Paper Mario: The Origami King: Difference between revisions

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*''[[Super Mario World]]'': The fireball and spin jump sounds are reused from this game.
*''[[Super Mario World]]'': The fireball and spin jump sounds are reused from this game.
*''[[Paper Mario]]'': Peach's castle's interior looks similar to the one used in this game, and Peach's design from this game appears as a photo.
*''[[Paper Mario]]'': Peach's castle's interior looks similar to the one used in this game, and Peach's design from this game appears as a photo.
*''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker]]'': The purple streamer chapter has many references to this game. [[The Great Sea]] is a reference to [[zeldawiki:Great Sea|the overworld with the same name]], and their mechanics also share many similarities. The player needs to collect three orbs in order to open the Sea Tower, similar to how they need to collect the [[zeldawiki:Goddess Pearl|Goddess Pearls]] to reach the [[zeldawiki:Tower of the Gods|Tower of the Gods]], and the colors of the orbs are also the same as the Goddess Pearls. When the player goes to Diamond Island to get the three orbs, the game refers the trial as "the trial of power, courage and wisdom", which is a reference to the [[zeldawiki:Triforce|Triforce]] and the [[zeldawiki:Golden Goddess|Golden Goddesses]]. Some of the rooms of the Sea Tower are based on the four Vellumental temples, similar to the four areas of [[zeldawiki:Ganon's Tower (The Wind Waker)|Ganon's Tower]] that take on the theme of the four main dungeons.
*''[[zeldawiki:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker|The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker]]'': The purple streamer chapter has many references to this game. [[The Great Sea]] is a reference to [[zeldawiki:Great Sea|the overworld of the same name]], and their mechanics also share many similarities. The player needs to collect three orbs in order to open the Sea Tower, similar to how they need to collect the [[zeldawiki:Goddess Pearl|Goddess Pearls]] to reach the [[zeldawiki:Tower of the Gods|Tower of the Gods]], and the colors of the orbs are also the same as the Goddess Pearls. When the player goes to Diamond Island to get the three orbs, the game refers the trial as "the trial of power, courage and wisdom", which is a reference to the [[zeldawiki:Triforce|Triforce]] and the [[zeldawiki:Golden Goddess|Golden Goddesses]]. Some of the rooms of the Sea Tower are based on the four Vellumental temples, similar to the four areas of [[zeldawiki:Ganon's Tower (The Wind Waker)|Ganon's Tower]] that take on the theme of the four main dungeons.
*''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'': Peach's design from this game appears as a photo. Additionally, when Mario and Bob-omb interact with the steering wheel on [[The Princess Peach]], the latter mentions that he dreams of being an admiral someday, in reference to [[Admiral Bobbery]].
*''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]'': Peach's design from this game appears as a photo. Additionally, when Mario and Bob-omb interact with the steering wheel on [[The Princess Peach]], the latter mentions that he dreams of being an admiral someday, in reference to [[Admiral Bobbery]].
*''[[Super Paper Mario]]'': Peach appears in a photo with her parasol and a background resembling [[Lineland]].
*''[[Super Paper Mario]]'': Peach appears in a photo with her parasol and a background resembling [[Lineland]]. Some of the [[Sammer's Kingdom]]'s OST is incorporated into the music for Shogun Studios.
*''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'': A slow-paced arrangement of [[Maple Treeway]]'s music plays in the [[Tranquil Pipes Teahouse]] at Shogun Studios.
*''[[Mario Kart Wii]]'': A slow-paced arrangement of [[Maple Treeway]]'s music plays in the [[Tranquil Pipes Teahouse]] at Shogun Studios.
*''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'': Some of Bowser Jr.'s voice clips are reused from this game.
*''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'': Some of Bowser Jr.'s voice clips are reused from this game.

Revision as of 12:46, August 26, 2020

It has been requested that this article be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: include its own bestiary

"The Origami King" redirects here. For the eponymous villain, see King Olly.

Template:Infobox

Paper Mario: The Origami King is the sixth installment in the Paper Mario series, released on the Nintendo Switch worldwide on July 17, 2020. The game follows the aesthetic style of its predecessor; Paper Mario: Color Splash, and follows Mario opposing an evil army of origami characters known as Folded Soldiers, ruled by the Origami King, King Olly; which have taken over the Mushroom Kingdom.

Plot

It has been requested that this section be rewritten. Reason: Overly long

Prologue

Peach's Castle being taken over by King Olly in Paper Mario: The Origami King
King Olly wrapping Peach's castle in streamers

The game begins with Mario and Luigi driving into Toad Town on the latter's kart, looking forward to the Origami Festival that Princess Peach has invited them to. Upon arrival, the brothers notice that the town is deserted, but continue on anyway, assuming that they arrived early. Luigi pulls up at the suspiciously empty Peach's Castle, and once he and Mario are inside, the doors lock behind them. While Luigi runs off to search for a key, Mario heads into the foyer, where he meets Peach, who has been folded into origami. Peach asks Mario if he wants to see the kingdom folded, and if he will fold himself as well, then dismisses him by dropping him into a hidden dungeon beneath the floor, where several of Bowser's minions are being held. After folded Shy Guys escort the minions to an unknown fate, Mario hears a noise, and by stepping on a Magic Circle, he initiates the 1,000-Fold Arms for the first time, using them to peel off a square of wall and free a trapped Olivia. After escaping the holding cell and witnessing the silhouetted folding of a Koopa Troopa, Mario and Olivia free a square-folded Bowser from a clothespin.

Escaping the dungeon to the upper terrace of Peach's Castle via a secret passageway, Mario, after refusing to accept a Yellow Shy Guy's request to fold again, is attacked by a group of origami Goombas and Shy Guys. After defeating them, the Yellow Shy Guy reveals himself to be Olivia's older brother, King Olly. He initiates the takeover of Peach's Castle by summoning five streamers from all around the Mushroom Kingdom, which wrap around the castle and lift it from the ground. Mario, Olivia, and Bowser successfully escape in the Koopa Clown Car, piloted by a Red Shy Guy. Noticing Luigi's hat falling into the castle's ruined foundation, the group attempts to rescue him, but collide with the red streamer and are sent flying apart. The Red Shy Guy catches Bowser and heads off elsewhere, while Olly sets Peach's Castle down atop the peak of a far-off volcano.

Red streamer

File:PMTOK Goomba papier mache.png
Mario and Olivia watch a Paper Macho Goomba eat a house

Mario frees himself from a tree in a forest near Toad Town, and after rescuing Olivia, quickly notices that Peach's Castle has been relocated to a distant peak. Both of them set out to destroy the five streamers, find Luigi, and defeat Olly. Their search begins with a trek through the Whispering Woods, where they are trapped by Ol' Grandsappy who has recently been cut down. Olivia convinces him that they mean no harm, and he tasks the two with finding a way to restore him to his former glory. Mario manages to find and revive the Soul Seed in order to do so, and is allowed to leave the forest. After encountering and saving many secreted Toads and two stacks of paper Goombas, Mario and Olivia arrive in the ravaged and deserted Toad Town, where they encounter Paper Macho Goombas for the first time. Upon defeating them, they decide to search the remains of the castle for clues, traveling through the sewers to bypass the ruined drawbridge. The duo manages to find Luigi trapped within a wall, who quickly sets out to assist Mario by hunting down the key to Peach's Castle.

