Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - The Town of Rougeport

Hello, for today’s entry, I wanted to briefly talk about a video game that I had played recently, moreso some things I noticed and really liked about the game’s structure. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door would be the name of that game, and I suspect some of you may be familiar with it. For those who don’t know much about it, the Paper Mario series is one famous for a simple RPG gameplay system,  fun deep worlds with lots of intricate characters, and a nice simple 8 (or 9) chapter structure that the game follows. For this game, I wanted to discuss 2 things; it’s beautiful central hub setting, and it’s possible 3 act story structure. Today I will discuss its central world, and after that will move on to my 3 act theory. 

World

"A 'place' that connects many seemingly different 'beings, ideas, and substances' together into one."

             

            When you’re crafting a fantasy world for a story, a lot of questions come down on you as to what sort of world to make. How would it work, and would it relate at all to our world? Do we create it using the rules of our own world, or make our own rules for this fantasy world? Often the worlds that are most loved are those that do both, and are able to have both fantasy elements to their settings, as well as have practical and realistic implications and rules. The Thousand Year Door is one of the few games that I’ve seen get this style of setting so so right, creating one of the most unique yet real worlds I’ve ever seen.

                In enters Rougeport, the central hub of which The Thousand Year Door takes place. What makes Rougeport such a great setting to set the game in, is its unique tone and atmosphere, brought about from its fantasy and realistic elements and how they mix together.

               The town of Rougeport is one with a great backstory to it. We briefly learn at the beginning of the game that a great civilization lived and thrived in the area Rougeport existed upon. However, due to circumstances that are not revealed until later in the game, the great civilization was wiped out in one night, and it disappeared forever. We learn later in the game that this came from a great powerful demon that came to be from the city’s many magical and powerful features, and it used its powers to destroy the civilization, and then created its own palace underground to secretly rule all.

                However, the demon’s reign was only temporary. As time passed, people began to rise up against it, and eventually, the day came when 4 heroes were able to challenge and defeat the demon. They sealed it into its own palace, where it would stay, forever.

                The result of these events creates a wonderful wonderful setting for Rougeport. With the demon sealed away, the civilization that existed above ground has been completely wiped out, and yet, the many ruins and great tunnels created by the great civilization underground remain intact, as the demon ruled from them, and the demon also sits in its palace, which is sealed away by The Thousand Year Door.

                Many many years pass, with very little if any characters entering the area of Rougeport. One can assume that because it was the residing area of the great demon, few entered it, or were allowed to enter by others, for the dangerous tales that were told about the city. However, after many more years, the tales of the Demon slowly changed from concrete history to fairy tales, and new residents who knew nothing of Rougeport's history began to come across it. Slowly but surely more citizens began to enter it, and before long civilization was building on the ground above.

                But here’s the catch, despite this being a Mario and fantasy game, by the time you get to Rougeport, the place has become one that you would expect a typical new civilization in our own world to grow into. Because no one has been to the area for so long, it has no ruler, no government, no system. When you first enter Rougeport as Mario, you can see all of this from first sight. Rougeport has broken ledges and piles of trash everywhere, there are merchants everywhere that run the shops, tourists, unclean walls and streets, and above all, thievery and crime. You see this first hand, when you enter Rougeport for the very first time, and upon entering, are robbed by a thief, and lose half of your coins, a wonderful way to instantly build the world and show that this is no safe haven. The world is a very realistic one that is still grounding itself and finding a system of which to run, and the lack of one has anarchy everywhere, with many trying to create their own rules, and it’s surprisingly well done, one of the last things I expected in a Mario game.

                But it gets even better, for when land is first found and populated by many, who is first to rise up and take power? The strong ambitious ones, those who set out to conquer and set things there way, those who will gather followers to carry out their world and fight. And this is seen frequently in Rougeport, or rather, in the 2 large gangs that fight for control over Rougeport; The Piantas and The Robbos.

