Super Paper Mario: Relitigated [SPOILERS]

The story of Super Paper Mario begins before you start the game, with the title screen cutscene telling of an ancient book, the Dark Prognosticus, which foretells the end of the world. The game then starts like any other Mario game, with Mario and Luigi heading to Bowser’s castle to save Princess Peach. However, when they arrive, Bowser hasn’t even started his attack yet. Suddenly, the evil Count Bleck appears, pulling Luigi, Bowser, and all of the enemies into a mysterious portal. Only Mario is left behind, and he is awakened by Tippi, a geometric butterfly who is a fairy-like entity called a Pixl. Meanwhile, Count Bleck presides over a wedding between Peach and Bowser in order to bring forth the Chaos Heart. This fuels his ultimate goal of fulfilling the prophecy and ending all worlds. 

Tippi takes Mario to Flipside, a town that exists between dimensions. There, he meets Merlon, a wise old sage who knows how to stop the end of all worlds. In the sky above Flipside, a black hole called the Void begins to form, which will end all worlds if it grows too powerful. Merlon shows Mario and Tippi one of the eight Pure Hearts, which form the Purity Heart when gathered together. From there, the goal is simple: Mario and Tippi must gather the remaining Pure Hearts in order to stop Count Bleck and the Void. 

Meanwhile, at Castle Bleck, the Count ponders how to stop Mario from countering the prophecy. With him are his loyal minions; the large and powerful O’Chunks, shapeshifter Mimi, magical jester Dimentio, and hypnotic secretary Nastasia. Also inside the castle are Peach and Luigi. Peach escapes the castle, but Luigi is captured and hypnotized by Nastasia. 

As Mario gathers Pure Hearts, he learns that the Light Prognosticus, a counter to the Dark one, states that four heroes are key to stopping the Dark Prognosticus, and that the “man in green” will determine which book is true. Along the way, he reunites with Peach, and also finds Bowser, who reluctantly joins them. During the pursuit of the Pure Hearts, they battle with O’Chunks, Mimi, and Dimentio. In outer space, while looking for the fourth Pure Heart in the enigmatic Woah Zone, the crew encounters the mysterious Mr. L (an entranced Luigi), who says he serves Count Bleck and battles them. Some time later, as the three pursue the sixth Pure Heart in the Sammer Kingdom, the Void becomes much larger, consuming the entirety of the kingdom before Mario and co. can reach the Pure Heart. They re-enter the world to find it completely empty, a white void of nothingness. In this ruined world, they find the Pure Heart, but it has turned to stone and lost its power. 

As they consult Merlon on what to do in Flipside, Dimentio suddenly appears, teleporting Mario, Peach, and Bowser away from Merlon and Tippi. Mario awakens in the Underwhere, a realm for those whose games have ended (basically hell). In this realm, he finds a perfectly normal Luigi, who was sent there after Dimentio betrayed Mr. L. The two then find Luvbi, the daughter of Queen Jaydes and Grambi, rulers of the Underwhere and Overthere respectively. Queen Jaydes restores the petrified Pure Heart, but asks that Mario and Luigi escort Luvbi back to the Overthere, a counterpart afterlife dimension. Along the way, they reunite with Peach and Bowser, and the four heroes are seemingly all together. After saving the Overthere from a monster called Bonechill, it is revealed that the eighth Pure Heart is actually Luvbi. She assumes her true form, and all eight Pure Hearts are gathered at last. From there, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser head to Castle Bleck for the final showdown.

Meanwhile, Tippi has started to regain her memories. Between chapters in the game, there are short memory intervals telling the story of Timpani and Blumiere, star-crossed lovers who could not be together. Tippi realizes that she is really Timpani, and that Count Bleck is who she once knew as Blumiere. As they progress through the castle, Bowser, Peach, and Luigi each get left behind to deal with O’Chunks, Mimi, and Dimentio respectively, and by the end it is just Mario and Tippi against Count Bleck. Mario cannot break the Count’s barrier and damage him, but the other three party members find their way to him, and the power of the Pure Hearts forms the Purity Heart to break the barrier. Mario defeats Count Bleck, but then Dimentio reappears. He says that it was all part of his plan for the Pure Hearts to be gathered to stop the Count, as it is now possible for him to use the Chaos Heart for himself. Dimentio then fuses with the Chaos Heart and Luigi to form Super Dimentio, the game's final boss. Super Dimentio is also invincible, but Count Bleck and Tippi renew their love for one another and restore the power of the Pure Hearts. Mario is then able to defeat Super Dimentio and free Luigi. However, the Chaos Heart is not yet destroyed. Count Bleck and Tippi then create a new set of Pure Hearts, destroying the Void and saving the worlds while also disappearing. Mario and co. then make it back to Flipside safely. Count Bleck’s remaining minions also survive, and they vow to work towards Bleck’s original idealistic vision of a peaceful world. 

