light-hearted and a celebration of Super Mario with a strong story, great humour and brilliant characters.

A creative triumph, with new ideas that last the entire game, some of the best boss battles in ages, and praiseworthy presentation. Paper Mario: The Origami King is only let down by some of the general combat being a bit skippable.

An endlessly enjoyable story, a unique take on combat that fuses puzzle-solving with RPG traditions, and a beautiful world full of adventure makes Paper Mario: The Origami King yet another must-play Nintendo Switch experience.

The return of the saga that every fan was waiting for. Let no one be scared by the lack of experience points, because from the very first moment Intelligent Systems justifies the absence of levels: it is not a RPG, it is an adventure. This entry is a box of surprises, a videogame capable of reinventing itself all time; a title that constantly gives you reasons to keep moving forward with a smile on your face. Without being perfect, on the verge of being excellent, it is a new must-have for Nintendo Switch.

Incredibly charming paper adventure with only few rpg elements. Story and scenario are diverse, the dialogue is funny while the battles are thoroughly entertaining.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is an imaginative, beautiful adventure, with memorable characters and events, and a well-crafted world. The story is simple, but the writing is truly brilliant. It isn't a J-RPG anymore, but this is the best Paper Mario of the last ten years.

Long, extremely entertaining and winking as a story, pleasant to play. Even if the double structure of the fights in the long run is a bit boring, especially when you are facing yet another semi-random clash in a row.

Maybe it was not the Paper Mario we were expecting but we really liked The Origami King, both for the care it takes every step we take, and for how clever and ingenious it has been to mix puzzles with traditional battles and exploration.

If you're looking for a return to the originals, you'll be disappointed – but only just. This is a worthy standalone title, and its story is great. [Issue #48 – September/October 2020, p. 68]

I’ve played just about every Mario RPG, and I’ve reviewed six before this one, but Paper Mario: The Origami King is definitely the one that I’ve had the most difficulty figuring out how to score. The things that frustrated me about it (mainly the combat) frustrated me from start to finish, but I still had a good time with it, and even went back for a set of optional boss battle repeats after I had finished so that I could get an in-game trophy. And perhaps that is the biggest compliment I could pay to this game — I liked it enough that I chose to come back for more of the part I found the most difficult after I had finished.

In many aspects The Origami King is the best game in the Paper Mario series. It’s brimming with intelligent humor and it looks and sounds better than any of its predecessors. Unfortunately, combat is more challenging than before while still being superfluous (there’s pretty much no incentive to engage in it), so after a couple of hours I started avoiding the chore of fighting whenever I could. [10/2020, p.78]

The battle system leaves a lot to be desired, but that's really the only bad thing I can say about this game. We waited for a really great Paper Mario game for more than a decade, and here it is.

Paper Mario: The Origami King might not be the sequel to The Thousand Year Door that some people are hoping for, but it's a darn fun game. It's witty, charming, fun to play, and has a soundtrack that can't be beat. Its low difficulty and the combat sometimes overstaying its welcome can drag down the experience a little. It's still a delightful experience for fans of Mario's adventures.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is made with care and love; it's clear that its developers know this universe perfectly and adore it as much as Mario fans. Despite some difficulty peaks, bosses are cleverly designed, they are visually striking and some even perform a memorable musical number. There is so much to love about this new Paper Mario and that's why we can't stop recommending it, even with its imperfections.

New first-party from Nintendo, and a new great game for Switch. Despite the fact that it was announced just two months ago, the new installment of Mario's RPG saga is brilliant, even if its combat puzzles mechanics become too repetitive.

Paper Mario: The Origami King offers a grand adventure with delightful creativity that can be found in every corner of the game. The renewed fighting system that revolves around circles knows how to tickle your brain, although it takes some getting used to. Even without in-depth RPG elements, The Origami King succeeds perfectly in combining the highlights of the franchise with successful innovations.

After all these years Intelligent Systems finally pulls off developing a game that comes close to the extraordinarily charming The Thousend-Year Door. The brave new combat system with cirkels takes some getting used to, but doesn’t get in the way of the delightful Journey with Paper Mario and his companions.

