Chugga Sticks It to Sticker Star [Full Review] 

So... Can we just take a moment to appreciate how this is the first time Chugga's ever done a game review *_AND_* he knocked it out of the park?

"It's made for kids!" - People who defend bad movies/TV shows/video games "He's a kid, kids are stupid!" -Marv the Wet Bandit from Home Alone, shortly before he had his face smashed with an iron, had a paint can thrown into his face, a nail shoved into his foot, got electrocuted, etc. by said kid he thought was stupid.

Video essays like this feel like a perfect natural progression of your style, especially with the massive amount of research you do now. I’d love to see another video essay like this along with your regular content, maybe about something more positive.

Growing up with this paper Mario, I never realized how crap it truly was. Thank you.

Sticker star is a puzzle game where the solution is looking up a guide.

My favorite part about this series was everytime chugga would reveal something braindead about the game, the premiere chat would all be like "WHAT WTF WHY DID THEY DO THAT

5:06 *Prologue* - The 1% of Sticker Star that was actually good! 9:20 *Chapter 1* - A not-that-terrible beginning 29:34 *Chapter 2* - Oh wait, this is actually THAT bad? 58:49 *Chapter 3* - Who the PISS was in charge of the pacing and thought it was a great idea for Chapter 3 to be triple the length of the others? Well, that’s okay because I’m doing a thing and making my title match relative to all the other chapter names and it’s called “Doing a thing!” 1:38:49 *Chapter 4* - Your reward for putting up with this sh*t 2:00:30 *Chapter 5* - I defy anyone to remember anything that happened in this bland, forgettable chapter other than the bossfight 2:21:36 Intermission 2:24:39 *Chapter 6* - I would complain about there being only six chapters, but I was begging for it to be over

from emile's twitter Patch Notes for those who just want the new content: • 2:29 Some people challenged how I interpreted an interview at the start of Part 1. I included this perspective. • 44:10 Part 2's running away explanation was originally wrong. It's actually even worse than I thought it was. • 51:00 Lack of EXP image now credits the artist. This was a mistake caused by reverse-image searching and thinking a repost was the original. I'm sorry for that. • 1:34:31 Gooper Blooper crash was clarified. • 2:11:11 Moved from episode 6, the part about Cheap Chomp getting increased speed was added in the proper part. • 2:17:40 Part 5's fight with Petey Piranha has a new section about how poorly made the Infinijump Stickers are. • 2:42:35 Part 6 goes into the postgame more. I had not played it at the time of the original version and it was also even worse than I thought.😅

55:00 honestly even if I had noticed the “electrical outlet” in the background I’d have thought it was just a mushroom kingdom “everything has eyes” block for decoration

“A goomba was just walking around, found a shiny sticker and suddenly, he’s an asshole!” I really can’t put into words how hysterical I was

100% ready to watch this masterpiece again.

Director's Cut compilation, as promised! Enjoy almost three hours of Chugga sharing his opinions of his least favorite game, now with new, added scenes!

Coming back to this after the Mario and Luigi Brothership announcement hoping Chugga feels better

Its almost 1 AM, and you know what Kersti feels like? It feels like they wanted to recapture the same energy that people loved about Midna... *and just completely fucked it up.*

1:40:52 He mentions Earthbound, then proceeds to show a fight against a Pokey, and a fight against a giant squid. A cute little reference does not go unnoticed!

I never understood the “its for kids” argument. I was around 13 when i played this game, and it was without a doubt one of the most confusing AAA games ive ever played. Ive never had to look up so many things just to progress the game. I never even finished the bowser fight because i couldnt figure out how you’re supposed to beat him

And with this the Sticker Star saga finally comes to an end. Truly an eventful era with so much content for it despite the hatred for it growing with each passing video. Emile congratulations, you did it. Not only did you finally get to put this game behind you but now you can play Thousand Year Door on Switch soon!

Chugga's astonishment at that he LIKED some parts of this game, is what killed me. Well done man 10/10

Seeing Clement be credited for inspiring this review makes sense, this series reminded me a lot of his Sonic 06 review series and now I know why

I'm pretty sure Chugga audibly swore more in this video then he did in the past decade and a half of his RU-vid career.

I truly hope that chugga makes more reviews like this i Dont care if its positive or negative honestly

I hope Chugga's enjoying TTYD Remake.

