Colour me impressed
(This
review contains minor spoilers!)
The Paper Mario series has become
increasingly confused about what it wants to be. Originating as a spiritual
successor to Square Enix’s Super Mario RPG for the Super Nintendo, the series
went on to try several different game types, like a bizarre mix of a
side-scrolling platformer and RPG elements or a crossover with the Mario &
Luigi series.
The latest main installment in the
series was Paper Mario: Sticker Star for the 3DS, which got such a backlash
that I didn’t even bother playing it. Fast forward a few years later to Paper
Mario: Color Splash, which once again got mauled by fans after just the first
trailer. It was like a repeat of the whole Metroid Prime: Federation Force
nonsense, with the YouTube trailers for the game getting slammed with dislikes
and even online petitions springing up asking Nintendo to cancel the game
outright.
So what’s the final result after all
this hate? Well, although the game has its flaws (several of them, in fact),
it’s ultimately a creative, colourful, and ultimately fun experience I’d
recommend fans of previous installments check out.
The story is traditional Mario fare:
Bowser and his cronies are draining the colour from a place called Prism
Island, and it’s up to Mario and his new paint bucket friend Huey to gather
Paint Stars to save the day. As much as we’ve heard this story before, the
writing is actually the best part of Color Splash. The game is laugh out loud
hilarious at times. Rarely does a conversation or cutscene go by without a joke
or pun. My personal favourite is at the shop, upon running out of funds, the
shopkeeper Toad exclaims “Mario, you’re baroque! Go out and get some more
Monet!” Add in some clever Mario references (“What in the Lost Levels is going
on here!?”) and even some meta humour (“Mario! Princess Peach has been
kidnapped! No one could have seen this coming!”) and you’ve got a fantastic
script that keeps the mood light and the laughs coming.
In fact, the entire presentation to
this game is just fantastic. Color Splash takes full advantage of the Wii U’s
graphical processing power, making it one of the best looking games on the
console. The cardboard landscapes look like something out of a popup book,
characters bend and fold like real paper, and the intro looks beyond fantastic.
This is all accompanied by an energetic and fun bluegrass soundtrack that fits
the paper aesthetic perfectly. The one gripe I have is that aside from some
major ones, every single NPC you can chat with is a Toad of varying colour.
It’s incredibly boring to happen upon a new character, just to find that
they’re yet another yellow or blue
toad, identical to several others all across the game world. The original Paper
Mario games were so great in creating villages populated by not just Toads, but
friendly Goombas, Koopas, and even some all new monsters. Why not go back to
that?
I can only describe the gameplay as
very unique. I’ve heard it’s similar to Sticker Star and Mario & Luigi:
Paper Jam, but as I haven’t played either of those I couldn’t tell you. Think
of it as an adventure game with some light RPG elements. You travel across a
world map to different levels, where you battle enemies and solve puzzles to
find the Paint Star at the end. It’s simple enough that a kid could enjoy it
with no problem, but has enough secrets to keep an adult like me engaged.
The battle system is strange. Unlike
the original Paper Mario RPGs, you have a limited amount of Jump and Hammer
attacks. You can acquire more by buying cards. In a battle, you choose which
cards you want to use, colour them in by using paint, and then flick them from
the GamePad to the screen to use them in battle.
This can be extremely hit or miss. For
one thing, you either have too few or too many of the card you need. Making the
jump and hammer attacks constants while making stat-boosting items or weapon
upgrades cards would’ve worked much better. Secondly, it’s infuriating having
to go through the card painting process every time you want to attack. First,
you must scroll through a lengthy wheel to find the cards you want. Then, after
selecting the cards, you hold down your finger on the GamePad to colour them in
individually. Then, finally, flick them onto the screen. It only takes about 12
seconds each time, but that time adds up. It would be so much easier and convenient
to just press a button and do the attack. When it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Despite this, there’s enough going on
in the battles to keep you engaged. Every once in a while, a Magikoopa will scramble
your cards, making battles a bit more difficult. Enemy turns also involve quick
reaction times to reduce the amount of damage Mario takes. Plus, while Mario
prepares his cards on the GamePad, the enemies lob hilarious insults and taunts
at him on the TV. If it weren’t for how tedious the card system was, the
battles would be a lot of fun.
The weird part of battles is that
ultimately, they don’t matter much. Killing enemies only nets Mario paint, a
card or two, or occasionally an item that sort of acts as raising experience
points. When you gather enough of them, the amount of paint Mario can carry is
raised. Mario never becomes stronger or faster. Even his Max HP is raised only
when completing integral story points. There are small RPG elements to this
game, but once I realized battles weren’t integral to getting stronger to
progress through the game, I started avoiding them as much as I could.
If anything, Paper Mario Color Splash
is guaranteed to bring you a smile or two. The lovely visuals and fantastic
writing really elevate it to a higher level than the overall gameplay can take
it. This would be a perfect RPG to start a young kid off on the genre, before
they can handle games like Final Fantasy. While the card system is frankly
irritating and battles are ultimately only there because they’re necessary,
Color Splash is a lot of fun I’d recommend renting for a week or two. Even if
you’re a fan of the original games turned off by how different it is to, say, The
Thousand Year Door, give it a try! You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll kiss lots
of paint goodbye.
FINAL SCORE
7/10
Good
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