Paper Mario: The Origami King Reviews

Paper Mario: The Origami King is ranked in the 71st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
6 / 10.0
Jul 22, 2020

Can a game show significant improvement over its predecessors while further entrenching itself along the wrong path? Origami King certainly tries, making a game that’s a blast to read and gorgeous in screenshots but just not that fun to play.

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Gamersky
金闪闪老里
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2020

Apart from the combat part, Paper Mario: The Origami King is fun, adorable, and full of surprise.

Review in Chinese | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2020

Origami King — even with its imperfections — is a bold attempt at reimagining the franchise. Fans who pine for the series classic RPG mechanics will likely be disappointed in the game’s combat system. A colorful and imaginative open world, however, combined with witty dialogue and poignant storytelling, make Origami King a welcome addition to the Paper Mario fold.

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7 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2020

A visually beautiful and hilariously well-written experience let down by an overbearing and clunky fundamental gameplay system. Unfortunately, Paper Mario: The Origami King falls flat in its attempts to bring one too many things into the fold.

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7 / 10
Jul 23, 2020

Overall, the charm, colour and wit of Paper Mario: The Origami Kingdom outshines its repetitive gameplay. It’s a truly enjoyable experience.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2020

The Origami King is the best entry in the Paper Mario series, and probably one of the best Nintendo Switch exclusives if we don't consider its rather weak combat system. Intelligent Systems did a great job in telling a new Mario story using Origami characters, and mixing it with funny moments, exploration and diverse environments.

Review in Persian | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2020

Hopefully both new and long-time fans will still find something they will love here, because it would be a terrible shame if this game wasn’t viewed as it’s own piece, and just “Not-The-Thousand-Year-Door”.

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Loved
Jul 23, 2020

Though this Paper Mario: The Origami King isn’t an RPG, and more of an Adventure game it is still a brilliant game. It is a game full to the brim with delightful writing, lots of humour, bright vibrant colours, old faithful characters and laugh out loud moments for the player. While it follows the Paper Mario formula in some aspects, it does more to re-imagine the series then not. Paper Mario: The Origami King is a worthy contender in the Paper Mario series, and is the perfect game to immerse yourself in for a wonderful crumpled, creased and folded adventure.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2020
Paper Mario: The Origami King Review (Nintendo Switch) video thumbnail
Noisy Pixel
Jake Yoder
8 / 10.0
Jul 23, 2020

Paper Mario: The Origami King might not be the RPG that I was hoping for, but the new systems and clever features made me forget all about that. The attention to developing a compelling plot within this fantasy world makes it a must-play experience for all Mario fans. Battles do inevitably become redundant, but that doesn’t overshadow this beautiful origami world begging to be explored.

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GamingBolt
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jul 24, 2020

Paper Mario may have shed its RPG trappings fully by this point, but that doesn't stop The Origami King from being one of the best and most memorable outings in the series' long history.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jul 24, 2020

Paper Mario: The Origami King might not be the sequel to The Thousand Year Door that some people are hoping for, but it's a darn fun game. It's witty, charming, fun to play, and has a soundtrack that can't be beat. Its low difficulty and the combat sometimes overstaying its welcome can drag down the experience a little. It's still a delightful experience for fans of Mario's adventures.

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Jul 24, 2020

While a lot of care has gone into refining the game's combat, there's no shortage of things to do outside of battles.

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7 / 10.0
Jul 24, 2020

As a longtime fan of the series, Paper Mario: The Origami King has its trademark humor and charm, but misses its appealing RPG gameplay.

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Paste Magazine
Waverly
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Jul 24, 2020

A lot of the little puzzles and vignettes are also fun as well. However, it's hard to look past the masculinist colonialist ideals it holds onto and consider coming back again. I'm not sure I'll be able to forget the fun and laughter of Origami King, but I also won't forget its problems.

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Jul 24, 2020

Paper Mario's latest outing on the Nintendo Switch is a very charming but shallow adventure in a gorgeous, handcrafted world.

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7 / 10.0
Jul 24, 2020

Whilst it’s commendable to see Nintendo being more daring with its key franchises, it’s clear that it didn’t quite work out on this occasion with this new Paper Mario entry. Paper Mario: The Origami King makes for a mostly fun adventure that is bogged down by some ideas that didn’t quite work as expected.

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Jordan Ryan
Top Critic
8.3 / 10.0
Jul 25, 2020

Paper Mario: The Origami King might seem like a mixed bag on the surface, but in my mind the good outweighs the bad. The music, while forgettable, is still functional. The combat, while annoying, is far from the worst thing I've played. And the just pure enjoyment I got from exploring and experiencing the world is enough for me to still give the game a hearty recommendation.

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9 / 10.0
Jul 25, 2020

Paper Mario: The Origami King is an absolutely phenomenal game. It simultaneously makes a return to what made the original games so great, namely the exploration and humor, while still progressing forward with new, creative battle systems and ideas. I had a blast playing through the game, finding collectibles, rescuing Toads, and saving the Mushroom Kingdom in a beautiful, paper world that always kept me laughing.

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Jul 26, 2020

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a fun romp back into the world of Paper Mario, but mundane combat and a lack of experience points really hinder the main activity of the game. Charming writing is the real draw here and what will keep bringing players back for more.

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