Mario & Luigi Paper Jam
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Rating Summary
Based on 57 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Score Distribution
Unscored Reviews
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is better than the last effort. It's not the best in the series, but it shines at times.
Top Critic
Delightful, yet tedious. Paper Jam is beautifully crafted but just doesn't know when to quit.
Top Critic
The bar has been set high for 2016: The wonderful meshing of twitch and RPG based combat, constantly growing list of abilities, ever changing enemy types, and all around charm sets Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam apart from other RPGs. Almost every aspect of Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam coalesces into a near perfect game. That's quite the feat considering how many different things are jammed into this little package. There's almost always something new to do after every notable encounter, which is important in a genre that is flooded with games that become exercises in rote repetition long before they end. Paper Jam is roughly 30 hours of portable gaming joy, and a great start to a year that should be loaded with JRPG styled goodness.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros is wholesome, warm, but occasionally wearisome.
Top Critic
The best way to sum up Paper Jam as a game: safe. Too safe for its own good.
Top Critic
Those clever, dialogue-driven interludes are all the downtime Paper Jam needs. Yet it pads itself out with mindless chores that waste time and momentum.
Scored Reviews
Top Critic
AlphaDream has refined its own RPG formula to near-perfection while accommodating another series. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is a modern classic.
Top Critic
This game is in no way a revolution of what's come before, but that doesn't matter one bit - the mechanics are still as solid as they always were, the humour still makes my face ache from smiling, and not once did it ever outstay its welcome.
Top Critic
For what it lacks in a "unique" storyline, Paper Jam makes up for in spades, leaving it as the best Mario & Luigi title yet.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi continues to have the best sense of humor of Nintendo's assorted franchises, and a quicker pace in the tutorial and storytelling departments make this one of the best entries yet
Top Critic
Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam manages to be more than the sum of its parts delivering a steadily challenging RPG experience with light-hearted, witty writing throughout.
Top Critic
All in all, Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam is still a fun RPG that fans of the previous game will enjoy. The mini games regarding the Paper Toads are really annoying and monotonous after a while, but the core game play is solid and works really well. Top that off with a great art style and some pretty funny humor, and there's still a lot of enjoyment to be had with Paper Jam. I still highly suggest it.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam has personality. There's a little bit of extraneous filler here, in the form of papercraft battles and optional amiibo cards, but people who chose to focus on the delightful story, fantastic battle system, and assortment of mini-games will be more than happy to join Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario on their adventure.
Top Critic
Even though the visuals are a bit softer and there are a few elements you may have run into before, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam continues the winning streak for the team at Alphadream. It's done remarkable work mixing the Paper Mario universe into the mix, and the hilarious script, backed by a strong combat system, will keep RPG fans of all ages pleased. This is one adventure that certainly doesn't wear thin.
Top Critic
The latest entry in the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario series is a good one. The new trio works smoothly, and the game is as funny as it always been. But the Paper Toad missions are a bit tedious and the Papercraft battles lack something.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Top Critic
"Mario & Luigi Paper Jam" brings together two Mario worlds and manages to pull it off. The game continues to do a great job in combining RPG and action elements in its combat, which remains the biggest strength of games in the series. Admittedly, the micromanaging and multitasking can get too hectic at times for some folks. The story, while cute and charming, also doesn't have the meat that RPGs are typically known for. Folks who enjoy Mario's RPG series or want and engaging old school-style JRPG experience with Mario characters, however, will find this game to be jamming in a good way.
Top Critic
Mario and Luigi Paper Jam successfully mixes the two long-running Mario RPG series, but outside of a few new Paper-based gameplay surprises it's the same solid, self-aware role playing experience you'd expect from the Mario and Luigi series.
Top Critic
Though slow in parts, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is fun, funny, and simply feels good to play. A must-play for Mario RPG fans of all stripes.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. brings forth a very interesting and fun crossover between two of Nintendo's most cherished series featuring some of its most appreciated characters. The two worlds come together in a very successful way, even if it's clear that the mechanics of the Mario & Luigi series are more predominant than those of the Paper Mario series. The amount of tutorials could be lower to make the experience more fluid and its plot is too predictable but this remains a fun and enticing title.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Top Critic
'Mario and Luigi Paper Jam' is the next Mario spin-off for the Nintendo 3DS, bringing an enjoyable and challenging RPG to the handheld console.
