#haarute

1. Paper Mario (64) - the original! they hit a homerun the first time they went to bat with this one. the battles aren't quite refined to the level of the sequel (particularly when it comes to the partners), but they're still extremely fun and with a lot of customization through the badge system. the real thing that pushes this one to the top is the charm factor. the visuals are crayon-ish storybook-like in this one alone, and the soundtrack is my favorite ("Freeze!" is the GOAT boss theme, hell YEAH).

locations are top-tier (Forever Forest, everything in the Shiver region, and Shy Guy's Toy Box are standouts), and they're less "walk forward to the next screen" than in the sequel. like, there's actually some exploration involved, particularly when navigating Dry Dry Desert, but even other locations are fun with needing to collect things to progress in an area you previously visited, like needing to hit the train switches in Shy Guy's Toy Box or collecting the right berries to feed the flower gatekeepers at Flower Fields. the world feels so interconnected and lived in in PM64 and I love that. in the sequels, you generally don't access the other locations in nearly as organic a manner (usually just through pipes), whereas in PM64, you ride a train to the desert, the Toy Box is literally a toy box in Toad Town, you can walk from Toad Town to Koopa Village+Forever Forest+Goomba Village, you cross the ocean on a whale to reach Lavalava Island... it's a minor thing, but it really makes it more immersive. and I appreciate it a lot. the story is simple in PM64, but it's simple in an endearing way that suits the storybook style, and there are still plenty of funny moments, especially when it comes to Bowser!!

2. Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling - an absolutely exquisite evolution of PM gameplay, with the option to play on hard (and it is SUPER fun with the extra challenge). having three characters in battle opens up more strategy with placement (on top of PM's badges being here too, just called "Medals" in BF). pretty much everything Paper Mario does, Bug Fables does as well but with major QOL updates, like the ease at which you can backtrack. items are waaaaay more important here, and appropriately, Bug Fables makes PM's cooking mechanic a lot more convenient by having three chefs spread across the world and more ease of access to ingredients... as long as you have the berries to pay for them :) but I like that, because it makes you engage with the game's mechanics more. if you're playing on hard mode and doing some of the bounties, you are gonna NEED those good items like some Crisbee Donuts or Queen's Dinner.

story is fun in Bug Fables (more engaging than any PM overall, at least to me) and I looooove the chemistry between the three party members, who also each get their own arc and time to shine. Leif is my moth husband and I love him in particular, he's my fucked up little guy <3 great sidequests too, and banger soundtrack as well, especially the battle themes. the game is unashamed to wear its PM influence on its sleeve, and it's all the better for it. also! it has a card tournament sidequest that is way more fun than it has any right to be (and it has a Yugi expy haha), and deadass I’d pay for it as a separate game. it was that fun (and super useful to farm berries, the game’s currency)

3. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - for many fans this is THE best PM, and I totally understand why even if I prefer the first. partners are more fully-fledged in this game (both in gameplay AND story/personality) and the addition of superguarding is a fun risk/reward way to block. dialogue is super quirky and charming, with a big cast of fun weirdos, and several of my favorite PM chapters are in this game (the Glitz Pit and Excess Express chapters namely, which have fun little mysteries). I think the level design is notably weaker than PM64 (or Bug Fables), but the game is beautiful (ESPECIALLY in the remake) so they are still a joy to navigate, especially with some QOL additions that the remake brings to minimize backtracking. I feel like I don't have much to say here since a lot of the strengths are also strengths of PM64 lol

4. Paper Mario: The Origami King - it may not be in the gameplay-style that I vastly prefer from the earlier PM games, but Origami King makes up for it in spades with charm. Olivia is probably the best partner in the entire PM franchise in that she has so much actual story presence and is very cute, and the humor in this game… god I can’t stress enough that Origami King is one of the funniest games I’ve ever played. my sister and I still bring up some bits of dialogue from time to time because some jokes were so memorable. soundtrack also fucking SLAPS, like… the final location theme (Olly’s Castle) is one of the greatest final dungeon themes in all of videos games and I MEANT WHAT I SAID 😤there’s so much variety in the chapters, from the desert exploration to sailing the seas in a Wind Waker-lite type of chapter, to a hilarious chapter at a spa… and the game had some emotional moments!! I actually cried twice lol……..

5. Super Paper Mario - this is a really tricky one and I almost put Color Splash here because I’m insane (CS is very divisive and I’m probably one of its few defenders). but if I’m objective and remove some of my lingering anger at SPM for being “franchise original sin” on PM changing gameplay style, then I think SPM is a better game. and I’d legitimately love to see it get rereleased or remade, because I’m confident that time has made it better. SPM has a very memorable villain squad, probably the most so of any of the PM games, and they’re the real stars. Count Bleck is a very memorable tragic villain of sorts, and Dimentio is a fun meme (with an AMAZING theme). it’s fun having a team of Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi, each with their own advantages/powers. this is definitely the PM that puts the most effort into its story, and there are a lot of memorable moments (the world literally ending and Mario going to what is functionally hell, the entire “dating sim” segment with Francis’s hilariously cringe ass, everything with Mr. L).

I… don’t really enjoy the shift to more traditional Mario platforming here and I hate the Pixls (lame replacement for partners), but it’s fun enough to play. and one of the bonus arcade games was SUPER ADDICTIVE. there was one where you have to use the Wii Remote motion controls to catch falling food on a small, shifting platform, and I played the hell out of it to get high scores :)

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as one last thing, here's that boss theme from PM64 btw, I loooooooooooove it