Play it on: Switch, GameCube
Current goal: Find the second star
Buy it from: Amazon | Best Buy | Humble Bundle
Sometimes, you worry that something you loved many years ago may not be quite as great as you remember, and so you’re wary of returning to it and potentially finding that what you once found extraordinary now seems merely good, or (god forbid) fine. I felt a bit of this concern before diving back into one of my all-time favorite games, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, via its brand-new remake on the Switch. I needn’t have worried, though. If anything, what I’m finding is that it’s even better than I remembered.
Everywhere I go, the writing is so funny, so sparkling, so heartfelt, that I’m deliberately talking to every last minor NPC because I don’t want to miss a word. For me, that delightful writing and the wonderful cast of characters you meet remain the game’s biggest draws, but the game shines elsewhere, too. Navigating the world, and using Mario’s ever-increasing assortment of abilities—err, I mean terrible curses—to find secrets and access new areas, is a delight, and the combat hits that sweet spot of being accessible to genre newcomers and deep enough to keep you engaged. But yes, come for the writing, and the game’s endearing papercraft visuals, which look better than ever on the Switch. You won’t be disappointed. — Carolyn Petit