Needless to say that I will be going into the story a bit to explain why, though I will be doing my best to be as vauge as possible.
But obviously, Spoiler Warning!!!

If you want to go into the game fresh, which I would very much reccomend, then stop reading right now.

I mean it.


SCRAM!!!












They gone?

Good.



Recently, my partner and I picked up the latest in Nintendo's Paper Mario series, The Origami King. We just finished a play through. This game needs a warning in front of it saying "Parental Guidance STRONGLY suggested". Don't get me wrong. The game is incredible. The story is wonderful, and bitter-sweet, the writing on point, much of it frankly hilarious, and witty. The combat system is a bit lacking, but the rest of the package is more than entertaining enough to hold your attention. It's just some of the mature themes within.

And no, I'm not talking about THOSE kind of themes, you pervs.

I mean things like Death, Loss, Atrocity, Suffering, Hatred, and Self Sacrifice.

I know. Stuff that feels more like it belongs in a Final Fantasy game, rather than a Mario one. It's all handled well, and with taste, but the result is, frankly, alot more emotionally wrenching, than I was prepared for in a Mario game. The story is an epic tragedy of nearly operatic proportions. We have kingdoms collapsing under invasion. We have a bad-guy that is mutilating people, to achieve what he considers to be perfection. We have vendettas. And we have heroes that make the ultimate sacrifice for their friends.

I honestly never expected, going in, that I would be brought to near tears, on more than one occasion.

Mario, being the viewpoint character, has no real arc in terms of story, or personality. He's there to save the day, of course. The four new people we are introduced to, through the course of the game, on the other hand, have the most fleshed out stories and personality as well as the most detailed character arcs. They are also the ones that meet the darkest fates...

The inner lives of some of the Mario Universe's diverse population are fleshed out in often rather amusing ways, while others... Let's just say you'll never look at a Bob'Bomb the same way ever again. Some of it was a little hard for me to deal with, given that I had been lulled into having my shields down, by the general mario-ness. I can only imagine what kind of impact that this would have on your average 9 year old. Again, don't get me wrong, I'm not the kind for censorship of any kind, and I do feel that alot of the subject matter is important to be exposed to early, to get kids thinking and reasoning. But it's definitely stuff I would think a parent would want to help their son or daughter come to grips with.

Despite the cutesy exterior, much of the game seems to be aimed at the older Nintendo fan. I definitely got that impression, when, at one point, Bowser expresses how difficult it can be to be a single father, even if Jr. has a devoted nanny, in the likes of Kamek. The fleshing out of the toad civilization, also gave me a laugh or two, as they exhibit an almost comical obsession with profit, like certain Star Trek baddies I could name. None of this is too over the top, though, and frankly is the source of alot of the humor. I do wonder how Bowser deals with the koopa troopa's veneration of the Earth Velumental, though. Isn't he the least bit jealous, that they have a god, who isn't him?


The character of Olivia is quite endearing, with a child-like sense of innocence, and wonder. Watching her grow through the course of the game, is a joy. Other sidekicks, that come into and out of the story, also have their charms, especially the amnesiac bob'bomb, Bobby, always so eager to help, if a little on the cowardly side. He finds his courage in the end, though. And the character for which the game is named, Olly, is, for a Mario game, quite a complex and ultimately tragic villain.

All in all, I would recommend this game, but with a warning that you might very well get more than you bargained for in the feels department. Just a warning. Emotionally, it's a wild ride...