Top Critic
Nintendo's latest handheld RPG is bursting with entertaining activities and a clever wit to boot. Just don't use your Amiibo with it and you'll have a blast.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is a wonderful mashup of two already great series. The visuals aren't all that impressive, even for the 3DS, but the gameplay is classic Mario RPG stuff. Fans of either series will like how these two come together in the story department, with a truly enjoyable script that will have players laughing throughout.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is a solid adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom
Top Critic
With superb writing and fun combat, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is another solid addition to the series' lineup. While the game does seem to lose focus once in awhile, and capturing Paper Toads can get very tedious, the addictive battle system and great presentation more than make up for it. Fans of the series and newcomers as well will find a lot of enjoyment with Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.
Top Critic
By shoving the story aside and doubling down on its great battle system, Paper Jam smartly emphasizes what the series does best. Some of the padding can be a little annoying, but the way paper-thin characters add new angles to enemy encounters makes this crossover more than just a simple gimmick.
Top Critic
One of the better JRPGs on a system that's full of them.
Top Critic
If you've never played a Mario & Luigi game, this is the perfect on-boarding point. It's got a hilarious script, near-flawless battling, and bucketfuls of charm.
Top Critic
While it may stick too close to the formula, this 5th entry improves upon its predecessor.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam totally succeeds as an accessible, entertaining and lengthy crossover for fans and newcomers alike. It introduces a solid list of worthy new mechanics, particularly building upon the battle system in some exciting new ways, and breaking exploration up with random quests. It's more of a mini RPG than ever, but doesn't quite nail it when it comes to environmental design and storytelling. In the end it's Paper Jam's simplicity that makes it a great starting point and an easy recommendation, but also holds it back from taking full advantage of more dimensions than ever before.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam does everything you would expect it to do, and is all the better for it.
Top Critic
Overall, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is a really rock solid game, with a few visible creases that need to be noted before purchase. It captures the bright colorful fun of the Mario universe perfectly, pairing it with incredibly well localized dialogue and a very strong combat system. While it sometimes holds your hand for a little too long and at times fails to take proper risks, it was consistently polished, enjoyable and memorable.
Top Critic
AlphaDream hits the mark again in terms of combat and dialogue, even if some new additions fall flat.
Top Critic
This amusing crossover of Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario adds another solid title to the Mario RPG lineup. Though the recurring minigames and the length of some battles can get a little tedious, combat is generally immersive and fun, and a good sense of humor breathes life into the well worn Bowser-captures-the-princess plot.
Top Critic
Surprisingly, however, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam dishes up an interesting take on the Mario RPG formula without wandering too far from its roots. Some may scorn the lack of drastic change in the gameplay and while it's fair to conclude it is more of the same in most parts, Paper Jam is — at its heart — a solid RPG with plentiful personality. It may not be the RPG we had sought at the beginning, but it's one that marries together most (though not all) of what makes this Mario spin-off so immediately engrossing.
Top Critic
I do really enjoy playing Paper Jam. It's silly, it's challenging, and it's everything I remember SMRPG being all those years ago.
Top Critic
A good game that retreads a lot of old ground and uses its last few hours to squander the good will it's earned up until then.
Top Critic
And yet, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam manages to bring the Mario Bros two wildest modern departures together in way that can't help but leave you smiling.
Top Critic
But it turns what could have been just another fantasy storyline into something closer to a puppet show. We, rapt by these figures on sticks, know it's all malarkey but can't wait to see what happens next. Even if—especially because?—we know they're all just cardboard and glue.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is just as wacky and enjoyable as any other past iteration of the series, but it fails to change things up in a meaningful way for longtime fans.
Top Critic
Mario RPGs continue to defy my expectations of them. These characters and universe that you would never expect to work once you apply a proper narrative to them do far better than many titles that aren't inhibited by a heritage in platformers. Satirical and self-referential, backed with some boundlessly creative combat systems and the endlessly bright Mario aesthetic, Paper Jam might not be a huge step forward from its predecessor on the Nintendo 3DS, but it is every bit as much fun.
