Paper Mario: The Origami King

Paper Mario: The Origami King
North American box art of the game.
Information
Developer(s)	Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Yukio Morimoto Shingo Igata
Series	Paper Mario
Release date	July 17, 2020
Genre(s)	RPG
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch
Navigation
Predecessor	Paper Mario: Color Splash (2016)
Successor	N/A

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It serves as the sixth installment of the Paper Mario series, following Paper Mario: Color Splash.

Development

According to the development team, "the series' affection for reinvention is partly driven by a desire to motivate its development staff." Despite the characters turned into origami, "[developers] had to ensure that [players] could identify which characters the origami versions were based on." Character artists worked with each character to analyse whether a side-on or front-on view would be best to bring out their individuality. "[They] created mockups of the characters using actual paper in order to draw out the elements that make the characters look origami-like and form rules that would be used as the foundation for all the origami characters."

Gameplay

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Plot

Princess Peach's castle

Origami Princess Peach trapping Paper Mario in the Castle.

Princess Peach invited Mario and Luigi to the origami festival at the Mushroom Kingdom. When Luigi and Mario arrived, they noticed nobody is at Toad Town. Mario rechecked the invitation to be sure that they were supposed to arrive. Mario and Luigi entered Princess Peach's castle and Luigi realized he forgot the gift on his kart. Before he could exit, the door closed and locked itself. Mario searched for the key in the castle and an origami Peach stepped out of the door. Peach asked him three questions. Regardless of Mario's answers, Peach opened the pit to the dungeon.

Paper Mario meets Olly for the first time.

Mario fell into the castle dungeon and met the imprisoned Koopa Troop. Mario and the Koopa Troop mentioned that they have not seen Bowser and Peach is "less lifelike". A group of origami Shy Guys escorted the group but Mario to the other room. After they left, Mario heard a voice saying that it is in a "very strange place". Mario unsealed the wall and freed an origami figure that introduced herself as Olivia. Mario and Olivia find Bowser stuck on a peg and Mario freed him. Mario and Olivia escaped the dungeon and Peach and a yellow origami Shy Guy halted the trio. The Shy Guy ordered its minions to battle Mario. Mario successfully defeated the minions with Olivia's help. The Shy Guy revealed itself to be King Olly to Olivia's surprise. King Olly wrapped Peach's castle into streamers. Mario, Olivia and Bowser rode on the Koopa Clown Car with Shy Guy to escape. Noticing Luigi's hat falling into the castle's ruined foundation, the group attempts to rescue him, but collide with the red streamer and are sent flying apart. The Red Shy Guy catches Bowser and heads off elsewhere, while Olly sets Peach's Castle down atop the peak of a far-off volcano.

Red streamer

Paper Mario & Olly meeting Grandsappy for the time.

Mario frees himself from a tree in a forest near Toad Town, and after rescuing Olivia, quickly notices that Peach's Castle has been relocated to a distant peak. Both of them set out to destroy the five streamers, find Luigi, and defeat Olly. Their search begins with a trek through the Whispering Woods, where they are trapped by Ol' Grandsappy, who has recently been cut down. Olivia convinces him that they mean no harm, and he tasks the two with finding a way to restore him to his former glory. Mario manages to find and revive the Soul Seed in order to do so, and is allowed to leave the forest. After encountering and saving many secreted Toads and two stacks of paper Goombas, Mario and Olivia arrive in the ravaged and deserted Toad Town, where they encounter Paper Macho Goombas for the first time. Upon defeating them, they decide to search the remains of the castle for clues, traveling through the sewers to bypass the ruined drawbridge. The duo manages to find Luigi trapped within a wall, who quickly sets out to assist Mario by hunting down the key to Peach's Castle.