Deciding to follow the red streamer first, they travel to Picnic Road, where they find a group of panicked Koopa Troopas who worship the Earth Vellumental. The door to its temple has been locked, and four of the five Shell Stones required to open it have all been stolen by Folded Soldiers. Mario explores Overlook Mountain to find them, before entering the temple and uncovering its unexplored recesses. After navigating past a series of moving pillars and flaming shells, Mario comes across the turtle-like god, who has been folded into origami, and has no choice but to fight and defeat it by attacking its weak underbelly. Afterwards, Olivia gains the ability to transform into the Vellumental and uses her new power to lower a mound of soil upon which Overlook Tower rests. Upon entering, the two have no choice but to climb the tower's stairs due to the elevator being broken and the door being barred, having to fill in some massive holes and help some Toads out along the way. At the top, the duo confronts the Colored Pencils, who is responsible for damaging the elevator, and they manage to thwart him by using his missiles against him. Following this, the red streamer is finally destroyed.

Blue streamer

With the red streamer gone, Mario and Olivia are now able to access the tram station, which can take them to Autumn Mountain, where the blue streamer leads. On the way, they meet Bob-omb, an happy-go-lucky amnesiac, whom Olivia nicknames Bobby. They decide to let him tag along, and after getting sidetracked in Chestnut Valley, they find and unseal the Water Vellumental Shrine. After solving the shrine's sliding puzzles and defeating the shrine's Water Vellumental, who has also been folded into origami, Olivia taps into its power, refilling a dry lake and overflowing the resultant Eddy River. After finding a gondola's oarsman, who has been folded into a monkey, they are finally able to boat over rocky obstacles, ride a series of tumultuous rapids, and arrive at Shogun Studios, a popular theme park.

The trio enters the park to find it deserted of all but patrolling Folded Soldiers and some costumed minions, who task them with rescuing the park's staff, who are trapped in the high castle tower. Mario sets out to look for the park's master key, which will allow him to access the locked tower; he does so by completing a trading sequence, eventually leading him to the Ninja Attraction. Inside, he finds and rescues Luigi, who presents the park's master key, having mistaken it for the key to Peach's Castle. Undeterred, Luigi leaves to continue his search, as Mario reopens the park and eventually unlocks the tower's gate, infiltrates the Paper Macho Soldiers within, and enters Big Sho' Theater. After watching and starring in three different performances, Mario and the gang are confronted by the Rubber Band, whom they defeat by yanking its hair and flinging parts of its body out of reach. With the theme park saved, the gang celebrates their victory with some fireworks, which jog Bob-omb's memories, and sets off to continue their quest.

Yellow streamer

Destroying the blue streamer allows the trio to continue downriver to Sweetpaper Valley, where King Olly ambushes them, crushing Olivia beneath a giant boulder and blocking the way forward. Remembering a way to save Olivia, Bob-omb insists that he and Mario hurry to The Great Sea with Sea Captain Toad, whom they rescued back on Autumn Mountain. They stumble across a cruise ship called The Princess Peach, which Bob-omb recalls. After restoring the ship's power and rescuing the crew, they manage to find the suite Bob-omb stayed in, where the very item he's looking for is stored within a lockbox. Before they can open it, the Paper Macho Gooper Blooper arrives and snatches it, forcing Mario to fight him by hammering his weak points. Heading back to the valley, Bob-omb discloses his tragic backstory, involving the loss of his friends, his fuse, and his memories at the hands of the same Paper Macho Gooper Blooper. He then reveals that the object he wanted to find was his friend's fuse, which he ignites in order to destroy the boulder, saving Olivia and sacrificing himself in the process. Olivia is disheartened by this and runs off into Breezy Tunnel, unsure if she is able to continue with the quest. Mario manages to cheer her up by donning a Goomba Mask after Bob-omb's ghost suggests he try to make Olivia laugh again.

Faceless Toads in Paper Mario: The Origami King
Mario dancing with the faceless Toads

Mario and Olivia press on, leasing a Boot Car, which allows them to travel at high speeds, before heading out into the "Scorching" Sandpaper Desert, which is currently shrouded in darkness, a black hole where the sun should be. They find a series of odd monoliths and altars, but are unsure of their significance and unable to read their writings, continuing on to Snif City, a town populated by Snifits, in order to find answers. At the hotel, they learn of a certain guest named Professor Toad, a dedicated archaeologist who is currently pursuing the legend of Khap'taan Teeowed. They find him back out in the desert, freeing him from the inside of a Mega Paper Macho Pokey. After the professor is convinced to join the party, they head back to the hotel, using the second floor's murals as clues to solve the ruins' puzzle. After reading the instructions for an ancient ritual on the wall of the hotel's suite (unlocked with another key Luigi mistook for that to Peach's Castle), the trio awakens the Fire Vellumental Cave and defeats its folded Fire Vellumental. Olivia is able to use this new transformation to light fires in three Toad monoliths and unearth the Temple of Shrooms.

Inside, the gang discovers many zombie-like faceless Toads and a DJ who is being held hostage by a mysterious individual who refuses to reveal himself unless the DJ plays music he can "cut a rug to". Mario tracks down the "Thrills at Night" disc, and rounds up all 40 faceless Toads within the temple in order to fill the dance floor. The unknown assailant emerges from his room and is introduced as Hole Punch, who Mario fights and defeats by attacking his lid. His defeat results in the return of the faceless Toads' faces, prompting them to head out and resettle their former home of Shroom City. The desert's sun is freed from within the disco ball, returning to the sky via the slit created by the now-destroyed yellow streamer, and opening the Sun Altar, where Mario and his companions find Captain T. Ode, an ancient sea captain, preserved in a block of ice. Olivia frees him by melting the ice with the Fire Vellumental, prompting him to scurry off in search of his old submarine, the Super Marino. Once Mario and Olivia decide to resume their quest, Professor Toad decides to stay behind, feeling that he is most at home in the desert.

Purple streamer

Returning to Toad Town, the two find Captain T. Ode at the Musée Champignon, where his old submarine is being kept as an exhibit. After the museum owner reluctantly returns it, it is attached to the back of Sea Captain Toad's ship, granting them the ability to salvage underwater treasures. Navigating through the thick fog over the Great Sea with the help of the ancient captain's Sea Chart, the gang comes across Bonehead Island, and solving a puzzle they find there clears the fog and opens up the entire ocean. The gang soon discovers the Sea Tower at the northernmost portion of the map, where the purple streamer seems to end, but finds that they cannot access it without finding three orbs located in Diamond Island.

While searching for the island, Mario finds a chest on Full Moon Island, seemingly containing a key that leads to it, only to find a note from Luigi instead, who has claimed the key, thinking it is the key to Peach's Castle. The Mario Bros. reunite again on Mushroom Island, where Luigi once again presents Mario with the wrong key. Nonetheless, he sticks around to help his brother find the island's main resident, following him into a basement and finding a room filled with harmless origami. In the room, Mario and Olivia hear a voice calling for help and free the Origami Craftsman from the wall of his workshop. He then explains that he originally created King Olly as part of a display for the Origami Festival, but did so with the Forbidden Fold of Life. Olly turned on his creator and set out to fold the world in his image, using the Origami Craftsman's notes to fold Olivia to life, intending to share the kingdom with her. Determined anew to stop Olly and rescue Peach, Luigi sets off to find the key to Peach's Castle, and Mario and Olivia depart for Diamond Island (though not before the Origami Craftsman shares another set of notes with Olivia).

