Super Paper Mario - The Greatest Mario Story Ever Told

I've always felt that Super Paper Mario was a game that never got the love it deserved as it was always compared to its predecessors. This game has been one on my list to discuss for a long time, so join me as we dive into the story to why it is what I'd consider to be the greatest Mario story. Adventure and foes await!
Thank you so much to PluvioSkunk for lending his talents for the voice of Dimentio! Please check him out!
/ pluskuva
Check out my Twitter for video updates, stupid edits, and random posts!
/ kayjulers
Come hang out during streams while we play games and chat!
/ kayjulers
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:14 Background
5:04 Summary
6:45 Prologue Breakdown
8:23 Theme of Love
11:14 Characters
14:08 The Memories
17:42 World 6
21:42 Count Bleck's Castle
25:15 The Final Moment
26:44 Conclusion
Credits to:
Mario Wiki (Background Info)
www.mariowiki.com/Super_Paper...
Video Game Chronicle (Tanabe Interview)
www.videogameschronicle.com/f...
TheWolfBunny (Paper Mario Font)
www.deviantart.com/thewolfbun...
Playtendo (Dimentio Battle Footage)
• Super Paper Mario - Fi...
The Sounds Resource (Super Paper Mario SFX)
www.sounds-resource.com/wii/s...
ThomasPussyCat (Paper Mario Trailer)
• Paper Mario - USA Comm...
Blinking Green Screen
• Blinking Royalty Free ...
Super Paper Mario is owned by & is published by Nintendo! All rights are reserved under fair use!

[@lafenetre9733]

When Dimentio comes to Flipside, it was pretty shocking tbh. Hubworlds in games are usually (by design) offer a somewhat comforting attitude, being that they are the place that the protagonist goes to take a break from their quest. To see a major antagonist there was a good way to show his power

[@sams.8514]

My guy really shows up then he sends the hero’s to hell and then leaves

[@ee-qs8gf]

@@sams.8514 > shows up to the game's hubworld when the heroes least expect it > murders the heroes and sends them to hell > leaves

[@jeremychicken3339]

@@ee-qs8gf Absolute Gigachad.

[@jonathantruong7069]

I agree, that plus the void growing in the background as the story progresses just adds that extra level of foreboding, even when you're just performing mundane tasks between story breaks. The world continues to feel at risk at all times. Just another reason to love SPM

[@Masked_Mastermind]

@@ee-qs8gf Technically he didn’t murder them, he just teleported them there. Queen Jaydes even confirmed that they didn’t die.

[@marcoasturias8520]

Gotta love how the power of love to beat the ultimate bad guy was given to you thanks to the bad guys.

[@Link-to-the-Smash]

It is cruel irony. I actually have Super Paper Mario. It is the best in the series in my opinion.

[@carsonschill1635]

Feel like I have seen this comment like 7 times in replies, so are you a bot

[@idfrigginkman]

@@carsonschill1635 I'm late, but yes

[@P.H691]

I love how they properly use love as a plot device, most movies and games just throw in love without explaining why it's so important. Love may sound simple in concept, but when adding it to a story, it's so complex, but so satisfying when it works

[@Link-to-the-Smash]

@Wolf Lover Not just that. It was my introduction into gaming. It is the best in its series and one of my favourite games of all time. And the fact Super was before the "pre- sue everything and everyone" Nintendo just makes it the main reason why i did not get rid of my Wii U.

[@lor5827]

Nintendo: Super Paper Mario was ruined by the story The world: (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

[@adamcarpenter1625]

The ending of super paper Mario is one of the two games that’s ever made me cry and I’m not ashamed at all

[@KayJulers]

Totally fair! The ending was hitting me pretty hard during my recent play-through. Bounding Through Time came in strong and caught me more than I expected.

[@Jammypotato]

whats the other game

[@adamcarpenter1625]

@@Jammypotato Mother 3

[@Jammypotato]

@@adamcarpenter1625 ive never heard of that

[@jordanjones1897]

@@Jammypotato basically earthbound 2

[@berkeleycreager3601]

I did not realized that the Pure Hearts form from true forms of love while the Choas Heart was born out of a false one. My mind was actually blown

[@krissjames7276]

I always thought Super Paper Mario had a great story, but I hadn't until now thought about how consistent and richly Love as a theme was woven into all the chapters beyond the Blumiere - Timpani love story. Heck, you could have brought up several more examples: Chapter 3 could be considered to also cover the love that goes into all kinds of fandoms, while Chapter 5 covers the love of a king for his people. It really is a beautiful story, that and the soundtrack is probably why Super Paper Mario is one of few games that has actually made me tear up.

[@KayJulers]

Good point on Chapter 5 and I love that point about the fandoms haha! "I love going on message boards and complaining about games I've never played."

[@carcar97]

Yes yes and yes. Just yes to all of this.

[@djsalad5752]

Dimentio’s theme still goes so goddamn hard after all these years

[@Squib-kb2tn]

I freak out EVERY time I hear it.

[@GameDomain]

Super Paper Mario is my favorite game of all time! The story and the lore surrounding it is just amazing! Literally took me over 30 minutes to explain all the lore in a video. Its a Mario game and it took that long to talk about everything story related in it. I wish we could get a sequel

[@KayJulers]

I would love to see some of this crew, especially Dimentio, return for a future game! I've been in a big Super Paper Mario mood, so I'll check out your video.

[@theendersmirk5851]

I'd genuinely have been overjoyed if they made it its own spin off series from the main PM games, and just let it run from there, because the characters were great, and while it could use some polish, the gameplay was enjoyable in its own right (by polish, I mostly mean fix the menus. Everything else worked well enough.)

