Summary: Reviews for the article Mario: The Thousand Year Door
So, it’s fair to say we like the new remake better. But what did other stores do about it? Well, as is standard with major Switch releases, we’ve compiled some opinions from across the web to hopefully give a little flavor to the general consensus.
So without further ado, let’s get into it…
Firstly, VGC gave the game the maximum score 5/5 starsciting ‘consistently engaging RPG mechanics’ and quality of life improvements, but noted that some levels seemed a bit dated:
“The Thousand-Year Door is an adventure that remains as memorable and engaging as any Mario spin-off to date. It’s an consistently innovative and exciting adventure that appears brilliantly on Nintendo Switch and brings a truly unique feel to the mascot library. We’re grateful for the opportunity to experience it again.”
Gamepot awarded the game a lovely score 9/10praised the new visuals and fast travel system, and criticized the lack of accessibility options, which they said could make quick-time events difficult for some people :
“The Switch version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the perfect way to play the best turn-based RPG starring Mario. More like an enhanced HD remaster than a full remake, The Thousand-Year Door has a small but meaningful content quality-of-life feature that helps alleviate some of the bloat from the original GameCube version. A catchy remixed soundtrack complements the battle system beautifully Dynamic and thoroughly entertaining turn-based combat Add to that a stellar cast of characters and consistently playful writing, and The Thousand -Year Door has all the elements of a turn-based RPG It’s amazing. It’s always had those elements, but now they’re combined a little better.”
IGN say ‘hold my beer’ with its own beer 9/10 reviewed and emphasized how faithful the remake was to the original while also praising the various updates:
“Paper Mario finally returns to its RPG roots with an incredibly faithful and visually dazzling remake of The Thousand-Year Door. Everything fans have been begging Nintendo to bring back is here. Here, we include a fun, varied turn-based combat system with satisfying real-time elements and unique, likable party members who are essential to the story. and gameplay, Rogueport and its surrounding areas are bursting with personality thanks to writing that is as sharp and funny today as it was in 2004. It also introduces a series of modern improvements that help streamline (but doesn’t eliminate) the original’s backtracking issues, easily making this the best way to experience Mario’s quest to collect Crystal Stars There’s a reason the Thousand-Year Door is considered one of the Nintendo’s best game of the past 20 years, and this excellent remake ensures it will maintain that reputation for at least another thousand years.”
Destructive substance give the score 8.5/10 and praised the game’s uniqueness and how it differs from later titles, but also mentioned that the updated visuals have a ‘polished’ feel which some may find a bit odd :
“The strangest thing is actually the graphics upgrades. A lot of little details have been redone, which is great. But for some reason, part of the overhaul is to make things a bit Reflective. Like, it’s still paper, but it’s glossy or laminated.” for some reason. To be fair, it looks really nice. I am so pleased to see these gentle reflections on every surface. However, I think the idea behind that. Paper Mario the aesthetic lies in the fact that it is a collection of handcrafted dioramas. I don’t know anyone who makes crafts with glossy paper.”
Final, by TheGamer 8/10 the review calls The Thousand-Year Door ‘the definitive way to play a classic’:
“Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will likely be the last Mario game released (only) on Switch. While Wonder will receive rave reviews, adapting this cult classic has meaning 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 affected by going back and forth. 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 foray into his origami world , this is a great way to experience the Thousand-Year Door.”
So all in all, it’s been pretty positive and the game is currently sitting at a respectable 89 out Metacritic. It looks like a must-play whether you’re a fan of the original or not, and it could be one of the last essential Mario titles for the Switch before the new hardware is coming.