Mario and Olivia use the retrieved key to access Diamond Island, which is completely submerged and can only be accessed via the Marino. Mario and Olivia discover several temples leading to the Trials of Power, Wisdom, and Courage, though the latter two cannot be accessed without the Ice Vellumental's powers, which they promptly gain by traversing the nearby Ice Vellumental Mountain and defeating its namesake, a polar bear-like deity folded into origami. After gaining this fourth and final Vellumental power, the duo complete the trials, gaining an orb from each one and using them to unlock the Sea Tower. After a long climb, involving many callbacks to the dwellings of the four Vellumentals, the duo confronts the Tape at the top, whom they defeat by smashing its dispenser and then unraveling it. They then proceed to destroy the purple streamer.

Green streamer

Unobstructed, Mario and Olivia notice the green streamer, and see that it is heading into the clouds. After solving one last puzzle involving all four Vellumental abilities, a mysterious light appears on top of the Sea Tower, and stepping into it transports them all the way to Shangri-Spa, a resort for healing of the mind and body, where it is revealed that Bowser's Castle had crash-landed into the resort's banquet hall, resulting in his uncorrupted minions being forced to clean the place up. Here, the duo meet Kamek, who is attempting to take back the castle, but cannot due to Boss Sumo Bro. guarding its entrance. The only way to reach him is via Bowser Jr.'s Junior Clown Car, which is shredded along with its owner by a pair of Scissors which come streaking out of Bowser's Castle. Kamek reluctantly joins the gang and follows them to four of the spa's springs in order to revive his young ward. Though they ultimately succeed, Jr. ends up completely colorless after soaking for too long in the Spring of Jungle Mist.

Using a stamp card he was given earlier, Mario uses it to gain a VIP pass to the Spring of Rainbows, which he can only reach after sidling along blustery cliffsides and winning a game show, Shy Guys Finish Last. Bowser Jr. restores his color in the spring and is able to fly the gang up to Boss Sumo Bro., who is promptly defeated. With the castle now unguarded, Kamek rallies the remaining minions to fight, allowing him, Bowser Jr., Mario, and Olivia to search the castle. As Bowser's loyal minions battle the Folded Soldiers inside the castle, Bowser Jr. finds the throne room's entrance locked, and Mario and Olivia follow Kamek to his quarters to seek the throne room's key. Kamek disappears before he reaches his room, but Mario advances to find Luigi in Kamek's room instead, having found the very key they're looking for, once again mistaking it for the key to Peach's Castle. Shortly after, Olivia is snatched up by a shadowy hand, who retreats to the throne room's entrance hall. Mario travels through the now-empty castle alone, battling Big Cutout Soldiers and Li'l Cutout Soldiers along the way, before finally confronting his partner's captor, the Handaconda, whom he defeats in a game of Rock Paper Scissors with the 1,000-Fold Arms.

Following this, the duo notices the cut-up remains of Bowser's loyal minions (including Kamek's) on the floor, before the Scissors arrive and challenge them to a fight. Beforehand, though, it decides to toy with them by sending out the Paper Mistake Buzzy Beetle, who is quickly dispatched, freeing the minions' faces. Mario manages to defeat the Scissors by attacking its handle and freezing it solid, before whaling on it with the 1,000-Fold Arms. This completely restores its cut-up victims, and Mario and Olivia finally destroy the green streamer.

Origami Castle

File:OrigamiCastle.png
King Olly transforms Peach's Castle into the Origami Castle

Following the restoration of his army, Bowser, who is once again freed from a clothespin and still square-folded, reveals that he has an idea on how to reach Peach's relocated castle, beckoning Mario and Olivia to follow him. This idea is shown to be a new, improved version of his Airship, where his minions, as well as Bowser Jr. and Kamek, venture out to the isolated Peach's Castle with Mario and Olivia. However, they are attacked by the Paper Plane Squadron, and although Mario defeats nearly every one, the largest jet crashes into and damages Bowser's Airship, which plummets into Hotfoot Crater. Mario, Kamek and Bowser Jr. climb up to reach Bowser, pursued by a horde of Paper Macho Goombas. Kamek and Bowser Jr. are both separated from Mario and Olivia in attempts to hold back the ravenous horde, leaving only Mario and Olivia to reach Bowser, all three of whom use the Airship's cannon to launch to Peach's Castle.

They land outside of the Castle, but cannot get inside as the door is locked. At that moment, Luigi returns with his kart, dismayed to report he could not find the key to Peach's Castle. Luckily, the key is found lodged in his kart's tailpipe. Once they enter, they are greeted by the origami Peach. Luigi attempts to save her, but falls down the trap door. King Olly then transforms Peach's Castle into his own Origami Castle, which the heroes must traverse. After solving a series of puzzles and fighting waves of Folded Soldiers, the gang manages to corner Olly, who instead retreats and sics the Stapler on them, who acts as his guard dog. Mario manages to put him down by draining his ammunition and then attacking his sensitive mouth. Upon the Stapler's defeat, Bowser finally manages to unfold himself, and he and Mario work together to lift up Olivia's morale after she expresses concern that her brother is too far gone. With her spirits lifted, the trio then heads up one last staircase to finally confront King Olly.

The trio attempts to make him come to his senses one final time, simultaneously noticing that Peach has been folded into the rear wall of the throne room. Olly also reveals that the reason behind his consternation is because of a scribble left upon him by the Origami Craftsman, leading to a genocidal bigotry against Toads. He reveals that he has folded 999 origami cranes, and intends to use Mario to create the final one, completing the forbidden 1,000-crane technique, and wishing to turn every Toad into blank scraps of paper. Olivia rebukes him by explaining how origami would be nothing without paper, but Olly refuses to listen. During the final showdown, he uses the abilities of all four Vellumentals, but is ultimately beaten by Mario and Olivia, and the Vellumental powers they gained. Not giving up, he then folds himself into a large sumo wrestler, which Olivia counteracts by giving Bowser a folded sumo form as well. The combined efforts of Bowser and Mario, who assists him with the 1,000-Fold Arms, manage to knock King Olly off the arena, only for him to come back even stronger, complete with rising poisonous gas and long arms not dissimilar to Mario's 1,000-Fold Arms. Olivia summons a larger Magic Circle in order to fight him, but he scrambles it up, forcing Mario to reassemble it before activating the Magic Circle, transforming Olivia into the Origami Craftsman's giant-hammer design, and defeating Olly for good.

In his dying moments, Olly learns that the scrawl on his body was actually a blessing written by the Origami Craftsman, creating Olly to be a kind and noble king. Regretfully and remorsefully, Olly directs Olivia to fold his body into a crane, bringing the total to 1,000 and allowing her to grant any wish she desires. He then collapses into an ordinary scrap of paper. With the help of the Origami Craftsman, who is escorted by Luigi, Bowser Jr., and Kamek, she manages to do this, wishing to undo all of the origami her brother folded. The 1,000 cranes grant her wish and carry Peach's Castle back to Toad Town. Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Kamek, the Origami Craftsman, and the restored Princess Peach land outside the castle, and realize that one of their company, Olivia, is absent.

