WARNING: Game spoilers for Paper Mario: The Origami King ahead
The Italian plumber is back in two-dimensional form, for a brand new adventure rescuing his beloved princess from trouble in Paper Mario: The Origami King. This time though, the culprit isn't Bowser but rather a cor💛rupt ruler known as King Olly who plans to use his power to turn the whole world into origami. Nobody wants to take c🧸hances with that many paper cuts, so your quest is to stop the King before he reaches his goal. Keep reading for more in-depth details on the plot of the game and a look at some new characters you'll meet along the way.
We begin, as most Mario games d🎃o, ♊on a bright and happy note. Mario and Luigi are driving off to an Origami Festival that is set to take place on the grounds of Princess Peach's castle. The pair are excited about having the opportunity to travel together again, with Mario indicating he's looking forward to seeing Peach - implying one or the other has been recently busy. They arrive to find everything all set up and colorfully decorated in the fair's origami theme, complete with Stands up.
There's just one problem: literally nobody seems to be around and suddenly we go from a rainbow to eerie. Just like the beginning of any good horror film, the Brothers head towards the castle to see what's going on. Luigi drops Mario off, and parks the car before rejoining him rather than mysteriously disappearing as you would expect. I🅷nside they find the castle to be completely empty and dark and when they find the door to outside now lꩲocked, Luigi declares he will be as brave as his brother and explore on his own.
That didn't take long, right?
At the foyer of the castle, Mario finds Princess Peach, but it's far from the Peach he 𒁃knows. The poor Monarch has been transformed into some kind of origami abomination, declaring she has been 'unfolded' and that the Kingdom will have a new awakening. After she drops you down below into a dungeon, you run into Bowsers Koopa minions. They look oddly normal as they declare𒀰 their boss was taken away some time ago. It isn't long before some origami'd Shy Guys, now called 'Folded Soldiers,' come to collect the henchmen who are oblivious to whatever it is that's in store for them. Poor Koopas.
You're Either Folded Or Unfolded
The game basically has two forms of 'origami' for characters. There's the folded stage, where you still have mental free will but are squished, and pretty much can't do anything. This was apparently the fate for Bowser, who you discover hilariously as a square face pinned to a hanging clip. Did you really think after all those kidnapping incidents Peach would give him the satisfaction of being an unfolded three-dimensional form? She'll d🐷efinitely drag this out for as long as she can. The 'final' stage of being origami is indeed being reborn as a fully sculpted figure, having fully integrated into the beliefs of the Origami King.
The Villain Is A Papercraft Egomaniac With Simple Beliefs
King Olly, the villain, isn't even actually a monarch until he declares himself one at the end of the introduction. He appears to be just a regular origami creature who had big beliefs that went wrong at some point - beliefs tꦍhat drove him to become a conqueror. Fortunately, his sister Olivia is not nearly as power-hungry as her brother. She's Mario's guide, friend, and confidant on this bizarre journey of processed tree products, ornamental folds, and apparently cults. Ironically, we learn all of it starte🍎d with Olly being furious with a Toad writing on him, which he took as defamation before spiraling into his state of madness.
Talk about oversensitive.
You Fight Sentient Staples Backstock
Every arc of the game is divided into five giant streamers, each guarded by a big boss. These strea💖mꦗers surround the now floating Toadstool castle and so you must destroy each one in to get to the final destination. There's red, blue, yellow, purple, green and then the final chapter which takes place at the Hotfoot Crater and then Origami Castle. Each boss, part of a group of special guards to King Olly known as the Legion of Stationary, is themed around paper supplies of some kind, ie; stapler, hole puncher, etc as if the local Back To School sale came to life. Did I mention they're literally what they're described as?
Olivia Is A Fantastic Sidekick
Initially, Olivia feels that she can't be useful, but as Mario collects powers from beasts called Vellumentals, she will absorb the elements of that said power, armed with the ability to take on their form which ends up being a big help in battles. Therefore she's far from being just your typical chatterbox protagonist assistant, this is her tale too. Unlike her brother, she wants to use her powers for purely altruistic purposes and learns a lot about herself alongও the way in the process.
There's A Redemption Arc
Another character who joins Mario on the journey is an amnesiac Bob-omb (affectionately called Bobby) who proves that even the typical bad guys have the ability to change. There's a very "Enemy-of-my-Enemy" theme that goes on here since the Origami King's tyranny affects everyone in the Kingdom equally. Olivia, Mario, and Bobby travel together through th♏e land and bond together in the process, even after Bobby gets his old memories back. Bowser is even an ally here, helping Mario with transportation at various points before being a crucial ally in the final fight. Don't assume he's changed though - he's just🅘 finally found someone who's a bigger bully than him.
Overall, the story has some particularly interesting character development, along with themes balanced between wholesome and horrifying. It's the Puella Magi Madoka Magica of Mario games so fꦗar in a very fun and weird way.
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