[@animeboi3110]

Hey... *it's my fave too!* ^^

[@user-bb2op9he1x]

super is my third favorite game of all time its so good the lore and story is one of the best

[@user-bb2op9he1x]

a sequel will be perfect that 2d 3d mechanics have so much potential and blending the rpg and platforming will be GREAT

[@worldssmallestdestron7819]

I love that a one-sided relationship made the Chaos Heart. one side of lust, one side of hate. both chaotic in their own right but against each other? now THAT is pure chaos.

[@ovensmuggler5207]

And the fact that Luigi was the perfect host is a cool detail too, the brother that lives in Mario's shadow ends up being really lonely, making it the perfect host for a heart made of chaos and hatred

[@dodiswatchbobobo]

I’m so weirdly happy I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed being able to jump the world doors with Luigi after trying with Mario for most of the game.

[@Jammypotato]

i did it with peach

[@Budget_Asian]

saaaaaammmeee

[@uncroppedsoop]

Jump the world doors?

[@aegislight98]

same

[@cowboyluigi5275]

@@uncroppedsoop 8:38

[@HyperSonic777]

I cried at this game’s ending. One of the few games to do such.

[@BartholomewMahershalalhashbaz]

What were the others

[@Immadeus]

@@BartholomewMahershalalhashbaz probably mother 3's ending

[@sushikorpse7979]

@@Immadeus i am in great pain

[@pagedprawn3760]

same

[@beefboss5979]

I'm so mad at myself, because I accidentally spoiled the ending when I was researching was systems I could play it on. That's why you never look at the wikis of unplayed games, folks.

[@twilighttoast01]

Even though Super was the first of many big shake-ups for the series overall I can still see the essence of what makes the first 2 games so memorable in it, which I can't say for the games that came afterward. People denounce this game because of its gameplay problems and I do agree that the game definitely isn't perfect. However the game creatively (in terms of its story and visuals) is still easily one of Mario's highlights

[@twilighttoast01]

I really wish more Mario games were as daring and creative as this one if I'm being honest

[@KayJulers]

@@twilighttoast01 I feel the exact same way. I didn't find the gameplay to be problematic, but just pretty standard. Yet, everything else is fantastic to me. I agree, though! I would love to see where they could take the Mario series.

[@MVPUnlucky]

Literally if they just removed the gimmicky point motion control stuff this game would have been much more well received then it was. I think that for what it lacks in strategic combat it makes up for in story, but the whole wiimote gimmicky stuff always put a bad taste in my mouth and I always wished they’d made a mode for it that was just GameCube controller compatable

[@joshuaespinoza2117]

@@MVPUnlucky yeah I agree but atleast they tried something new though which you can give them credit for

[@NatetheNintendofan]

But imagine if this game was made into a traditional RPG like the Thousand-Year Door would I like it where would they still be salty and prefer the Thousand-Year Door that would be another timeline and I'm not trying to shake undertale into here

[@cedarnomad]

Anybody remember the room with hundreds of Dimentios?

[@ariamentio]

The best room

[@adriankl9775]

Ahh yes the BONK room

[@andrewhumphrey6159]

scared the crap out of me

[@mikey12bjm]

My sister and I thought it was a glitch and couldn’t stop laughing XD

[@deceptiveauto]

I legit was traumatized by that I think it’s cus none of the characters really acknowledge it along with the fact they just sort of float around unmoving unspeaking

[@Omnicide101]

One thing that still sticks with me is how that you if you insist you aren't going to save the world, Merlin eventually just says "Fine I guess we're all just screwed then" and you get a game over. A+

[@soupahmario5869]

Super Paper Mario means the world to me, and this video taught me things about it I never knew! The chapters each representing different types of love is so obvious in retrospect but I never realized that.

[@dimentioo]

Right? Lmao

[@onettaviator5396]

Me neither and I *grew up* with this game.

[@wallygator92]

It saddens me that we'll never see a Mario game with a story this great ever again.

[@seasonembrace3624]

In brighter news at least the underrated gem SPM has gained more of a fan following in recent years. And we finally have a remake of TTYD.

[@miniwheatz100]

I have so much nostalgia surrounding this game. Definitely one of my favorites.

[@KayJulers]

Same here! I was happy to find out that I loved it just as much as that original play-through when I replayed it recently.

[@fatnakedjimmyneutron]

What if... Hear me out... Sticker Star, Color Splash and Origami King are all a different realm dimentio has created to work behind the scenes while mario and the gang are fighting fake battles distracting them to the point where they dont even realize they are in a fake reality...

[@alliecrown2125]

It WOULD explain why my first thought upon seeing King Olly was ‘...Dimentio?!’

[@Dexuz]

No, hear me out, follow me on this one. Sticker Star is... the _perfect_ world Dimentio created in a timeline where he succesfully destroyed the universe.

[@geschnitztekiste4111]

That was exactly my headcanon as well, and would be an amazing segway to a return to form for the series... that will neever happen.

[@sanitizedoctoling5864]

Maybe the worlds were all destroyed and Love didn’t save the universe, and maybe that’s why we have sticker star now

[@Monochrome2004]

@@Dexuz it was all connected this entire time. he truly is a villain

[@HoleneProMax]

This really needs a Switch remaster. The story is masterfully told.

[@freddyalejo1657]

Ever notice how the stakes kept getting bigger with the first three games: Paper Mario: save the Princess and the Mushroom Kingdom. The Thousand Year Door: save the Princess and the world. Super Paper Mario: save the universe.