                As you explore and learn more about Rougeport and progress through the game, you learn that Rougeport is mainly governed by 2 gangs, each of which fight to control the land with their power. You learn that the Robbos primarily control the eastern side of Rougeport, while the Piantas do the west. Indeed, we can only speculate that the leaders of these cults rose up with ambition and schemes, and now try and use it with their money to put their own rules and order into effect in Rougeport. The east side of Rougeport has a Robbo that guards a top secret area where the higher ups meet, and you won’t be able to get through until you’re strong enough to defeat him. On the west side of Rougeport there is an organized shop, as well as a parlor to play minigames. It’s very obvious to tell that the Piantas run both the shop and parlor and collect the funds from it to continue to exert their power.

                What’s the coolest part of this though, is seeing the differences in the 2 parts of Rougeport. If you compare the 2 sides, it becomes very clear that the west side of Rougeport is much more wealthy. There is a fountain in the area, as well as many nice luxurious houses, and of course there's the parlor and shop to boot. The east however, has only a few small houses that aren’t as clean, as well as some dirty back alleys to sneak away in that the west lacks. There are also no shops or places to enjoy things, and to top it all off there’s a lot more trash on the east side of Rougeport than the west, a very nice touch to show the difference in the Robbos and Piantas, and how they’re controlling methods are working.

                And while the west and east sides are ruled by the gangs, the center part is the one left from rule, and is also sort of the battleground of the 2 gangs. At the start of the game when you first enter Rougeport, you can see 2 Piantas attacking 2 Robos in the background, a nice way to show that they are at constant battle, with this central area being the common ground. Also, all of the shops and inns and merchants in the central area are all independent, being set up by simple travelers who decided to stop by for a bit, or make home and a living in Rougeport.

                All these little details plus more give off an incredible setting of a small town that is still being developed, with no set ruler. It is a battleground for 2 tribes trying to take control, and a spot for tons of independent workers and merchants to live, as well as an area with lots of crime and little rules, and it’s a wonderful setting that’s surprisingly realistic for a Mario game. But what truly makes this setting great, is the way it connects with the underground.

Fantasy

"That which seems unreal, different to our own 'world,' and yet that which draws inspiration and ideas directly from 'inhabitants' of the 'real' world."

                For while the above ground area of Rougeport features all sort of different folks trying to find a living and settle in this dangerous battle ground zone, the underground features a different feel. By featuring the deep structures, labyrinth, and treasures made by the ancient civilization long ago, it almost feels like a whole new world when you venture down there. And the underground is also inhabited by characters as well. Those who want to make a living in a nice quiet safe place, those who want to explore the mysteries of the underground, etc. can be found, and it gives off a great feel that the underground is just as real as the aboveground.

                I remember when I played through The Thousand Year Door recently, there was a distinct point when I realized how cool and fascinating the setting of Rougeport was. I was wandering through a small little community in an area underground, and talked to a certain individual. He said that he was a thief that likes to cheat to get through life, despite how hard it can be. He then goes on to say that living in Rougeport makes life so much easier, because when he is seen or caught he can flee into the mazes underground to not be found and hide. The 2 settings connect directly together to form this character’s life......wow. What’s even more fascinating is the talk of the underground. Because it is so vast and large, not many go underground, and some above tell stories about how dangerous it is. But with all the speculation, many also think that there is a great treasure to be found underground in the labyrinth.

                The talk of this treasure could only have come from the deep underground, and adds even more unique life to the setting. If you talk to NPCs, you can learn that some use the treasure as a way to lure people underground where they can be trapped. Some even search for it due to a shred of hope that the treasure will turn their life around, as living above ground in the rugged town of Rougeport is hard enough. The way the mysterious deep fantasy like underground connects with the realistic, structured town of the above ground is so incredibly cool and creates tons of great NPC scenarios and situations, that just make you want to learn more and more about this world, and I was completely blown away by it all.

                The setting in The Thousand Year Door contains one of the most unique I’ve ever seen, making it one of the most fun to explore and learn about. It’s something I really don’t see much nowadays, and as a result something I love to think of when I think of making a great setting. It’s deep and with a great backstory, but also has a practical side to it, making it, perhaps my favorite part of The Thousand Year Door. Can you think of any settings like this, that are very realistic but also have a fantasy like side to them? What other sort of settings do you think work?

               I hope I've given you some fun things to think about, and till then, ta ta for now!