Later that night, the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser's army continue their truce and celebrate the Origami Festival together, where the Origami Craftsman reveals his contribution, the original, scaled-down Origami Castle, complete with thrones for the two origami siblings. Mario expresses his sadness over Olivia's sacrifice, but Peach insists that she is still with them in spirit, before everyone releases paper lanterns into the starry sky.

Afterwards, the Mario Bros. drive home as the credits roll. Photographs shown during the credits depict the Toads and the Koopa Troop engaged in normal activities following the Origami Festival:

  • Sweet Sap Loggins being decorated with flower wreaths by Toads.
  • The Earth Vellumental Temple being visited by Koopa Troopas.
  • Goombas and Toads feasting at the Overlook Tower café.
  • Toads riding through the Eddy River rapids, with Cheep Cheeps swimming alongside.
  • Various characters spending time at Shogun Studios, with a firework launched in Bob-omb's honor.
  • The Boot Car salesman and a Snifit riding on respective Boot Cars in the desert.
  • DJ Toad and the DJ Snifit dancing with other Toads and a Snifit.
  • Bob-ombs, Toads, and a Mega Blooper enjoying paradise on the Great Sea.
  • Bowser, Bowser Jr. and several minions refreshing in the Shangri-Spa hot spring, while repairs of Bowser's Castle are ongoing.
  • The static remains of the Legion of Stationery on the Origami Craftsman's workbench.

If the player manages to 100% the game before beating the final boss, the photos receive golden frames, and a post-credits scene plays in which the Origami Craftsman places miniatures of Olly and Olivia beside each other on his castle in the center of Toad Town.

Gameplay

Mario achieving an attack power-up in battle in Paper Mario: The Origami King
Mario fighting enemies in a ring
Mario navigates a puzzle-like ring to attack a boss

The overworld exploration is quite different from the series' standard; whereas the previous three games were either sorted into individual chapters or levels, The Origami King switches to a completely open-world style of progression, with Mario being able to travel to any of the game's locales completely on foot like the first two games. The game's combat system has also been overhauled: at the start of each turn, Mario can rotate and slide rings of a circular battle arena, lining up enemies for consecutive attacks, although the number of ring moves and allotted time are limited. Mario has permanent Boots and Hammer attacks, and may equip stronger variants that break after a while. Attacking enemies on the overworld will grant Mario an extra attack in battle, and timed button presses can increase damage when attacking. Lining up the enemies successfully will increase Mario's attack power by a factor of 1.5. Coins can be spent to extend the time limit (at a rate of 10 coins per second), or call the Toads that have been saved to assist Mario in battle. Boss battles use a different system in which the player rotates and slides the rings to line up arrows, making a path for Mario to attack.

Olivia, a character new to the franchise, has a role similar to Kersti and Huey from Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Paper Mario: Color Splash respectively. Once a Vellumental is defeated, Olivia can transform into the Vellumental while standing on Magic Circles, an ability that carries over into battle. Additionally, partners return to ally with Mario and aid him in battles, including Bob-omb and Kamek. Various partners join and leave Mario's party at various points in the story.

Accessories (which function similarly to Badges from the first two games) grant Mario benefits both in battle and on the overworld.Toads can be found on the overworld, folded into various shapes. Hitting these Toads with the hammer will cause them to unfold and return to Toad Town, some of which open shops. The Toads that have been saved can even help in battle if the player spends coins using the Cheer command. These Toads will fight enemies, heal Mario, give items, and solve puzzles. Mario can gain confetti by using his Hammer on trees, grass, and enemies. This confetti can be used to fill Not-Bottomless Holes torn in the landscape, revealing Coins or a Toad.

In the settings menu, there is an option to control certain aspects of the game with motion controls or entirely with the controller buttons. This applies to the 1,000-Fold Arms, fishing, and the Super Marino.

Characters

Playable

Partners

Primary

Temporary

Template:More images

Supporting

Enemies

Bosses

Vellumentals

The Vellumentals are a group of four mid-bosses. After defeating one, it releases a Bibliofold that Olivia reads to learn how to fold herself into the Vellumental.

Image Name Description
The Earth Vellumental Earth Vellumental A giant quadrupedal turtle that can spew sand and manipulate earth, similar to the Black Tortoise. It is fought in the Earth Vellumental Temple. To defeat it, Mario must hammer each of its limbs, then its tail. It flips over and is vulnerable to 1,000-Fold Arms attacks.
File:PMOK Water Vellumental.png Water Vellumental A water-spouting dragon similar to the Azure Dragon, found in the Water Vellumental Shrine. It absorbs more water each round, and eventually charges up a big wave attack, which Mario can avoid by using Olivia's Earth Vellumental's ability. The Water Vellumental is weak to jump attacks, which cause it to collapse and make it vulnerable to hammers.
File:PMOK Fire Vellumental.png Fire Vellumental A phoenix similar to the Vermilion Bird, located in the Fire Vellumental Cave. Each round, it sheds some of its burning feathers onto the arena, and Mario takes damage if he walks over them. The Water Vellumental's ability can extinguish the feathers and make the Fire Vellumental vulnerable to the 1,000-Fold Arms.
File:PMOK Ice Vellumental.png Ice Vellumental A giant polar bear with large claws similar to the White Tiger. It resides in the Ice Vellumental Mountain on Diamond Island. It can freeze panels on the arena and make them unusable, only thawing with the Fire Vellumental's power or through sliding them. When it is low on health, the Ice Vellumental uses its Ice Maze ability, creating slush on the board and forcing Mario to navigate it to reach the 1,000-Fold Arms panel.

Legion of Stationery

The Legion of Stationery are sentient tools. They guard the ends of each streamer, besides Stapler.

Image Name Description
File:ColoredPencils.png Colored Pencils The guardian of the red streamer, fought on Overlook Tower. Colored Pencils has crosshairs on its battle arena, firing pencil missiles at Mario if he crosses them. To defeat it, Mario has to navigate behind it and slam its lid shut with the 1,000-Fold Arms or a hammer attack. When it has taken enough damage, Colored Pencils charges a Rainbow Roll attack. Mario must grab the pencils and slam them into the case to defeat the boss.
File:RubberBand.png Rubber Band A yellow rubber band wrapped in many other rubber bands. It guards the blue streamer at Big Sho' Theater. Rubber Band shoots its rubber bands on the arena, pushing Mario if he walks over them. To defeat the boss, Mario must get close to it and use the 1,000-Fold Arms to pull bands off of its head; using regular attacks removes the rubber bands, but Rubber Band pulls them back onto its body to nullify the attack.
File:PMOK Hole Punch.png Hole Punch The guardian of the yellow streamer in the Temple of Shrooms. Hole Punch can punch out panels on the board, trapping Mario if he falls in the holes. Additionally, it can remove parts of Mario's body, lowering his maximum HP. Hitting the backside of Hole Punch frees some of the holes it has removed. To defeat Hole Punch, Mario has to peel off its lid with the 1,000-Fold Arms.
File:Tape.png Tape Tape is the boss of the purple streamer area, found on top of the Sea Tower. Mario must destroy its dispenser with hammer attacks, reducing the boss to just the roll of tape. It then rolls around the arena, taping together panels to prevent them from being slid, and taping certain rings so they are rotated together. The tape can be removed with the Fire Vellumental's ability. When using the 1,000-Fold Arms, Mario flips Tape upside down and pulls the tape away.
File:PMOK Scissors.png Scissors Scissors is the last streamer boss, fought in Bowser's Castle at the green streamer. At first, Scissors has its blades covered, and warns Mario not to break them. After taking enough damage, it unsheathes on its own, and Mario instantly gets a Game Over if he jumps on it. Scissors will also remove panels from the board by cutting them apart. To damage Scissors, Mario must freeze it with the Ice Vellumental power, then use the 1,000-Fold Arms to break the ice chunk.
File:PMOK Stapler.png Stapler Unlike the other Legion of Stationary bosses, Stapler does not guard a streamer, instead being fought in Origami Castle before King Olly. Stapler attempts to staple Mario the board, preventing him from moving and allowing it to deal more damage. When attacked, Stapler loses some of its staples. Eventually, it fires all of its staples in succession at Mario, being equipped with a stronger tier of staples afterwards. Stapler is weak to the 1,000-Fold Arms, which can remove over half of its staples.