Deciding to follow the red streamer first, they travel to Picnic Road, where they find a group of panicked Koopa Troopas who worship the Earth Vellumental. The door to its temple has been locked, and four of the five Shell Stones required to open it have all been stolen by Folded Soldiers. Mario explores Overlook Mountain to find them, before entering the temple and uncovering its unexplored recesses. After navigating past a series of moving pillars and flaming shells, Mario comes across the turtle-like god, who has been folded into origami, and has no choice but to fight and defeat it by attacking its weak underbelly. Afterwards, Olivia gains the ability to transform into the Vellumental and uses her new power to lower a mound of soil upon which Overlook Tower rests. Upon entering, the two have no choice, but to climb the tower's stairs due to the elevator being broken and the door being barred, having to fill in some massive holes and help some Toads out along the way. At the top, the duo confronts the Colored Pencils, who is responsible for damaging the elevator, and they manage to thwart him by using his missiles against him. Following this, the red streamer is finally destroyed.

Blue streamer

Rubber Band, the second member of the Legion of Stationery

With the red streamer gone, Mario and Olivia are now able to access the tram station, which can take them to Autumn Mountain, where the blue streamer leads. On the way, they meet Bob-omb, an happy-go-lucky amnesiac bob-omb, whom Olivia nicknames Bobby. They decide to let him tag along, and after getting sidetracked in Chestnut Valley, they find and unseal the Water Vellumental Shrine. After solving the shrine's sliding puzzles and defeating the shrine's Water Vellumental, who has also been folded into origami, Olivia taps into its power, refilling a dry lake and overflowing the resultant Eddy River. After finding a gondola's oarsman, who has been folded into a monkey, they are finally able to boat over rocky obstacles, ride a series of tumultuous rapids, and arrive at Shogun Studios, a popular theme park.

The trio enters the park to find it deserted of all but patrolling Folded Soldiers and some costumed minions, who task them with rescuing the park's staff, who are trapped in the high castle tower. Mario sets out to look for the park's master key, which will allow him to access the locked tower; he does so by completing a trading sequence, eventually leading him to the Ninja Attraction. Inside, he finds and rescues Luigi, who presents the park's master key, having mistaken it for the key to Peach's Castle. Undeterred, Luigi leaves to continue his search, as Mario reopens the park and eventually unlocks the tower's gate, infiltrates the Paper Macho Soldiers within, and enters Big Sho' Theater. After watching and starring in three different performances, Mario and the gang are confronted by the Rubber Band, whom they defeat by yanking its hair and flinging parts of its body out of reach. With the theme park saved, the gang celebrates their victory with some fireworks, which jog Bob-omb's memories, and sets off to continue their quest.

Yellow streamer

Mario and Olivia fighting Macho Boo in Scorching Desert.

Destroying the blue streamer allows the trio to continue downriver to Sweetpaper Valley, where King Olly ambushes them, crushing Olivia beneath a giant boulder and blocking the way forward. Remembering a way to save Olivia, Bob-omb insists that he and Mario hurry to The Great Sea with Sea Captain Toad, whom they rescued back on Autumn Mountain. They stumble across a cruise ship called the Princess Peach, which Bob-omb recalls. After restoring the ship's power and rescuing the crew, they manage to find the suite Bob-omb stayed in, where the very item he's looking for is stored within a lockbox. Before they can open it, the Paper Macho Gooper Blooper arrives and snatches it, forcing Mario to fight him by hammering his weak points. Heading back to the valley, Bob-omb discloses his tragic backstory, involving the loss of his friends, his fuse, and his memories at the hands of the same Paper Macho Gooper Blooper. He then reveals that the object he wanted to find was his friend's fuse, which he ignites in order to destroy the boulder, saving Olivia and sacrificing himself in the process. Olivia is disheartened by this and runs off into Breezy Tunnel, unsure if she is able to continue with the quest. Mario manages to cheer her up by donning a Goomba Mask after Bob-omb's ghost suggests he try to make Olivia laugh again.

