Honestly, looking back at the year 2000, nobody really knew what to make of a flat Italian plumber. We had just come off the high of Super Mario 64, a game that literally redefined how we moved in 3D space, and then Nintendo announces a project called Super Mario RPG 2. But things got weird. Square and Nintendo had a falling out, the "RPG" moniker got dropped, and what we ended up with was a game that looked like a pop-up book. It was jarring.
People were worried. Was Paper Mario 64 Mario going to be too childish? Was it a step backward from the technical wizardry of the N64’s early days? As it turns out, the game wasn't just a pivot—it was a masterpiece of constraint. By flattening the hero, Intelligent Systems actually gave him more depth than he’d ever had. They traded polygon counts for personality.
Mario wasn't just a jumping machine anymore. He was a homeowner. He had a mailbox. He had a brother who spent his days lounging under the floorboards writing a secret diary. It’s that specific charm, that "paper-thin" aesthetic, that saved the franchise from the awkward "edgy" phase many 90s mascots fell into.
The Weird Evolution of Paper Mario 64 Mario
If you want to understand why this game feels the way it does, you have to look at the hardware. The Nintendo 64 was notoriously difficult to develop for because of its tiny texture cache. While other developers were struggling to make realistic-looking humans that ended up looking like terrifying blurry puppets, Intelligent Systems leaned into the abstraction.
They realized that if you make the characters flat, you can spend all your processing power on vibrant, crisp 2D sprites. Paper Mario 64 Mario didn't look like a collection of triangles; he looked like a drawing that came to life. This choice wasn't just about art, though. It changed the physics. Mario’s jump in this game isn't the momentum-heavy leap of Super Mario World. It’s a rhythmic, timed button press.
It’s actually kinda funny how much the game expects from you. Most RPGs of the era, like Final Fantasy VII, let you pick a command and watch a movie play out. Not here. If you don’t time that A-button press right as Mario lands on a Goomba’s head, you’re leaving damage on the table. You’re active. You’re engaged. You’re constantly checking the timing of a hammer swing. This "Action Command" system essentially bridged the gap between platformer fans and RPG nerds, and it’s arguably the reason the sub-genre survived as long as it did.
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Why the "Paper" Part Almost Didn't Happen
There’s a common misconception that the paper theme was the plan from day one. It wasn't. Early screenshots from the "Mario RPG 2" era show a much more traditional 3D look, similar to Mario Party or Mario Kart 64. It looked... fine. But "fine" doesn't sell consoles.
Director Ryota Kawade and his team at Intelligent Systems needed a hook. When they landed on the "Paper" aesthetic—originally called Mario Story in Japan—they unlocked a new way to tell jokes. They could make jokes about Mario being folded, stored in pockets, or fluttering in the wind. It gave the writers permission to be meta. This is the game where Bowser isn't just a monster; he's a guy who keeps a diary about how much he hates Mario. He’s a villain with a personality beyond "kidnap princess, sit in castle."
Deep Combat Mechanics Most People Miss
A lot of casual players think the combat is simple. It's not. Once you get into the badge system, the game transforms. You have a limited number of Badge Points (BP). Do you spend them on "Power Plus" to hit harder, or do you equip "Close Call" so Mario dodges attacks when his health is low?
The math is incredibly tight. In modern RPGs, you might deal 9,999 damage. In Paper Mario 64 Mario, dealing 5 damage is a huge deal. Because the numbers are small, every single point matters. If a Cleft has 2 defense, and your jump does 3 damage, you’re only doing 1. But if you use a "D-Down Pound" hammer move, you bypass that defense. It’s basically math disguised as a cartoon, and it works perfectly because it’s transparent. You always know exactly why you won or lost a fight.
Let's talk about the partners too. Each one is a "reformed" version of a classic Mario enemy. You’ve got:
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- Goombario: A Goomba who is basically a Mario superfan.
- Kooper: A Koopa Troopa who wants to be an archaeologist.
- Bombette: A Bob-omb with a short fuse and a history of being a political prisoner (seriously, she was in the Koopa Bros. jail).
