Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was originally released on the Nintendo Gamecube almost 20 years ago. It’s hard to believe that it’s been so long but it has and thankfully, Nintendo have decided to release a remake for modern audiences. The Nintendo Switch version features numerous quality of life changes and some minor tweaks which bring it up to 2024 gaming standards.



So ultimately is Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door worth diving into if you played the original way back then? Will newcomers find it just as compelling given how gaming tastes have changed over the years? The answer is surprisingly pretty straight-forward.



Players in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will play as Mario as he travels to Rougeport. Prince Peach breaks away from her aide and purchases a mysterious treasure map from a street vendor in the seaside town. She then sends Mario a letter asking him to come to Rougeport but before he arrives, she gets kidnapped. This is where things really kick off and get interesting.

The Nintendo Switch version features numerous quality of life changes and some minor tweaks which bring it up to 2024 gaming standards.

As soon as Mario arrives, he faces off against a powerful foe but encounters Goombella, an arcaheology student who assists Mario in escaping. Soon afterwards Mario and Goombella visit Goomba Professor Frankly who tells them about the mysterious Thousand-Year Door and the seven legendary crystal stars required to open the door.



The premise behind the game’s story revolves around retrieving the legendary crystal stars and opening the Thousand-Year Door. Rogueport serves as the major hub world and each area in the game has its own theme.

Gameplay in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door involves players platforming in a 2D world that looks like it’s made out of paper. Everything from the characters to the environments look paper crafted and therein lies the game’s major aesthetic choice. The original Gamecube version of the game was spruced up and made to look a lot better for the Nintendo Switch release and what we have here is a title that looks fantastic throughout. It might not be on the same level as Paper Mario: The Origami King but the varied environments and the well-designed characters have a lot of charm to them.



Circling back to the actual gameplay aside from the platforming, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door features role-playing game elements where players will converse with non-playable characters to learn more about the game world and its story. Goombella can also be consulted for additional input and this adds more context to a lot of in-game events. Combat in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door involves turn-based battles with a twist to them. This being the ability to press a button or use a specific input to do additional damage or block damage.

Gameplay in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door involves players platforming in a 2D world that looks like it’s made out of paper.

As an example, Mario can do extra damage if you hold the Left JoyCon analog stick in a certain direction and then let go right as Mario is about to hit an enemy. Another example is pressing the A button just before your jump attack lands. These small little actions make the gameplay a lot more engaging and as the game progresses and you unlock additional actions, things get a lot more tactical in nature.



Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door also features badges which impart upgrades or augmentations to your character. These badges really do let you customize your gameplay experience by mixing and matching specific upgrades to be able to defeat the varied types of foes available in the game. Gameplay in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door isn’t exactly hard but there are some battles which will require you to use your brain a bit.

Boss battles in particular can be a bit challenging if you aren’t well enough prepared for them. You’ll have to be careful with your attacks too because sometimes you may inadvertently end up damaging yourself in the process when fighting some enemies.



The game features a perfect blend of platforming interspersed with exploration and battles. Some areas do feature a lot of enemies but they can be avoided if you don’t want to constantly be fighting. However, with that said, constantly fighting enemies does give you more points which fill up your special attack meter and this can be extremely useful when fighting tougher foes.

The game features a perfect blend of platforming interspersed with exploration and battles.

The real star of the show in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door isn’t the combat though. It’s the game’s downright amazing storytelling. The writing in this game is excellent with well-written jokes and a lot of heart put into the character interactions. The paper-craft animations work extremely well with the storytelling and just enhance the whole package immensely when every character you encounter is teeming with personality. You’ll be hooked in no time!



Overall, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is an excellent remake which holds up extremely well thanks to the games artistic design and flat out amazing storytelling. There are some moments where it can feel a bit tedious such as fighting through a tonne of enemies in certain areas but given how fun the game is, players won’t really notice this much. Especially if you’re playing the game in short chapter orientated bursts on the Nintendo Switch.

If you’re a fan of Mario titles, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is definitely a title you should play. It may not be as vibrant or modern as Paper Mario: The Origami King but it is certainly an excellent game and gets a solid recommendation as a Nintendo Switch must-play title.

*Nintendo Switch code provided by Nintendo