Mario and Olivia press on, leasing a Boot Car, which allows them to travel at high speeds, before heading out into the "Scorching" Sandpaper Desert, which is currently shrouded in darkness, a black hole where the sun should be. They find a series of odd monoliths and altars, but are unsure of their significance and unable to read their writings, continuing on to Snif City, a town populated by Snifits, in order to find answers. At the hotel, they learn of a certain guest named Professor Toad, a dedicated archaeologist who is currently pursuing the legend of Khap'taan Teeowed. They find him back out in the desert, freeing him from the inside of a Mega Paper Macho Pokey. After the professor is convinced to join the party, they head back to the hotel, using the second floor's murals as clues to solve the ruins' puzzle. After reading the instructions for an ancient ritual on the wall of the hotel's suite (unlocked with another key Luigi mistook for that to Peach's Castle), the trio awakens the Fire Vellumental Cave and defeats its folded Fire Vellumental. Olivia is able to use this new transformation to light fires in three Toad monoliths and unearth the Temple of Shrooms.

Inside, the gang discovers many zombie-like faceless Toads and a DJ who is being held hostage by a mysterious individual who refuses to reveal himself unless the DJ plays music he can "cut a rug to". Mario tracks down the "Thrills at Night" disc, and rounds up all 40 faceless Toads within the temple in order to fill the dance floor. The unknown assailant emerges from his room and is introduced as Hole Punch, who Mario fights and defeats by attacking his lid. His defeat results in the return of the faceless Toads' faces, prompting them to head out and resettle their former home of Shroom City. The desert's sun is freed from within the disco ball, returning to the sky via the slit created by the now-destroyed yellow streamer, and opening the Sun Altar, where Mario and his companions find Captain T. Ode, an ancient sea captain, preserved in a block of ice. Olivia frees him by melting the ice with the Fire Vellumental, prompting him to scurry off in search of his old submarine, the Super Marino. Once Mario and Olivia decide to resume their quest, Professor Toad decides to stay behind, feeling that he is most at home in the desert.

Purple streamer

Returning to Toad Town, the two find Captain T. Ode at the Musée Champignon, where his old submarine is being kept as an exhibit. After the museum owner reluctantly returns it, it is attached to the back of Sea Captain Toad's ship, granting them the ability to salvage underwater treasures. Navigating through the thick fog over the Great Sea with the help of the ancient captain's Sea Chart, the gang comes across Bonehead Island, and solving a puzzle they find there clears the fog and opens up the entire ocean. The gang soon discovers the Sea Tower at the northernmost portion of the map, where the purple streamer seems to end, but finds that they cannot access it without finding three orbs located in Diamond Island.

While searching for the island, Mario finds a chest on Full Moon Island, seemingly containing a key that leads to it, only to find a note from Luigi instead, who has claimed the key, thinking it is the key to Peach's Castle. The Mario Bros. reunite again on Mushroom Island, where Luigi once again presents Mario with the wrong key. Nonetheless, he sticks around to help his brother find the island's main resident, following him into a basement and finding a room filled with harmless origami. In the room, Mario and Olivia hear a voice calling for help and free the Origami Craftsman from the wall of his workshop. He then explains that he originally created King Olly as part of a display for the Origami Festival, but did so with the Forbidden Fold of Life. Olly turned on his creator and set out to fold the world in his image, using the Origami Craftsman's notes to fold Olivia to life, intending to share the kingdom with her. Determined anew to stop Olly and rescue Peach, Luigi sets off to find the key to Peach's Castle, and Mario and Olivia depart for Diamond Island (though not before the Origami Craftsman shares another set of notes with Olivia).

Mario and Olivia use the retrieved key to access Diamond Island, which is completely submerged and can only be accessed via the Marino. Mario and Olivia discover several temples leading to the Trials of Power, Wisdom, and Courage, though the latter two cannot be accessed without the Ice Vellumental's powers, which they promptly gain by traversing the nearby Ice Vellumental Mountain and defeating its namesake, a polar bear-like deity folded into origami. After gaining this fourth and final Vellumental power, the duo complete the trials, gaining an orb from each one and using them to unlock the Sea Tower. After a long climb, involving many callbacks to the dwellings of the four Vellumentals, the duo confronts the Tape at the top, whom they defeat by smashing its dispenser and then unraveling it. They then proceed to destroy the purple streamer.

