Paper Mario's back, y'all.
For the first time in a long while, it feels that Nintendo has tried to hew closer to the formula they established back on the GameCube. While The Origami King is certainly a strange take on traditional JRPG mechanics, it's unmistakably a fusion of inspired puzzle gameplay and classic Paper Mario combat.
With the return of that classic combat also come action commands - an inspired blend of timed button presses and QTEs that set the series apart from other JRPGs... with apologies to The Legend of Dragoon. But if you're a bit rusty, or new 💧to the series, this article will be a perfect primer to get started.
Wait, What Are Action Commands Again?
Action Commands are precise inputs used in the heat of battle in several Paper Mario games. They're basically modifiers - extra inputs that buff your attacks, nerf incoming damage, etc. For example, pressing A when Mario is right about land on an enemy's head deals extra damage. In some 🎶battles, this can spell the difference between an extra turn or tw♌o.
At first, this is tu🎃torialized in ꦿthe game, but after the initial battles, the button prompts disappear so you're encouraged to do it from memory.
How Do I Do Action Commands?
That depends! There are numerous attacks, s💯pecial moves, and items that allow for these extra inputs. In general, though, you'll be hitting your A button at different times depending on what attack you're doing.
Aside from the aforementioned jumping, you can tap A right before letting your hammer drop on a group of enemies, or in perfect rhythm wi🏅th fireball throws to deal more damage. You can also use it to block by timing it perfectly with enemy attacks.
Play It Like A Rhythm Game
As a lifelong rhythm gamer, mastering Action Commands was a bit of second nature for me. Because these are, essentially, rhythm game sequences. While they're not necessarily do🌸ne in tune to music, there are musical prompts with each successful action. In addition, each sequence has a distinct rhythm to it.
That being the case, I'd recommend classic rhythm gaming strategies to truly master the Action Co🍎mmand system. When Mario jumps on a row of Goombas, tap your foot or hum the timing of each jump - in sync with the exact moment the plumber's foot hits their squishy little heads. When Mario lets loose a barrage of fire balls, count the timing b༺etween each toss to make your Fire Flowers more effective.
There are numerous Action Commands to master in The Origami King, and the most effective way I've found to master them is to think of them like a rhythm🍸 gaming sequence. Doing that has allowed me to master the timing and really sink my teeth into the engaging, creative combat systems in this joyful, imaginative game.
Paper Mario: The Origami King is out now for the Nintendo Switch.