Fun Fact: During a Game Design lecture in Uni, Shigeru Miyamoto giving advice in a game project (I forgot which project) was brought up in a good light, this lead me to bring up Sticker Star in a counter example, which the professor agreed with. And after the lecture? A classmate called me out because I forgot the Paper Mario series ended with Super lol! To my generation (which mainly grew up with the new trilogy) the Sticker Star and onwards titles never existed! :D

New Edits for Video Veterans 2:28 - Prologue - Shigeru Interview Perspective 44:04 - Chapter 2 - Updated Running Away Segment [Edit at 44:44] 51:00 - Chapter 2 - "Paper Mario: The Lack of EXP" Image now gives credit to the creator 1:33:31 - Chapter 3 - Updated Discussion of the Bowling Ball crashing the game when used against Gooper Blooper. [Edit at 1:34:32] 2:17:54 - Chapter 5 - Infinijump Segment 2:42:38 - Chapter 6 - Updated Post-Game Segment [Edits at 2:43:46, 2:45:07] There's other minor edits mentioned in the replies, but these are the highlighted/important edits to the video

The sticker grounds actually gets repaired over the course of the...ugh..."story," so by the time you have 5 of the royal stickers, the grounds are fully repaired, the banners were also always there, too. so literally the ONLY post game thing is the purple toad letting you see the credits whenever you want, So, as far as I'm considered, this game does NOT have a post game, it basically just has a "watch the credits again" button.

There it is: nearly 3 whole hours of chugga giving sticker Star exactly what it deserves for. At last the saga ends and this foul evil can disappear into the Earth forever more

I’m glad Chugga was able to really articulate how baffling this game was then and even now. Literally shocked how badly this game is designed at almost every turn of the game. Like who would even know half the solutions to these battle and overworld puzzles?? Edit: I think I feel queasy after still processing everything with Chugga so uh, not sure what to really say now

As someone used to long video essays and reviews, the most interesting thing to me is that it is structured kinda like your Let's Plays, in linear order of how you play the game, but with specific takedowns of various aspects of the game given between the explanation of what you need to do to get through the game. I have to imagine that took some planning in order to figure out what to talk about and when. I wanna say I read an Other M review that did something similar, except it was mostly about the story (which is much easier as Other M's story is almost entirely cutscenes).

If Chugga did legit bury his copy of Sticker Star, I’m afraid that like 2000 years from now some archeologists are going to dig it back up and think that we as a species worshiped it, not knowing the horrors we endured.

So you're telling me Sticker Star never got a patch, but a series of videos tearing it a new one did. The jokes write themselves.

Your passion on all of World 3 is so good and raw, almost like you’re re-experiencing it for the first time the more you talk about it. I couldn’t even make it past World 2, awesome stuff.

I remember when this game was coming out, I was so excited. I was disappointed by Super Paper Mario simply because it wasn’t like 64 or Thousand Year Door so when I found out the next game was gonna be turn based again I was hyped like crazy and begged for the game for Christmas. I finally got it and once I played for awhile and saw how linear the chapters were, how cryptic some of the puzzles were and the lack of partners and fun NPCs to interact with I was so upset and never even bothered with the other two modern games. The Thousand Year Door remake will be the first Paper Mario game I buy in over 10 years. The one positive thing I could say about this game (other than the music and visuals) is that it gave me a new appreciation for Super Paper Mario. A game I previously disliked. It showed me that while it was more of a platformer with RPG elements, it still had its own Paper Mario like identity in its writing and characters and it tried something new without abandoning the biggest things that make the series great.

1:38:13 Thank you so much for having me be a part of this channels history I have been a fan sense the Majoras Mask LP over 13 years. Your videos have made me laugh, cry, and just made me feel better after a rough day of life. You have helped me so much I'm glad in some little way I could help you!

This is it. This is the definitive video Chugga can point at when people aak "Why is Sticker Star of all games your most hated games?" The crowning jewel of the overarching Chugga Sticker Star arc.

The more that I think about that awful moment where the Wiggler segment kicks the Bowling Ball out of the way, the only reason I could ever think of why it even exists is that they didn’t want you to have two segments at a time, since the level behind the bowling pins leads you to finding the next segment, but that’s the only reason I could think of why they’d do that ( *I’m not defending this decision, mind you* ). Also, I never mentioned it previously, but despite the video ending on a negative statement about Sticker Star, I really like the overall hopeful tone of the end of it.

Im glad chugga and team went through and even made addendums post-series. It shows they care about getting information out there

When I first played Sticker Star, I loved it, I found it intriguing and appealing at the time. I even liked Kirsti and genuinely felt sad to see her sacrifice herself at the end as I wasn't aware of her selfish and obnoxious commentary. I wasn't even annoyed at the required secret exits and vague puzzles but instead saw them as creative and inspiring. Man, nobody knew how to find joy in a terrible game quite like the naive kid I once was.