The story is the main thing people discuss when this game is brought up, and for good reason. The characters have a great deal of depth compared to most Mario games, especially Count Bleck (Blumiere) and Tippi (Timpani). The dialogue is very well-written, and you really grow to understand their story as the game progresses. Tippi is quite literally a butterfly made of four triangles and two lines, yet she has arguably the most expressive personality in the game. Bleck’s story is a tragic one, as he starts to doubt and ultimately regrets bringing forth the prophecy of the Dark Prognosticus, which was initially motivated by spite and anger over losing Timpani. This makes it all the more effective when Bleck redeems himself, helping Mario stop Dimentio and creating the new Pure Hearts to stop the very Void that he created. Additionally, I found the other new characters such as Dimentio and Nastasia to be interesting. Nastasia’s story is also somewhat tragic, as she has feelings for the Count and remains loyal to him, but is left alone after he disappears with Timpani. 

Super Paper Mario’s story is also more existential than any other Mario game. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been, with the threat of the Void set to bring about the end of all worlds. The destruction of the Sammer Kingdom shows a preview of what would happen to everything in existence if Mario failed to stop Bleck; an empty white void of ruin and despair. This haunting segment is really unlike anything else in a Mario game, and it drives the player to stop the Void no matter what.

Gameplay-wise, Super Paper Mario is different from its predecessors, as previously stated. It’s a 2D platformer with RPG elements, such as Mario having HP, being able to use items, and leveling up through defeating enemies. The other main mechanic is Mario’s ability to flip between 2D and 3D. This ability completely changes the perspective of the game, allowing the player to see the 2D worlds in a 3D space and uncover numerous secrets. The game actively encourages the player to flip often, as it is usually the key to progression. Another key piece of gameplay is the use of Pixls. In addition to Tippi, numerous other Pixls are found throughout the game, which each provide an additional ability. The other three playable characters, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi also bring their own abilities. Although Mario is the only one who can flip into 3D, Peach can float over wide gaps with her parasol, Bowser can breathe fire, and Luigi can execute a very high super jump. The main criticism of the gameplay, which I somewhat agree with, is that it’s really easy. I found that to be mostly true, only dying a select few times and getting through nearly everything with no issues. Some parts of the game are a bit tedious, such as finding each of the Pure Heart pillars in Flipside and some of the puzzles, but I did not find the gameplay experience as a whole to be bad. Mario flipping between 2D and 3D offers numerous creative avenues for puzzle and level design. 

Another aspect of Super Paper Mario that I still absolutely love is the art direction and soundtrack. The game utilizes a bunch of different art styles in each of its worlds, such as the lines and rectangles that make up Lineland Road, the pixelated world of the Bitlands, and the stars of Outer Space. However, what is perhaps my favorite area design is the simple but incredibly effective Castle Bleck. The area only utilizes two colors, being entirely black with white lines for the background elements, and the result is a uniquely eerie area befitting an evil nihilist such as Count Bleck. Meanwhile, the soundtrack is still one of my absolute favorites in gaming history. There are so many great and memorable tracks in this game. My personal favorites are Flipside, Lineland Road, Count Bleck’s Plan, In the Darkness, The Bitlands, A Powerful Enemy Emerges, It’s Showtime, Mr. L’s theme, World of Nothing, Castle Bleck, The Ultimate Show, the Memory themes/Bounding Through Time, Proof of Existence, and the Staff Roll theme.

As it stands, Super Paper Mario is an incredibly unique, albeit somewhat flawed game. Its complex and tragic story is something that has not really been done before or since in a Mario game, RPG or otherwise. The main thing that really brings the game down is the gameplay, weirdly enough. I didn’t mind it most of the time, but I feel like if Super Paper Mario were a turn-based RPG like its predecessors, it would be held in much higher regard by fans and the gaming community as a whole. The story and art direction are that good. Nearly all of the newly introduced characters, from Tippi to Count Bleck and his minions, are never seen again in another Mario game after this one, besides some cameos in Super Smash Bros. Super Paper Mario is mostly underrated these days, but I would love to see the game be remade like its predecessor, The Thousand Year Door, was on the Nintendo Switch in 2024. Playing the game again after all these years, the gameplay was a bit easier and a little more tedious than I remembered, but the story, art, and soundtrack were all just as great. I would recommend giving this very unique Mario game a shot if you haven’t already.