As part of the typical Nintendo hype cycle, the company has uploaded a new trailer that gives fans an overview of what to expect with Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It’s kind of funny to start with the narrator being surprised Mario is made of paper considering we’ve had six games in the series, but I appreciate the dedication to rewinding the clock to 2004. It makes this release feel like a brand-new game all over again.
What players can expect on Switch is a lot of what made The Thousand-Year Door a fan favorite. There are “new” partner characters, a side-story with Peach, and various environmental puzzles. The first completely new thing you can hear in the trailer is remixed music. It sounds very nice, though I’m sure diehard fans will want to stick to the original soundtrack (a feature that was included in the Super Mario RPG remake last year). Sadly, there is one change that is sure to be contentious: the framerate.
As various previews have confirmed this morning, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will run at 30 FPS on Switch. (Like this preview from Nintendo Life) In previous trailers, fans were hoping Nintendo was showing pre-release footage that wasn’t finalized, but that isn’t the case. While 30 FPS for a game such as Paper Mario isn’t the worst thing in the world, the GameCube original ran at 60 FPS. It will be jarring for returning fans.
Still, the visual presentation looks second-to-none and I’m sure there will be some alterations that make the game more palatable to modern audiences. If nothing else, the success of this remake will likely clue Nintendo into keeping Paper Mario as an RPG series instead of… whatever it is right now.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will be hitting Switch on May 23, 2024. Pre-orders are live at Best Buy now. (Affiliate Link)