Tough Paper Mario: The Origami King is not an RPG anymore, this new work from Intelligent Systems is still an outstanding adventure with a lot of humor and awesome ideas.

But what I actually want you to take away is that this game works despite itself. You shouldn’t miss out on the characters, writing, and world because a small fraction of the experience doesn’t work. By the end, I had largely forgotten about standard combat. I think this is the rare game that improves as you continue playing. And that culminates in a thrilling finale that comes as a huge payoff for the story. So don’t sit this one out. Pick it up, play through it, complain about it with me, but then stick around for all of its joys.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is the best entry of the series since 'The Thousand-Year Door'; it ain't your typical RPG, nor does it aim to be. The IP has taken a different path, and now its main selling point is the originality of its gameplay (quite demanding and strategic this time). A must-have game for the Nintendo Switch.

The title is embellished by an exceptional writing, always whimsical and carefree, and by a variety of situations that constantly teases the player, keeps him attentive and intrigues him relentlessly.

Origami King is entirely pleasant, well written, charming and enjoyable without being essential or ground breaking. While the battles are confusing and far too frequent, the exploration, constant unveiling of secrets, colourful environments and quirky characters will keep you hooked.

The mixture of action adventure, action RPG and puzzle game works - at least if you let go of the expectation that everything must be as it was on GameCube back then. In terms of accessibility, the developers have significantly reduced the RPG share. There are no confusing stats or life bars on the opponents.

The Origami King sometimes drags on a bit, but at the same time it’s absolutely beautiful and inventive, perfect for experienced players and newbies alike.

Paper Mario: The Origami King lacks innovation and variety when it comes to combat, but balances with an incredibly detailed world and fantastic dialogue. This game is simply a must in the platform enthusiast's collection.

Like many of its predecessors, The Origami King marches to an eccentric rhythm at times, but in a challenging year, you'll struggle to find a game that strives to consistently to put a smile on your face. [Issue#349, p.88]

After many missteps, Paper Mario Origami King is a return to form for the series. It fixes many of the issues that marred previous entries, and allows the player to casually enjoy puzzles together with a wide array of beautiful locations and quirky characters, while the wonderful sound alone is reason enough to play.

It might be made of papercraft, but Origami King has a lot of structural integrity, and unexpected depth. If you don’t fold at the tricky battle mechanics, the reward is an elevated, postmodern delight.

Paper Mario: The Origami King has plenty of humor and some frustrating combat, but it all comes together to create a unique experience for players of all ages.

The Origami King brings the series to the latest Nintendo generation and while the RPG elements are mostly absent, there's plenty here in terms of platforming, puzzle-solving, exploration, visually alluring settings and new combat ideas to keep the players delighted. Naturally the unique sense of humour and myriad of quirky characters that has become a staple of the Paper Mario series is all over the place and only adds to the charms of The Origami King, making this another shiny gem in the Nintendo Switch catalogue.

The Origami King is a fun adventure game with a charming story and clever dialogue. Sadly, it suffers from an identity crisis due to an battle system that is not for everybody.

While it may not return to the heights of The Thousand-Year Door, Paper Mario: The Origami King is by far the best entry in the series in over a decade and gives us hope for the future of the series for the first time in awhile.

The saving grace is that combat isn’t all that frequent in Paper Mario: The Origami King, so it doesn’t bring the experience down all that much. You’ll have so much fun exploring its papercraft world and devouring every line of its sumptuous dialogue that you’ll just grit your teeth and persist through the battles you encounter, knowing full well that in a minute or so you’ll be back at the good stuff. It isn’t perfect, but Paper Mario: The Origami King has a huge amount of charm, and those with a keen sense of humour and adventure will find themselves effortlessly falling in love with it.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a great title that proves bouncing back from a low point in the series isn’t an impossible task. While not the perfect Paper Mario title, it certainly enshrines itself as one of the best. While the lack of traditional leveling may turn off some players, those who are willing to dive in and see what the game offers will be rewarded with a largely satisfying 30-hour experience with plenty to do. If nothing else, The Origami King does show there’s an identity to be had between the core RPG experience of the Mario & Luigi series and the platforming experience of the mainline Mario titles.

