Paper Mario: The Origami King

 Switch
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
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  1. Peable
    Jul 29, 2020
    2
    Pros: Amazing graphics, amazing music. Good yet pretty sad story.

    Cons: The combat system. Man, that thing is bad. Even the game makers knew it was bad, so they give you a puzzle solver option after the first act so you dont have to fight! Boss battles arent fun either. The battles dont give XP or make you stronger, they just throw gold coins at you so you can buy more failing    Pros: Amazing graphics, amazing music. Good yet pretty sad story.

    Cons: The combat system. Man, that thing is bad. Even the game makers knew it was bad, so they give you a puzzle solver option after the first act so you dont have to fight!

    Boss battles arent fun either.

    The battles dont give XP or make you stronger, they just throw gold coins at you so you can buy more failing items.

    The game is overall not even close in quality to the very first 2 paper mario games, which were truly great.

    Pass your way, fellow gamer    … Expand
  2. Samusgamgee
    Jul 30, 2020
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was a huge fan of the original two Paper Mario games (and even Super Mario RPG for SNES) but I would not recommend this title. The combat system is tedious and boring. There is no leveling system and there are no experience points to be gained. The boss designs are all based on office supplies: hole punch, rubber band man, etc. Olivia and her brother are both annoying. The music and art style are nice but that’s it. Go back to what works Nintendo! Make Mario RPG’s great again!… Expand
  3. Droland
    Aug 16, 2020
    3
    Good story but the combat system is so awful the game is painful to play. I actively avoid normal enemy's and combat is plain dreadful.
  4. Oliphaunt89
    Aug 21, 2020
    4
    Charming aesthetic and entertaining comedy but let down quite spectacularly by the combat that feels like it was designed inside of five minutes by an intern who had recently received a blow to the head. Add to this the obtuse exploration system that simply does not make this 2d style work in a 3d environment and what you're left with is yet another missed opportunity for a fun Mario Game.Charming aesthetic and entertaining comedy but let down quite spectacularly by the combat that feels like it was designed inside of five minutes by an intern who had recently received a blow to the head. Add to this the obtuse exploration system that simply does not make this 2d style work in a 3d environment and what you're left with is yet another missed opportunity for a fun Mario Game.
    Nintendo, sort yourselves out and remaster Ocarina of Time for the Switch already.    … Expand
  5. Trayvon69
    Aug 22, 2020
    0
    This is definitely the worst Mario game that has been developed. The only good aspect of the game and the thing that gets it attention are the cartoony graphics. Other than that this games is extremely slow and drawn out. The battles are a huge annoyance and pointless. Please try it out before you buy it so you can truly see how bad it is all of the good ratings are from people in denialThis is definitely the worst Mario game that has been developed. The only good aspect of the game and the thing that gets it attention are the cartoony graphics. Other than that this games is extremely slow and drawn out. The battles are a huge annoyance and pointless. Please try it out before you buy it so you can truly see how bad it is all of the good ratings are from people in denial of buying such a lousy game.… Expand
  6. Geoshi
    Aug 25, 2020
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Paper Mario The Origami King while a decent game on it's own it still suffers a lot of problems with the previous two games.

    PROS:

    -The soundtrack

    -The visual art style, though reused from Color Splash

    -Some good moments, charm, funny and good character personality

    -Bowser not being the main villain, in fact not even a boss at all but your ally.

    -No World Map and interconnected open areas.

    -Olivia is a likable character than Kersti and Huey.

    -Luigi has a big role.

    CONS:

    -Battles are boring, repetitive, and still unreasonable, you may as well avoid them because you can find tons of coins and confetti in the overworld, besides even from battles you get way too much. The battle system is repetitive and tedious. The attacking variety is lacking with a lack of upgrades too.

    -Lack of NPCs, just generic Toads and Bowser's minions (only on your side because of the Folded Soldiers). Paper gimmick of original characters, Not even Yoshis (which were in Color Splash, but are hostile to you, minus the green one), Penguins, Bob-omb Buddies Piantas, Nokis, Odyssey NPCs, etc.

    -Partners are very generic in design, They are also very useless because, besides Professor Toad, they have no overworld interaction, They are just Ai and only attack at random chances and they are overpowered and just added for the heck of it. They can't be kept for each chapter.