[@meat_monkey]

"The Dark Prognosticus brought about grief and dread to whomever read its pages..... SUPER PAPER MARIO!!!"

[@killysnowsw]

"Like a hot knife through butter" Well that brings up some fucking memories

[@Arthur-re8uk]

Finally a fully fledged video on this amazing game, it makes me happy to see this

[@KayJulers]

I'm happy to hear that people are enjoying it! I was really nervous about putting this out, so it's very relieving!

[@uppernimbus]

That laugh at 24:14 was some Skull Kid level of laughter, well done. Also, I cried so fucking hard the first time I beat this game. Watching Blumiere and Timpani waltz into the luscious horizon together combined with the music can truly bring a man to his knees as he weeps sweet nothings.

[@KayJulers]

Oh my gosh, you're totally right haha. I thought Pluvio did an excellent job with the laughs, but that makes it better. Amen to that. My eyes started watering when I got to the finale in my recent play-through and I didn't expect the feels to come in so strong.

[@fictiontheorizer1991]

@@KayJulers I doubt your reading this, but in case you do, your writing for Dimentio is spot on. I've never really fully bought anyone trying to voice him so far, but I fully believe that the words which you wrote here could have potentially come out of his mouth. You nailed the character, and I wanted to let you know that I appreciated that. Also the laughs for Dimentio come the closest to him sounding amused I've yet heard. The rest of his voice lines may not be perfect, but your laugh for him comes pretty close.

[@mossasaur]

DIMENTIO DID WHAT SEPHIROTH COULDN’T HE KILLED MARIO

[@Masked_Mastermind]

Technically neither of them killed Mario since Dimentio just teleported him there as it was confirmed by Queen Jaydes that Mario didn’t die. Though both of them could have easily killed Mario if they wanted to.

[@seanelmlinger1198]

That was not thPAPER mario.

[@Flymerick]

@@Masked_Mastermind Dimentio couldn't have easily killed Mario. He tried.

[@Masked_Mastermind]

@@Flymerick He was never trying to kill Mario before, he was just testing him to see how strong he is and to see if he would stand a chance against Count Bleck. The only time he tried to kill Mario was when he became Super Dimentio, and Mario was only able to defeat him because he was powered up by the Pure Hearts.

[@Flymerick]

@@Masked_Mastermind Dimentio was never holding back in the boss fights. That's why they were tests, am I right? Dimentio's whole thing is about being too weak for his power lust. His cunning is dangerous, but he isn't so himself.

[@ziqi92]

Losing Tippi at the end of the main story and playing out the post-game without her, even with a faithful copy from Francis, is genuinely heartbreaking. Truly, a sign of a great and memorable character. Your sole partner in later Paper Mario games could never hold a candle to Tippi.

[@amazinc754]

It's such a tragic story. Bleck is driven to madness after losing his loved one, only to find her when it's too late and his plan is already set into motion.

[@leociresi4292]

Such was the tragic love story of Blumiere and Lady Timpani

[@catarenatucker2781]

Ngl, i LOVE Dimentio🥹 his final battle theme was EVERYTHING!!😍😍

[@Ninten007]

I’ve always considered this game part of the “original trilogy” so to speak. Very different, yes. But it somehow still feels like the original two. Had the series returned to it usual form, I think this game would have earned its experimental style and remained well regarded. The newer games just lack the essence that the original three did. (Though I did really enjoy oragami king)

[@MyNameIsMir]

This game really is one of my personal highlights of my childhood. I played it way before I started reading video game dialogues, and I got stuck oh so many times. I never finished at first, I think I played it at 9, but only finished after doing a third playthrough at 11. It's probably the game that got me to reading dialogues, especially when realising how good the writing was, even with the Italian localisation, something that games like Pokémon never really had me engaged on. I think that this was one of the first times I've ever felt emotional for a game, the other being Mario Galaxy, and after learning English and learning how the internet worked, I was seriously amazed at how many people just HATED the game. I ended up playing sticker stars when it came out after playing TTYD and was very disappointed by it - I was also kinda disappointed by TTYD, people say it is the best thing ever, but I never really found it to be a masterpiece as much as it is just a good game with interesting concepts ruined by the abysmal metroidvania-esque backtracking and some boring gimmicks. It's been a while since stickers stars released, I still feel in the minority when it comes to being a fan of the series: started with SPM, thought TTYD was just good fun, and now, looking back at Sticker Star I'm probably the only person that thought that the game was up to something if it just tweaked its mechanics, but I digress. I've started following your channel when you were very very early in your video essay career, just casually finding your video on 999, and while I'm a fan of xeno, the fact that the xenoblade series centers so much around its open world just kinda turned me off, even more so with xenoblade 2's very typical shonen-like progression. I'd lie if I said that I'm interested in all of your video essays, but it's very much thanks to these spin-off essays that I get to relieved the past games I've played and it's definitely the content I enjoy the most, your analysis of Majora's Mask being definitely my favourite on the topic. Thank you for your amazing work, Kay. Looking forward to see what game you cover next. Hope one day it's going to be mother 3, Killer7 or Psychonauts - haven't seen somebody do 'em justice yet.

[@KayJulers]

Thank you for sharing your story! It's interesting to hear from someone that started with SPM, and that's super cool that it served as this threshold of sorts for you to get more invested in dialogues and narratives! It was my second game in the series since I started with the original N64 entry that I rented from Blockbuster many years ago. I always loved SPM though and actually prefer it to TTYD, so I'm with you there on the uncommon opinion train. Then, I remember my brother bought me Sticker Star as a gift and I was pretty let down. I eventually picked it back up to finish it, but found it to be a pretty mediocre experience. Thank you so much for sticking around the channel and watching the videos! I love covering Xenoblade, but it means a lot to hear when people like the videos I make on other series. I've never had the chance to player Killer7 (which is funny because I like Suda and No More Heroes) or Psychonauts, but I think Mother 3 is fantastic. I certainly would like to talk about that one day.