Mario’s new adventure is a perfect way to continue the saga. The adventure RPG combines exploration and puzzle game in a new different way. The new Paper Mario is extremely pleasant and suitable for every kind of gamer.

The Origami King doesn’t offer a role-playing experience or an intricate storyline. Instead, it offers a charming, clever, and silly world where Mario must collect crumpled up Toads and patch holes in the ground with confetti. I’m not sure if it has much staying power years down the line, but it’s the best 'adventure game' Paper Mario, at least.

Paper Mario: The Origami King might not be the RPG that I was hoping for, but the new systems and clever features made me forget all about that. The attention to developing a compelling plot within this fantasy world makes it a must-play experience for all Mario fans. Battles do inevitably become redundant, but that doesn’t overshadow this beautiful origami world begging to be explored.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a wonderful new entry that helps sell the idea that trying new things was the right move. While the series has had some ups and downs, Origami King nails the mix of enjoyable combat and fun gameplay. It would be nice if there was a little bit more depth to the story, but there’s enough to make everything fun and lighthearted while occasionally having dynamic story moments that bring the characters together. The combat could potentially be more difficult for younger players, but it’s hard not to recommend picking up Paper Mario: The Origami King when it’s simply a blast from start to finish.

Apart from the combat part, Paper Mario: The Origami King is fun, adorable, and full of surprises.

The Origami King is the best entry in the Paper Mario series, and probably one of the best Nintendo Switch exclusives if we don't consider its rather weak combat system. Intelligent Systems did a great job in telling a new Mario story using Origami characters, and mixing it with funny moments, exploration and diverse environments.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a game that is full of charm and wit, with a world that is so fun that it makes you want to explore every corner of its colorful landscape. The combat system lets it down (outside of the boss battles), but it's more of a grind than a nuisance. Paper Mario: The Origami is a great game despite its flaws, and it's a return to form for the series.

This is no Thousand Year Door, and it’s not really an RPG at all, but it is a nice little diversion to keep your thumbs busy between other bigger releases.

The result is a handsome, clever and genuinely funny game that is likely to confound expectations, for better or worse. Veterans expecting a return to classic RPG Paper Mario may be disappointed and not everyone will buy into the puzzle elements. But those who take to its charms will find a game that folds in both smarts and heart.

So you keep playing The Origami King, even if Olly isn’t quite the master villain of previous Mario games, because you just can’t help yourself. Paper Mario: The Origami King never leaves you feeling defeated, and it never ever crushes your gaming spirit. All it wants to do is give you a chance to enjoy a world of fun and whimsy. These days, nobody should ever say no to that.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is on the cusp of greatness, only let down by its tiresome combat system. Nevertheless, this adventure is one worth taking for most Paper Mario fans.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a hilarious new entry into the series, chock-a-block with memorable oddball moments and side-splitting quips from the fantastic cast of Mushroom Kingdom characters. The puzzle-centric combat is disappointingly one-dimensional and lacks any sort of challenge to please seasoned RPG gamers, but there's enough variety here to keep you engaged until the credits roll thanks to various platforming and Zelda-esque dungeon sections.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is an action-adventure game, not an RPG, which is sure to disappoint Paper Mario fans waiting for The Thousand Year Door's second coming. If you refuse to touch a Paper Mario game that's not an RPG, The Origami King will leave you dry and irritated, like the hands of a paper-folding master. But if you're OK with Paper Mario's turn to action, you'll find an enjoyable game packed with humor, secrets, and unique boss battles. The Paper Mario team is clearly learning how to make these distinct Mario games more appealing.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is another exceptional Nintendo game. The story is laugh out loud hilarious, the world begs you to explore it and the art style is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, the battles get in the way of its successes and ultimately let it down.

Paper Mario: The Origami King surpassed my expectations. It isn’t the RPG return to form many gamers were hoping for, but it is the best Paper Mario game since The Thousand-Year Door. The combat is unique, the writing is superb, and the world is brimming with charm.

With a newfound combat system that steals the show and offers a novel take on turn-based combat, its winking, nodding, and adventuring shine all the brighter. Its world and characters might not be the series' best, but it's still able to consistently throw left turns, good gags, and smart surprises at you. Each piece of The Origami King elegantly fits into its whole, taking its irreverent flair to new heights. The Paper Mario series has recently shown that being clever and being smart are two different things, but thankfully, it's once again managed to be both.