    -Bosses are mostly just generic office tools and paper you can buy at a dollar store. The worst way to introduce new bosses in the weak modern era of Paper Mario.

    -Enemy variety is lackluster and some are overly hidden from other enemies. There are new ones but only appear in Bowser's Castle and they are gone after you beat it.

    -Aside from Chapter 2, The worlds are your usual Mario worlds. (Grass, Desert, Beach, Sky)

    -King Olly is the worst villain out of all general and Paper Mario villains. His motives were just getting a little squiggle writing on his body by his creator and with it to remind him of being a good king and he gets so enraged and wants to destroy every Toad all over it. He also lacks having any screentime.

    -No intermissions like the first 3 games after a chapter are beaten.

    -Mario has no voice lines like in TTYD and SPM, just sound effects yet Luigi, Peach, Bowser, and Toads can have voice clips oddly.

    -Over constant use of Paper gimmicks and jokes again which has gotten very stale. Paper Mario was not about being paper, it was meant to look like a pop-up book with a 2D art style to reflect being a storybook, it was just a visual aesthetic of making the world look alive and cartoony, not being about crafts which disrespect Ryota Kawade's vision for the series. Also while Mario was fallen down like paper and leaves falling that was more of a visual gag because once he lands, he's still hurt. Curses which turn into paper forms from TTYD weren't Mario's own powers they were cursed upon him when unlocking and finding the black chests

    -No replayability.

    -Lack of sidequests.

    -Some empty level design

    -Worst of all, to 102% the game, you need to NOT use accessories and get NO Game Overs and the reward isn't worth it at all, You get no reward for fin
    You aren't even given a heads up for it and if you make that mistake and find out like what you're reading here, You have the beat the entire game all over again if you make one slip up with those tasks. Horrible game design for completionists to do.

    This game is still not a proper return to form and neither is this game a true RPG either which is what Paper Mario was always about at its core.
    The Paper Mario series needs a different and better team that either brings back the original staff from the original two Paper Mario games or get a brand new better team that can put more care into the series. Especially bringing back the original Chief Director, Ryota Kawade from the first three Paper Mario games. Taro Kudo, Risa Tabata and most especially Kensuke Tanabe need to be removed from this series because they're tone-deaf to the fans and prefer only their way of which backfires and Kensuke Tanabe has alienated the Paper Mario fans Even his interviews were disgusting to read because he thinks changing the gameplay system will fix everything. Paper Mario suffers from having both an inconsistent identity and gameplay which hurts the series branding and core. So in that conclusion why fix what the first two games did great on? SPM may have removed the turn-based battles, but it at least had RPG elements and especially leveling up and the best story in the Mario series of all with tons of spark. The Origami King is just another baby-step from Sticker Star and Color Splash little improvements which is not a proper way of addressing criticism. At this point, the Paper Mario series is dying.    … Expand
  7. Kfdhgdd
    Sep 17, 2020
    0
    This game felt like the developers were screwing with me the entire time. At every turn there's something to slow you down from progressing through the "game" which is just a chore. The bosses are probably the only half fun part of this game and even that is a stretch. Do me a favor and don't buy this game, don't support a **** game studio that CLEARLY doesn't give a damn what kind ofThis game felt like the developers were screwing with me the entire time. At every turn there's something to slow you down from progressing through the "game" which is just a chore. The bosses are probably the only half fun part of this game and even that is a stretch. Do me a favor and don't buy this game, don't support a **** game studio that CLEARLY doesn't give a damn what kind of absolute garbage they push out.… Expand
  8. Prittii
    Jan 6, 2021
    1
    I loved RPG paper marios and was hoping for an RPG, but what I’ve got is this visually ugly game (seriously, some people think these are nice graphics??? Overly colourful, it looks like made 30 years ago), the most boring fighting system I’ve ever seen, a tiring soundtrack... basically, I like nothing about this game! It’s the first Mario game I played that I gave up before ending. So sad,I loved RPG paper marios and was hoping for an RPG, but what I’ve got is this visually ugly game (seriously, some people think these are nice graphics??? Overly colourful, it looks like made 30 years ago), the most boring fighting system I’ve ever seen, a tiring soundtrack... basically, I like nothing about this game! It’s the first Mario game I played that I gave up before ending. So sad, because the RPG paper marios were absolutely amazing.
    I think most of these good reviews here are fakes. How can people like this game? I find it terrible and I’m not a picky gamer.    … Expand
  9. wumbo26848
    Dec 30, 2020
    0
    Has none of the charm that it’s predecessors possessed (excluding the abominable bore that was Sticker Star). And timed puzzles in the midst of battles that determine how much damage you do? What a dazzling idea. Nintendo should stop trying to continue the Paper Mario series at this point.
  10. Jofe
    May 15, 2022
    1
    Very bad. The battle system is awful and uninteresting. Only the OST is still good.
  11. Mogmog000
    Jan 24, 2023
    0
    The tempo of the battle is not good.
    The story and characters are not appealing.
    Mini-games are boring.
  12. Chaoxys
    Jul 18, 2020
    3
    It's a fun romp if you avoid battles, the issue being that I should feel like I have to avoid battles to enjoy a game. The ring based system was interesting at first, but grows old very early on and without and real reward for battling, it just doesn't feel fun to fight.