Green streamer

Unobstructed, Mario and Olivia notice the green streamer, and see that it is heading into the clouds. After solving one last puzzle involving all four Vellumental abilities, a mysterious light appears on top of the Sea Tower, and stepping into it transports them all the way to Shangri-Spa, a resort for healing of the mind and body, where it is revealed that Bowser's Castle had crash-landed into the resort's banquet hall, resulting in his uncorrupted minions being forced to clean the place up. Here, the duo meet Kamek, who is attempting to take back the castle, but cannot due to Boss Sumo Bro. guarding its entrance. The only way to reach him is via Bowser Jr.'s Junior Clown Car, which is shredded along with its owner by a pair of Scissors which come streaking out of Bowser's Castle. Kamek reluctantly joins the gang and follows them to four of the spa's springs in order to revive his young ward. Though they ultimately succeed, Jr. ends up completely colorless after soaking for too long in the Spring of Jungle Mist.

Using a stamp card he was given earlier, Mario uses it to gain a VIP pass to the Spring of Rainbows, which he can only reach after sidling along blustery cliffsides and winning a game show, Shy Guys Finish Last. Bowser Jr. restores his color in the spring and is able to fly the gang up to Boss Sumo Bro., who is promptly defeated. With the castle now unguarded, Kamek rallies the remaining minions to fight, allowing him, Bowser Jr., Mario, and Olivia to search the castle. As Bowser's loyal minions battle the Folded Soldiers inside the castle, Bowser Jr. finds the throne room's entrance locked, and Mario and Olivia follow Kamek to his quarters to seek the throne room's key. Kamek disappears before he reaches his room, but Mario advances to find Luigi in Kamek's room instead, having found the very key they're looking for, once again mistaking it for the key to Peach's Castle. Shortly after, Olivia is snatched up by a shadowy hand, who retreats to the throne room's entrance hall. Mario travels through the now-empty castle alone, battling Big Cutout Soldiers and Li'l Cutout Soldiers along the way, before finally confronting his partner's captor, the Handaconda, whom he defeats in a game of Rock Paper Scissors with the 1,000-Fold Arms.

Following this, the duo notices the cut-up remains of Bowser's loyal minions (including Kamek's) on the floor, before the Scissors arrive and challenge them to a fight. Beforehand, though, it decides to toy with them by sending out the Paper Mistake Buzzy Beetle, who is quickly dispatched, freeing the minions' faces. Mario manages to defeat the Scissors by attacking its handle and freezing it solid, before whaling on it with the 1,000-Fold Arms. This completely restores its cut-up victims, and Mario and Olivia finally destroy the green streamer.

Origami Castle

Following the restoration of his army, Bowser, who is once again freed from a clothespin and still square-folded, reveals that he has an idea on how to reach Peach's relocated castle, beckoning Mario and Olivia to follow him. This idea is shown to be a new, improved version of his Airship, where his minions, as well as Bowser Jr. and Kamek, venture out to the isolated Peach's Castle with Mario and Olivia. However, they are attacked by the Paper Plane Squadron, and although Mario defeats nearly every one, the largest jet crashes into and damages Bowser's Airship, which plummets into Hotfoot Crater. Mario, Kamek and Bowser Jr. climb up to reach Bowser, pursued by a horde of Paper Macho Goombas. Kamek and Bowser Jr. are both separated from Mario and Olivia in attempts to hold back the ravenous horde, leaving only Mario and Olivia to reach Bowser, all three of whom use the Airship's cannon to launch to Peach's Castle.

They land outside of the Castle, but cannot get inside as the door is locked. At that moment, Luigi returns with his kart, dismayed to report he could not find the key to Peach's Castle. Luckily, the key is found lodged in his kart's tailpipe. Once they enter, they are greeted by the origami Peach. Luigi attempts to save her, but falls down the trap door. King Olly then transforms Peach's Castle into his own Origami Castle, which the heroes must traverse. After solving a series of puzzles and fighting waves of Folded Soldiers, the gang manages to corner Olly, who instead retreats and sics the Stapler on them, who acts as his guard dog. Mario manages to put him down by draining his ammunition and then attacking his sensitive mouth. Upon the Stapler's defeat, Bowser finally manages to unfold himself, and he and Mario work together to lift up Olivia's morale after she expresses concern that her brother is too far gone. With her spirits lifted, the trio then heads up one last staircase to finally confront King Olly.

