In Defense of Paper Mario: The Origami King | A Fold Above The Rest 

I could be totally wrong on this, but my interpretation of the interview is that design wise, they are no longer allowed to make actually new variants of existing Mario characters or species. So they are allowed to dress them up in original outfits like the Sombrero Shy Guy or Ninja outfits on Toads, but their underlining design must still resemble their official design, meaning they can no longer do something like Goombella with her pink body, one fang and hair, or Bobbery with his unique fuse, beard and ship wheel wind-up key. This might also explained why a lot of enemies like Boos and Dry Bones got redesigns in Sticker Star onward to more closely resemble traditional designs. Likewise, it seems like they CAN make new characters, but if they don't follow the above restrictions, then they must be something completely unique from the existing designs. So stuff like a sentient sticker crown, or a living paint bucket, or talking/singing trees. And likewise, for whatever reason, it seems like they aren't allowed to use their old original designs for some arbitrary reason? Admittedly some of them like the Piders were a bit redundant, but I don't see the need to remove so many more distinct designs like the Clefts or Bristles. I do think even with these limitations, assuming that these are the actual limits, they can do a lot of really neat and creative stuff, but they definitely need to put more effort into mixing things up more. Having Mario enemies as NPCs is a great first step, but if Nintendo insists on these limitations, I'd like to see more characters from stuff like Sunshine or Galaxy or Odyssey make an appearance to help stave off the constant Toad fatigue everyone has.

"When the world is currently made of bricks" nice Caddy reference

The interview with Tanabe makes me think that Nintendo is just restricting second and third party developers from making original characters to protect the integrity of THE BRAND. Odyssey is a main-line first party title so of course they'd allow the team to be as creative as they like. It's pretty clear that this is not a problem with the devs as it is with the higher ups at Nintendo.

The Mushroom Kingdom going to war against a Spitball Army is an incredibly funny concept on its own!!! And no surprise if it actually happens.

Nintendo is a cruel mistress... Fans: “Can we get a better *turn based* battle system?” Nintendo: *hits blunt* “Lmao watch this”

“You got Bobby the Bob-Omb, who is great, and should be protected at all costs.” ha ha ha ha ha ha *sobbing*

AntDude: "This was better than anything we got in the past 10 years!" Me: (looks up Super Paper Mario release date; 2007) "Okay that'll pass!"

Gotta tell you, I had no idea the game was divisive until I finished playing it and went online. I literally watched the trailer, thought “that looks fun”, bought it, played it and found it thoroughly enjoyable. Goes to show the benefits gained by turning off the internet and just experiencing something on your own terms

The Paper Mario franchise has literally been treated like paper, being folded into all sorts of different ideas, even if it didn't pan out too well. That's the best way I can describe the way this series has unfolded.

There is nothing in this multiverse that can explain the adrenaline rush you receive from beating scissors as paper.

In a world where everything on the internet seems to be so negative and deconstructive, it's really nice to have this channel as a consistent source of positive vibes and criticism. Thanks for all you do, and keep up the good work.

10:49 "and once they fulfill that purpose, they go away." Yeah... Bobby goes away... *sure lets go with that*

"Now, I really enjoyed color splash." TTYD fans: *Impossible*

“The world is currently made of bricks” Caddicarus said that... WAIT

16:10 So the Paper Mario equivalent of giving Mario a gun. I'm down.

Ttyd fans: bring back the thousand year door combat system Modern fans: we need more originality Me: why can’t we have both and have original characters?

"Finally! We get a villain who isn't Bowser in this game!" {Count Bleck and Dimentio sit in a corner, sobbing}

I loved this game but I honestly feel like Nintendo is being too protective of the Mario universe. Yeah they make their own original characters with mainline games like Odyssey, but then they act like only first party mainline games can do that and second party games like these can't at all. It creates an odd double-standard, and then, as you pointed out, they don't even really stick to it that well. I guess the tree people are an extension of the hills that have been around forever but it's still weird that these rules exist and are also not hyperstrictly followed. Still a great game though.

I’ve been playing through this game recently and I’ve been having an absolute blast. The original Paper Mario is my favorite game of all time and Origami King is bringing me the same feelings of joy that the original did. (‘:

I love the little detail of Colored Pencils showing up for the first time and the little notification of "Capture taken." in the corner. Like, I can feel you just being "Lol, what the hell?" and taking a screenshot of it in your amused bewilderment.

It's gonna be Paper Mario: Invasion of the Clayliens, calling it.

Antdude: the world is made of bricks PLOT TWIST!!! The bricks cheated on caddy with antdude

No depressing backstories? A certain Bob-omb would like to have a word with you.