[@justcallmeleonardo]

"...even with the Italian localisation..." As a wise man once said: " *SE VEDEMO* "

[@amazinc754]

This game really started my love for video games. One of the first I ever played. I'll always love it

[@tangytangerine1904]

I literally JUST finished the game after getting it almost a decade ago. And it’s safe to say, (SPOILER WARNING), I was so happy to see Timpani and Blumiere finally find happiness together at the end. Their tragic love pulled my heart strings so much and hearing their desperation at the end was so powerful, where they still loved each other to the end despite knowing that getting rid of the pure heart together might make them disappear from reality. But they still managed to find their own little world at the end. But also the PLOT TWIST With Dimentio being the real main villain threw me for a LOOP. I loved this game whole heartedly and I’d suggest it to anyone looking for a game with amazing gameplay and a story that keeps you yearning to learn more. Also playing the game made me see that Undertale and Deltarune seem slightly inspired by it. Jevil from Deltarune is clearly inspired by Dimentio. And the style for Bleck’s castle, being black and white with music reminiscent of the SNES sound font, definitely inspired the game style of both games. Also the strong story about love might have inspired the story about love and determination in Undertale, and the prophecy of the hero’s of light to destroy the darkness in Deltarune. (Although both Undertale and Deltarune are definitely more inspired by Earthbound)

[@flm0102]

I adore this game, not for the gameplay, but for the characters. The characters are some of the best in the entirety of the Mario universe and the story between Timpani and Bleck is gorgeous. They're one of the few love stories I wholeheartedly adore. The story of this game throws any annoying or slow bits out the window. I love the focus on the villains, especially.

[@Pine2142]

This game is honestly pretty weird but in like a good whacky kind of way.

[@KayJulers]

Honestly, that's a pretty good summary haha

[@callmeninaiced]

people also forget that sticker star was intended to have these 4 pillars but miyamoto and tanabe happened

[@JoshiTheKitsune]

Yep. Just a couple of old farts.

[@frosted_glaceon5513]

When I first played this game, I noticed how Dimentio didn't seem to want to be as loyal to Count Bleck as the other minions were. Then he sends you to the next chapter to the Underwhere, and I thought he was trying to help and was rooting for him to join the team. Kinda disappointed that didn't happen, but I like how he ended up being the crazy jester. I still love and appreciate where the story went tho. I was crazy about his design when I was a teen because I read Heartless and I guess I was mixing characters up a little bit. I'd love to see the crazy magic man appear again.

[@dragovidd]

I belive Dimentio is Tippi and Blumiere's child. The reason both The Pixl Queen and Dimentio has the power of illusions is because they are siblings. The magician that created the pixls had a wife, a son and a daughter after all. When Timpani and Blumiere sacrificed themselfs they went 3,000 years back to the past. They wrote down they’re entire adventure in a book which people started calling: Dark Prognosticus. But they didn’t knew if the worlds saved or not. They only wrote what they lived and because the rest are unknown to the authors people though no more pages means no more future. According to the game whoever the magician is created the pixls by studying the Dark Progniticus. And since the magician got his hands on the book and isn’t afraid of the book. Which means the author and the magician are the same person. And since Timpani is a human, the magicain must be Blumiere/Count Bleck. Which means both Dimentio and The Pixl Queen are Blumiere/Count Bleck and Timpani’s children.I actually love this theory because it's connects with Undertale. The way his sister Pixl Queen got sick reminds me of Chara.Not to mentain while Chara hated humanity Shadoo/PixlQueen hates ancients.

[@frosted_glaceon5513]

@@dragovidd I've never heard that theory before. It's quite interesting. Especially taking account of Dimentio's physical design in having his colors of his mask split between black and white. The symbolism checks out. 🤔 My question is, does Dimentio know?

[@ovensmuggler5207]

​@@frosted_glaceon5513 does he know?

[@Portersona69420]

The reason Supers the best one can be described in one word. *DIMENTIO.* Nuff' said.

[@galaxyfam6471]

I’m honestly really surprised you didn’t talk about the Luvbi reveal at the end of chapter 7 more. That scene moved me so much when I first played this game.

[@1124eddie]

Here's hoping for a remaster of this game for the Switch.

[@carcar97]

100000000000%. I’d sell my left leg.

[@ezekielmcclure5673]

