With the game receiving little fanfare in the lead up to its announcement less than two months ago, many might be surprised to hear that Paper Mario: The Origami King will be hitting Nintendo Switch next Friday. While very little is known about the game outside of the contents of its trailers, it seems a series of outlets are looking to change that, with the likes of IGN, Kotaku, and GameSpot all revealing much more about how the Nintendo exclusive feels to play.
One of the new features that has been detailed thoroughly by these previews is the game's battle system, which will be significantly different to previous entries in the Paper Mario series. Not only are combat sections more puzzle-based, seeing players maneuver a board within a time limit to lineup perfect hits, but they also seem to vary much more between different types of encounters.
It seems there's three specific forms of combat utilized within Paper Mario: Origami King's gameplay, with the most common being Mario's battles with lesser powered enemies. These see Mario stand in the center of a large battlefield made out of several rings, with the iconic plumber's foes each standing in different areas of these exterior circles. The aim of these battles is for the player to spin each of these rings and force as many enemies as possible into a line, allowing Mario to stomp over them. Alternatively, players can also arrange foes into a 2x2 square as well, allowing them to utilize Mario's hammer to inflict some serious damage.
This whole battle system gets flipped on its head when players encounter a boss, however, with the huge, towering foe taking Mario's original position at the center of the circle. This time, the player has to shift the board to create a pathway to certain spaces within the circle, the likes of which can grant health or allow Mario to unleash a powerful attack against his gargantuan opponent. Finally, there's a completely different battle system used to combat enemies lying in wait in the open-world. These are known as "Paper Macho" opponents, and they'll require real-time combat to take down. Mario will have to hit weak spots located on their bodies while trying to dodge and strafe their powerful attacks.
Overall, it seems as though Paper Mario: The Origami King will offer some fun combat that aims to make players think as well. Luckily, it won't be long until fans get to try their hand at it either, with the title releasing in just over a week's time.
Paper Mario: The Origami King will be available on July 17, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