    Another issue is that due to no partners, your OW abilities are limited. A number of puzzles come down to "Toss    It's a fun romp if you avoid battles, the issue being that I should feel like I have to avoid battles to enjoy a game. The ring based system was interesting at first, but grows old very early on and without and real reward for battling, it just doesn't feel fun to fight.

    Another issue is that due to no partners, your OW abilities are limited. A number of puzzles come down to "Toss confetti to win", which is rather boring.

    The game offers nice music and interesting locations, but it's missing aspects that make it actually fun to play.    … Expand
  13. Pubamaroth
    Jul 18, 2020
    0
    Still absolutely no good reason to fight enemies. Bosses are generic office items. They put the helper system back in, but ruined it completely. Stick with the first three Paper Mario games.
  14. SrRay
    Jul 18, 2020
    0
    I was really looking forward to nintendo doing something innovative and fun, but this game sucks like any other, I regret buying a Nintendo Switch and I regret buying this game.
  15. rpacoc
    Jul 18, 2020
    0
    Ya cansa mucho que sobreexploten un personaje durante más de 30 años. Nintendo sabe que si hace otro juego con otro personaje no venderá. Nintendo no apuesta y nunca dejará al fontanero.
  16. DrWANG
    Jul 20, 2020
    0
    I do not recommend this game, it's boring AF.
    The Worst Nintendo Game Ever!!!!
  17. ShadowSiren69
    Jul 23, 2020
    0
    great puzzle game did not feel like a paper Mario game. Paper Mario has always been an rpg that tells a story and this game has that and it looks beautiful. unfortunately there is no leveling and getting stronger. the battle mechanics are just puzzles which can be fun for the first couple fights and become a chore later on. there are no side kicks .
    I liked the music the art and the    great puzzle game did not feel like a paper Mario game. Paper Mario has always been an rpg that tells a story and this game has that and it looks beautiful. unfortunately there is no leveling and getting stronger. the battle mechanics are just puzzles which can be fun for the first couple fights and become a chore later on. there are no side kicks .
    I liked the music the art and the series but I am not going to play it I will have my sister do that chore.    … Expand
  18. RealPaperMario
    Jul 18, 2020
    0
    I Really wanted this game to be good. I liked the style of the new paper mario, but did want a little more variety. This just feels uninspired. It has nearly no new enemys or characters. I think the first 3 games handled new characters, and especially bosses, extremely well. But now, The bosses are just origami or household utensils, and the enemys are bland. Battling is less fun, as nowI Really wanted this game to be good. I liked the style of the new paper mario, but did want a little more variety. This just feels uninspired. It has nearly no new enemys or characters. I think the first 3 games handled new characters, and especially bosses, extremely well. But now, The bosses are just origami or household utensils, and the enemys are bland. Battling is less fun, as now the battle system just doesn't click. The characters are all toads, goombas, koopas, or other older mario enemys. If you want a paper mario rpg, check out Bug Fables: Everlasting Spring. If you like the idea of a paper world, get tearaway. This game doesnt do either well.… Expand
  19. Mackt
    Jul 20, 2020
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Juego incompleto y extremadamente corto, es demasiado infantil, yo creo que hasta los niños pequeños se aburren con este juego.… Expand
  20. jpabloccix
    Jul 20, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Pros
    At the beginning the art is beautiful, the music is ok and the history seems interesting, the music is ok and the first time you open your menu you star to imagine all the cool stuff it will come in this game (unfortunatelly is just your imagination)...