So, I have a theory: Count Bleck is dead. His game has ended. After Blumiere's father cursed Timpani to wander throughout all dimensions, he combed through all the realms searching for her, and in the process, created relationships with Nastasia, O'Chunks, Mimi, and Dimentio. However, he had yet to search the afterlife for Timpani. After searching all the realms of the living, he took his own life in a desperate attempt to search the Underwhere and the Overthere, using his powers learned as a member of the Tribe of Darkness to make his way past Jaydes and any other obstacles that stood in his way. Upon finding no trace of his lost love in _any_ realm across the _entirety_ of existence, he was driven to madness, and he used those same dark powers to return to the world of the living. Upon returning to his own dimension, he claimed the Dark Prognosticus, used its power to annihilate his people and envelop his dimension in darkness, and only left his family's castle standing... so that it may become Castle Bleck. He then reunited with those who pledged their lives to him and set his plan into motion. Bleck's death and subsequent return to life would be why his appearance is ethereal and ghostly in nature. He has no limbs and no body, and is only a head possessing a permanent grimace and one pulsating eye. He uses his powers to manipulate his clothing and use it as he would a set of limbs. He shares uncanny physical similarities with certain beings that we know... beings of the Underwhere. Count Bleck is a Shayde. He is a Shayde that uses his unnatural powers to reside within the realms the living, only forcing himself to live so that he may be the Champion of Destruction. Addendum 1: Another important detail to note is that the Tribe of Darkness is simply a small sect of the Ancients that split off from the greater civilization due to their desire to foster their greater magical prowess. Given this, we can infer that since their species are the same, they are similar in appearance. In fact, we don't have to infer. It is outright stated in-game that Merlon is descended from the Ancients while Nolrem is descended from the Tribe of Darkness. We also meet and see artistic depictions of other Ancients (Merlumina, Merloo, etc.), and yet, Count Bleck, despite being of the Tribe of Darkness, bears no physical resemblance with _ANY_ of them. Addendum 2: Most people assume that Blumiere took the Dark Prognosticus and became Count Bleck directly after learning of Timpani's banishment. I don't believe this can be the case. Blumiere's search and saving of his minions took place between memories 6&7, and I say this because Nastasia speaks of knowing Bleck during a point before he lost all hope and became hell-bent on destruction. "It's strange... Nobody ever, um, cherished the universe the way you once did..." In fact, I don't think he could've gotten any of them on his side during the angry state that we see him in. Bleck would've likely met and endeared his minions to him while he had hope, was eagerly searching for Timpani, and truly believed in creating a better world like his minions believed he would!

[@KayJulers]

That's an interesting point about his family's castle. I never really put those two together, but I could very well see Count Bleck's Castle and the one from the memories being one in the same. And the design of Count Bleck's head certainly resembles some of the Shaydes.

[@featherlight2652]

At first I thought, “Hmmm, a bit of a stretch” but after thinking about it, I think you’re onto something here!

[@darkstorm2579]

That's an interesting theory.

[@darthtroller]

Bleck's body really bugged me, but it seems to make sense now, I used to imagine that Tribesmen of Darkness just looked ethereal normally and imagined that he visited the realm of the after-game without actually dying and instead managing to teleport there

[@zacharykenniston748]

Was bleck ever human though? I thought he was a magical shadow/angel type of being. His father thought he was a pervert because he fell in love with a different species which was seen as inferior.

[@dimentio9833]

very clever including me as a main character and not in with the rest of the villans

[@eanderson9599]

I don’t understand why all Mario games can’t have stories like this. I loved this shit as a kid even though I barely understood

[@callmecharlie4250]

That is not at all how I imagined Dimentio's voice. His voice was always very smooth in my head.

[@rocbenaa1963]

You should check out man on the internet's dimentio song, I think his voice fits better.

[@callmecharlie4250]

@@rocbenaa1963 I actually was thinking about that voice as well, but still felt like it wasn't quite smooth enough.

[@chaosmoth9064]

@@callmecharlie4250 his voice needs to be smooth like butter

[@lucscott3631]

I really like chuggaconroy’s interpretations on the character voices

[@callmecharlie4250]

@@lucscott3631 nostalgia :')

[@dantesdiscoinfernolol]

Edit: Gosh, I didn't notice just how pervasive love is in every world. That's beautiful.. (Also, Dimentio is my fav too and I couldn't stop smiling at his interruptions in the video.) My brother just replayed Super Paper Mario this summer, and I initially didn't want him to. Not because I didn't like it, but because I knew that if I watched him play at all, I'd end up watching him play the whole thing. Sure enough, I ended up helping him voice dialogue for the whole run, and even though I remembered almost exactly what was going to happen in the final battle, it still made me cry, after all these years... This game has, in our opinion, the best writing for Peach, Luigi, and Bowser in the entire Mario series, and don't even get me started on the villains! It may not be the hardest, it may not be the most RPG-like, but the story and atmosphere was top-notch, and I have no doubts placing this as one of my favorite games ever.

[@maroonkennedy6213]

That's an awesome way to enjoy the game with someone else playing it 🥰

[@KayJulers]

That sounds like an awesome experience. Kind of reminds me of my play-throughs with my older brother years ago!

[@SkyfoxDartner]

Dimentio. Hands down best “pure evil” villain in the Mario franchise.

[@Dragular]

Super Paper Mario is a true Paper Mario game because it has most of what Paper Mario is and what the series stands for: Deep Stories. Present Likeable and unique Characters. Present Great writing. Present World-building. Present Intriguing Locales. Present Exploration. Present Clever Puzzle-Solving. Present Surprises. Present All of the things mentioned above are beautifully realized in Super Paper Mario. It may not have turn-based combat, but as long as it has most of what made Paper Mario popular, it's still a true Paper Mario game. It's missing one thing. ONE THING. If it has everything else, it's not that big of a deal. When you compare this game to Sticker Star and Color Splash, the statement "Super Paper Mario is a true Paper Mario game" isn't even an opinion, it becomes an objective fact. Super Paper Mario is my favorite game in the series. The story and characters are simply amazing, the locales are very interesting, and the gameplay, while flawed, is still fun. The fact that the poll on Super's story had less than 1% insults me to this day.

[@mrcombustiblelemon2902]

Well said. The fact that so many TTYD fans lump this masterpiece together with the arts & crafts trilogy saddens me.

[@Dragular]

@@mrcombustiblelemon2902 Me too man. I mean, some are starting to appreciate this game more and more now, but it still pretty stupid that some still lump this game in with the, as you called 'em, "arts & crafts trilogy".