Other

Image Name Description
An origami Boss Sumo Bro from Paper Mario: The Origami King. Boss Sumo Bro Boss Sumo Bro guards Bowser's Castle and is fought in Shangri-Spa. It fights alongside six Sumo Bros.: four who have stolen panels on the arena and two who ride on thunderclouds. When Mario defeats the four Sumo Bros., the Boss Sumo Bro and the other two thundercloud Sumo Bros. drop down onto the arena and charge a thunder attack. They can be defeated with the Fire Vellumental power.
Handaconda Handaconda Handaconda is a black, cutout hand that is fought in Bowser's Castle. It harms Mario when jumped on, and can only be attacked while in the second and third rows of rings. Mid-battle, Handaconda transforms panels into Rock-Paper-Scissors icons. When Mario wins the match, he uses a rush attack on Handaconda to damage it.
King Olly's titan form King Olly King Olly is the game's main antagonist and final boss, battled in Origami Castle. In his first phase, he transforms into the Vellumentals and must be countered with Olivia's Vellumental powers. In the second phase, he turns into an origami sumo, and Olivia transforms Bowser to help fight him. Mario must run around the arena and use the 1,000-Fold Arms to pound the ground where Bowser is, allowing him to overpower Olly and push him off the edge. In the third phase, Olivia uses a special Magic Circle that Olly scrambles. Mario must arrange the circle while Olly attacks him every five seconds; Mario can dodge these attacks with proper timing. Finally, Olivia turns into the Olivia Hammer, and Mario must rush attack Olly to send him off the arena and defeat him.

Other

  • Big Cheep Cheeps: Fish that can be caught at various fishing spots.
  • Big Thwomp: Drops on Mario in the final test at the Trial of Courage.
  • Bloopers: Can be fished at fishing spots.
    • Mega Bloopers: Rare squid that can be fished and recorded in the museum. A Mega Blooper with a sign appears to block Mario if he goes to the edges of the Great Sea.
  • Co Gasagosos: Tiny Scuttlebugs that drop on Mario in the Temple of Shrooms.
  • Fuzzies: Obstacles at the Spring of Rainbows.
  • Dino Rhino: An NPC in the Singing Cafe at Shroom City.
  • Golden marlin: A fish that gives coins, found while traveling across the Great Sea.
  • Mini Goombas: NPCs in one of the cafes.
  • Ptooie: An NPC in the Singing Cafe at Shroom City.
  • Sledge Bro: A barista in one cafe.
  • Whales: Minor, harmless characters found in the Great Sea.
  • Whistle Snifits: NPCs found in the cafe at the Spring of Rainbows.

Locations

This section is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.

Red streamer

Name Image Bosses Enemies # of Toads # of Not-Bottomless Holes # of Collectible Treasures # of ? Blocks
Whispering Woods

A lush, green forest in the mountains, which contains sentient trees.
File:MarioInWoodsPMTOK.jpg
-
Goombas
12
25
3
10
Toad Town

The main hub of the game, which is ravaged and deserted in the aftermath of King Olly's attack. It contains several shops, which can be reopened as Mario rescues more Toads, Peach's Castle, the Battle Lab, and the Musée Champignon.
Entry of Toad Town in Paper Mario: The Origami King
-
Paper Macho Goombas
1
16
13
9
Graffiti Underground

An underground sewer that has graffiti and a valve that controls the drain. It is used to reach Peach's Castle from Toad Town.
File:GraffitiUndergroundPMTOK.png
-
Swoops

Scaredy Rats
2
5
1
2
Picnic Road

A road that connects Toad Town, Overlook Mountain and the Earth Vellumental Temple.
File:PicnicRoadPMTOK.png
-
Goombas

Shy Guys
58
17
3
7
Overlook Mountain

A mountain trail full of greenery.
File:PMTOKToadSign.png
-
Goombas

Shy Guys

Paragoombas

Spinies

Paper Macho Shy Guys
35
19
5
9
Earth Vellumental Temple

An underground temple that houses the Earth Vellumental.
File:PMOK Earth Vellumental Temple Inside.png
Earth Vellumental
Koopa Troopas

Swoops
7
11
3
12
Overlook Tower

A tall tower located on Overlook Mountain. Colored Pencils is battled here.
File:OverlookTowerPMTOK.png
Colored Pencils
Goombas

Paragoombas

Mini Goombas
19
3
2
1

Blue streamer

Name Image Bosses Enemies # of Toads # of Not-Bottomless Holes # of Collectible Treasures # of ? Blocks
Autumn Mountain

A mountain filled with autumn-colored trees and tall, grassy fields.
Mario, Olivia, and Bob-omb resting under some fall/autumn trees in Paper Mario: The Origami King
-
Spinys

Cheep Cheeps

Goombas

Paragoombas

Shy Guys

Koopa Troopas

Paper Macho Goombas
22
18
4
6
Chestnut Valley

An area containing rolling chestnuts that damage Mario and Bob-omb.
File:ChestnutValleyPMTOK.png
-
Goombas

Spinys

Galoombas
8
12
3
4
Water Vellumental Shrine

A water shrine containing sliding puzzles and the Water Vellumental.
The interior of the Water Vellumental Shrine.
Water Vellumental
Sidesteppers

Koopa Troopas

Swoops
3
10
3
13
Eddy River

Rapids where Mario, Olivia, and Bob-omb ride a canoe.
Mario riding down some rapids in Paper Mario: The Origami King
-
-
-
8
-
-
Shogun Studios

An Asian-inspired, mountaintop theme park with a large castle as its main attraction.
Mario, Bob-omb, and Olivia on a bridge in Paper Mario: The Origami King
-
Ninjis

Snifits

Shy Guys

Koopa Troopas

Goombas

Paper Macho Koopa Troopas
34
19
10
9
Ninja Attraction

An area of Shogun Studios in which Mario has to find cutouts of ninja Toads.
File:Ninja Attraction.jpg
-
Ninjis

Scaredy Rats
3
2
3
7
Big Sho' Theater

A four-story castle where stage productions are held. Rubber Band is battled here.
File:Big Sho Theater.jpg
Rubber Band
Paper Macho Goomba Outlaws

Paper Macho Spike Outlaws

Paper Macho Snifit Outlaw

Paper Macho Koopa Troopas

Paper Macho Shy Guys
2
-
1
-

Yellow streamer

Name Image Bosses Enemies # of Toads # of Not-Bottomless Holes # of Collectible Treasures # of ? Blocks
Sweetpaper Valley