The trio attempts to make him come to his senses one final time, simultaneously noticing that Peach has been folded into the rear wall of the throne room. Olly also reveals that the reason behind his consternation is because of a scribble left upon him by the Origami Craftsman, leading to a genocidal bigotry against Toads. He reveals that he has folded 999 origami cranes, and intends to use Mario to create the final one, completing the forbidden 1,000-crane technique, and wishing to turn every Toad into blank scraps of paper. Olivia rebukes him by explaining how origami would be nothing without paper, but Olly refuses to listen. During the final showdown, he uses the abilities of all four Vellumentals, but is ultimately beaten by Mario and Olivia, and the Vellumental powers they gained. Not giving up, he then folds himself into a large sumo wrestler, which Olivia counteracts by giving Bowser a folded sumo form as well. The combined efforts of Bowser and Mario, who assists him with the 1,000-Fold Arms, manage to knock King Olly off the arena, only for him to come back even stronger, complete with rising poisonous gas and long arms not dissimilar to Mario's 1,000-Fold Arms. Olivia summons a larger Magic Circle in order to fight him, but he scrambles it up, forcing Mario to reassemble it before activating the Magic Circle, transforming Olivia into the Origami Craftsman's giant-hammer design, and defeating Olly for good.

In his dying moments, Olly learns that the scrawl on his body was actually a blessing written by the Origami Craftsman, creating Olly to be a kind and noble king. Regretfully and remorsefully, Olly directs Olivia to fold his body into a crane, bringing the total to 1,000 and allowing her to grant any wish she desires. He then collapses into an ordinary scrap of paper. With the help of the Origami Craftsman, who is escorted by Luigi, Bowser Jr., and Kamek, she manages to do this, wishing to undo all of the origami her brother folded. The 1,000 cranes grant her wish and carry Peach's Castle back to Toad Town. Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Kamek, the Origami Craftsman, and the restored Princess Peach land outside the castle, and realize that one of their company, Olivia, is absent.

Later that night, the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser's army continue their truce and celebrate the Origami Festival together, where the Origami Craftsman reveals his contribution, the original, scaled-down Origami Castle, complete with thrones for the two origami siblings. Mario expresses his sadness over Olivia's sacrifice, but Peach insists that she is still with them in spirit, before everyone releases paper lanterns into the starry sky.

Afterwards, the Mario Bros. drive home as the credits roll. Photographs shown during the credits depict the Toads and the Koopa Troop engaged in normal activities following the Origami Festival:

• Sweet Sap Loggins being decorated with flower wreaths by Toads.
• The Earth Vellumental Temple being visited by Koopa Troopas.
• Goombas and Toads feasting at the Overlook Tower café.
• Toads riding through the Eddy River rapids, with Cheep Cheeps swimming alongside.
• Various characters spending time at Shogun Studios, with a firework launched in Bob-omb's honor.
• The Boot Car salesman and a Snifit riding on respective Boot Cars in the desert.
• DJ Toad and the DJ Snifit dancing with other Toads and a Snifit.
• Bob-ombs, Toads, and a Big Blooper enjoying paradise on the Great Sea.
• Bowser, Bowser Jr. and several minions refreshing in the Shangri-Spa hot spring, while repairs of Bowser's Castle are ongoing.
• The static remains of the Legion of Stationery on the Origami Craftsman's workbench.

If the player manages to 100% the game before beating the final boss, the photos receive golden frames, and a post-credits scene plays in which the Origami Craftsman places miniatures of Olly and Olivia beside each other on his castle in the center of Toad Town.