    Cons
    Later in the game (so much later due tons of text) you have your first fight
    After the first fights you realize that you receive no experience nor points nor material for crafting, nothing, just a bored useless fight, then there is no point in fighting and then you just try to avoid fighting every time you can and when the minions get you to have a fight is really ANOYING even more the WAVE FIGHTS
    You get deeper in the game, in fact you have been playing for HOURS and Olivia (your yellow Origami "Navi") is still giving you instructions about HOW TO FIGHT
    Finally when you defeat the first boss and you met your first party member you start thinking that the game mechanics will change for good... but NO... your partner is useless, you can't command him to make any attack or something is just literally SLEEPING while you are fighting

    So yes... this is a bad game, with bad fight mechanics and you will spent hours and hours on trying to avoid the origami soldiers minions and find hidden useless toads just for fun...    … Expand
  21. SteadyMoblin
    Jul 26, 2020
    0
    Make no mistake, this is Sticker Star 3. And it might be the worst of the trilogy. Easily the worst first party Nintendo game I've played in the last decade.
  22. bound4earth
    Jul 26, 2020
    3
    Pros
    Sounds great
    Looks like Paper Mario Adventuring is great Cons Everything else This is the first time I have ever given a game from a series that I love below a 6/7. Nintendo or Tanabe lost the plot, the story isn't just nonexistent it is horrific how bad it actually presents the little story that exists. They insert the ultimate Navi, she interjects so often, I find myself    Pros
    Sounds great
    Looks like Paper Mario
    Adventuring is great

    Cons
    Everything else

    This is the first time I have ever given a game from a series that I love below a 6/7. Nintendo or Tanabe lost the plot, the story isn't just nonexistent it is horrific how bad it actually presents the little story that exists. They insert the ultimate Navi, she interjects so often, I find myself hating her and wishing she died. The combat is the worst I have seen in any AAA game. They just nuked the entire Paper Mario series. Tanabe doesn't even care, he did an interview where nothing that worked in the series previously can be used in the series going forward. So the next game is probably going to be an apocalypse. No thanks, I am out. What happened to you Nintendo? I thought you had a quality assurance team.