Paper Mario Sticker Star: A game so cryptic with its puzzles and so hostile to the player with its mechanics that somewhere, Beat Takeshi is smiling.

I just realized: they do the sacrifice thing not only at the end of this game but also at the end of Color Splash and Origami King. Are they so afraid of making original characters that they have to make sure that any original characters they create die before the game is over? Lol.

Have I seen all the parts already? Yes! Will I watch it all again in longform? Absolutely yes!

i remember going to gamestop the day after sticker star released, as an eleven year old. i’d played the first three games and absolutely loved them. i walked up to the counter and asked the guys if they had the new paper mario game. i remember his response verbatim: we do. i’ve been playing it and it’s really good. i’d like to find that guy again one day. maybe just chat with him lmao

Bobby’s sacrifice in Origami King is solely to make you cry but Bobby is actually likable and you actually feel something.

And thus, Sticker Star can go back into the chambers of hell where it belongs. 😇 Appreciate the time and effort put into this series. Thank you.

You know you really messed up when the most powerful option in your turn based system is fucking *running away*

A combat system that basically discourages battling, obtuse menus included to appeal to realism, cryptic puzzles and a world full of almost only enemies... Sticker Star is a better survival horror game than it is a JRPG

I absolutely loved this series. All the easter eggs, the developer interviews, and all the other stuff that you would never know during gameplay is the reason I like your letsplays, and you’ve captured that in video essay form perfectly. You’re really great at this style of content, I’m excited for what’s next. And, of course, thanks for saving all of us from playing this game!

It’s funny that your Paper Mario N64 letsplay was what got me to pick this game up in the first place as a kid when it came out, I was so excited to have my own paper mario experience and so inevitably disappointed that I gave up by the second world. It’s extremely cathartic to see you rip it to shreds, pun intended lol. would love to see more reviews like this!

I feel like the approach the mansion took in the ice world was spectacular especially how they introduced a sticker meant for that area and used to defeat the boss, Like imagine if each area had its own area specific stickers that do cool stuff set aside from your main sticker line up that would have been so awesome

0:57 ahem, about that…

1:32:58 Actually, I've heard that Nintendo tried putting the same restrictions on Alphadream for Mario & Luigi Dream Team. Which thankfully, they declined on that, because Dream Team's a really good game.

Running away being the best option is one of the funniest things ever This games a perfect case study of what NOT to do for an RPG

Can we all take a moment to appreciate the fact that Emile had to play this game at *least* twice to make this series? …Thank you.

I still can’t fathom why Tanabe and Miyamoto both didn’t like the final product and still released it.

Watching this, I've just realized something...I can not remember a single thing from when I played Sticker Star as a kid. And to be fair, my memory of when I was a kid is pretty bad, but I remember at least one thing from each Paper Mario game. In 64, it was being confused that the game just locked at the "the end" screen because I grew up in a time where post-games were more common place. In Thousand Year Door, it was returning to Glitzvile after Chapter 3 to fight Rawk Hawk over and over again for some reason. In Super Paper Mario, it was learning that there were optional pixls and general post-game stuff. But Sticker Star is a complete blank.

i've been listening to chugga talk about video games for like a decade of my life now, and i NEED more long-form reviews like this. this is so good

really hope chuggaa is doing well rn and enjoying the hell out of ttyd remake

1:35:24 Not sure if this was mentioned in the original video but, the "intended" solution was to use the sponge when Blooper is about to spew poison at Mario, making it absorb and squeeze back at it, inflicting blinding poison on Blooper itself, and making the rest of the fight a literal cakewalk (all of its attack will miss and it takes huge poison damage each turn). It also changes the music into one of my favorite tracks in the game, which you would never hear if you play sticker effectively, or as Kersti calls it, """ineffectively""".

I'm so glad to see this series come to an end with a big ol compilation! Trememndous work from Chugga and everyone who helped! My Sticker Star slumber forever, as the TTYD remake ushers in a rebirth for Paper Mario!

I adore content like this, critical content with passion, emotion, and accuracy. Incredible job Chugga, hope you do more of these things more, even if they aren't as negative.

I think this might have to be my favorite game review on RU-vid, it seems like a review from the heart instead of a person doing it to hop on a trend or for a quick cash grab.

Haven't watched Chugga in a long time, and I'm pleasantly surprised he's finally made a rad video-essay on Sticker Star. Sick work man! Would love to see more long form content like this in the future.

