No Cakewalk (cntd.)

Contrary to the previous games, all battles are done in real-time. In Super Paper Mario, you stomp on Goomba's and kick Koopa's into bottomless pits all without entering a battle screen. As a result, combat is much more involved since you have direct control over how you dodge and attack. Trust me when I say that combat is a blast and, even while there is lots of it already, you will be wishing there was more. For players praying that this game won't be a walk in the park: your prayers have been answered. The game is brutally hard. There will be many times where you are desperately looking for a mushroom to get you back in shape. Enemies are quick and most of the time more powerful than you. Your only advantage over them is your ability to think for yourself.

Colorful graphics, vibrant sounds

The graphics in Super Paper Mario don't set any new standards in the technical level. But artistically, it shines. The use of colors sets the mood perfectly. In the Underwhere (the game's equivelant of the underworld), the scenery is muddy, dark and damp. In the BitLands, everything has a pixilated NES look to it which is really nice. For the most part, visuals are colorful, vibrant and they just ooze style. The game is as much fun to look at as it is to play. And that is saying a lot.

The in-game music is wonderfully done. In the Yold Desert, the game has an appropriate western tune and in Count Bleck's castle, an upbeat yet dark tune plays. The music is as vibrant and colorful as the graphics are. Sounds are what you would expect from a Mario game. Nothing fancy. Little bloops for jumps, whumps for hammer swings. The ambience is especially beautiful, however. Waterfalls rush in the background, rocks crumble down mountains and then there are those foreboding moments where not a sound is heard except for the sudden tension of your lower intestines.

Simply fun

The game offers great replay value. There is literally about around twenty hours of optional stuff that you will want to find. There is the elusive arcade where you can play highly addicting mini-games. There are also 256 Catch Cards that will take quite some time to find without a helping hand. The main game itself is about 25 hours if you rush and that is quite a lot for a Mario game.

Super Paper Mario still has some of the most diverse and fun gameplay in any game ever made. It is pure fun, doesn't throw hundreds of button combinations at you and keeps the gameplay mechanics basic. Everything is simple and intuitive. While there are some flaws in the 3D mechanic that will definitely have you frustrated every once in a while, nine times out of ten you will be having the time of your life.

Overall, Super Paper Mario is honestly one of the greatest games ever created. It is hard to put away once you have started it and it has a charm to it that is impossible to resist. It has its flaws but more then makes up these with its witty writing, its clever puzzles and its astonishly addictive combat system. It more than lives up to the Paper Mario name and it is arguably the greatest in the series. Do not miss this game!