Paper Mario: The Origami King is set to release on the Nintendo Switch this Friday. However, days before its official launch, the game has been leaked online, and several Origami King spoilers are already out in the wild. Additionally, dataminers are already hard at work in combing through the game's files to see what they can find and confirm whether any of the previously leaked spoilers are true. It is worth noting that this breakdown won't contain any spoilers and will only talk about official information that Nintendo released since Paper Mario: The Origami King's announcement. Those who wish to go into it as spoiler-free as possible should keep this in mind when searching for the game online.
To the uninitiated, Paper Mario: The Origami King is the upcoming sixth installment in the Paper Mario subfranchise, with the last release being 2016's Paper Mario: Color Splash for the Wii U. As the franchise's name suggests, Paper Mario: The Origami King will have players control a paper version of Mario in a world that combines paper and 3D elements. Now, for those who are still on the fence on whether to purchase the upcoming game, here are all the details released by Nintendo so far.
What is Paper Mario: The Origami King About?
Paper Mario: The Origami King's premise remains similar to the games that came before it. In the upcoming Switch title, Mario and Luigi receive an invitation from Princess Peach to attend an origami festival into her castle, and while the brother enjoys the festivities, Peach was turned into an origami by King Olly, who has also created an army of origami warriors to invade the Mushroom Kingdom.
In an effort to rescue the princess, Mario groups together with King Olly's sister Olivia to battle against the origami invaders and restore peace to the land. Bowser, who is Mario's sworn enemy, is also forced to band together with Mario, given that his minions were also turned into origami. One of the key features of Paper Mario: The Origami King is that it will feature an open-world environment that features huge maps that offer plenty of opportunities for players to explore.
To aid Mario in getting around the game's huge map, several modes of transportation were made available such as a boot-shaped car, an airship, a boat, and many more. Additionally, new characters and bosses will be introduced in the game such as Bobby the forgetful Bob-omb; Professor Toad, who is a history buff; and Kamek, who is a Magikoopa who has obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is unclear whether these characters would serve as traditional party members, as they are region-locked, but past trailers for the game suggests that they will help in battles to some capacity.
Turn-Based Combat Returns With a Twist
As far as combat is concerned, Paper Mario: The Origami King returns to the turn-based combat-based system, but with a unique twist. Battle sequences take place on a stage that contains multiple rings that can be rotated to line up a row of enemies. Once the player establishes the row, they can then unleash attacks that damages multiple enemies. Attacks are also varied in the game and Mario can even use his iconic jump attack. However, it appears that the combat in Paper Mario: The Origami King ditches some traditional turn-based elements such as the accumulation of experience points.
The biggest challenge when it comes to combat in Paper Mario: The Origami King is how players are able to arrange their enemies that would inflict the most damage in a given time limit. However, during boss fights, the Battle Ring System will be slightly different. Instead of moving enemies around, players will also need to manipulate the playing field so that it creates a path for Mario to reach the boss. Once he is able to get close to the enemy, he can then unleash attacks and defeat his foe.
Release Date and Pre-Order Bonus
Paper Mario: The Origami King is set to release on July 17, 2020, for the Nintendo Switch. At the moment, the game is priced at the standard price of $59.99, and players can already pre-order the game at the Nintendo eShop or via their preferred video game retailers. It appears that there is no universal pre-order bonus for players who will pre-purchase Paper Mario: The Origami King.
However, GameStop is currently offering an exclusive pin set with every pre-order of Paper Mario: The Origami King. The pin set features an origami Peach and Paper Mario similar to how he appears on the cover of the game. Players can purchase Paper Mario: The Origami King digitally via the Nintendo eShop, or physically, via major retailers such as Amazon, GameStop, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target.
Paper Mario: The Origami King releases on July 17, 2020, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