A small valley that connects to Eddy River and Breezy Tunnel.
File:Sweetpaper Valley.jpg
-
-
-
6
-
-
Breezy Tunnel

A mining tunnel that contains rocks and Monty Moles.
Mario inside Breezy Tunnel in Paper Mario: The Origami King
-
-
2
-
2
1
Scorching Sandpaper Desert

A desert that has been shrouded in darkness. A large hole is visible in the sky where the sun used to be.
File:ScorchingSandpaperDesertPMTOK.png
Mega Paper Macho Pokey
Boos

Dry Bones

Paper Macho Boos

Pokeys

Bone Goombas

Paper Macho Paratroopas
10
11
3
7
Scorching Sandpaper Minor

A secondary area of Scorching Sandpaper Desert that connects the main desert area to Shroom City.
File:Scorchingsandpaperminorview.jpg
-
-
2
-
1
1
Scorching Sandpaper West
File:Scorchingsandpaperwestview.jpg
-
Crowbers

Pokeys

Dry Bones
6
5
-
-
Scorching Sandpaper East
File:Eastscorchingsandpaper.jpg
-
Boos

Dry Bones

Paper Macho Boos
5
5
1
-
Shroom City/Snif City

A desert town occupied by Snifits with an oasis and a large hotel.
File:PMTOK Snifit village.png
-
Scaredy Rats
14
6
6
8
Scorching Sandpaper Far West
File:Scorchingsandpaperfarwestview.jpg
-
Boos

Pokeys
1
2
1
1
Scorching Sandpaper Far East
File:Scorchingsandpaperfareastview.jpg
-
Pokeys
3
2
-
-
Fire Vellumental Cave

A cave where the Fire Vellumental is found.
A room inside the Fire Vellumental Cave.
Fire Vellumental
Paper Shy Guys

Koopa Paratroopas

Buzzy Beetles
-
10
1
5
Temple of Shrooms

King Shroomses' temple, and where Hole Punch is fought.
File:Temple of the shrooms.jpg
Hole Punch
Boos

Scuttlebugs

Black Shy Guys

Bone Goombas
40
20
2
6

Purple streamer

Green streamer

Name Image Bosses Enemies # of Toads # of Not-Bottomless Holes # of Collectible Treasures # of ? Blocks
Shangri-Spa

A sky-spa area that contains several hot springs.
File:ShangriSpa.png
Boss Sumo Bro
Snifits

Chargin' Chucks

Goombas

Hammer Bros
1
5
9
5
Spring of Jungle Mist

A large jungle area that contains a hot spring at the other end.
File:SpringofJungleMist.png
-
Paper Macho Chain Chomps

Paper Macho Piranha Plants

Piranha Plants

Stingbies
-
3
4
2
Spring of Rainbows

A hot spring that can only be accessed once the other four springs in Shangri-Spa have been visited. The Shy Guys Finish Last game show is played here, on the way to the hot spring.
File:SpringofRainbowsPMTOK.png
-
Fuzzies

Rocky Wrenches
-
3
1
2
Bowser's Castle

Bowser's castle that has crash-landed into the Shangri-Spa banquet hall. Handaconda, Paper Mistake Buzzy Beetle, and Scissors are battled here.
File:Bowser'sCastlePMTOK.jpg
Handaconda

Paper Mistake Buzzy Beetle

Scissors
Hammer Bro

Buzzy Beetles

Spikes

Snow Spikes

Big Cutout Soldiers

Li'l Cutout Soldiers
-
16
4
7

Origami Castle

Name Image Bosses Enemies # of Toads # of Not-Bottomless Holes # of Collectible Treasures # of ? Blocks
Hotfoot Crater

A volcano found below Peach's Castle.
File:HotfootCraterPMTOK.png
-
Goombas

Bob-ombs

Lava Bubbles
-
-
-
-
Peach's Castle / Origami Castle

A corrupted version of Peach's Castle, created and ruled by King Olly.
File:OrigamiCastle.png
Stapler

King Olly
Boomerang Bro

Fire Bro
-
-
6
17

Weapons, items, and objects

Weapons

Main article: List of Paper Mario: The Origami King weapons

Mario's attacks are now weapons that can be bought or found alongside items. The player can also find stronger variants of weapons.

Battle items

Accessories

Accessories act in the same manner as badges from the first two games, where Mario has to wear them in order to gain their power. These are sold at the Fun, Funky, and Functional chain, found throughout the world. After a certain point in the game, all accessories will be sold at an 80% discount.

Overworld objects

Useful Items

Nintendo eShop description

The kingdom has been ravaged by an origami menace! Join Mario and his new partner, Olivia, as they battle evil Folded Soldiers, repair the damaged landscape, and try to free Princess Peach's castle from the clutches of King Olly in this comedy-filled adventure, only on the Nintendo Switch system.

Mario and Luigi receive an invitation from Princess Peach to attend an origami festival and excitedly hurry to Toad Town...but something's amiss. After investigating the eerily empty town, the duo finds a fearsome (and folded) Princess Peach-she's been turned into origami by King Olly, ruler of the Origami Kingdom! With five giant streamers under his control, King Olly binds Princess Peach's Castle and transports it to a distant mountain as part of his plan to re-fold the world.

On his journey to liberate Peach's Castle and repair the ravaged paper landscape, Mario meets Olivia, King Olly's sister, and the two join forces to put a stop to Olly's origami onslaught. Even Bowser falls victim to Olly's plot when his minions are turned into origami Folded Soldiers and betray their Koopa king, forcing him to ally with Mario and Olivia!

Battle the Folded Soldiers in ring-based battles the challenge you to strategically line up enemies to maximize damage! Out of battle, Mario can use the arm-extending 1,000-Fold Arms ability in specific spots to interact with the landscape to pull, peel, hit, and more! Join Mario, Olivia, and their companions on a journey of laughter and emotion, thrills, and a whole lot of folding.

Update history

Version 1.0.1

Release date: August 5, 2020

Patch notes
  • Fixed an issue in which you would be unable to enter the Spring of Rainbows in Shangri-Spa.
Note: If you have already encountered this issue, you will now be able to proceed normally.
  • Fixed an issue in which players were unable to hit the Toad on top of the fountain in Shroom City.
Note: If you have already encountered this issue, you will now be able to proceed normally.
  • Fixed an issue where Black Shy Guy would not be registered in the Gallery of the Musée Champignon—even if you have previously defeated one.
Note: If you have already encountered this issue, return to Scorching Sandpaper West after the sun has returned and defeat Black Shy Guy once more to add him to your Gallery.
  • Fixed an issue in the Ninja Attraction in which, depending on the state of the player, certain Ninji enemies were undefeatable and halted progression.
Note: If you have already encountered this issue, you will now be able to proceed normally.
  • Fixed an issue in which the game would occasionally hard lock in the Rubber Band boss battle.
  • Fixed an issue in the Battle Lab in which the score would not be properly registered after solving 33 or more lineups in Speed Rings in the Ring Trainer.
Note: Previously registered scores will not change. New scores will be registered correctly after downloading this update data.
  • Fixed an issue in which you could obtain an item from outside of a certain coffin in the Temple of Shrooms. This fix also corrects a related error involving hints from the Love Toad in Toad Town.
Note: If you’ve already obtained the item from outside of the coffin, the Love Toad’s hint error will be resolved.
  • Fixed an issue in Overlook Mountain in which the event of looking up at Overlook Tower would occasionally occur from the bottom of the hill.

