Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch)

Die knapp über 25 Stunden Spielzeit sind wie Flug vergangen. Nintendo hat es nämlich erneut geschafft, einen tollen Mix aus Humor, abwechslungsreichen Rätseln und einer fantastischen Spielwelt abzuliefern. Bei der Umgebung von Paper Mario: The Origami King haben die Entwickler mit viel Liebe zum Detail gearbeitet. Dazu gesellen sich süße Begleiter aus Papier und Pappe und vor allem die vielen gelungenen Kommentare und Scherze. Schade bloß, dass das neue Kampfsystem so gar nicht in das knuffige Gesamtkonzept passt und sich wie ein Fremdkörper anfühlt.

Die malerische Welt strotzt nur so vor Witz, Charme und Details und lädt zu einem wunderschönen Abenteuer ein, das sein Herz am rechten Fleck trägt. Lediglich beim Kampfsystem muss man Abstriche machen, denn das ist nicht nur repetitiv sondern passt auch leider nicht zum Rest des Spiels.

The puzzle-centric combat is disappointingly one-dimensional and lacks any sort of challenge to please seasoned RPG gamers, but there's enough variety here to keep you engaged until the credits roll thanks to various platforming and Zelda-esque dungeon sections.

The Origami King suffers from one-note combat and few real choices, but its personality and visual design are a joy.

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.

It's like a table of snack food at a party, where you'll happily nibble away just because you're stood next to it or feeling a bit peckish, but it's not exactly going to fill you up. The new battle puzzles and the boss fights in particular stand out, but the world and endless Toads fail to spark the same delight. This feels like a missed opportunity.

As usual, Nintendo’s quirky writing is full of laugh-out-loud moments, but your quest is full of tiresome backtracking.

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.