Ever since the game's release in 2000, Paper Mario has welcomed many players into its charming world full of adventure, lighthearted humor, and skillful combat. In a game that sees Mario take on perilous foes such as ninja Koopa brothers, an icy, invisible king, and giant Piranha Plants that are literally on fire, the game seems like a tall task for Mario to handle alone. Luckily, he's got special partners that join him across his entire journey that add more strategy to Paper Mario's battles and puzzles.
Partners in the original Paper Mario can help players with their unique abilities to find secret paths and items by carrying Mario over gaps, helping Mario float over spikes and lava, and much more. Even Princess Peach in the chapter gets her partner in the form of a cute Star Kid named Twink. Mario's first partner is technically an elderly Goomba known as Goompa, but he's only temporary for the tutorial. Once the game properly begins, Mario heads off into the game proper with Goompa's grandson by his side.
Goombario
As the first partner players team up with in Paper Mario 64, Goombario is a nice, introductory partner who assists in simple, but very helpful ways. He's always dreamed of adventure, and as his name implies, he's very happy to travel with his hero. His ability allows players to ask him questions about the specific section of the map they're on or NPCs they're near, and he'll give either lore or hints towards puzzle solutions. If fans get stuck, they can always ask Goombario for help if needed.
His battle moves are Headbonk and Tattle, with his upgraded moves giving him Charge and Multibonk. While he may seem weak in comparison to Mario's badge versatility and other partners, Goombario is worth upgrading for the sake that Charge gets an edge on enemies with the same ability, and Multibonk will continue to hit enemies until players miss the action command for the move. Completionists should also make sure to use his Tattle ability, as filling all of the Tattle Logs is important for 100% completion.
Kooper
In the first chapter of Paper Mario, players will actually get two partners, with Kooper being the first before fans traverse the Koopa Bros.' castle. Kooper, like Goombario, dreams of adventure and wants to become an archeologist like his childhood hero. He's mostly known for being a Koopa with a blue shell instead of a green one, and his ability allows Mario to jump on his shell to throw him across a small distance. This allows him to activate switches and grab distant items like badges.
Kooper relies on his shell for all of his attacks in battle, including his starting moves Shell Toss and Power Shell. His upgraded moves are Dizzy Shell and Fire Shell. Kooper's moves are potent and powerful as long as players can succeed at his action commands, but fans should take note that Kooper can only attack grounded enemies. Against enemies like Swoopers, it may be best to use a different partner.
Bombette
Bombette is the second partner of chapter one, who meets Mario and helps him escape from a situation where he ends up trapped. She's known for having plenty of spunk to match her explosion powers and can break open any cracked walls with a simple explosion as her overworld ability.
She's also incredibly powerful in battle and a great asset. Her abilities are Body Slam and Bomb, with her upgraded abilities upgrading Bomb for greater damage. Power Bomb damages all ground enemies for 6 FP, and Mega Bomb damages all enemies for 8 FP. Both moves are powerful if handled right, but players who are more conservative on their FP may want to focus on upgrading another partner.
Parakarry
Parakarry is a Paratroopa Mario befriends at the start of chapter two. He comes off as fairly clumsy and apologetic, and while he delivers the mail, Paper Mario questions if he's truly good at his job the entire time. His ability allows him to carry Mario over gaps that Mario can't jump across, and he also has an active side quest for most of the game. It involves finding letters he's dropped by accident all over the Mushroom Kingdom, which players will find throughout their playthroughs.
He's rather versatile and helpful in battle with moves like Sky Dive and Shell Shot, and his upgraded moves are not to be slept on. Air Lift lets Parakarry haul off an enemy off the stage, and the enemy is considered defeated as a result. It never fails if the action command succeeds at 100%, but if it does, the player won't receive any Star Points for enemies defeated this way. Air Raid is his other upgraded move, which may serve players better than Bombette's Mega Bomb, as it costs only 6 FP and still attacks every enemy on screen.
Lady Bow
As the game puts it, "like it or not," a Boo known as Lady Bow joins players in chapter three. She comes off as a spoiled brat most of the time but has a heart of gold underneath as she initially joins the party temporarily to help Boos like herself, letting Mario keep the Star Spirit at the end of the chapter as thanks for his help. Afterward, she stays with the party, assisting Mario with the much-needed power to turn Mario invisible. This hides him from enemies and even plays a part in activating a cutscene.
Bow's attacks are Smack and Outta Sight. Outta Sight turns Mario and Bow invisible so they can avoid being hit for one turn with it active. Her upgraded abilities are Spook and Fan Smack. Fans who like the Fright Jar item should invest in the Spook move, as it functions the same without using up an item. Lady Bow also appears in the sequel, The Thousand-Year Door, as a minor cameo NPC.
Watt
Watt is a baby Lil'Spark who joins Mario's adventure in chapter four. She is adorable yet potent in her abilities, as chapter four's final boss is made much easier with her in play. Her ability lights up dark rooms, and she can uncover hidden items in other spaces. Even though Watt is a girl, the game has an error where using a Super Block to upgrade her move set will use the wrong pronoun for her.
Her moves are Electro Dash and Power Shock, with the latter able to stun enemies for up to 4 turns. Her upgraded moves are Turbo Charge, which raises Mario's attack for four turns, and Mega Shock, which paralyzes all enemies. These moves make her a great asset for players wanting to take full advantage of Mario's abilities in battle, so those who don't want to deal with partners too much should invest in upgrading her first.
Sushie
Sushie is, most likely, the partner many players spend their entire playthroughs waiting on. She's the partner with the ability to swim and go underwater, meaning once players get her and complete chapter 5, they may want to do some backtracking for secrets and badges they couldn't get to before in the other areas. Susie is a very kindhearted Cheep-Cheep, who cries at romantic movies and babysits and cares for five little Yoshis on Lavalava Island.
Her battle moves are Belly Flop and Squirt, and her upgraded attacks are Water Block and Tidal Wave. Tidal Wave is most definitely worth investing in, as it costs six FP and is incredibly powerful for every time players successfully press the required buttons in order. Players should be cautious, though, as a few notable glitches are associated with the move. If players somehow successfully put in 14 correct sequences for the action command, for instance, the game will crash.
Lakilester
Lakilester - or Spike - is the final partner players meet in Paper Mario in chapter six. He fancies himself a punk and was part of a gang before joining Mario's party. Despite the bad attitude, he's genuinely kind and even has a girlfriend who helps convince Mario to forgive him for his past deeds.
His ability allows Mario to ride on his cloud for as long as necessary, allowing the player to traverse maps faster, and even float over obstacles such as spikes or lava. Players should be mindful that they lose the ability to jump when riding on Lakilester's cloud. His attacks are Spiny Flip and Spiny Surge, and his upgraded abilities are Cloud Nine and Hurricane. Cloud Nine boosts Mario's evasion, and Hurricane is the same as Parakarry and Bow's moves making enemies leave the battle but has a random chance of working on different enemies with a chance of working on them all.
Ultimately, Paper Mario is a wonderful RPG where players can choose their favorite partners and play with them for the majority of the game with no issues. While the different partner abilities need to be kept in mind for the overworld puzzles and exploration, and some partners perform better in some fights than others, with the right moves, all of these partners are incredible assets to any Paper Mario playthrough.
Paper Mario is available through Nintendo Switch Online.
