Paper Mario – The Thousand-Year Door review: The plumber’s next adventure unfolds with a hidden dimension

This lesser-seen Paper Mario instalment – released for Gamecube in 2004 – was certainly riotously adventurous for its time both in terms of its unusual mechanics but also its earthy humour. Yet the remake’s novelty has been undercut by last December’s broadly similar do-over of lost 1996 classic Super Mario RPG.

To no one’s surprise, Princess Peach has been abducted once more, this time while pursuing the fabled seven Crystal Stars that together can open the mysterious Thousand-Year Door – behind which lies untold riches (probably). Even she recognises the cliché – “I can’t believe I’ve been kidnapped again!” – and it’s not the first or last time the characters break out of their familiar roles.

Mario chases her trail to the town of Rogueport, a hive of villainy and moral turpitude. Most of the denizens are on the make, if not total scoundrels. In a most un-Nintendo manner, a gallows commands centre-stage in the town square and an intimidating Mafia-like don rules the western streets. Admittedly, most of these set-ups are played for laughs and there’s even a bawdy slant to the banter.

The Paper Mario series has always had its own flavour, conveyed chiefly by the 2D characters in 3D environments – all apparently fashioned from thin cardboard. That nuance aside, The Thousand-Year Door remake shares a considerable measure of DNA with Super Mario RPG in game mechanics.

Mario roams the linear environments in search of the Crystal Stars before flipping to a theatrical turn-based battle mode when encountering enemies. Then it’s a matter of trading blows in rock-paper-scissors style until you erode their health points. Sure, some elements of strategy come into play – such as which Mario ally to deploy, or which specific attack performs best against different enemies.

But it often degenerates into a slog that’s less fun the more frequent the encounters. Even the dialogue exchanges seem slow to unspool, particularly in peculiar sequences where you take control of Peach and the evil Bowser. Just as tiresome is the backtracking and criss-crossing of previously explored territory, leaving you crying out for a fast-travel option or at the very least a sprint button.

Thousand-Year Door folds in more depth than Super Mario RPG, that is certain. The gameplay deals with additional layers – bits of Pikmin, bits of Metroidvania, for instance – and there’s an attempt to add value with extras such as concept art. Its offbeat comedy also carries an edgy vibe that strains at the Nintendo leash.

This Paper Mario may be thinly spread but hidden dimensions give it space to become its own thing.