That simplicity is overridden by originality and vigor, then – but I also know all too well that some fans of the older Paper Mario games will once again walk away a little disappointed. This is still undoubtedly no Thousand Year Door. Perhaps the next outing can bring back a little of that RPG depth – but regardless of that, this is still the best Paper Mario game in years.

Paper Mario: The Origami King tries to do something different with its combat system and, to be honest, we aren't feeling it. That doesn't mean the rest of the game isn't thoroughly entertaining, however, and while the puzzle-based battles aren't quite what a new Paper Mario game needed, they aren't so awful that everything else shouldn't be experienced as a result. It still isn't the new Thousand-Year Door fans will have been hoping for, but it's still one of the funniest games in the series and it's got a truly likeable companion character, and while the combat is far from ideal the fact that we still thoroughly recommend the game regardless speaks volumes about every other aspect of it.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is an adorable adventure, a breath of fresh rhythm on Nintendo Switch. The artistic direction, the well thought-out fighting system, the puzzles that require a reading of the environment and the atmosphere through the many sets make this game a real fun video candy-filled with humor and secrets, and very good experience.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a vibrant, detailed, and exciting adventure filled with bustling hubs and lots of hidden treasure. Sadly, whilst the battle system looks good on paper, it isn’t the enjoyable or in-depth RPG system long term fans were hoping for. The writing is consistently laugh-out-loud funny though, and that’s the most important thing in any Paper Mario game.

There's room in my heart for both styles of Paper Mario. The old games still exist and this newer, sometimes thinner formula is fine too.

Paper Mario is such an eclectic and generally experimental series that it's difficult to define what makes a good entry in it. Some people like the specific combat systems that the series plays with. Others enjoy Mario in the JRPG context. For me it's the sense of humour that's important. On that basis I couldn't be happier with The Origami King. I feel that there will be discussion about that ring-based combat system and some of the world design elements, but through it all I do think that most people will be too busy enjoying the deadpan, dry, droll and refreshing humour that they won't care about much else. This is a fine return to form for Paper Mario at what it does best.

Had Intelligent Systems found some way to make fights more interesting or worthwhile, this might have been the best Paper Mario game to date. As it stands, The Origami King is easily the best adventure with the paper plumber I've had in years, even if it doesn't quite reach the delirious highs of the first two series entries.

One of the most relentlessly charming video games ever made and the best Paper Mario since The Thousand-Year Door.

I can’t say that Origami King is a great game – it has too many annoying battles with weak enemies, filler dialogue and trial and error puzzles. But it’s definitely a very original game, and a real treat to anyone looking for new gameplay mechanics. [Issue#247, p.64]

As a series, Paper Mario constantly explores new concepts and mechanics, which is exciting, but that comes with plenty of risks. Origami King’s biggest chances don't pay off in a satisfying way. I enjoyed Mario’s hijinks and all the misfits he encounters, but the new ring-based action needs refinement. I hope Paper Mario’s next twist on combat can rise to the same level as its humor.

A brooding yet charming affair that brings the collector in us along for a colourful ride through a kingdom gone foldingly mad. It has wonderful boss battles, visual charm and an annoying soundtrack. Working through the game’s binary puzzle system is still Nintendo-heavy in the aforementioned charm, but deploys little-to-no replayability, while the battle system is, at least, something new. But we wouldn’t write home Mamma Mario about it anytime soon. You’ll get hours of fun if you’re a Nintendophile, or at least a kick out of it for its writing, black humour and break from the mainstream norm, if you’re not.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a delightful game that sometimes jumps forward into greatness but never fully stays there. For as charming as so much of it can be and for how admirable its commitment to variety is, it's too bad that by far the best story moment happens fairly early on and the battle system too often feels like it lacks any real teeth. There's more than enough right to make it easy to recommend, but also just enough wrong to leave you wondering what could have been.

The Origami King might suffer from the same Achilles heel that Paper Mario: Color Splash and Sticker Star did of eschewing conventional leveling systems, but the combat here is infinitely more intuitive and less contemptible. It might not be the best Paper Mario game, but The Origami King is absolutely a true return to form and a wonderful adventure any Switch owner should consider playing.

