Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a faithful and beautifully done remaster of the greatest entry in the Paper Mario series. From fixing the ancient wrong of the US release to the addition of new and incredibly convenient features like fast travel and the ability to switch partners on the fly, Nintendo has somehow taken something made of pure gold and added a pure gold plating.

Thousand Year Door is a remake done right. The new sound and visuals look terrific. The game's essential identity has been preserved. Plus, the original release is able to shine through with no distractions. It's exactly as wonderful as you remember it being. I'm still impressed with the writing, and the level design is mostly excellent. I still hate the tournament arc, though. And I wish some of the puzzles didn't involve scouring a dungeon until a forgotten button or door is dragged into the sunlight. Although the original release is amazing, it's also nearly impossible to play anymore. For new and old fans, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is an essential addition to the Nintendo Switch library.

"My first JRPG", with great sagacity and a charm that still stands out, but now weighed down by the years - and by mechanics that seemed easy to correct.

The Thousand-Year Door is a beautiful remake of one of the best Mario RPGs. It isn’t particularly ambitious beyond its new graphics and a couple of nice surprises, but if you haven’t played the original or simply fancy rediscovering this GameCube classic, it is a fantastic choice for Switch players.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remakes the original in all the elementary ways, but also improves it in a few key aspects. It recreates the mechanics and the atmosphere of the first games with genuine precision, and injects simple ways for new players to immerse themselves into the paper world of Mario.