Top Critic
It's certainly not a bad game by any means, it just doesn't do enough with the Mario and Luigi RPG or Paper Mario brands to really stand out.
Top Critic
There's a disappointing lack of invention in the paper thin story and characters, but the combat and witty dialogue is as good as the series has ever been.
Top Critic
Without a doubt, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. is just as solid an RPG adventure as its predecessors, avoiding the pit that Partners in Time fell into with its multi-character approach. Paper Mario slots into this new romp perfectly well, although there are times where the 'Paper' world is not exploited as much as fans may have wanted. Nevertheless, the laughs are still there, as are the innovative 'Bros.' moves for battles, more than making up for the incessant mandatory 'Toad Hunt' mini-games included. This may not be Mario & Luigi at its best, but it still rises high above the recent Paper Mario entries and will keep fans of the series entertained until the end of the impressively lengthy adventure.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is an odd game, a semi-successful title that achieves a lot of success in its different elements but fails to come together as a cohesive title. Where gameplay is good, it's got subtle strengths and intense engagement. Where it's bad it borders on game-breaking design, likesome of those Toad-capturing sections, and RPG-lite mediocrity. Hopefully, the game is representative of growing pains for the series.
Top Critic
As a crossover between two of the more beloved alternative Mario adventures coming together as one, it truly feels like the paper mâché of the spin-off Mario RPG titles. Not all of its elements stick together entirely or fit nicely, but Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam still gets by with a lot of heart and humor to boot.
Top Critic
Nobody could describe Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam Bros as an essential, but it's a fun, relaxed, thoroughly likable RPG that's as good for younger and more casual gamers as it is for Mario's more hardcore fans. It might not have much depth or complexity, but it has charm and personality to spare. If you're looking for a game to keep your 3DS busy over the holidays, this is it.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam can get a bit grindy at times and drag on at certain times, especially the first time where it looks like the game's end is at hand. But there's more than enough masterfully comedic writing to carry the day, between the sight gags, fourth-wall-breaking references, and Luigi's pratfalls. While that can be used to describe most Mario & Luigi RPGs, it's tough to maintain comedic consistency in video games, so Nintendo and AlphaDream definitely deserves some props for managing to wring out a few smiles.
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is a fun action-RPG that blends two Mario worlds without trying much new.
Top Critic
If you're a fan of the series, or just want to play a decent JRPG, then sure, this is it. Just don't expect anything you haven't seen before.
Top Critic
Paper Jam's cute and punchy moments are offset by its frustrating repetition
Top Critic
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam excels at RPG combat, but is bogged down by tedious minigames and a disappointing story.
Mario & Luigi Paper Jam Bros. is a fun and enjoyable romp through the Mushroom Kingdom with dialogue that will genuinely make you chuckle. It is not a must but for veterans of the Mario RPG games, but it is not one to avoid either. This is a good introductory title for anyone interested in either franchise.
Top Critic
Material and the diegetic real come into interesting conversations throughout Paper Jam, but that is the reach of the game's ambition. As with many Nintendo games of the last few years, its gameplay elements are immaculately designed but risk nothing.
Paper Jam isn’t a bad game, but it’s hardly a series highlight.
Top Critic
Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam is a crumpled up discarded note, recycled into a paper-thin product. At its core, it's good. The dynamic combat system has never felt better, but the rest of the package is padded with poor mini games and excessive backtracking. As a die-hard fan of both series, this was a let down. Nintendo and AlphaDream played it too safely making Paper Jam feel like a reaction to Dream Team rather than an evolution. Based on this, one wonders if it's time to retire both franchises in the hopes of reinvigorating new RPG life into another classic Nintendo character. Again, it's good, bordering on great, but the issues, both big and small, keep Paper Jam from jumping any higher.
Top Critic
Regardless of your inclination towards Nintendo's mascot, it's safe to say that you can avoid Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. It's a soulless crossover with a penchant for mission design that frustrates more than it should.
Top Critic
Because creativity comes at the cost of cohesion, the whole adventure turns into one irritating mini-game.