You know after watching a 4 hour video essay this past weekend I thought this might tire me out, but if anything I guess I was hungry for more! I'm looking forward to more potential Emile video essays! I think yearning for this is why I typically return to bonus episodes

This review has been one of the many sparks that finally got me to get up and actually write a script for a video essay that I've had the idea for for a while. I'm constantly watching/listening to them while I do various things, but seeing how Emile was just able to jump into this format and pull it off really well really motivates me. Thanks a bunch!

Sticker Star was the first Paper Mario game I ever played. I got it for Christmas because I loved watching TTYD on your channel, but I got stuck like so many on World 2. Ironically a few days after having the game, it fell out of my game storage box in a car and I never found the game again… I probably dodged a bullet… CAN’T WAIT FOR TTYD ON NINTENDO SWITCH!!!

“No characters can be made that are based on existing Mario characters” well just look at Super Paper Mario where more than half the roster are completely original characters and enemies, most of which are beloved by fans like Tippi, Bleck and his crew, and so on

this is straight up the best video you’ve ever made man, your script style is phenomenal and your delivery is so engaging, I cannot believe this is your first time making this style of content, 3 hours of peak

It's so nice of Nintendo to have their album come with a free game inside!

You should do more of these review serieses on disappointing and bad games! It's fun to listen to you rant about stuff that matter! And we KNOW you mean business when you talk about important things in video games!

I feel like Sticker Star has been an entire anime arc of Emile's life

We are proud that someone big has covered Nintendo's worst reboot of a series

I like aticker star for exactly two reasons 1. Nostalgia. One of my first 3DS games 2. Bad games are fun to bash on.

My day was so shitty but this made it infinitely better. It can’t wait to binge this for the next 3 hours

Quite frankly, this is the only review you will ever need to truly understand the travesty that is Sticker Star, absolutely fantastic work breaking it down, i can't wait for you to tackle other games.

Chapter 2 when you went on that rant…when you transitioned back to the level I just went “Oh my god we’re still stuck in the damned maze?!”

From watching all the way in Earthbound, to getting to see this new-blooming format, Chuggaa never ceases to impress.

The ending you gave to this series was actually really hopeful, loved it.

Loved this let’s play of Sticker Star!

I watched every part as it came out, and I watched it again when the full review was released. I don't think I've ever personally been this hurt by any one game, but to hear you speak so passionately about a series that you love and your personal experiences with what could generously be called "the nadir" just hits different, you know? But you still end on a hopeful note and that brings me hope as well. I love the medium of video games so much that I'm working to become a developer and it's heartening to know that folks like you are out there Emile. Thank you for that.

As someone who grew up with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, it really hurts to see just how badly the Paper Mario franchise fell :(

This series was incredible. I think video essays fit your style of videos really well with how in detail you always get into in all of your videos. I also usually have something playing while I’m trying to sleep and this is definitely being added to that list

I remember playing this game and running into all the "mandatory secrets" that I would sometimes find by chance but usually have to look up a guide for. They didn't make me feel smart for finding a secret, which is how you usually feel when you find a secret in a game - they made me feel stupid for not being able to find the way to beat the level! I'm glad I'm not the only one, lol.

I would love to see more video essay style videos like these Chugga!

For being an inspiration to me and my brother.

this review series is excellent and a perfect non-intrusive addition to the channel line-up! Please keep it going, i am eager to see more and see how you can evolve and grow in this style of content!

Ah, Sticker Star. I gave it a shot. I played the whole thing. The second the credits hit, the game crashed and I was thrown back to the 3DS's homepage. I think that speaks for itself.

This needs to be in a movie theater! Fans would watch it! 😅

Ironically enough. Sticker star holds a special place in my heart because of so many reasons. It was the first “RPG” I played so it introduced me to this genre. It also introduced me to the world of lets playing on youtube. It taught me that there are other people out there like me that liked Nintendo. It taught me that its ok to still be playing video games as an adults and that girls/women also like playing video games. And funny enough it introduced me to Chuggaconroy. I got stuck in the blooper boss and so I finally got the bright idea at 13 years of age to look it up online. It led me to I belive Zackscottgames and LuckySevenDx. Later on I decided to look up other lets play from those guys and it somehow led me to Chuggaconroy. All of that because Sticker Stars flaws drove me to use RU-vid as a guide.

2:23:53 I actually did manage to beat Bowser without using Kersti back when I was younger, but it took a bit of planning. A few Infinijumps for the arms, twenty Iron Jumps for the face, and the High Heel and Squirt Gun to make the face a bit faster, since those are the only multihitting Thing stickers. I oddly don't remember hating the game, but it *was* eleven or so years ago. I think I just wanted to sell Kersti and was disappointed I couldn't keep her in the album.

