Reinventing a classic is always tricky. Video game development is like alchemy; it’s practically a miracle that anyone could stumble upon the right combination of elements to make a true classic. Even saying that, though, is a bit of a disservice – because the process is admittedly not that scientific. That said: It’s easy to tip the cart. a little Remake or even remake, and bam ——Just like that, it is no longer a classic.
But when the process goes smoothly, it’s a joy. 20 years after the release of GameCube, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door It’s back – and as brilliant as ever. Which, by the way, makes it one of the best Mario spin-offs.
What sets The Thousand Year Door apart from the Paper Mario games is one simple but important fact: it’s an RPG. A true RPG. In my opinion, that’s the template that the Paper Mario series should follow, especially considering it’s the de facto sequel to Super Mario RPG, which also received a Nintendo Switch remake.
When I introduced the game, I described Mario RPG as akin to a baby’s first RPG – an ideal introduction to the ins and outs of the genre for those who aren’t too familiar. You can see how this game could be a gateway drug to games like Final Fantasy – but The Thousand Year Door stands pretty much on its own. It has its own atmosphere; a little surreal, a little poignant, a lot of fun, and often darker and deeper than the paper-cut characters might initially suggest.
Over the course of thirty hours or so, Mario is pushed from pillar to post as he’s injected into a variety of scenarios with unique flavors. Equally unique companions join Mario on his adventures. 20 years ago, The Thousand Year Door felt like a pivotal game, and to me, it seemed to significantly broaden the breadth of the Mario universe – and while the series is embracing this more broadly now than ever, it remains one of the most popular games. A prime example of letting secondary characters and newcomers shine, distracting from the show’s many core characters. In many ways, Geno in Mario RPG can walk, so the likes of Goombella and Vivian can run, too.
A lot of this should be familiar to newer Paper Mario fans, as these are elements of the series that have remained intact over the years. Still, it will undoubtedly be interesting for newer fans to learn about the origins of these concepts. But that’s not what makes this game a classic: in fact, the charming and humorous narrative is combined with a truly engaging and decent RPG gameplay with a surprising range of tactics.
This isn’t an RPG that reinvents the wheel or overcomplicates things. At its heart, it’s a very traditional turn-based combat game without any gimmicks. Nintendo loves new gimmicks with new games – you only have to look at Paper Mario follow-ups over the past two decades to see this – returning to a game that simply revels in its core genre mechanics and uses them to their fullest advantage Refreshing. The key-click crunchiness that would have typified the insertion of some new, half-baked new mechanic into a sequel is largely avoided.
Basically the game is still very good. As a visual remake, this is a good one: I mean, it roughly looks the way someone old enough to play the original would appreciate it remember It looks beautiful, but if you put them side by side you’ll quickly realise it has been significantly altered and improved. However, the vibe is accurate, and the look of the game happily rivals its more modern counterparts.
Nintendo has a bit of a habit of rebalancing games and making them too easy, but compared to Mario RPGs, The Thousand Year Door does a pretty good job. I thought the difficulty was on par with what I remembered from the original, which did include some super-powered abilities and badges. But actually, some of the reduction in difficulty is welcome, as some of the more tedious obstacles have been carefully ironed out. A lot of the annoying backtracking has been mitigated with shortcuts and small tweaks or additions; it’s reminiscent of the changes made to the tedious Triforce hunt in The Wind Waker for the Wii U.
As I’ve said before, remaking a classic is tricky. It’s risky. But Thousand Year Door’s Switch journey is filled with clever changes and details that overall enhance the 2004 glory rather than risk subverting it. My favorite detail is the change in music. The remastered soundtrack is faithful and clever. The first game used the same base battle theme throughout, while here each unique area gets a different version, injecting a bit of glorious variety. If that’s not to your liking, though, you can quickly return to the original score in the menu – again, smart.
That’s the word, right? A smart choice of remake – it deserves it. Smartly designed, smartly positioned – arguably cleverly placed, and thrown in here at the end of the Switch’s life cycle, it’s a victory lap for a classic from past generations. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is a well-deserved, well-made remake of a classic. It takes one of Mario’s best spinoffs and does it justice. Just enough Gives it a fresh new look while keeping everything that made it loveable in the first place. I can only hope this leads to more Paper Mario games like it.