Super Paper Mario

Much like Paper Mario's previous outings, SPM begins a little slow but becomes very engrossing in the end. The story is about feelings, which is not something I tend to agree with, but it doesn't come off as vapid or lame. Summarily, I approve of this game's plot, and may even like it, maybe.

I never had the economic problems Brad complained about; after chapter 3 I had trouble preventing my coffers from overflowing (coins cap at 999). Just the same, I feel in general that SPM - after chapter 2 - has a respectable level of challenge. It rarely gets what I'd call "hard," but there were some areas that really kept me on my toes, and the writing and atmosphere really spiced up gameplay segments that would otherwise have been tedious.

I really looked forward to the action RPG game mechanics in SPM, and I do enjoy them a lot more than the turn-based schtick in the other games, but it still feels a bit lacking. The system is fun, and there's not really anything wrong with it; I just think there could be more depth to it. More damage modifiers, more combo options, more extra abilities - only a select few (offhand I'd say three, and even that's a stretch) of the Pixls are useful in combat. Relatedly, except in particular level design circumstances engineered specifically for certain abilities, the usefulness of any non-Mario party member is negligible, compared to the practicality and necessity of his flipping ability. The game could have been spiced up by giving the other party members more appealing traits.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a bad game, it's definitely a load of fun. It could be better, though, so I'm already looking forward to the sequel.

Also, the end-game stuff is worth mentioning: there is a ton of stuff to collect even after beating the final boss, but rather than the daunting, herculean effort some games have as second quests, it's all done piecemeal and in a lighthearted way. I'm collecting treasures now, and will probably move on to just general exploring afterward to see what's new in the world.

In the end, Tippi (the butterfly Pixl who reveals hidden things to you) and Count Bleck (antagonist) hook up and vanish. Local NPCs have been hinting that they're still alive, "somewhere," and since Tippi is such a useful game element I have a feeling there's going to be some endgame quest to find her again - and more story to go along with it.

EDIT: it turns out, this is not the case - though you can invest in a high-technical Tippi replacement (Tiptron), the Timpani/Blumiere ending is left alone. Oh well.

Progress: Finished Chapter 8