Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Original Release: October 11, 2004 (US)

Platform: Nintendo GameCube

Introduction

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is the 2004 sequel to the 2001 Paper Mario. Unlike later games in the series, it keeps the same core gameplay as the original game. Most Paper Mario fans say this is their favorite game in the series because of how well it expands on the first game.

I recommend you read the gameplay section my post on the first Paper Mario game, just to get the gist of it. You'll want to know what partners are, and how the battle system works. Without further ado, let's begin.

Gameplay

The first game, while using paper as a unique artsyle, didn't really do much with the paper theme when it came to gameplay. But in this game, Mario gets different paper abilities, like folding into an airplane, that enhance the game. My favorite is his ability to turn sideways to squeeze through cracks, a simple yet ingenious idea that allows for clever puzzles. After he gets this ability, Mario can slip between buildings, down a sewer grate, and through jail bars.

The abilities the partner characters give you are interesting as well. For example, Flurrie blows air that "blows away" pieces of the environment to reveal secrets and hidden areas.

The overworld is laid out much like the first Paper Mario game: different sections of the world all connect to a central hub town. In this game, it's Rogueport: a grungy port town with shady characters and a conflict between two gangs. Rogueport was, in my opinion, a fresh departure from the traditional cutesy locations Mario games are known for.

Battle

The Thousand Year Door returns with a very similar battle style to that of the first game. Mario still takes turn attacking the enemy, with the assistance of one partner at a time, and having the enemy take a turn attacking him. In this game, however, the battles have more complexity and strategy. The partner character now have their own health meters, and can swap positions with Mario if he is low on health. 

In addition to timing a tap of the "A" button to reduce the damage from enemy attacks, pressing the "B" button negates all damage and does damage to the enemy, albeit requiring much harder timing.

Music

I'm conflicted about this game's music. I find some of the instruments used to be kind of annoying, but there are some really good themes. Here is one that I liked regardless of the instruments:

The theme is from the game's opening, and I love it because of how mysterious it sounds. It plays while the story of the ancient city beneath Rogueport is being told.

Some music was more atmospheric than melodic, which I usually liked. Here's Boggly Woods, which really goes with the area's look of the black and white trees and the shimmering ground:

Boggly Woods

Characters/Some Story

Like the first game, the story is a pretty simple one, if a little less like other Mario games. That's not necessarily a bad thing, however. The story that is there is heartwarming, memorable to many Nintendo fans, and leaves the player feeling satisfied. The characters really shine, though, and the simple story puts them in the spotlight. The Thousand Year Door is the most popular Paper Mario game because of its characters, which should be no surprise.

Partners

Like the first game, TTYD has partners that join Mario on his quest as the game progresses. The main partner, while still a goomba, is much more interesting than Goombario from the first game. Her name is Goombella, and she is an archeology student studying under Professor Frankly at the University of Goom (gooo goombas!). Her spunky commentary on enemies and areas makes the game more interesting. 

Madame Flurrie (the one with the...shapely body) is a retired movie star longing to return to the stage. She's also a wind spirit, somehow? Flurrie is great, though, yet another interesting character.

Admiral Bobbery is an old sea captain who never forgave himself after his wife died while he was at sea. His story is one of the more emotional parts of the game, and I had a reaction to it similar to my reaction to Rosalina's Storybook in Super Mario Galaxy.

Vivian is originally an enemy, a member of the Shadow Sirens. But she is emotionally abused by her sisters, and ends up joining Mario's side after he treats her with kindness. In battle she uses cool fire attacks, so thats a plus too.

Princess Peach and the Shadow Queen

**minor spoilers**

Princess Peach, normally a passive character in the Mario Series, has a surprisingly defined personality in this game. She does still get kidnapped, but in the game's intermissions the player can once again control her as she sneaks around. In TTYD, the princess is kidnapped by an alien clan known as the X-Nauts, and she sneaks around the X-Nauts' lunar base to email information to Mario.

Peach and TEC-XX

The princess's stories, which took place between the chapters, I found to be surprisingly entertaining. The main plot revolves around Peach befriending the base's main computer, TEC-XX (based on HAL from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey). She teaches the computer about the concept of love in exchange for security clearance as she sneaks around the base. In one surprisingly risqué scene, Peach has to strip down naked after TEC made her invisible. Being invisible, she obviously didn't show anything, but it's not something you usually expect from a Mario game. 

Ultimately, Peach makes a strong connection with TEC and gets him to betray the X-Nauts. I loved it when this story converged with the main story, but I always love when storylines converge, so idk if that's a plus.

**major spoilers to a 2004 game, you have been warned**

In the final scenes of the game, the leader of the X-Nauts lets loose the Shadow Queen, a demon who was trapped in the ancient city beneath Rogueport. The Shadow Queen uses Peach as a vessel, and possesses her body for an amazing final boss battle against Mario and his partners. There's a scene where all the candles in the room go out, and then are lit with black fire one by one, which was a deliciously creepy touch.

The Shadow Queen, the Peach storyline, and the setting of Rogueport all give The Thousand Year Door its unique personality. It's edgier than most, if not all other Mario games, but it doesn't take itself too seriously so it doesn't get into the "cringy" territory (see: Shadow the Hedgehog)

Playing this Game

Can I play this game?

To play this game legitimately, you need a GameCube or a Nintendo Wii system. You're more likely to have a Wii, which can play GameCube games thanks to backwards compatibility. You also need a GameCube Controller and a memory card, both of which are pretty inexpensive, especially if they're used.

Should I play this game?

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is a great game for non-gamers, in my opinion. The game requires little technical skill, and like many Nintendo games is designed with new gamers in mind. The lighthearted plot and memorable characters will make this game stand out to even the most skeptical.

If you ARE a Nintendo gamer and haven't played this, game, what are you waiting for? This game needs to be played YESTERDAY!