Greetings! I thought this would be a fun thing to do, and I might get in the habit of doing it every year. With 2022 coming to a close it is a time to reflect, look back, and remember the experiences we've had this year. So what better way to do it then by ranking every video game I've played in 2022, from my least favorite to favorite!
Paper Mario: The Origami King was a game I expected to have a fun time with, but I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy it. After all, I loved Sticker Star, the fourth title in the Paper Mario series, but despised Color Splash, the fifth title. Those two games, along with Origam King, make up the "modern" Paper Mario trilogy, while the previous three titles: Paper Mario, The Thousand Year Door, and Super Paper Mario, make up the "traditional" Paper Mario trilogy. Much debate has gone on regarding which style is better. I sit as one of the few that enjoys both. Yet if I had to choose, I'd say that I prefer the formula of the traditional trilogy. As much as I loved Sticker Star, the modern Paper Mario formula simply could not compare.
Yet, after now completing The Origami King, I must retract that statement. My experience with the game was incredible, no doubt it will go down as one of my favorite Switch games. Every time I booted up the game, I felt......happy, like I was going to a magical world where nothing but fun awaited. So much did I enjoy it that I took long breaks throughout my playthrough, not wanting the magic to end. Looking back, I still can't believe how much I enjoyed it. It is one of the few games in which I can confidently say I wish I could wipe my memory of it to re-experience the magic all over again.
So for this review I want to talk about Paper Mario: The Origami King using a particular perspective. I want to explain not just why the game is special, but why it is in such a way the traditional Paper Marios could never be. For in many ways The Origami King is the modern Paper Mario formula done to perfection: think Sticker Star but better. Every area it succeeds in I long argued Sticker Star also succeeded. Every area I believed was a strength and not a weakness of Sticker Star, Origami King has and uses in even greater ways. Origami King is incredibly validating to myself as a Sticker Star fan, a game most Paper Mario fans loathe. The overwhelming positive reception received by Origami King has proved that I am not crazy, and in this review I plan to show why, and why Origami King finally lets the modern Paper Mario games stand outside the shadow of the traditional games.
