Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Two decades ago, Nintendo rang in the new millennium with Paper Mario, a brand new adventure starring all of our Mushroom Kingdom favorites in a way we’ve never seen them before. Since then, every Nintendo home console has seen a new installment in the Paper Mario franchise. This trend remains true as it was announced today that Paper Mario: The Origami King will be coming to the Switch this summer.
As its name implies, this game adds an aesthetic twist to the charming Paper Mario art style. In the announcement trailer launched directly on the Nintendo YouTube channel, we see Princess Peach dramatically step into the main halls of her castle, as Mario confronts her. She asks him if he will “crease” himself, and be reborn. Couple this odd request with the eerie music playing and it’s quite clear that something isn’t right with our beloved peach. It seems as though the Origami King has already gotten to her, folding her into his new world order.
As for gameplay, we get a montage of a variety of different locations and sequences. We also get a glimpse at a new Paper Mario ability, 1,000-Fold Arms. This allows Mario to extend further than ever before to solve puzzles and deal damage to enemies. We’re also introduced to Olivia, a new character to the franchise and Mario’s partner on his journey to save his friends from the clutches of the Origami King.
The confirmation of a new Paper Mario game gives some credence to a leak from earlier this year alleging that Nintendo is working on remasters for several games in the mainline Super Mario series. A key part of this leak stated that there would be a new entry in the Paper Mario franchise in 2020. While the remasters are yet to be confirmed, we’ll be ready to fold and crease when Paper Mario: The Origami King launches on July 17, 2020.