I mean really though, if they're limited to only preexisting Mario character, why not just use obscure/lesser known ones? They kinda of did this in Color Splash and Origami King, using characters like Dino-Rhino, Bone Goomba and Boss Sumo Bro. I can excuse Color Splash slightly, but Origami King came out well after Odyssey, so why couldn't they use character like Tostaranans for Sandpaper Desert or Lockladies for Shangri-Spa. Hell, even Color Splash could have used Galaxy NPCs like Whittletons, Penguins of the even older Bob-omb Buddies. It's not like they're being forced to used Toads.

I'm gonna say it right now, I think there's one thing literally EVERYONE can agree with for this game This game has a PHENOMENAL soundtrack, Event Battle, Origami Castle, and Autumn Mountain's Battle Theme slap

My favorite quote from that one livestream is “Unlike the other Paper Mario games, this game doesn’t have a world map.”

“ he makes an impact” * *shows sweetpaper valley* * man why just why

9:20 That’s a big reference to Super Mario 3D World’s goomba mask.

Peach: ...Should the mushroom kingdom unfold and be refolded...? AntDude: Pssh, no. Peach: ...Will you crease yourself and be reborn like me...? AntDude: Let me see, NO! Peach: What about those... toads? Shouldn’t they be silenced for all eternity...? AntDude: You drive a hard bargain.

The rule about modifying characters and creating OC's really feels weird, because when I played the rest of the game with that in mind, it felt like that was a rule Tanabe was working around instead of deliberately trying to adhere to. I don't know. Go back and read through Bobby's arc, and it feels like it's lampshading that rule. He's a character with a compelling story, but he keeps defying Olivia's attempts at making him stand out and feel unique. She wants to give him a name, and he says no, and he keeps emphasizing the fact that all Bob-ombs are identical and live short lives. She's trying to elevate his character and make him feel unique and valued, and he keeps putting that down and saying that he's just a copypaste enemy. I feel like there's more going on behind the scenes with that stupid design rule than what was said in that interview. All I know is that a good game got made despite that rule, so there's some clever people on that development team, and I want to see what else they can come up with. I really do hope that they at least bother with some other NPC's besides Toads the next time. Mario has a lot of different characters and monsters. The Snifit and Monty Mole areas were great, and I want to see it go a bit further.

My favourite part of this game is that unlike Kersti and Huey, Olivia actually does stuff outside of the final battle.

14:56 Also, the 7 Star Spirits appear in Mario Party 5, not in paper form either. And Bowser’s castle from the first Paper Mario is also seen in a Rainbow Road course, in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Both games I never played but know thanks to the internet (and a box cover for MP5 which I remembered from one time long ago). So yeah, the Paper Mario games also influenced some other Mario spinoffs too.

Still waiting for your review of Mario and Luigi: Dream Team. I played the entirety of that game again on hard mode just so I can see that video come out.

"the series has never been cinematic before" Whoop, that'll trigger the Paper Mario purists alright rofl Truthfully, I honestly feel like this is the best Paper Mario game we've gotten since Super. The story is surprisingly gripping (and even kind of disturbing when you really analyze ... certain things that happen later), the world is just beautiful with how it's rendered and designed, and I'm convinced the staff are fully aware of the hate the last two games get because I also feel this has some of the most passive aggressive dialogue the series has had, and I love it. (also honestly, "Sticker Star is not a good game" might as well just be "You're not allowed to like Sticker Star")

Sticker star and Colour splash *Are GOOD*

11:35 *"......While the game was definitely hilarious at times"* *Shows Shunned Guy*

“Spitball Showdown” is something Nintendo would probably do.

This game had a really amazing story. Olly might just be my second favorite favorite Mario villain in the series. The sound attack was also good. The graphics were beautiful and the origami aesthetic was a great progression of the arts and crafts aesthetic. I love this game!

I was so pleasantly surprised by this game. So happy that I just impulse bought it because the trailers didn't sell me on how deeply colorful the world would be. Shogun, snif city, shy guy game show, dancing trees, I felt like a little kid!!!

This is one of my favorite games on Switch. I can see how some people might not like the normal ring-based battle system, but everything else about Origami King is fantastic. The art style and music are top-notch, it has a good story, and the bosses were a really interesting and fun switch-up from the normal battles.

"You will gain more powerful aswell" AntDude 2020

1:12 I agree with you, I loved Color Splash. Yeah, it may have had some annoying parts at times, but that made it even better when I was able to get past it and continue. The wacky stuff takes so many different directions, you never know what to expect. We explore a poisoned garden because 2 Shy Guys had stuffed Petey into a Teapot, fight Ludwig in a half-finished submarine that looks absolutely ridiculous, tame a dragon with a burger, steal back a train with the help of a Toad who for him, every day is Arm Day, and fight a FREAKING RAW STEAK! It may have it's flaws, but you can't deny it's charm.

Did anyone else's heart just melt when seeing Olivia petting the Chain Chomp?

