Paper Mario: The Origami King

 Switch
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 116 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 87 out of 116
  2. Mixed: 29 out of 116
  3. Negative: 0 out of 116
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  1. Ars Technica
    Jul 15, 2020
    Buy it for a family-friendly casual romp through a fun, colorful world. Skip if you're looking for a deep, involved RPG experience.
  2. Eurogamer
    Jul 15, 2020
    Nintendo sketches another warm and colourful Paper Mario adventure, though never traces its full potential.
  3. Kotaku
    Jul 15, 2020
    I’m not sure why Nintendo feels that Paper Mario can’t be a role-playing game: What exactly was the issue with the original games, which were widely praised and sold very well? But the major issue for me was not that Nintendo removed the series’ RPG mechanics, but that what it replaced them with was not as good. Origami King might not be the successor to Thousand-Year Door for which fans have been clamoring, but this time the formula works, allowing the series’ great writing and worlds to shine through.
  5. Polygon
    Jul 15, 2020
    For so much of Paper Mario: The Origami King, that’s true. I want to share it with my nieces and nephews, as well as my grown friends. But I hesitate due to the frustration of the combat and those imposing boss battles — those moments where I wish I had someone else to take over on the controller.
  6. The Verge
    Jul 15, 2020
    The fact that The Origami King is a great game almost feels like a bonus. It could’ve simply been a vehicle for Nintendo’s goofs, and I would’ve enjoyed it, such is the rarity of truly funny comedy games. But it also happens to be a fantastic example of how to freshen up the classic RPG formula with a few new ideas and clever simplification. In virtually every regard, the latest Paper Mario is anything but flat.
  7. Vice
    Jul 30, 2020
    The end result is that you’re spending a lot of time in combat, and increasingly, I’m putting on a podcast and zoning out whenever that happens now. The Origami King even includes an option to spend money to have the game automatically move many of the enemies into the right spot, making even the most challenging fights trivial. The Origami King has so many options to help avoid combat, without being honest with itself and letting you skip it entirely.

Awards & Rankings

66
#66 Best Switch Game of 2020
2
#2 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1769 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,103 out of 1769
  2. Mixed: 269 out of 1769
  3. Negative: 397 out of 1769
  1. 01052004
    Jul 18, 2020
    10
    Good Game, Its a Paper Mario Classic with a good adventure, that game its so beatyful
  2. Valleyofquacks
    Jul 18, 2020
    2
    No badges, no exp, no unique characters or playable sidekicks, lame "puzzle" battles. +1 point for beautiful artwork and +1 for a beautifulNo badges, no exp, no unique characters or playable sidekicks, lame "puzzle" battles. +1 point for beautiful artwork and +1 for a beautiful soundtrack. Please let someone else design the battle system and quests. Perhaps team up with square enix again?… Full Review »
  3. LunchBox33
    Jul 18, 2020
    6
    PROS
    - Good adventure game
    - Beautiful game - Creative fight mechanic - Cool Boss Fights CONS - Not an RPG - The hole fighting    PROS
    - Good adventure game
    - Beautiful game
    - Creative fight mechanic
    - Cool Boss Fights

    CONS
    - Not an RPG
    - The hole fighting mechanic is completely useless
    - "Partners" if you can call them that, are pretty much useless
    - The First part is horribly slow and painful

    CONCLUSION
    - It's a okay mario ADVENTURE game
    - It's not a Paper Mario Game since paper mario games are RPGs    … Full Review »
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