Pre-release and unused content

This section is under construction. Therefore, please excuse its informal appearance while it is being worked on. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible.

It has been requested that this section be rewritten.

Template:More images

The Hammer Sprite from Paper Mario: Color Splash in Paper Mario: The Origami King
Sprites of the hammer from Paper Mario: Color Splash

Before entering Peach's Castle for the first time, the player was originally going to have a 360-degree view of the castle as well as some models of Princess Peach, which appear unused in the game's files with different hair and jewels on her crown.[1] Some leftovers from Paper Mario: Color Splash in the game's code include Mario swinging his hammer, which is 2D, even though in the game it is 3D. The accessory-selling Monty Mole originally had walking animations.[2] Additionally, there are unused sprites for Captain T. Ode, as well as Bowser and Bowser Jr. inside the Koopa Clown Car.

References to other games

  • Donkey Kong: When Mario is equipped with the Retro Soundbox, he makes the walking sound effect from this game.
  • Super Mario Bros.: When Mario grabs the top of the Goal Pole and slides down it for the first time at Picnic Road, a firework shoots into the sky while an arrangement of the "course cleared" fanfare plays, similar to when the player clears a level with the timer's last digit at 1, 3, or 6 in this game. One of Colored Pencils's drawings is of Mario's death sprite from this game.
  • The Legend of Zelda series: Ol' Grandsappy is similar to The Great Deku Tree, even sharing similar names in the Japanese version. After opening the yellow safe aboard the Princess Peach, Bob-omb says, "Ta-ta-ta daaa!", mimicking the sound effect used when Link opens a chest with important items in several games.
  • Metroid series: Mario can obtain a Space Warrior Mask in the staff room at Shogun Studios, which is a papier-mâché version of Samus's helmet. When Mario tries it on, a variation of the fanfare for when Samus appears in Metroid plays, and Bob-omb tells Olivia it does not suit Mario's style and remarks, "It'd probably look perfect on some other kind of M, though." Its description reads, "An otherworldly mask. Sadly, it won't allow you to roll into a ball," a reference to the Morph Ball ability.
  • Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic: When trying to recall the term "amnesia", Bob-omb mentions "Thinky Thinky Panic", a reference to this game's title.
  • Super Mario Bros. 2: After Mario rescues Birdo in Big Sho' Theater, she says that she has "Mario madness." The English cover for Super Mario Bros. 2 features the subtitle "Mario Madness," and the game was Birdo's first appearance. Additionally, the Musée Champignon description for the Black Shy Guy states that it throws turnip-like objects, referencing the throwing mechanic from this game.
  • Super Mario Bros. 3: Olivia mentions the sun being angry in Scorching Sandpaper Desert.
  • Super Mario World: The fireball and spin jump sounds are reused from this game.
  • Paper Mario: Peach's castle's interior looks similar to the one used in this game, and Peach's design from this game appears as a photo.
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker: The purple streamer chapter has many references to this game. The Great Sea is a reference to the overworld of the same name, and their mechanics also share many similarities. The player needs to collect three orbs in order to open the Sea Tower, similar to how they need to collect the Goddess Pearls to reach the Tower of the Gods, and the colors of the orbs are also the same as the Goddess Pearls. When the player goes to Diamond Island to get the three orbs, the game refers the trial as "the trial of power, courage and wisdom", which is a reference to the Triforce and the Golden Goddesses. Some of the rooms of the Sea Tower are based on the four Vellumental temples, similar to the four areas of Ganon's Tower that take on the theme of the four main dungeons.
  • Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door: Peach's design from this game appears as a photo. Additionally, when Mario and Bob-omb interact with the steering wheel on The Princess Peach, the latter mentions that he dreams of being an admiral someday, in reference to Admiral Bobbery.
  • Super Paper Mario: Peach appears in a photo with her parasol and a background resembling Lineland. Some of the Sammer's Kingdom's OST is incorporated into the music for Shogun Studios.
  • Mario Kart Wii: A slow-paced arrangement of Maple Treeway's music plays in the Tranquil Pipes Teahouse at Shogun Studios.
  • New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Some of Bowser Jr.'s voice clips are reused from this game.
  • Paper Mario: Sticker Star: Shiny and flashy attacks return from this game. In addition, Peach appears in a photo, surrounded by stickers. Additionally, the fan that blows the fog away in Bonehead Island, the Scissors boss and the basin used in the Trial of Courage resemble their respective Things in the game.
  • Super Mario 3D World: Some of the voice clips are recycled from this game. The Goomba Mask returns from this game. Luigi's running pose and Peach's floating pose in the ending are based on their respective animations from this game.
  • Mario Kart 8: Like in Paper Mario: Color Splash, Luigi drives a Standard Kart resembling the ones in this game.
  • Paper Mario: Color Splash: The Origami King runs on a very similar graphical engine to Color Splash. Princess Peach's design from that game also appears as a photo in the game. The Rescue Squads return in the Battle Lab. The Emerald Circus and the Violet Passage captain's pirate ship appear in paintings in Overlook Tower. When Captain T. Ode introduces himself after being thawed out by Olivia in her Fire Vellumental form, the Fortune Island music is reused, lacking the intro and bell quips of the tune. Additionally, steaks identical to the one fought in Tangerino Grill are found when T. Ode is freed. Bonehead Island looks very similar to Fortune Island, and includes multiple design similarities. The music on Bonehead Island is very similar to the Violet Passage theme. When the player completes Bonehead Island, a realistic fan that has the same appearance as the Fan Thing from this game (which actually originated from Sticker Star) emerges from the sea and blows the mist away, similar to the scene when the Fan is being used in Violet Passage to get the ship to set sail. A Slurp Guy appears in the Tranquil Pipes Teahouse and gives Mario his straw. The Spring of Rainbows bears a resemblance to Prisma Fountain, although in a more papercraft-like appearance. The way Bowser Jr. restores his colors from it also resembles the paint mechanic in this game. One Toad in Toad Town mentions that he needs to find "an expert on bridge experts", referencing the bridge builder and the bridge builder expert that appear in Port Prisma. Two Whistle Snifits are found in the Spring of Rainbows's cafe. The way the basin crushes Mario in the Trial of Courage is similar to how the Basin Thing crushes him at Fort Cobalt.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: A Toad that is trying to climb a cliff in the Autumn Mountain references the climbing mechanic where it is harder to climb when it is raining by saying, "But hey, at least it isn't raining."

References in other games

  • Tetris 99: The 15th Maximus Cup has a special theme based on this game. Music from this game is also used in the theme.