13:47 actually, all the Peach sprites and backgrounds in the portraits reference the 6 main entries

Super Paper Mario has the best story, and that's the real understatement

13:52 I've been waiting for someone to talk about this room. Top left is definitely from 64, the center one is from Super (Look at the squares and the lack of outline), the top right is Color Splash (White Outline and possibly Port Prisma?), Bottom left is Sticker Star, Bottom Right seems like it could maybe be TTYD? And of course the big one to the right of all of them is Origami King.

"Paper Mario: Spitball Showdown" sounds like a really good idea! I absolutely love the look of the title! If it's going to be a success, it needs to be a full-blown RPG and have special characters. Let's hear it for AntDude! ✊🤣

I am a huge paper Mario fan and paper Mario 64 was one of my very first games to play. I have been craving a good paper Mario forever and after seeing the origami king, I became so happy. Playing it, made very very very engaged with the story and I found myself very much invested. I love it and I feel it’s the sequel of the thousand year door! Very grateful for the game!

Whenever Tanabe opens his mouth im reminded of Izuka saying Sonic Forces is a step forward and Adventure is a step back. Also Shadow isnt allowed to be friends with Rogue and Omega anymore. Also Mighty and Ray arent allowed outside of Mania cause reasons. Origami King reeks of the stifled creativity that plagues so many other IPs and shows how out of touch directors are.

I honestly loved this game Some particular moments were especially good, even if one made me sad

This game definetly has its flaws but i love this game and hot daaaaaaaamn the soundtrack what the f-

Nintendo is like a genie. You gotta be extremely specific while asking for something. We wanted a turn based RPG, we got a *turn based* .....RPG, I guess?

Antdude, you misunderstand the interview answers. They are not allowed to modify PRE EXISTING SPECIES. They can put hats on if they wanted to and they did dress up a few in Oragami King. The body shape, standard features of the species cannot be modified. They are allowed to create New charatcers, like the talking trees, because they are a NEW SPECIES. Odyssey also adhered to these rules. All the different creatures in Odyssey were original species, there is not a single pre existing species on Odyssey that breaks this rule. I agree that the rule is dumb in the first place but I feel this is important to correct you on.

7:04 [now that there is only one enemy to take down, the roles get reversed] I guess you could say that *the tables have turned*... ill see myself out

“Paper Mario: Spitball Showdown” is the perfect name for a Paper Mario fighting game.

The entrance to Toad Town looks like the entrance to Goomba Town from Paper Mario 64

"Give us a flying segment with Flygons" overlooked line

13:36 Please... don’t remind me, it still hurts...

The ending made me cry I can't be the only one

Got the game for Christmas thanks to my kid brother. As someone who considers Thousand Year Door as one of my favorite Mario games ever, I ended up enjoying Origami King more than I thought I would. Although I never played Sticker Star or Color Splash (but I heard I'm not missing much), I'm absolutely okay with what the game offers with solid, more accessible gameplay, fun bosses, great deal of exploration, cute and witty writing, and fantastic art direction and MUSIC. Oh man, I agree this is arguably of Mario's best soundtrack in a while with Autumn Mountain, the Vellumental battle theme, Disco Devil, Fanged Fastener, and Thrills At Night being my favorites! Would I like to see a return to form with the next game? Absolutely, but I doubt Nintendo will ever do so. They do have something going with the ring system though, so if they can refine it and add more strategy and things to do, I think it'll be great. The game gets a remarkably solid 8/10 from me.

i would die for olivia. her cracking up at mario in the oversized goomba helmet was one of the cutest things in my recent video game history

My favorite part of this entire video is how he completely forgot to mention the 1000 fold arms

I actually shed a tear during THAT scene with one of the partners.

I think Bowser being the final boss in Colour Splash is fine. He just wanted to have a rainbow shell and play with the Toads but, got possessed by the Black Paint.

I gotta say , its nice to know Oragami King was getting much more of a positive reception than the other recent entries.

I like how in every single game video you talk about the game art shows on your monitors. Love the detail

Next Paper Mario is Ripping Riot! Let’s tear into trouble. And that’s a wrap!

I really loved my time with Origami King, and if we kept getting Paper Mario games in this style, I'd be pretty happy. I just hope Nintendo does add more original designs to future games, as I do think it's silly that Odyssey can create new characters for its world, but a Mario spinoff can't

2:53 King Olly, fabulous he! Olly of origami

I absolutely loved this game. I got attached to all the characters and the gameplay was pretty ok. I also like how it kinda shows a message of how the developers tried their best to cater to us within their limits. The limits for this is still confusing to me, as Mario and Luigi didn’t need them and look at how good they were

Origami king is that rare animal where it's both top tier and bottom tier at the same time. Bottom tier, the whole battle system, top tier, everything else.