[@NiteMarauder]

When I heard his impression of Dimentio, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed after accepting the Man On the Internet’s version of Dimentio in his covers

[@SuperSavajin]

I'm always hype to listen to someone who enjoyed Super Paper Mario as much as I do.

[@tbiff8048]

I’m really late but honestly I loved this game, even now it makes me wanna cry. I really loved how Luigi, usually an unconditional support character for Mario, instead became the true villain’s weapon. I also loved how touching some levels were, despite kind of being “side quests,” e.g. chapter 4 ending.

[@EnelXC]

Sucks that people seem to mostly enjoy your xeno content cause this is a really nice video too

[@KayJulers]

I really appreciate it, man.

[@angeldude101]

I saw an SPM video on the youtube home screen and only after clicking it realized "wait... this is that Xeno guy isn't he." Two of my favourite RPGs out there.

[@jupiter843]

@@angeldude101 Funnily enough, I ended up knowing him as one of the endangered 999 guys, and then I saw XC2 which was even better and this is just as great. It's fun seeing some of these games coming back from the death that is my old memories for a great experience.

[@extremmefan7305]

I feel like this gives this video even more charm, since it's coming from someone who's very clearly familiar with other RPGs and thus how they work. Whether you're a fan of the older Paper Mario games, or Xenoblade, or Pokemon, it can evidently all come back to the same thing.

[@liondrake7234]

PLUVI DID SUCH A GOOD JOB I LOVE HIS VOICE TOO GOOD

[@darthtroller]

The overall story had very basic storytelling elements (end of the world prevented, power of love winning), but they're developed in unique and unexpected fashion and surprisingly it worked well

[@tylertimko3352]

This game will ALWAYS be my favorite Paper Mario Game of all TIME. Thousand year door is good and all, but super paper Mario is in its own league when it comes to story, art and most importantly the MUSIC! People may disagree with me, but this will always be the best RPG in my opinion!

[@alexvazquez4118]

Finally, someone is talking about this game. I freaking love Super Paper Mario. It is and will forever remain one of my favorite games. It’s Story is amazing, it’s gameplay is pretty fun IMO, and overall it’s so good. Thank you for making this video.

[@drakesyther]

this video is beautifuuly made, all the way from editing to voicing cant wait to see more of stuff like this

[@KayJulers]

Thanks so much!

[@wlb2j]

Wow, it's been 16 years! I will always cherish this game, I played it when it first came out in 2007. I was 24, feels like a lifetime ago.

[@lumemegi6251]

Super paper Mario is my favourite game of all time! I honestly don’t know where I would be without it, it’s such an incredibly beautiful game with the best story in the franchise, best villains, the dialogue is filled with so much personality, good humour and it explores very dark themes for a Mario game. I can’t believe this game is 15 years old today it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago since the spm fandom was celebrating the games 10th anniversary 🎉

[@RyneMcKinney]

Yes... This game got me into plot driven anime and media, and it's all because of the sophisticated, yet charming nature of this game's story. This game touched my heart, and made it pure.

[@ezekielmcclure5673]

KayJulers, you are perfection and I love you. Super Paper Mario is EXACTLY what I wanted in my feed!

[@yeen.7209]

i was going through some rough times while going through this game. the memory tracks and promise ended up always ended up hitting me like an emotional truck considering their context and extremely touching melody. aside from those, the story is among the most emotional, if not the most, among all mario games.

[@ariamentio]

the only reason I came back to this game in 2019 was because this was my first ever video game. I did not regret it for a second

[@justinc.5591]

I remember playing this game as a kid and getting stuck looking for the Heart Pillar after Chapter 3. Recently I picked up the game and finally beat it. The gameplay is very hit-or-miss but the story is definitely what makes you keep playing. Chapters 6 and 7 in particular are some of the best written Mario story segments ever. The plot itself is good, but what really elevated this game’s story are the characters. This is clearly the best Peach and Luigi have ever been character wise, and almost every new character is super memorable. I was always looking forward to the next cutscene with Bleck and his crew. I’m not the biggest fan of the memory sequences or the ending, but everything else about the story is fantastic. This was a great video, it really explains what makes this game so special narrative-wise. Hoping to see more Paper Mario content on your channel.

[@KayJulers]

Flipside can admittedly be pretty tricky to navigate. I got a little stumped looking for one of the later pillars on my recent play-through. I agree. The characters are the highlight of the experience and it's because of them that the story works so well. If I didn't care about Count Bleck and Tippi then I don't think it would've been as successful. I just really appreciate how cozy the memories are haha. The music and sound design certainly helps a lot with that. Thanks for the kind words and for watching! I don't know when it'd be, but I'd certainly love to tackle the two earlier entries at some point. I have a weird history with the original entry.

[@bullsharkguy4643]

I absolutely adored the paper mario games from first to last as a child. The first three were the best. It'll last in my childhood forever.

[@tvb5509]

Nastasia didn't get much on this. She's my favorite. That's okay though

[@silverfire7388]

I jheard she had a scrapped fight

[@leociresi4292]

Count Bleck was my favorite, he seemed to have a Dracula like persona

[@QuagFire101]

I'm at least glad that the series is now TRYING to have deep stories again. It has and probably won't reach super paper mario's level but the transition from No Story, to Kinda-has-a-story, to has a pretty good story, is a hopeful one. Maybe we can get a story as good as those first few games next time around (I personally think Origami King is already there, but I know most disagree.)

[@DarkTailsTheFox]

I always loved the story of this game with all my heart, too bad the people at Nintendo didn't.