Similarities to other Paper Mario games

  • Like the original game and its sequel, Mario and Luigi receive an invitation from Princess Peach.
    • Although Peach gives Mario a letter in Color Splash, said letter is actually a color-drained Toad.
  • In combat, Mario's basic jump and hammer attacks are permanent, like in the first two games.
  • Partners return from the first three games.
  • Just like in the second and third games, Bowser is not the primary villain. Rather, Mario and Bowser team up, as they do in Super Paper Mario.
  • Just like in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Peach is turned evil by the main antagonist, similarly to the Shadow Queen.
  • Like the previous five games, there is a part that plays like a game show.
  • NPCs based on enemy species return from the first two games.
  • Mario can use confetti to fill in Non-Bottomless Holes, similarly to using paint to fill in colorless spots in Color Splash. Like paint, confetti is limited.
  • Like the previous two games, there is a performance starring Birdo.
  • Like the first game, Peach's Castle gets taken over by the main antagonist, is lifted to a higher location, leaves a hole in the ground from where it normally sits, and requires finishing every chapter to return to it (as well as taking some kind of flying vehicle to get close to it).
  • Like in the first four games, Mario fights a Blooper as a boss.
  • Like in all of the previous games, there is a quiz show, in this case, Shy Guys Finish Last.
  • Like in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, battles take place in front of an audience, and the audience can interact with Mario.
    • However, the audience only consists of Toads, the number of audience members depends on the rescued Toads, they need to be paid in order to influence the battle, and they do not attack Mario for a bad "performance".
  • Like in the previous three games, Mario has a permanent travelling companion who can float and dies in the end, in this case, Olivia.
  • Like in Super Paper Mario, the main antagonist has taken control of some of Bowser's minions.
  • Shiny and Flashy variants of attacks return from Paper Mario: Sticker Star.
  • Like the previous three games, in-game materials show the logos for Nintendo and Intelligent Systems.
  • Like Sticker Star and Color Splash, MAX UP Hearts are used as a level-up mechanic.
  • Bowser's Castle floats like it does in the original game and the previous two games.
  • Individual save files return from the first four games.
    • However, they cannot be copied or deleted, and are tied to each user profile of the Nintendo Switch. Since the Switch can have up to eight user profiles, this translates to eight save files, compared to four from the first three games and three from the fourth installment.
  • The Iron Boots, Hurlhammer, and Fire Hammer return from previous two games.
    • The Ice Hammer returns from Sticker Star.
  • If Mario enters the area with Ol' Grandsappy for the first time and tries to leave the area, he ends up in the same place. This is similar to Forever Forest in Paper Mario and The Bafflewood in Paper Mario: Sticker Star, which in itself is a reference to the Lost Woods in The Legend of Zelda series.

Differences from other Paper Mario games

  • This is the first game in the series and in Mario role-playing games overall in which Bowser is not fought in any way, shape, or form.
  • This is the first game in the series where the overall objective does not involve finding any major collectibles (e.g. the Crystal Stars or Pure Hearts), rather to destroy giant streamers blocking Peach's Castle.
  • Save prompts now have a distinctive look, separate from normal textboxes.
  • When getting a Game Over, an option to restart from the last save (or in the case for minigames and the final boss, to try again) is now available.
  • When Mario gets hit by a First Strike, he can no longer block the attack.
    • A sound and impact effect do not play when this happens in the overworld.
  • The text "The End" does not show up at all in the credits.
  • Unlike most other installments, the game does not end with a parade, but rather a series of screenshots can be seen during the credits, like in Super Paper Mario. Unlike in that game, though, these photos take place after the events of the story, rather than during them.
  • Mario's hammer is rendered as a three-dimensional object, rather than 2D.
  • The game saves automatically when moving between different locations, similar to the saving behavior in the world map from the previous two games.
  • The touchscreen is no longer used as an alternative input for Action Commands, due to the Switch powering only one video source, not two like the Wii U.

Staff

Main article: List of Paper Mario: The Origami King staff

The game was directed by Masahiko Nagaya, who was the art director of the previous installment, the game's art was directed by Isamu Kamikokuryo, ex-Square art director of the Final Fantasy series, and produced by Kensuke Tanabe and Atsushi Ikuno.

Reception

Critical response

Paper Mario: The Origami King received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the expansive overworld, graphics, writing, and plot, but criticized the battling system for being repetitive, frustrating, and unrewarding.

Reviews
Release Reviewer, Publication Score Comment
Nintendo Switch Michael Goroff,
EGM
3/5 Despite everything, Paper Mario: The Origami King is a charming game. I wanted to fully explore every area of the Mushroom Kingdom. I wanted to find every Toad. I wanted to do everything except actually engage with the game’s combat system. In trying to rewrite the basic rules with every outing, Intelligent Systems keeps fans of the franchise on its toes. But that can also start to distort the identity of the series itself. How can you perfect a formula if you’re constantly pouring it out and starting again?
Nintendo Switch Cam Shea,
IGN
7/10 The Origami King is a truly likeable game despite the shallowness of its new spin on gameplay. Its characters are winsome, its visual design is gorgeous, its world is fun to explore, and its storytelling is outside the box and playful. At the same time, however, it could be so much more. Combat is largely unfulfilling, and your journey as a whole lacks meaningful choices. For a series with RPG roots, that’s a real shame.
Nintendo Switch Chris Carter,
Destructoid
8/10 There's room in my heart for both styles of Paper Mario. The old games still exist and this newer, sometimes thinner formula is fine too. That said, it's possible Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have folded this subseries every which way they can at this point. I hope the next one is a little more fresh.
Nintendo Switch Suriel Vazquez,
GameSpot
8/10 With a newfound combat system that steals the show and offers a novel take on turn-based combat, its winking, nodding, and adventuring shine all the brighter. Its world and characters might not be the series' best, but it's still able to consistently throw left turns, good gags, and smart surprises at you. Each piece of The Origami King elegantly fits into its whole, taking its irreverent flair to new heights. The Paper Mario series has recently shown that being clever and being smart are two different things, but thankfully, it's once again managed to be both.
Nintendo Switch Alex Donaldson,
VG247
4/5 That simplicity is overridden by originality and vigor, then – but I also know all too well that some fans of the older Paper Mario games will once again walk away a little disappointed. This is still undoubtedly no Thousand Year Door. Perhaps the next outing can bring back a little of that RPG depth – but regardless of that, this is still the best Paper Mario game in years.
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Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Paper Mario: The Origami King.

Glitches

Main article: List of Paper Mario: The Origami King glitches

Wave battle glitch

If a wave battle is supposed to start, but only one enemy is alive and another is in their death animation, it will still initiate a wave battle and consider both enemies alive.

Sumo Bro glitch

During the second phase of the Boss Sumo Bro rematch in the Battle Lab, defeating the Boss Sumo Bro with a POW Block without defeating the two Sumo Bros beforehand will cause the game to softlock.

VIP pass glitch

Prior to the version 1.0.1 update[3], in Shangri-Spa, after obtaining the VIP pass to access the Spring of Rainbows, if the player left the path to the Spring of Rainbows after entering, the VIP pass would disappear from the menu. If the player then spoke to the Toad at the reception, they would not have the stamp card and there would be no way to get another one. Saving after this point would permanently prevent the player from progressing.[4]

Quotes

Main article: List of Paper Mario: The Origami King quotes

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ペーパーマリオ オリガミキング[?]
Pēpā Mario Origami Kingu
Paper Mario: Origami King
Chinese (simplified) 纸片马力欧:折纸国王[?]
Zhǐpiàn Mǎlìōu: Zhézhǐ Guówáng
Paper Mario: Origami King
Chinese (traditional) 紙片瑪利歐:摺紙國王[?]
Zhǐpiàn Mǎlìōu: Zhézhǐ Guówáng
Paper Mario: Origami King
Korean 페이퍼 마리오 종이접기 킹[?]
Peipeo Malio Jongijeobgi King
Paper Mario: Origami King

External links

References

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