Yes bobby should be protected he is a very good boi

A, I REALLY want to play this game, it looks great! B, I've never gotten too upset over weird things in interviews like that, because after studying some Japanese, I'm aware of just how.... insanely different from English Japanese is, so a LOT of ideas don't translate over well, especially on rushed interview translations.

Whatever people's take are on this game, you have to admit the soundtrack is filled to the brim with absolute _bangers_ ! Edit: If we get another Paper Mario game, I _REALLY_ want them to have clay as the central theme. It's not paper, but it is an arts and crafts thing, and I'd be so happy to see what they'd come up with. Spoiler. And I didn't think I'd miss the presence of an otherwise unremarkable Bob-omb. RIP Bobby 2020-2020

For the fans of the original 2 Paper Mario games, Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is an excellent love letter to them. It has action command fueled turn based battle systems. The character development is really in depth throughout the entire game. One of the best things about Bug Fables is the special moves and abilities you gain throughout the story. When you learn a move in the field, you are able to take it directly into battle with action commands controlling how the attack goes. It even brings back team attacks like Superstar Saga had. Enough said about that. If you enjoyed the first 2 Paper Mario games, Bug Fables is for you.

I think it's really impressive that they made The Origami King so good even with their arm tied behind their back with the restrictions. And with the limits the have, I'm glad they didn't just use all folded Goombas and Koopas for the enemies, and instead braught back older Mario enemies like Sidesteppers, Scutlebugs and those crow things. I feel like they really did their best with what they could do with this one. And my ranking of the Paper Mario games is: 5. Sticker Star 4. Colour Splash 3. Super 2. 64 AND The Origami King tied 1. The Thousand Year Door

An idea for a future Paper Mario game: for the previous games, we've done stickers, paint, and origami, but yet they haven't done anything with drawings. May I present to you: Paper Mario Spectacular Sketches! And besides, why not? You could have a character just be a blank piece of paper that could have memory loss, and the more of the bosses you beat, the more of the line art and colors in his body return. And the way that character's designed could also be different. Like have him look more like a doodle on paper that was cut out.

Imagine your first paper Mario game being sticker star This post was made by me my first paper Mario game was sticker star

0:42 But didn’t you hear? The bricks are gone! And they stole Caddy’s wallet!

It’s great seeing you explain why it’s the gameplay is great to some of us. Too many people are stuck up about exp and miss the entire point.

"Give us a flying section with Flygons" I also remember the time in Super Mayonnaise Odyssey when you played as Flygon in sand land

I like how antdude is talking about Paper Mario the Origami King but he forgot to talk about the Super Smash Brothers Origami King spirits that released today and great video antdude 😎

Also, Antdude forgot to mention. Beware: If you are going for %100, these are things you might experience.... .Crazy RNG .Insane amounts of retrying .searching for one thing for hours .Controller smashing And... the worst thing in existence..... .Perfect score on Shy Guy's finish last I still love the game but.... I experienced all of these, so be careful

Kensuke Tanabe did also made metriod prime federation force. and also stated to Chibi-Robo fans that if Chibi-Robo zip lash does not get much recognition or sales, it may be the last game in the franchise.

"He can definitely make an *impact*" Those how played the game get's it.

Guys, I have a confession to make. I liked Sticker Star.

THANK YOU OH MY GOD I recently replayed this game and absolutely fell in love with it and I was worried I would be alone in absolutely loving this game

I really enjoyed Origami King. I had no idea it was divisive until fairly recently

There are two other partners you missed. They are in the autumn mountain. They are from the part where you have to bring the sombrero guy his friends for a canned food party. The spike and the skull goomba. If your set on progressing though, you probably won’t get the chance to fight with them. Still a nice touch.

"The world is currently made out of bricks" - Caddicarus (2020)

Ooh idea! Paper Mario Clips of Doom or Paper Mario Erasing of Time

Paper Mario: Fortune Teller Fiasco Paper Mario: Sheet Storm (Rhythm based combat with the emphasis on timing and the beat) Paper Mario/Scibblenauts/Drawn To Life Crossover

No depressing story's? Hahahahahaah aaaa *Cries in Bobby*

I liked sticker star :(

0:42 So the Caddycarus Cinematic Universe is shared with the AntDude Universe? Oh, boi, i cant wait to discover more

I have something to confess: I enjoyed Sticker Star and Color Splash. Yes, that was me....

I came into this game without any prior knowledge and I was very happy with the game. I feel like thats the best way to go into these games

Ant: sticker Star is not good Me who was looking for my sticker Star cartridge because I enjoyed playing it and wanted to play it again: oh ok

7:27 *C A P T U R E T A K E N*

Hot Take: Paper Mario, Sticker Star, and Color Splash have the same premise. Bowser gets new fancy power, Mario gets new partner, Gotta collect the things from the big bad bosses to destroy bowser, big bad bowser fight.