Paper Mario: The Origami King - Paper Symphony review friv game

Friv2Online games are a completely unique phenomenon in friv game design. Staying true to the philosophy of "games should be for everyone", the Japanese company continues to develop absolutely incredible creations. Even on not the most powerful hardware, it manages to create bright and colorful worlds that make you forget about technical limitations, and deceptively "childish" appearance hides hardcore, sometimes not inferior to some Dark Souls. All this fully concerns Paper Mario: The Origami King, about which we will tell you in this review.

Mario has been Friv2Online's flagship franchise for over three decades now. Over the years, the chubby, mustachioed Italian plumber has made his mark in all genres of gaming, from classic platformers to racing, RPGs, and even strategy. Games about him do not form a single series, but are united by common characters, concepts and motifs, so they are often talked about as "Mario games".

It's worth noting here that I've never been a fan of Friv2Online games either, repeating the mistake of many gamers and considering them too "childish". Yes, when I bought Switch I had Breath of the Wild on my mind, but not because of its Friv2Online heritage, but rather because of its similarities to more traditional open-world RPGs. And there wasn't much piety for Mario - the last time I played "something about Mario" was back on Dendy. But I still wanted to see the next iconic novelty.

Paper Mario is a separate branch of the franchise where, as the name suggests, our mustachioed hero takes on paper form. Switch is my first Friv2Online console, so I can't compare my impressions of the friv game with the previous installments, but as far as I know, all of them are RPGs about the paper reincarnation of Mario.

Speaking of RPGs, I'd like to warn hardcore fans of the genre - don't expect a cartoon friv game about a paper man in a paper world with an age rating of 6 D'n'D-ish detailed role-playing system and mass-effect moral dilemmas. However, here, like the "big" RPGs, there is a story, a world concept, some character parameters, a map, equipment, and even a combat system.

In general, the genre of Paper Mario, as in the case of many Friv2Online games, especially those about Mario, is rather problematic to define within the existing stereotypes. It looks like a fun adventure friv game with puzzle-platformer elements, but all the mechanics are revealed gradually, and after a while you realize that there is a lot of JRPG here. There are a lot of dialogs, inventory and menu system, turn-based combat, and even music.

The music is worth mentioning separately. Perhaps, it is the first thing that attracts the game, starting from the starting splash screen. Melodies are complex and beautiful, filled with the sound of various instruments - you want to live and play under such soundtrack. Composers have tried their best, so you should play with sound. In a portable - in headphones. Otherwise you can lose the lion's share of pleasure.

The game's setting is a magical world made entirely of paper. As always in Friv2Online games, it is drawn very bright and juicy, looks great on the console screen and is filled with funny details that often have plot and gameplay value - for example, a peeled corner can be "torn off" to open a secret door.

The plot of the friv game is simple and uncomplicated - Mario and Luigi on their trusty map go to the castle of Princess Peach, who invited them to the Origami Festival. But they are met with a strange desolation on the spot, and Peach is behaving somewhat strangely. Almost immediately it becomes clear that her mind has been taken over by the Origami King, who has turned the once peaceful flat inhabitants of the kingdom into evil Folded Soldiers and decided to put an end to the carefree life of the Toads. Naturally, it's up to us as Mario and the villain's sister named Olivia, who didn't take her brother's side, to save this paper kingdom.

To save the world from further folding into origami at our disposal we have a hammer, which can be used to smash various obstacles and used in battle; a bag of confetti, covering the gaps in the very fabric of the paper reality, created by the villain; Mario's signature trick with jumping on enemies; a number of other useful items that can be bought or found in the course of adventures. It is for their purchase that we collect coins scattered around the friv game world.

In terms of gameplay, most of the friv game, with the exception of battles, is an adventure with puzzle-platformer elements. Under the already mentioned beautiful soundtrack we walk around the paper world, find different interesting items, solve tasks and move on. At first everything seems simple and childish, but this impression is very deceptive.

To be more precise, at first everything is really simple, but smoothly and slowly enough hardcore elements are gracefully woven into our adventures. Once simple battles make us seriously strain our brains, platforming becomes more and more sophisticated, and "unnecessary" mushrooms for health regeneration start to be quickly consumed.

