Paper Mario: Sticker Star Review

Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Intelligent Systems Platform: 3DS Players: 1 Release: 2012 Genre: RPG /Adventure Rating: 8.3 \ 10.0: Great

Above is Mario stomping on a pack of Goombas with Jump stickers
 

Before I talk about this game, I'm gonna give some advice. If you've never played a Paper Mario game or are planning on doing so, do not play Super Paper Mario first. I thought playing that game would prepare me for Sticker Star, but it didn't. Why? You'll find out.

 

After five years, a new Paper Mario game has arrived! And this time, Mario's in his stickiest (literally) situation yet! It all begins on the night of the Sticker Fest, an event that celebrates the falling of the Sticker Comet, celestial rock that, according to legend, any wish made upon it is likely to come true. As the star descends to the festival grounds, Bowser arrives to make a wish upon the comet. He than touches the celestial stone, and it explodes! Bowser then transforms into a giant, sparkly sticker, snatches Peach and knocks Mario out. When Mario awakens, he's crumpled up, and you must mash the A button until he's un-crumpled. You must than track a voice that's calling Mario's name. When you find the source of the voice, you'll see that it's Kertsi, a crown-shaped sticker. She tells Mario that the pieces of the Sticker Comet have been scattered about the land, and that he must recover them. Along the way, you'll countless stickers, that can be used it combat. Turn-based combat as a result of simply touching an enemy (but the Mario & Luigi series prepared me for that, unlike Super Paper Mario). You'll also find real life objects, such as scissors and a fan, referred to as "Things". These can be brought back to Decalburg (get it-- "Decal Burg"?), the game's hub, and turned into stickers at the Sling-a-Thing platform. From Decalburg, you can also purchase and sell stickers at a shop (although a couple of stages contain sticker shops as well), and  view all the stickers you've collected throughout the game in a museum. Among other new features is the ability to "paperize". By pressing the Y button, the entire scene is frozen, and there may be outlines on the screen that you can place equally-sized stickers or things to make them appear in the environment. This entry manages to maintain the quirky sense of humor found in all Mario role-playing games. What's wrong with Sticker Star? Not much-- it's just that I prefer Mario platformers over RPGs, although there's a tiny hint of platforming in this game. In World 3-1, for example, you must jump roll across spinning cylinders to cross a pond of poisonous purple goop while Boomerang Bros toss boomerangs at you   from the background. Some stages can be notoriously difficult, and you don't receive much aid and get very poor hints. It's also disappointing that there's no new unique villain as in other Mario RPGs, like Fawful form Mario & Luigi, or Count Bleck from Super Paper Mario. One of the best aspects of the game is its graphics. The characters look truly papery, and the environments look as if they were made of cardboard, giving the game an endlessly charming feel of a diorama come to life. Although, as I said before, I prefer Mario platformers over Mario RPGs, Paper Mario: Sticker Star is a fine addition to the Mario series.

Ups
Awesome stickers
Quirky humor
Some platforming
Charming papery graphics

Downs
Poor hints
No unique villain

ESRB: E Content: Comic Mischief and Mild Cartoon Violence Price: $39.99 (Retail / Download)