The final announcement in the September 13 Nintendo Direct revealed that Nintendo is finally answering fans’ prayers with a Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door remake. The beloved GameCube game, which released almost two decades ago in 2004, has a huge place in fans’ childhoods and has been a widely-requested re-release for years now. Now, it’s finally making its way to Nintendo Switch with updated graphics!
The Thousand Year Door is the second game in the Paper Mario series, but is a standalone title with a separate story. It follows Mario as he journeys to Rogueport looking for treasures known as Crystal Stars in order to save Princess Peach. Peach has been kidnapped again, this time by an alien race known as the X-Nauts.
Mario is joined on his adventures by a colorful cast of partners, all with their own unique personalities and abilities. One example shown off in the remake trailer is Koops, a cowardly Koopa who Mario can shoot in his shell to hit far away switches. The game is an RPG, with Mario exploring many different lands and fighting adversaries in turn-based battles that utilize a timing mechanic to increase damage.
Like the name suggests, the game has a unique visual style and is presented to look like the characters and environmental elements are made of paper. Unique to this series, Mario can interact with the world around him by taking advantage of the paper elements, like turning into a paper airplane to glide across gaps, or becoming flat to slip through cracks in walls.
Much to the relief of fans, the gameplay footage shown in the Direct indicates that this remake will be more like a remaster, keeping the core elements of the original game while giving a fresh coat of paint to the storybook graphics. Al the classic partners and locations are back with an updated look!
The Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door remake releases in 2024 for the Nintendo Switch. The company hopes it will give new players a chance to experience the game as well as offer a new experience to longtime fans.
