Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Reviews
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is an amazingly loyal and visually dazzling remake of a treasured RPG, and the improvements made throughout easily make this the definitive way to experience Mario’s unforgettable quest.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will probably be the last Mario game to release (solely) on the Switch. While Wonder will take the plaudits, porting this cult classic means that a new generation of players can experience it. New fans will have a ball, laughing along with Mario & co., even if their experience will be slightly marred by the backtracking and pacing. Old fans will enjoy the quality of life improvements and some new additions. Whether you’re a Paper Mario veteran or this is your first time entering his origami world, this is the definitive way to experience The Thousand-Year Door.
Thousand-Year Door is now a series highlight. It marks the first instance of where I didn’t want a Mario RPG to go (I generally prefer the Mario & Luigi direction), but the constant fourth-wall breaking, myriad colorful and unique characters, and its willingness to just be weird all lead to a joyful journey.
A faithful enhancement of one of the best RPGs of its era, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is once again one of the best RPGs of its (new) era.
The fact that Paper Mario did diverge after The Thousand-Year Door makes this remaster even more effective. It’s been absent for 20 years, and the new territory that has been covered since then hasn’t resulted in the discovery of the same magic. It’s a new opportunity to see the series’ apogee. It’s a reminder that while the JRPG-lite approach has its limitations, with the right voice, it can really sing.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a very good remake on a visual level, although not so much on a gameplay level, as it remains almost intact compared to the GameCube title.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is one of the best RPGs you can play on Nintendo Switch. It is not the deepest or most challenging, but it sustains a very entertaining, hilarious adventure, full of variety and memorable situations. No wonder it was a cult game... that millions will now be able to play. Nintendo, don't waste this opportunity!
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a wonderful remake of a GameCube classic. Now in a modern game engine, but with all the quirkiness and charm of the original story and characters, and with a return to the original Paper Mario combat style, it's great for Mario RPG fans and newcomers alike.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door might be ever so slightly dated in its first two chapters and its insistence on loading every area with too many enemies. Its bizarre cast, excellent writing, and inventive battles mean it earns its reputation as one of the best and most inventive RPGs, though, and it’s just as fresh and imaginative now as it ever was.
Directly from the GameCube's âge d'or emerges one of the best Mario-related RPGs, suitably revamped and still hugely entertaining. The game also shows how cutting-edge Intelligent Systems and Nintendo were 20 years ago; if all the latest Switch hits will be like this one, there's no complaining.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A smart choice of game to remake - it deserves it. Smartly designed, smartly pitched - arguably smartly-placed, dropped here, towards the end of the Switch’s lifespan, a victory lap for a classic from generations past. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is a richly-deserved, lovingly-crafted redo of a classic. It takes one of Mario’s finest spin-offs and does just enough to refresh it while retaining everything that made it beloved in the first place. I only hope this leads to more Paper Mario games in this vein.
Whether you're replaying for the new visuals, or a very lucky first-time player, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is one of the best RPGs ever to come out of Nintendo.
For 20 years, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has been held as the best Mario RPG of all time, and the Switch remake proves it has earned that title. This is a fantastic RPG adventure, whether you're a Mario fan or not, with some best-in-class combat, brilliant writing, and a few little creases ironed out to make this the definitive way to play Thousand-Year Door. We wish there was a little more to do post-credits, but there's no doubt about it, this is a beautiful-looking Switch remake and a must-play RPG.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door stands the test of time and is fantastic on Nintendo Switch.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door on Switch shows why the game is considered one of the best in the first place. It's a magical, fun, and hilarious adventure with some dark turns that give a new perspective on Mario's world. Additions and changes are sometimes small, yet very significant, but this remake doesn't quite make the game a painless experience. Even so, it's well worth playing again and again for a reminder of why we fell in love with Paper Mario in the first place.
Alongside last year’s excellent Super Mario RPG remake, The Thousand-Year Door is one of the very best Mario spin-offs on Nintendo Switch, whether you’re an old fan or discovering it for the first time.
Apart from the "30 fps" issue, which in no way detracts from the overall quality of the experience, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is, today as yesterday, an extremely enjoyable, fun, perfectly calibrated and absolutely unmissable title. Whether or not it's right to entrust a remake with Nintendo Switch's swan song is not our concern, play it without asking too many questions and you won't regret it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
While the new Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door preserves the gonzo charm that made the original game a cult classic, not a lot has been done to deal with its padding and other design quirks. If you’re a hardcore Thousand-Year Door fan, worry not, you’re going to love this spiffy new version. If you’re new to the game or weren’t entirely sold the first time around, you’re still likely to find plenty to enjoy here, but you may also notice a few tattered edges.
Thousand Year Door is a remake done right. The new sound and visuals look terrific. The game’s essential identity has been preserved. Plus, the original release is able to shine through with no distractions. It’s exactly as wonderful as you remember it being. I’m still impressed with the writing, and the level design is mostly excellent. I still hate the tournament arc, though. And I wish some of the puzzles didn’t involve scouring a dungeon until a forgotten button or door is dragged into the sunlight. Although the original release is amazing, it’s also nearly impossible to play anymore. For new and old fans, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is an essential addition to the Nintendo Switch library.
Summing up, what you are faced with when you start the remake of Paper Mario - The Thousand-Year Portal is an even more refined and pleasing version of the title that appeared on the GameCube two decades ago.
Review in Italian | Read full review