Paper Mario: The Origami King Reviews
Paper Mario: The Origami King is a hilarious game with a ton of variety in its world and a clever new puzzle-based battle system. There's so much fun to be had that if you don't already own a Switch, this will act as a fantastic reason to go out and get one.
Paper Mario: The Origami King may not quite reach the outstanding greatness of the first part on N64. But with its lovingly design, its pleasant cast and its exciting puzzle-kind fighting system Intelligent System brings the Paper Mario series back into line. Including the rich game world the new Paper Mario on Switch is definitely worth a buy.
Review in German | Read full review
Tough Paper Mario: The Origami King is not an rpg anymore, this new work from Intelligent Systems is still an oustanding adventure with a lot of humor and awesome ideas.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The Origami King is one of the most entertaining chapters in the long-lasting Paper Mario franchise and will surprise you with some fresh gameplay solutions.
Review in Italian | Read full review
As usual, Nintendo's quirky writing is full of laugh-out-loud moments, but your quest is full of tiresome backtracking
The Origami King keeps its RPG systems and character work light, but revamped combat and solid gags throughout are the course-correction Paper Mario needed.
I feel that there will be a discussion about that ring-based combat system and some of the world design elements, but through it all, I do think that most people will simply love the deadpan, dry, droll and refreshing humour, and a general return to form for Paper Mario at what it does best.
At the end of the day, Paper Mario: The Origami King surpassed my expectations. It isn't the RPG return to form many gamers were hoping for, but it is the best Paper Mario game since The Thousand-Year Door. The combat is unique, the writing is superb, and the world is brimming with charm.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is the best Paper Mario game I've played in over a decade, and yet I'm still feeling let down. While it's incredibly endearing and genuinely funny, it's also painfully boring and the thought of playing it again puts me straight to sleep. There will undoubtedly be massive fans of Paper Mario: The Origami King, but I can't say I'm one of them. A lovely action adventure game, but essential for no one.
Paper Mario's heritage still floats over The Origami King, but didn't cause writer's block with this blank page, folded upside down thanks to the fantastic imagination applied to the staging and the story, decidedly audacious. Intelligent Systems' inventiveness also deploys through the ingenious architecture of this interconnected world and the tactical dimension unrolled by the battles, that become real puzzles. Such a well hammered increase of depth doesn't give headaches though, the main quest unwrapping along the realm's spread richness, so this moustached RPG asserts itself as the undisputed lord of its very own domain.
Review in French | Read full review
Ultimately, let down by a lacklustre combat system that is far too repetitive and frequent, Paper Mario: The Origami King is only... ok. It's still worth playing for the wonderful visuals and excellent storytelling but don't expect a true Mario RPG.
Origami King might not be the successor to Thousand-Year Door for which fans have been clamoring, but this time the formula works, allowing the series’ great writing and worlds to shine through.
It still isn't the new Thousand-Year Door fans will have been hoping for, but it's still one of the funniest games in the series and it's got a truly likeable companion character, and while the combat is far from ideal the fact that we still thoroughly recommend the game regardless speaks volumes about every other aspect of it.
I liked playing Paper Mario: The Origami King. It has such high points with the music, the visuals, the comedy, and the willingness to try new ideas. I love how experimental the adventure is with the large variety of situational humor and mini-games. This world was such a treat to journey through, and it was nice to have more then one meaningful emotional moment again in a Paper Mario game.
Paper Mario: The Origami King once again takes the series in a completely different direction. Mushroom Kingdom is bigger and more alive than it's ever been, but it comes packaged with a combat system that quickly becomes stagnant.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is fun, light-hearted and a celebration of Super Mario with a strong story, great humour and brilliant characters.
If you're OK with Paper Mario's turn to action, you'll find an enjoyable game packed with humor, secrets, and unique boss battles.
There's room in my heart for both styles of Paper Mario. The old games still exist and this newer, sometimes thinner formula is fine too. That said, it's possible Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have folded this subseries every which way they can at this point. I hope the next one is a little more fresh.
I want to share it with my nieces and nephews, as well as my grown friends. But I hesitate due to the frustration of the combat and those imposing boss battles — those moments where I wish I had someone else to take over on the controller.
An endlessly enjoyable story, a unique take on combat that fuses puzzle-solving with RPG traditions, and a beautiful world full of adventure makes Paper Mario: The Origami King yet another must-play Nintendo Switch experience.