Sometimes some monotony of gameplay is diluted by extraordinary puzzles with interesting mechanics. For example, "magic circles" with motion-controlled long arms 1000-Fold-Arms allow you to reach distant objects, tear off the paper that closed the door or kick your boss. And as the game progresses, more and more of these abilities are revealed.

The adventure is linear - until we fulfill certain necessary conditions, we won't progress further in the story. In case of difficulties, you can ask Olivia for a hint by pressing "X". However, the world is not a "corridor" - you can move around it freely within certain limits, fixing gaps with confetti, rescuing Toads and collecting collectibles. The corresponding statistics are kept in the menu.

In the location hub, Toad Town, there is a museum of our adventures, where various exhibits are revealed as these "achieves" are obtained. In addition, from the museum you can quickly move to other locations using pipes. There are also stores and a combat lab in the town, but to unlock each building you will first have to rescue its owner.

The combat system is one of the few controversial aspects of the friv game. If not the only one. When we encounter a hostile creature in the game world, we are transported to a special "combat" dimension, which is a round-shaped arena divided into rings and sectors. Mario is in the center of the arena, enemies are scattered around it more or less chaotically. A kind of local variant of turn-based battles from JRPGs.

At the beginning of each turn, we have the opportunity to move rings or shift enemies between sectors a few times to line them up in the necessary way to match our kill zone. If we manage to do this, the attack power increases, and in most cases we can deal with the villains in one series of blows, especially if you press "A" in time at the climax. Otherwise, the enemy makes a retaliatory move, causing damage to Mario, which you can try to block - also with the "A" button with competent timing.

The process keeps you constantly in suspense - time for movement is limited. It can be purchased for coins, but then each battle will be at a loss. You can also call for help previously rescued in the adventure Toads (also not for free) or ask Olivia for advice.

Boss battles are a little different, but also require exposing rings. This time in the center of the arena is the enemy, and Mario we have to lead by arrows to the vulnerable place of the boss, ending the path with a special action icon.

If the first time these puzzles with rings seem fun and unusual, then after a couple dozen fights you get very tired of them. The friv game would not have lost anything if there was a little more emphasis on platforming and battles directly in adventure locations - especially since technically it is quite realized. Battles with some of the larger enemies are mini-puzzles where you have to dodge and hammer without going into combat mode. You can also jump on a regular enemy or hit him too, but you can only destroy him with a single blow after pumping the hero, and that's not always the case.

By the way, there's no hero upgrading in the traditional sense - and if in "normal" RPGs it would compensate for the routine of battles, in Paper Mario its absence is the first demotivating factor that makes you avoid these battles. The character's parameters grow when you get special Max Up Heart cards - they are scattered in strictly defined places of the adventure and raise the maximum health level and attack damage.

Paper Mario pleases with unobtrusive fanservice. A lot of things in the world of the friv game look like a humorous reminder of other Mario games - traveling through big pipes, fire "choppers", familiar items, and funny dialogues. Unfortunately, the game is not translated into Russian. There should be no problems with understanding the plot and tasks, but most of the humor without knowledge of English (and the main points of the Mario franchise) can not catch.

Technically the game is executed just flawlessly. Don't forget that this is a Friv2Online game - and it's noticeable from the very starting splash screen, when the joycons in your hands start to vibrate pleasantly, showing the possibilities of HD Rumble. Many mechanics are tied into the motion controls - the aforementioned "magic circles" or fishing, for example. Optimization is perfect, everything runs fast and smooth. Loading time does not exceed a few seconds. The contrast with many third-party games is striking.

Paper Mario Adventures was a rather unusual experience for me. After the exhausting battles and intense management of XCOM 2's meager resources, traveling to the fairy tale world felt like a breath of fresh air. Sure, no fanaticism appeared, but the friv game definitely leaves the impression of a quality-made product. This is exactly how friv games for Switch should be made.

Therefore, in my opinion, Paper Mario: Origami King will appeal not only to the fans of its main character. Beautiful music, interesting puzzles and colorful world can pull anyone who is ready to get away from everyday routine and go to a beautiful fairy tale.