[@maxrichards3881]

Super paper Mario is only my 3rd favorite Mario game, behind M&L Dream Team and Bowsers inside story, but in terms of story alone, best of the bunch!

[@KayJulers]

I really enjoyed Bowser's Inside Story, but I've actually never played Dream Team. That might be one I need to get around to eventually!

[@thomasjulian4402]

Interesting. I had to put down dream team after 20ish hours. What makes you love it?

[@maxrichards3881]

Thomas Julian What point in the story were you at?

[@dodiswatchbobobo]

Did anyone else realize that Super Paper Mario also fits the apparent restrictions supposedly placed on the series only beginning with Sticker Star? All Mario characters shown are established or generic. Not even Kammy shows up. All unique characters are totally divorced from the Mario Universe, literally, being a bunch of geometric shapes living in a completely different reality. It’s almost... incredible how well this game fits the guidelines imposed on Sticker Star, but basically runs in the exact opposite direction with them. And then this game, which has an amazing story and almost nothing else, gets a 1% story rating? It almost smells like a conspiracy... but that may just be horse manure. I appear to have stepped in some of the leavings of Roberta, Arlo’s high horse. Perhaps she’s nearby...

[@enderallygolem]

New characters absolutely do not fit within the restrictions. SPM comes NOWHERE close to meeting those restrictions.

[@dodiswatchbobobo]

EnderallyGolem what the hell is olly then? The restrictions don’t say you can’t have original characters. Original characters just can’t have any preexisting connection to the Mario universe.

[@user-bb2op9he1x]

@@enderallygolem it was in the middle of the creative era 2001-2009 there was no restriction you can latterly kill toads and nintendo will approve it

[@user-bb2op9he1x]

@@dodiswatchbobobo nah mario was in another dimension you cant have mario charaters in another dimension

[@dodiswatchbobobo]

@@user-bb2op9he1x that’s the point I’m trying to make. The game devs did that on purpose.

[@bella_daze3092]

I WAS LIKE OH HELLO WHEN DIMENTIO SHOWED UP AND I LAUGHED LMAO LOL

[@leethompson-kolar6333]

Conveniently, I just finished my SPM playthrough the day you uploaded this! I'm in complete agreement: It's a emotional marvel and a stunning successor to the previous two games. A satisfying conclusion to the classic Paper Mario trilogy! Love the fact that not a single villain in Bleck's entourage is forgettable. They truly steal the show.

[@ShadowPrime69]

i finished my game today, and somehow i missed unlocking Barry (i dont know where he is)

[@EvilMike349]

Good on you, my guy, I appreciate a man who appreciates Super Paper Mario! I understand why people didn't like it, and Thousand Year Door is my favorite game of all time so it definitely hurts that they still haven't gone back to the style of the first two, but I had a genuinely good time with Super Paper Mario and I don't think it deserves nearly as much hate as it gets.

[@superpapermarioexpert1972]

Really nice video as you can by my name I’m a big spm fan. Have you seen the lore axe super paper Mario by game domain? It covers a lot of the lore that is not mentioned in the main story Edit: I just saw Game Domain in the comments write after typing this lol

[@KayJulers]

Thanks! Yeah haha I'm going to check out their video since the exploration into extra lore has me very interested.

[@yoshilover765]

This was a fantastic video, man. I never wanted to replay SPM, but this changed my mind. Subscribed

[@deeeenisttv]

I got this game years ago for my Wii but never played much of it and quickly forgot about it. A few days ago I booted it up for the first time in forever and just finished it today. I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging the story was considering it was a Mario game I didn't expect to cry either. When luvbi turned into the pure heart in chapter 7 I was bawling. The ending as great but unfortunately I was spoiled for tippi's and bleck's deaths so it didn't hit as hard as it would have I can now say that this is one of my favourite Mario games. It's truly unfortunate that the modern paper Mario games don't have as much heart as the first 3

[@TheBandoBandito]

Variety is the spice of life.

[@whateverguy9204]

God dammit, I'm so sad that 10 year old me didn't know enough english to enjoy this incredible story, the more I hear about it the more I fall in love with all its components, it's just awesome that that game that I played when 10 years old and I didn't understand much of because of my lack of english ability has this heavy of a story!

[@mrjohnful]

This is by far my favorite Paper Mario game, and one of my favorites of all time. If this game, one day, gets a sequel, I will just buy on day 1. Great video, btw!

[@johndavid1611]

I listen to super paper Mario music every school day lol. I believe that it's 2nd best if not the best OST of them all.

[@MappyTheSquire]

Dang, this video was great. And that PluvioSkunk guy was super fucking talented, I would love to see him do more stuff! Another absolute banger of a video. Keep up the good work!

[@KayJulers]

Thank so much, dude! Much love.

[@vitorcastelo2505]

Super Paper Mario is seriously one of the best games Nintendo ever made.

[@MrKrayGames]

I am so happy to stumble upon this video. I have always felt the storyline and characters of this game in the Paper Mario series has been the greatest out of all of them. This story was complex and had so many twists and turns during the entirety of it. I have filled all 4 play slots on my Wii for this game because it is something I can get a little more out of each time I do a play through of it. Thank you for such a great video dissecting it all, and maybe getting the word out to other people about this forgotten gem of a game.

[@Shiver-is-best-waifu]

This game was amazing. I last played it and I then noticed them coming closer and walking away.😭 I was WRONG when I played the game my first time skipping over the memories. This is a beautiful and we'll structured story. Too bad that they'll never be another story like this. I speak for everyone when I say that this is the best story ever told.