The sprawling and surprising world is absolutely the star of the show in Origami King. Whether you're sailing the high seas or working your way through a Shogun-themed amusement park, the sight gags and quips don't let up, the story has genuine heart and the crafted world is just so endlessly darling. That it's so frequently slowed or interrupted by the half-hearted battles is a real shame, but it can't stop the irrepressible charm and humour of the game at large.

Needless to say, Paper Mario: The Origami King doesn’t have the general appeal of a traditional Mario game. It’s smart, creative, and rarely less than lovely to look at, but its combination of odd combat mechanics and sporadically subversive wit are bound to reinforce the franchise’s status as distinctively niche within the Marioverse.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is the best Paper Mario game I've played in over a decade, and yet I'm still feeling let down. While it's incredibly endearing and genuinely funny, it's also painfully boring and the thought of playing it again puts me straight to sleep. There will undoubtedly be massive fans of Paper Mario: The Origami King, but I can't say I'm one of them. A lovely action adventure game, but essential for no one.

I liked playing Paper Mario: The Origami King. It has such high points with the music, the visuals, the comedy, and the willingness to try new ideas. I love how experimental the adventure is with the large variety of situational humor and mini-games. This world was such a treat to journey through, and it was nice to have more then one meaningful emotional moment again in a Paper Mario game. It’s so clear that The Origami King is trying to have its cake and eat it too when it comes to its combat system. It’s so strange to me how optional the game is to play. I did go for completing every challenge presented to me, but I can definitely foresee players skipping ahead because of the lack of incentives. I applaud Paper Mario: The Origami King for trying something new, but am worried that the friction between its ongoing genre identity is going to keep the series running around in circles.

The Origami King is a game greater than the sum of its parts. It reaffirms Nintendo’s status as king of innovation, even if the folds don’t quite align. [Issue #2, p.66]

Paper Mario deserves better. The prestige of a Final Fantasy veteran appropriating his magic onto a handicraft world deserves better. The unforgettable wit and lovable cast expanding Mario lore deserves better. And we know that Intelligent Systems can do better than committing themselves to a misguided identity crisis.

Despite being charming and oftentimes funny with some great set piece moments sprinkled throughout, Paper Mario: The Origami King’s repetitive combat and dull sense of progression hampers an otherwise enjoyable journey.

With a rich world to explore, secrets to find and fantastic writing at every step, Paper Mario: The Origami King often feels like Nintendo at its very best. But a baffling battle system and forgettable characters get in the way, holding back what could have been a sincerely exceptional adventure.

A fun game despite the RPG dynamics and depth that were thrown into the background.

Paper Mario: The Origami King offers a surprisingly charming and fun adventure with some fun platforming mechanics. I only wish the game had focused more on the role playing aspects or simply cut them away, as the battles become too dull to enjoy after the first hour or so.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a charming Mario adventure marred by a difficult and tedious battle system.

Intelligent Systems have come close to perfecting the look and tone of Paper Mario with The Origami King, but at the cost of landing on a gameplay identity that encapsulates the series' legacy while providing fun innovations to the formula. As such, this game falls below the plethora of first-party Switch games that have taken their series to new heights, but that doesn't mean it's a soggy, crumbled piece of paper either. Paper Mario: The Origami King is a hilarious, dazzling joy ride, that frustratingly doesn't solve all of the issues from recent entries.

There’s a lot of joy to be found in Paper Mario: The Origami King, but its shallow combat and monotonous nature makes for a glib experience that crumples under pressure.

The best thing I can say about Paper Mario: The Origami King is that it has some major problems, but the story is great enough and so worth experiencing that it's worth trudging through the negatives to experience it at least once. Like a lot of first-time origami projects, it starts rough, but it's worth seeing through to the end.

As a longtime fan of the series, Paper Mario: The Origami King has its trademark humor and charm, but misses its appealing RPG gameplay.

A visually beautiful and hilariously well-written experience let down by an overbearing and clunky fundamental gameplay system. Unfortunately, Paper Mario: The Origami King falls flat in its attempts to bring one too many things into the fold.

