Just over a month from its release, Paper Mario: The Origami King looks to be shaking up the traditional Paper Mario formula if a new gameplay video is any indication.
The latest preview for Paper Mario: The Origami King uploaded by Nintendo provides a more in-depth look at the turn-based RPG’s gameplay mechanics, including combat, use of vehicles, on-foot travel, and origami-related gimmicks.
Throughout the video, viewers can see the diverse environments that will be featured throughout the game. As the trailer highlights, these include locations in the desert, mountainous regions, sewer areas, and places in the sky.
The trailer gives a brief story synopsis: Mario must track down the ends of five origami streamers that wrap around Princess Peach’s castle. Each leads to one of the aforementioned areas and involves puzzles and challenges that require the use of origami-related tactics. For instance, one puzzle requires the use of origami arms that Mario can extend to manipulate hard-to-reach objects.
Clips of vehicle exploration are shown as well, specifically, the use of a raft, a kart, and boat when he’s not on foot.
Most significantly, the preview gives a rundown of how combat will work in the game. Traditionally, combat takes place on a stage, though in the case of The Origami King, the “stage” involves Mario standing squarely in the middle of several rings of enemies. The player can turn the rings like a Rubix cube to line up enemies. If they manage to do so within a set amount of time, they can take out a large number of enemies by using a standard jump attack or assault with a hammer.
Boss battles are given some attention in the video, as well. Each boss, all part of the Legion of Stationary, is a reference to craft-related products. As is standard, these bosses deal more damage than the average enemy and require a bit more strategy in finding weak points to take them down.
The video concludes by showing off some of the game’s side activities, including mini-games, treasure seeking, and finding origami Toads in disguise.
The trailer covers a lot of content that could end up winning the hearts of fans that have lost faith in the series since its widely perceived pinnacle, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
Paper Mario: The Origami King launches on Nintendo Switch on July 17.
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