[@MaddyRaddy9]

We all love Mr. L

[@namedude_dev]

I cannot express how glad I am that this game has been getting more attention. For a long time I felt like I was the only person who really liked this game.

[@Budget_Asian]

you bastard you put the after credits scene in and now im crying loved the video, really showed the love the game deserved

[@Mc_Adore-r]

This game is so beautiful, and now realising that the theme of the game is love, it makes it even more beautiful. i wanted to cry at the end. I love this game

[@ChaosGamer123]

I don’t give a damn that I’ve never played this game, I absolutely love Dimentio.

[@complex7864]

I think they are people here as well, I'm glad there's people who still remember paper Mario, this crap was my childhood and I'll never forget this ending, it's just so memorable, i played this like when i was 9 or 8 but i never understood the game at all i didn't understand what was wrong about tippi the reason why was i always skipped the dialogues, abd that's obviously important if you wanna understand the game, so i decided why not finish the game, i think paper mario is on of the unique paper mario games unlike the others i would ask for a sequel but i have a bad feeling about that since they might do it wrong...but I'll never forget this game.

[@CrowCrojoINTJ]

Ah, my favorite childhood game I used to call Soup Pepper Maro

[@nateclone3828]

Y'know, that line from Tanabe about how Super Paper Mario's story led the game away from the Mario universe is complete garbage. Why? Because the theme of the game is literally the theme of the entire freaking Mario franchise: Love. In a regular Mario game, you are going on a quest to save someone you love. This also applies to Super Paper Mario, You are going on a quest to save someone you love (Or, at least, someone you will come to love).

[@acsound]

In fairness, TOK did try to reestablish that theme; w/Mario helping Olivia w/her genocidal brother Olly's *issues*. Had Nintendo/IS given random encounters/combat an actual point besides coins (like proper level-ups w/stat boost options), I would've DL'd it immediately, rather than waiting for it to go on sale via the eShop.

[@spartankiller907]

Im so glad this game is getting more attention i love this game so much i still get chills when i hear the music and play it i wish thay did another one

[@WatteTv]

What a good video! This is one of my favorites to this day. Especially how Princess Peach fought more like she used to vs a damsel in distress.

[@bowenwangs]

the editing on this video is insane!! amazing work❤❤❤

[@Shadow_Symphony]

I played super paper Mario as a kid, but only for the game play…years later when I was older I picked the game back up, this time paid attention to the story. By the end, I was crying

[@protostar8790]

I'm so glad I found this. Thanks for putting together this beautiful video which made me cry allover again for a game that I'll forever cherish.

[@chitownsuperfan]

This was my first and only paper Mario game, and I went in having no clue what to expect. I thought it was engrossing, engaging, clever, and exceedingly fun

[@meganabens6079]

your heart and passion for the game show so clearly throughout the video. super paper mario has been my favorite game since the first time i finished it and completely the story. thank you for the summary and the storytelling!

[@zesuro1105]

Dimentio and Mr. L are definitely my favorite characters.

[@leociresi4292]

Luvbi was so cute. She was the final Pure Heart 💜

[@djsalad5752]

Regarding the memories, the typewriter sound effect is meant to parallel the keyboard sound of the normal text sounds, showing the fact that it’s old and distant memories. In addition, the record player sound effect is meant to show age

[@vincem257]

Something I always thought they should have done is had pure heart abilities and maybe SP that can be charged through some means to use it.

[@MCA_Critic]

Since August, I've been revisiting all of my favorite games on my Wii(Ones that have story/long play potential, not things like Mario Kart as I already play those every now and then). I was digging through my collection of Wii games, deciding what to play next, and my choices were either this and Sonic Colors. And man, just seeing the box for Super Paper Mario brought back so many memories. I remember when I was much, much younger, that me and a friend would play SPM whenever we were hanging at each others houses. We'd beat a segment at one friend's house, then the next one at the other guy's house, so on and so on. I still remember us being stumped for awhile on Mimi's debt level, nostalgia really hits hard. Sadly, I haven't seen this friend in quite some time. I hear he's doing fine, he just doesn't appear in public often anymore. That particular memory aside, as I was playing through the game all these years later, I realized how much more I appreciate it now then I did back in the day. I've loved the writing, the main cast is funny (Bowser's face whnever he's surprised is just so funny to me haha), and I find each one of Bleck's minions-and Bleck himself-to be interesting for different reasons. The game definitely goes full on fan-fic at times, but the story between Tippy and Bleck is really something. It's something that I sadly wouldn't even expect out of a modern movie. While I did remember most of everything story-wise as I played through the game, I did forget the end of the game. While I literally just got to Bleck's castle around half an hour ago(Finishing it tomorrow), I did forget how the game ended(aside from Dimentio's takeover), and man, it hits hard. And this is coming from a guy who's kinda numb to emotion lol. While the gameplay could get repetative at times and certainly isn't the game's biggest strongsuit, it doesn't take away from the overall experience. I wish more games(or as I previously mentiond, films) would be brave enough to take on creating such a story as emotionally satysfying as this one. Again, truly something I wasn't expecting from a hated Mario game made in 2007. In the end, this has been one of my favorites to revisit, only really rivaled by Epic Mickey(which also has an amazing story, if anyone reading this hasn't ever heard of it, I really recommend checking it out). I really appreciate this video, as it honestly put things into perspective that I didn't notice, even on my current playthrough. .....Also I now realize that I have said "Ciao" wrong my whole life, cringe.

[@DiegoGonzalez-vb8vz]

Excellent video! There’s a reason why this is my favorite Paper Mario game. And yes, the story is just incredible!

[@KayJulers]

Thank you!