I will never not be amazed that in every other game, the way to defeat a whomp is to ground pound the weak spot on it's back. But for some reason, they decided it would be scissors here instead of the heavy falling object stickers.

I’d love to see more chuggaa video essays, this is incredible and I’m so happy that I get to have a brand new video essay to fall asleep to

This whole review was SO fitting for Chugga's Channel. Over the 10 year since I've been watching him (Oh God I've been watching him since I was 11, I'm getting old) him whole channel has been about him playing games he loves in some way. There have been times were some of the games he played have had things that he didn't like but they didn't ruin his overall enjoyment of the game, hence why does a Let's Play of it. However, Sticker Star has been a game he has vehemently HATED, so him doing a LP of it wouldn't be as fun as it would normally would. Turning the LP on to a Review and going over everything technically wrong and just personal gripes, allows him to have MUCH more fun with it, and it still feels like a Chuggaconroy Let's Play. This is something I love to see come back in some form. Also, I blocked the time I played this game from my mind, and this made me remember how much I hated a lot it.

I feel like the biggest issue with the required secret thing (block, doors, etc) is that they don't come naturally like the way they do in alot of games. it's like they just randomly throw things in like "yeah that's a thing in this OTHER game" without it being as common as it should to make the player even think they'd use it for something required.

Sticker Star was my second Paper Mario after Super (which I didn't get terribly far into). I knew that people loved the series, but neither game really gave me a good idea of why. Especially Sticker Star- I could never figure out the windmill stage in the first world, the Yoshi Sphinx OR the bullcrap backtracking in World 3. I gave Color Splash a chance. Couldn't get past the first world because of a Toad's underwear. I gave Origami King a chance and... it clicked with me. Yes, it's the "new" formula that Sticker Star started, it villainizes fans who don't like generic Toad #456, and Bobby's existence and sacrifice were miserable attempts at making a new "character" and making us feel bad for his demise, but it's arguably the most polished of the modern trio of games. with a decent story, well-defined world, bangin' soundtrack, and a battle system that doesn't completely suck Goomba butts. And with this series complete... I utterly LOATH Sticker Star now. It's not just a bad game, it's a bad Mario game. It's a horrible Paper Mario game and an abysmal introduction to the franchise. Non-characters like "Bowser" or the Toads and obnoxious characters like Kersti. Pointless combat. A world so basic it'd make New Super Mario Bros. 2 look like Super Mario Bros Wonder. And a legacy of unoriginality and "good enough" mentalities that tainted the Mario brand for a decade. I'm grateful that Super Mario RPG and Thousand-Year Door are here once again because it means Nintendo's listened. Thousands of voices, including myself, have cried out and demanded a truly fresh RPG worthy of the Nintendo Seal of Quality. We got some with the Mario and Rabbids games, and the remakes are Nintendo's way of seeing if we're willing to buy what we asked for. If this results in a true Paper Mario 4, it'll all have been worth it. You can say my hat is off to you, Emile. Thank you for giving this game the thorough new-one-ripping it deserved and laying it to rest. May Sticker Star rot and may we be free from its corrupting stank.

I am so happy to see that you had the same horrible experiences I did, especially with the "secrets" and the Things. It feels good to know the suffering was shared and not just me being dumb or something. Thank you.

God i love these long form reviews and you absolutely nailed it man, amazing work

I like the aesthetic that sticker star introduced to the series both artistically by leaning into the paper and cardboard diorama theme with interesting level design and musically which I'd like to see continued in the series going forward but in terms of gameplay and story you are absolutely right. the story is nonexistent, there really aren't any unique characters more general bush strokes of groups like toads, goombas, shyguys, etc., the combat is a travesty and the puzzle solving's no better, and worst of all is how they did bowser in this iteration as his boss battle sums up everything wrong with this game. He's aesthetically pleasing sure but Bowser has no character, his boss battle is confusing and filled with required puzzles which you won't be able to solve on your first go, and worst of all is that it gives what is probably the most annoying companion ever the chance to shine with literally no buildup or reasoning trying to make us feel something for this train wreck of a character. this game is like the gilded age of videogames all style no substance.

Oh, I completely forgot how long this series had taken until I heard Kirby at the end of Chapter 2 :(

This is going to be my new favorite holiday movie.

Heads up: at 2:49:23 there's some pretty loud static for a brief moment

Loved every part of this that came out, super excited to tackle this the next chance I have time