    Nintendo saw Last of Us 2 and said, hold my beer. We can do better by making every aspect of the game the antitheses of the entire series.    … Expand
  23. TheMusingMan
    Dec 30, 2020
    0
    It's fun, not overly complicated, and has that treasure hunting element as you try and find all the hidden blocks, toads, and treasure chests. Sure the battle system is weird, but hey, if you like puzzles they it's just fine.
  24. MoldyMarshmello
    Jul 30, 2020
    2
    A soulless cashgrab piece of shovelware that doesn't carry the spirit of the first two Paper Mario games, it's not a RPG by any stretch of the imagination, yes, it may be better than the previous two installments, it's still a steaming pile of garbage. There is no reason to engage in combat as you get nothing out of it.
  25. amiboss
    Sep 8, 2020
    0
    Battles are unintuitive and frustrating;
    Visuals are fine, but too paper-ish. Look at PM64, TYD and SPM: Paper-ish world does not make a good Paper Mario, and a good PM does not require one either.
    And no, no real partners...
    6/10 as normal gamer;
    0/10 for PM series fan.
  26. McBro
    Nov 27, 2020
    0
    They removed everything good about Paper Mario and made it a boring life less shell. Battles are literally pointless, causing me to let out an audible "sigh" every time I'm forced into one. Don't even waste your money, go buy Bug Fables
  27. Sevasvm18
    Jul 19, 2020
    0
    Un juego demasiado simple que no aporta nada nuevo en jugabilidad ni historia. Solo por tener el personaje de Mario piensan vender, pero no alcanza para ser un juego decente.
  28. willdunn789
    Aug 11, 2020
    0
    Just a nauseatingly bad game. Absolutely horrific. The battle system is so bad you try to avoid it and there is no leveling up so battles are pointless to begin with, the characters are boring and unmemorable and your partners are absolutely useless, there's no badge system, the list goes on for a mile long with all of the things that suck about this game. Just nothing has gone right here.Just a nauseatingly bad game. Absolutely horrific. The battle system is so bad you try to avoid it and there is no leveling up so battles are pointless to begin with, the characters are boring and unmemorable and your partners are absolutely useless, there's no badge system, the list goes on for a mile long with all of the things that suck about this game. Just nothing has gone right here. An absolute disgrace of a game. At this point I'm just trying to get through this so my money isn't completely wasted, but I'm really only able to play for 10 minutes or so before I lose all motivation to continue. 60 dollars just down the drain. Whatever you do, do NOT buy this mess of a game.… Expand
  29. Mish12
    Jul 30, 2020
    4
    Despite having what I consider to be a good base, I think paper Mario the origami king flops on any potential it had. I don’t care that it wasn’t a return to form, since bug fables had that covered, but I just didn’t enjoy my time with this game. The worlds are too big so I consistently got lost, and the combat never evolves past the first enemies your shown. Not only that but this gameDespite having what I consider to be a good base, I think paper Mario the origami king flops on any potential it had. I don’t care that it wasn’t a return to form, since bug fables had that covered, but I just didn’t enjoy my time with this game. The worlds are too big so I consistently got lost, and the combat never evolves past the first enemies your shown. Not only that but this game tries to have its cake and eat it too, by being an adventure game with RPG like combat and yet no XP system. And to me the worst part is that half the time I had no idea what to do, and since traversing the world took so long I would get incredibly bored. However, I think the art style and humor are on point, i just wish everything else was… Expand
  30. TurboK
    Feb 11, 2021
    0
    The most underrated game of 2020, the visuals, story, characters, boss battles and graphics are all perfect.

    Just because the regular battles might get a bit boring over time did not take away from the game bring fantastic and my 2nd favorite Paper Mario game.
  31. Dorkiemunko
    Aug 12, 2020
    0
    Paper Mario: The Origami King is a downright terrible game with unfun and useless combat, a nonsensical and uncreative story, and relentlessly unfunny writing.
  32. Ttxxdd
    Aug 1, 2020
    0
    Poor controls, graphics are mediocre, story is long and boring. I would not recommend this game.
  33. meowarfmoo
    Apr 24, 2021
    1
    I don't mind this game going with a completely different play style than a traditional Mario game. The problem I have with this game is how slow everything is. Not being able to skip, or fast forward, through all the scenes and bubble talk is just ridiculous. It takes 15 minutes to go through the forced tutorial, just to learn what 4 buttons do, no thanks. If your game does not allow theI don't mind this game going with a completely different play style than a traditional Mario game. The problem I have with this game is how slow everything is. Not being able to skip, or fast forward, through all the scenes and bubble talk is just ridiculous. It takes 15 minutes to go through the forced tutorial, just to learn what 4 buttons do, no thanks. If your game does not allow the user to skip the boring stuff, you've already lost. I didn't buy a Mario game to read, or have me press the "next page" button until it falls off. I bought a game to play, yet the game doesn't seem to want me to play it.… Expand
  34. nz500
    Jun 21, 2022
    3
    This game is such a tease. So close to being incredible, but ultimately unplayable due to battle system.
  35. MarkusZ
    Aug 5, 2023
    4
    This Paper Mario Game was one of my biggest disappointment in my video game history. At first you are amazed about the beautiful graphics and artstyle but then when you enter a battle you can't believe what they have done. I really hated the battle-system so much that i cound not go on with this game. For me it's by far the worst Paper Mario game ever created!
  36. TreasureOrTrash
    Sep 8, 2023
    0
    Trash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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
  1. Ninty Fresh Magazine
    Dec 21, 2020
    70
    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]
  2. Universo Nintendo
    Dec 16, 2020
    95
    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.
    Read full review
  3. Hey Poor Player
    Oct 29, 2020
    70
    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.
    Read full review
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