In a recent unexpected (but welcomed) announcement from Nintendo, it has been confirmed that an all new Paper Mario game will release for Nintendo Switch this summer. This new Paper Mario series game is entitled Paper Mario: The Origami King, with it’s title and premise fitting to the series’ paper theme.

About Paper Mario: The Origami King

The History of Paper Mario:

Paper Mario: The Origami King is the sixth installment in the Paper Mario series’ and the first from the series to make it to the Nintendo Switch console.

The first Paper Mario series game, simply entitled Paper Mario, was first released for the Nintendo 64 in Japan back on August 11th 2000. It was then released in the west the year after, in 2001.

Four years later, the second entry to the Paper Mario series was named Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and was released worldwide for the GameCube back in 2004.

In 2007, the third game in the Paper Mario series, entitled Super Paper Mario, was released on the Nintendo Wii

The fourth entry to the Paper Mario was released for Nintendo 3DS in 2012 and called Paper Mario: Sticker Star. (Ooh we’re getting colons in the titles now…fancy…) 🧐

The fifth game of the Paper Mario series (and the predecessor for the upcoming Paper Mario: The Origami King), was named Paper Mario: Color Splash. The game was released for the Nintendo Wii U four years ago in 2016.

Plot Synopsis:

In Paper Mario: The Origami King, the game begins with Mario and Luigi being invited to attend an Origami Festival by Princess Peach. Upon arriving however, the two brothers discover that the Evil King Olly has seized Peach’s castle and turned her into origami (alongside Bowser’s minions). King Olly intends to take over the world and turn it into origami. Mario, alongside King Olly’s more compassionate sister Olivia, team up with some unexpected allies in order to stop King Olly.

Release Date, Price, & Game Format(s):

The game is set to hit Nintendo Switch consoles relatively soon with a worldwide release date of July 17th.

The game will be avilable to purchase both digitally and physically.

You can pre-order a physical copy of the game from BestBuy in the US here for USD$59.99

You can pre-order a physical copy of the game from BestBuy in Canada here for CAD$79.99

You can pre-order either a physical copy or a digital copy from Nintendo UK here for £49.99

Features:

• Playing as Mario, you will have the advantage of being equipped with a variety of new tools to utilize to secure victory.
• One of Mario’s new abilities, called 1000-Fold Arms, allows you to do many things by interacting with the landscape by stretching out, pulling, and peeling away at things
• The 1000-Fold Arms prove helpful in revealing a bunch of new locations
• Additionally, you’ll face puzzles which Mario’s new arms will help you solve
• And as if that wasn’t enough, these nifty arms will also help you uncover unexpected surprises.
• Throughout your journey you’ll find allies in characters both old, such as the Toads, and new, for example King Olly’s kind-hearted sister, Olivia.
• However, you may find some unexpected characters willing to be allies, such as Bob-ombs, who have been long-standing enemies of Mario. Fun fact: In Paper Mario: The Origami King, despite looking like their otherwise ordinary selves, the Bob-omb allies don’t have a visible fuse like in previous Paper Mario games.
• You know that the situation must be especially dire. As along the way Mario ends up enlisting the help of mortal enemies as allies, including the big bad Bowser, who is usually doggedly devising and doing dastardly deeds of his own.
• However, desperate times call for desperate measures. Therefore if characters have not yet been turned to origami by King Olly, Mario will accept all the help he can get with open arms, (literally!).

Is Peach Doomed To Be A Damsel In Distress?

But after defeating King Olly, will the unlikely alliances continue? It seems highly unlikely, as I doubt Princess Peach has taken too kindly to all the times (estimated to be between 15-20 times) Bowser or his minions have kidnapped her. Initially he would kidnap her and often lock her up so he could take over the Mushroom Kingdom.

There have been other random reasons, such as simply out of spite, or to lure Mario into traps when he naturally comes to rescue her. Bowser has also been known to try and marry Peach to get her to sign over to him the legal rights to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Eventually, he falls in love with her despite her not feeeling the same way (who would after being constantly kidnapped by a fire-breathing, spike-shelled, large turtle-like, Koopa creature). Peach likes Mario, and this is arguably the main reason Mario and Bowser are mortal enemies.

His jealousy of Peach’s love for Mario drives him crazy. He becomes that infatuated with her, that he kidnaps her in the 2019 Nintendo Switch game, Super Mario Odyssey with the intention of forcing her to marry him. Even picking out her wedding dress and the bridesmaids, Bowser clearly has no boundaries. Alongside the release of the Super Mario Odyssey game, was some slightly creepy wedding amiibo figurines of Peach and Bowser as bride and groom (and a Mario wedding amiibo too?! Too much drama smh). Love triangle much?!

Yeah, I’m happy with my non-wedding-themed Mario figurine with his Cappy cap, thanks..

Additionally, it is true that Bowser and Mario have teamed up before, such as in Bowser’s Inside Story (questionable morals on Mario and Luigi’s behalf…), Super Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG, and Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga (briefly during the tutorials). Bowser will only lower himself to team up with them for his own self-preservation, his (often warped and evil) desires, and his wish to have all of the power available everywhere, all to himself. Woe betide anyone who dares be more powerful than Bowser…

Well for a short while at least, Bowser gets taken down a peg or two by King Olly. Possibly King Olly’s only good deed. Bowser finds himself partially origamied. He finds himself folded in half and all of his minions turned into origami soldiers, no longer answering to him, but only to the diabolical King Olly. Undoubtedly, the do-gooders of the Mushroom Kingdom will find a way to restore Bowser to his full form and reverse the origami affects on his minions (whilst they do the same for Princess Peach). 🙄 Why not let the weakened Bowser suffer for his crimes, instead of letting him return to his unrelenting kidnappings and scheming.

But to end on a more positive note, why not get artsy and celebrate this exciting announcement, and the action packed accompanying trailer. Whilst waiting for the game to release, you could make some of these super cool mario origami characters using tutorials and printables from YouTuber Jo Nakashima.