Characters

Playable

• Mario
• Olivia
• Bobby
• Professor Toad
• Kamek
• Luigi
• Bowser Jr.
• Bowser

NPCs

• Princess Peach
• Toad
• Various Toads (red, blue, yellow, green and purple)
• Sap Sisters
• Ol' Grandsappy
• DJ Toad
• Cheep Cheeps
• Battle Lab Toad
• Musée Champignon Curator
• Sea Captain Toad
• Captain T. Ode
• Shy Guys (red)
• Goombas
• Audience
• Sensor Lab Toad
• Spikes
• Koopa Troopas
• Snifits
• Dry Bones
• Bone Goombas
• Ptooies
• Sledge Bro
• Bloopers
• Chain Chomp
• Dino Rhinos
• Sombrero Guys
• Spinies

Bosses

• Boss Sumo Bro

• King Olly

Legion of Stationery

• Jean-Pierre Colored Pencils The 12th.
• The Elastic Entertainer.
• The Disco Devil.
• The Double-Bladed duelist.
• The Shifty Sticker.
• The Fanged Fastener.

Vellumentals

• Earth Vellumental
• Water Vellumental
• Fire Vellumental
• Ice Vellumental

Enemies

• Shy Guy (red, black)
• Goomba
• Koopa Troopa
• Koopa Paratroopa
• Hammer Bro
• Fire Bro
• Ice Bro
• Boomerang Bro
• Snifit
• Spike
• Rock Spike
• Snow Spike
• Dry Bones
• Bone Goomba
• Scaredy Rat
• Ninji
• Boo
• Fuzzy
• Thwomp
• Crowber
• Shoe Goomba
• Sidestepper (red, blue)
• Sledge Bro
• Sumo Bro
• Spiny
• Buzzy Beetle
• Spike Top
• Swoop
• Cheep Cheep
• Blooper
• Pokey
• Ptooie
• Fly Gut
• Paragoomba
• Fire Piranha Plant
• Jumping Pirahna Plant
• Stingby
• Galoomba
• Chomp
• Chargin' Chuck

Paper Macho Enemies

• Paper Macho Goomba
• Paper Macho Shy Guy
• Paper Macho Koopa Troopa
• Paper Macho Paratroopa
• Paper Macho Boo
• Paper Macho Stone Spike
• Paper Macho Buzzy Beetle
• Paper Macho Piranha Plant

Others

• Paper Macho Gooper Blooper
• Mega Paper Macho Pokey
• Handoconda
• Paper Mistake Buzzy Beetle

Videos

Paper Mario The Origami King - Announcement Trailer - Nintendo Switch

Learn all about the World of Paper Mario The Origami King! - Nintendo Switch

Gallery

To view Paper Mario: The Origami King's image gallery, click here.

Quotes

To view Paper Mario: The Origami King's quotes click here.

Reception

Paper Mario: The Origami King received generally positive reviews, scoring 80% in Metacritic. In just 3 months since its launch, it sold 2.82 million copies, but went to sell 4.59 million copies as of 26 Aug 2021, making it the best-selling Paper Mario game.

Trivia

• This is the fourth spin-off Mario game for the Nintendo Switch following Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , Super Mario Party, and Luigi's Mansion 3.
• This is, so far, the only Mario game in the entire series where Bowser is an ally from beginning to end. In previous games such as Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Super Paper Mario, Bowser was a protagonist as one of the main playable characters; however, he was still fought a few times as an antagonist before joining the heroes side.
  • On the topic, this is the first Mario game overall where Bowser Jr. is an ally in. The second will be in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.
• This is also the second Paper Mario game where Bowser is an ally in with the other being Super Paper Mario.
• Luigi has been returned to a more major role compared to the last two games since Super Paper Mario.
• This is the third Paper Mario' game where Princess Peach is kidnapped by someone other than Bowser; in this case, by King Olly. The first was in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door when she was kidnapped by the X-Nauts (more specially by Sir Grodus) and the second is in Super Paper Mario where she was kidnapped by Count Bleck.

External links

• Paper Mario: The Origami King at Moby Games
• Paper Mario: The Origami King at Gamefaqs