Play it on: Switch, GameCube
Current goal: Find the second star
Buy it at: Amazon | Best buy | Humble Bundle
Sometimes you worry that something you loved years ago might not be as great as you remember, so you’re afraid to try it again and possibly find that what you once thought was exceptional is now just OK or (God forbid) OK. I had a bit of that worry before diving back into one of my all-time favorite games. Paper Mario: The Gate to Legendabout the brand new remake on the Switch. I needn’t have worried though. I think it’s even better than I remembered.
Wherever I go, the text is so witty, so snappy, so heartfelt, that I find myself deliberately speaking to every NPC, no matter how small, because I don’t want to miss a word. For me, that delightful text and the wonderful cast of characters you meet remain the game’s biggest draws, but the game shines elsewhere too. Navigating the world and using Mario’s ever-expanding array of abilities – er, I mean terrible curses – to find secrets and enter new areas is a pleasure, and the combat is just right to be accessible to genre newbies and deep enough to keep you hooked. But yes, come for the text and the game’s endearing papercraft graphics, which look better than ever on the Switch. You won’t be disappointed. – Carolyn Petit
