It’s now July and that means we’re just a matter of weeks away from the Paper Mario series making its Switch debut. In the lead up to Origami King, Game Informer has shared a preview on the game. It includes some new information directly from the developers on topics such as the new battle system, the game’s maps and world size, and the role of partners.
For one, the battle system came about from a desire to continuously try new things in the Mario RPGs the team has worked on. After settling on Mario being surrounded by enemies as a central idea, which turned the battlefield into a sort of dartboard shape, it took a serendipitous shower to realize adding vertical rotations as well (ala a Rubik’s Cube) would take that idea even further and was simple enough to implement.
Other features will be coins being usable to buy both more time to rotate and advice from the Toads in the audience. As these battles are a bit more like a puzzle, in that there’s an optimal way to arrange enemies for jump and hammer attacks, having help at the ready for solutions may be welcome. Boss fights were also discussed, along with a whiteboard ‘map’ of the concept, as they flip the script and have the members of the Legion of Stationary at the center and Mario around the edges (as seen in the most recent trailer).
The game world was also discussed (and some gorgeous concept art was shared), highlighting that maps for areas will be larger and more exploratory than in previous games. Since King Olly has massive streamers containing Peach’s Castle, the dev team sought to make these present and visible as you work through the game. They and other interesting sights will be guides to get you from place to place, while also complimenting that scale. It’s also stated that the “Chapter” structure won’t be returning, opting instead for more seamless traversal.
As for partners, they may come and go as the story progresses. Rather than building a party, they’re joining in for the story where the team felt appropriate to serve some sort of purpose. The first of these decided on was Bobby the Bob-Omb, and the only traveling companion to deviate from that strategy was Bowser Jr. The young Koopa came about from a desire to feature a story of a son out to rescue their father, meaning the character was chosen before the specific events surrounding them.
Game Informer’s Paper Mario: The Origami King preview is worth a readthrough, as these are just the highlights. As we come closer to the game’s July 17th release, expect more information to come to light. In the meantime, let us know what’s got you most curious from this latest batch of Origami King news.
Written by Ricky Berg
When he isn’t writing for Nintendo Wire, Ricky’s anticipating the next Kirby, Fire Emblem, or if the stars ever align, Mother 3 to be released. Till then he’ll have the warm comfort of Super Smash Bros. to keep him going.