- Bow: A Boo who is basically a high-society noble with a mean slap.
Each of these characters changes how you interact with the world. You aren't just playing as Mario; you’re managing a team. Using Bow’s "Outta Sight" to hide from a boss’s big attack isn't just a strategy—it feels like a heist.
The Soundtrack and Environmental Storytelling
The music in this game is a literal fever dream of MIDI goodness. Composed by Yuka Tsujiyoko, the tracks for places like Shiver City or Flower Fields don't just loop; they tell a story. The music in Forever Forest is intentionally dissonant and confusing, mirroring the maze-like structure of the woods.
And the environments? They’re layered. Look at the layout of Toad Town. It’s a hub world that actually grows. As you progress, new paths open up, the post office gets more mail, and the "Dojo" master gets harder to beat. It feels like a living place. Most modern games try to achieve this with 4K textures and ray-tracing. Paper Mario did it with a few cardboard cutouts and some really clever writing.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Lore
People often lump this game in with the Mario & Luigi series or the later, more controversial Paper Mario entries like Sticker Star. That’s a mistake. The original N64 title is much closer to a traditional Hero's Journey. It treats the Star Spirits and the Star Rod with a level of sincerity that the later games often trade for pure comedy.
When Mario is defeated at the beginning of the game by an invincible Bowser, it’s a genuine "low point." You feel powerless. The quest to rescue the seven Star Spirits feels epic because the stakes are grounded in the world's mythology. It’s not just a "funny paper game." It’s an adventure that happens to be made of paper.
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The distinction is important. In the newer games, Mario is literally paper—he can turn into a boat or a plane. In the N64 original, the paper look was an artistic choice, but the characters treated their world as "real." This subtle difference makes the world of Paper Mario 64 Mario feel much more immersive and less like a gimmick.
Speedrunning and Technical Quirks
If you want to see how deep the rabbit hole goes, look at the speedrunning community. They’ve found ways to skip entire chapters using "Blue House Skip" or manipulating the game’s memory. It turns out the game's code is held together by some very creative "Nintendo logic."
There's a glitch where you can get a "Laki Skip" to avoid certain triggers, or use "Spin Jamming" to move faster than the developers ever intended. It’s a testament to the game's build quality that even when players break it, the game remains strangely stable. It’s a robust piece of software.
The Actionable Takeaway for Modern Gamers
If you’re looking to revisit this classic or play it for the first time via Nintendo Switch Online, don't just rush through the main story. The real soul of the game is in the side content.
- Do the Letters: There is a massive side quest involving delivering letters between NPCs across the entire world. It sounds tedious, but it rewards you with "Lucky Day" badges and some of the best world-building in the game.
- Cook Everything: Find Tayce T. in Toad Town. If you bring her ingredients like a "Fire Flower" and an "Egg," she’ll make items that are way more powerful than anything you can buy in a shop.
- The Pit of 100 Trials (Spiritually): While the actual "Pit" didn't appear until the sequel, The Thousand-Year Door, the original has the "Kent C. Koopa" boss and the "Anti-Guy" who guards a treasure chest in Bowser’s Toy Box. These are optional, high-difficulty encounters that test your mastery of the badge system.
- Talk to Luigi: Go back to your house after every chapter. Luigi’s diary updates throughout the game, and it’s legitimately some of the funniest writing in the Mario universe.
Paper Mario 64 Mario isn't just a nostalgic trip; it’s a masterclass in game design. It proves that you don't need a million pixels to create a world that feels vast. You just need a cohesive vision, a bit of humor, and a hero who is willing to get a little bit flat to save the day.
To truly master the game, focus on building a "Danger Mario" setup later in the play-through. By keeping your HP at exactly 5 and equipping multiple "Power Rush" and "Mega Rush" badges, you can turn Mario into a glass cannon that deals massive damage. It changes the game from a cozy RPG into a high-stakes tactical thriller. If you haven't tried a badge-centric run, you haven't really played the game yet. Get out there, find the Star Spirits, and don't forget to time your guards. Every hit point counts.