Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam - more details

– Game starts in Peach’s castle
– A curious Toad is wandering around a draughty storage room with Luigi
– Rendition of the Luigi’s Mansion theme plays
– Go on a mission to catch a stray mouse
– Luigi stumbles across a magic book, which unleashes the entire paper-thin population of a parallel Mushroom Kingdom into the sky
– Paper Goombas and Toads alike are left to fall all across the land
– Paper Princess Peach and Paper Bowser get their own counterparts
– The two Bowsers argue a bit, and then kidnap their own personal Princess
– This is a Mario & Luigi title at its core
– There are some new mechanics and visual effects that make use of the paper characters and environments
– Paper Mario himself is rendered in all his mute quirkiness
– There are some funny scenes where the Bros’ babbling discussions are met with blank stares from their new companion
– Paper Mario has an effect on combat and movement
– Jumps are now timed differently since Paper Mario is now linked to the ‘Y’ button for all actions
– In battle, the bros are arranged in a triangular formation
– Paper Mario sticks to the back
– He has some unique abilities that mesh with the “jump-hammer-dodge” system
– He can make up to six copies of himself
– Paper Mario can split up and hammer multiple enemies at once to create valuable openings for further attacks
– He can also initiate some of the game’s most powerful moves – Trio Attacks
– These are like super-charged Bros attacks that involve all three characters and a whole lot of paper
– Copies also soak up damage, though it takes a full turn to create more
– The environments range from green fields into a desert setting complete with dreary underground grotto
– Enemies still roam around looking for trouble
– Kamek will turn seemingly open landscapes more complex by the arrival of new cardboard structures
– Toad hunt from E3 is part of a much broader quest system
– This is entirely new to the series
– Certain sections of the game play out as isolated challenges
– Completing them adds to the total amount of paper Toads you’ve saved
– Ex: might need to rescue several of them within the time limit, break blocks in a Jenga-esque balancing act to free them, or herd a panicked group to safety
– You’ll either come across these yourself or visit a Lakitu center to choose from a list of available missions
– Can replay quests at a harder difficulty
– Can sprint with ‘x’ and tackle them to the ground
– Use amiibo to create character cards
– Cards are like building your own deck of special abilities
– Each amiibo generates a different variety
– You either purchase or earn a blank card in-game, and then use an amiibo to bring it to life
– Bowser made attack cards
– Yoshi granted a stat boost or cured the team of status conditions
– Use cards once per battle
– After registering the amiibo and generating your ability cards, you need to have it with you ready to scan again whenever you want to use one of them
– Enemies now display a level value beneath their names,
– An “emergency block” gives you the option to brace yourself in order to take less damage from attacks if you can’t dodge them entirely
– Choosing a bonus stat to improve for each level up isn’t possible anymore
– More powerful rank up bonuses remain that can only be applied once per five levels or so
– There are boss fights where you’ll hop onto a giant papercraft Mario and battle hordes of enemies in an arcade-style brawl
– These break up the usual gameplay with a completely new control scheme built around charging enemies while avoiding their attacks
– You’re frequently reminded that the Bros. are dealing with two armies this time around
– Bowser’s Castle constantly looms in the distance, as the game pans forward to keep it at the back of your mind