The newest entry in the Paper Mario series, Paper Mario: The Origami King, will arrive on July 17, 2020, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. This time around, the Mushroom Kingdom is under attack by King Olly, an origami-like figure that aims to fold the world. It’s up to Mario to stop him with the help of his new ally, Olivia, who’s actually King Olly’s sister.
Even the Koopa King, Bowser, becomes an unlikely ally as he surprisingly joins forces with Mario. Mario has some new abilities as well, his 1,000-Fold Arms ability lets him interact with his surroundings by pulling, peeling, and revealing hidden areas. The game also features a ring-based battle system that involves puzzle-solving by lining up enemies.
This is an interesting spin on the series that takes advantage of its paper-like art style to explore new, interesting game mechanics. It’s hard to believe the origami concept hasn’t been this fully explored with previous titles, but it’s good to know that the series can still come up with new ideas to keep reinventing itself.
The first entry of the series, Paper Mario, was first released in Japan in 2000 and worldwide in 2001 for the Nintendo 64, and the latest entry, Paper Mario: Color Splash, was released in 2016 for the Wii U. Origami King will be the first Paper Mario game for the Nintendo Switch. Pre-orders for the game are already available.
Words by Kai-Ming Chow