One of the most important elements of Mario and his franchise is that the very nature of the character allows all manner of spinoffs to be created. Sports games, party games, titles starring characters like Peach and Luigi, and then, there are the RPGs. The first one came via the SNES, and then Nintendo took the reins and created the first Paper Mario title. It took the elements of the platforms, wove in some fun lore and twists on classic enemy characters and allies, and built a special experience for players. Today marks the 25th anniversary of the original N64 title, which gave birth to a series that continues to this day.
Happy 25th Anniversary to the Paper Mario series!Favorite Games:1. The Thousand Year Door (GameCube)2. Original (N64)3. Super Paper Mario (Wii)It's only a matter of time before Intelligent Systems announces a new game for Switch 2.
— Stealth40k (@stealth40k.bsky.social) 2025-08-10T11:40:49.976Z
Now, as fans know, the franchise has had many pivots, all of which started after the incredible Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (here’s my review of the Switch version!) Many fans are hoping that with the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2, not only will things return to the true RPG format of the first two games, but they will also expand upon what they did.
The Switch 2 does have more power to offer, and the sales of TTYD highlight that fans are eager for a “return to form.” let’s hope it happens and happens soon.