Paper Mario: The Origami King may not be the best game in the series, but it remains a pretty good adventure thanks to funny scenes, a clean realization and diverse and varied situations.

The Origami King is a truly likeable game despite the shallowness of its new spin on gameplay. Its characters are winsome, its visual design is gorgeous, its world is fun to explore, and its storytelling is outside the box and playful. At the same time, however, it could be so much more. Combat is largely unfulfilling, and your journey as a whole lacks meaningful choices. For a series with RPG roots, that’s a real shame.

A solid, wonderfully charming adventure-come-puzzle title. Thankfully, for series’ fans, it’s closer to Color Splash than it is to Sticker Star, but the game still doesn’t come close to The Thousand-Year Door territory. Perhaps this is down to The Origami King’s need to do everything at once, rather than focus on one core element of gameplay. Until the series can truly settle and develop an identity to call its own, Paper Mario will always be a little creased in the corners.

With a new open world focused on exploration, a revised combat structure and a greater emphasis on plot, The Origami King firmly establishes Paper Mario foremost as an action-adventure game, drastically slowed down by the pacing of turn-based combat.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a solid, but unremarkable sequel. It's like a table of snack food at a party, where you'll happily nibble away just because you're stood next to it or feeling a bit peckish, but it's not exactly going to fill you up. The new battle puzzles and the boss fights in particular stand out, but the world and endless Toads fail to spark the same delight. This feels like a missed opportunity.

There are elements acting as a glue-stick, keeping Paper Mario: The Origami King from completely falling apart, but it is in desperate need of a vision. If you really need a Mario fix, look to the superior Super Mario Odyssey, which is already available on the Switch.

If you’re a fan of the series then you can’t go wrong, but it’s not the strongest game in the franchise with its plain bad battle system, regardless of how charming and beautiful it is.

As is the case with Paper Mario: The Origami King, Nintendo’s ability to make consistently beautiful games will almost always manage to keep their scores above average; but, their recent refusal to make a game that does not insist on dragging the player through extremely easy gameplay, holding the player’s hand the entire time, will continue to keep their score low. This is not even mentioning the abysmal battle system.

In the end, Paper Mario The Origami King is a fine game, but throughout the years Nintendo has delivered games that are far better. If the game was a bit more challenging it would have gone a long way for the overall enjoyment.

Can a game show significant improvement over its predecessors while further entrenching itself along the wrong path? Origami King certainly tries, making a game that’s a blast to read and gorgeous in screenshots but just not that fun to play. In many ways, it delivers the quality and polish you expect from Nintendo. As a full package and a time investment, it’s hard to recommend.

I wish this game lived up to the slogan „A new paper-crafted Mario adventure unfolds on Nintendo Switch!“. The storytelling really does not unfold enough making this insufficiently interesting game. Beautiful to the eye but empty.

The genuinely thought-provoking Ring Battle system, engaging puzzle design, and care given to Olivia's characterisation all make The Origami King the best Paper Mario since the series' Wii outing, but that wasn't a high bar to begin with and the series is still struggling to come up with an engaging gameplay loop in light of the lessened RPG elements. Without experience or levelling, random battles lose their lustre fast.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a light-hearted and casual action-adventure game with the most basic of RPG elements thrown in that will appeal most to younger Switch owners and newer Paper Mario fans. It’s a visual feast, easy to jump in and great for kids. The combat is far from challenging, and there’s far more of an emphasis on light puzzle-solving and breezy exploration that hooks you in with constant paper puns and a fully realised, papercraft world to explore instead of a compelling epic narrative worthy of a storybook.

The Origami King contains some of the series’ standout moments – almost all of them related to its enjoyable script and wonderful, varied environments – but it also frustrates with some disappointing new features and all-too-familiar missteps.

Paper Mario: The Origami King once again takes the series in a completely different direction. Mushroom Kingdom is bigger and more alive than it’s ever been, but it comes packaged with a combat system that quickly becomes stagnant.

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a fun, colorful JRPG that trips itself up by either overthinking or underthinking one of its core elements. Besides the highly entertaining boss fights, the unsatisfying, puzzle-based combat system misses the mark.