PLATFORM 3DS BATTLE SYSTEM INTERACTION ORIGINALITY STORY MUSIC & SOUND VISUALS CHALLENGE Adjustable COMPLETION TIME 20-40 Hours OVERALL + Fighting is fun + Varied things to do - Plenty of standard Mario plot hijinks - Slow Papercraft fighting Click here for scoring definitions

   How many times now has the Mushroom Kingdom been menaced by a force that requires Mario's help? Even if the question is addressed solely towards titles in the RPG realm, the answer has now reached double digits. Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam shows that the formula is still working, and will probably continue as long as Nintendo feels like letting the IP exist. Anyone unconvinced of this series' virtues will not be swayed here, but the Mario brothers continue to satisfy the initiated with their commitment to good work.

   While cleaning a room in Peach's palace one day, Luigi stumbles upon a strange book that falls onto the floor. Out of this book comes a swathe of paper creatures that look just like those already in the Mushroom Kingdom, save for being two-dimensional. Chaos promptly erupts as the papery invasion proceeds, and Mario comes to help his brother clean up the mess. Even their combined power isn't enough to stop all paper adversaries until Paper Mario joins the brothers, and their mission is to beat down the combined hordes of Bowser and Paper Bowser in order to save the Mushroom Kingdom.

   Perhaps one day a Mario game will exist that attempts to put the plucky plumber through a character growth arc, but Paper Jam is not that title. The trio of two- and three-dimensional Mario siblings must do battle with the minions of Bowser and Paper Bowser, and a few comments from Peach and her Paper counterpart about how often she's been kidnapped don't alter the fact that yet another royal abduction is taking place while Bowser is trying to take over. Several tangents are introduced and then set aside, primarily one involving the rivalry between the two Bowsers. On the other hand, this is the first time the Koopalings have been given an attempt at characterization, which is entertaining for long time veterans of Mario titles. Nintendo's localization also does its usual solid work, making the text entertaining to read. Dream Team's tendency to yammer at the player constantly has also been clipped back, with the game generally giving a few lines of text for guidance and then letting the Marios loose.

   Paper Jam's combat initially seems very much like that in Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, but the introduction of Paper Mario makes things a bit different. The rules of this series remain intact, in which a single button corresponds to each participant in battle for offense and defense. Properly timed button presses will enormously increase the damage dealt to enemies, and all special moves require good reflexes in order to do anything like respectable damage. Attacks by the opposition can often be countered, and always at least dodged, provided the player's reactions are up to the task.

Stars and dust clouds convey the brutality that this Bowser brawl becomes.

   Paper Mario's involvement puts a third character on the screen, and the timing for his actions is a bit different than that for the three-dimensional brothers. Paper Mario's special moves are Trio attacks involving all three participants, and he has the unique ability to Copy himself several times to provide extra power. Another new element is the presence of battle cards that can be used without counting as a turn, occupying the bottom screen and charged by successful actions against the enemy. These cards come with a variety of potential effects that range from free healing to guaranteeing no damage from a few enemy attacks, and can help out quite a bit.

   Otherwise combat is very much like that seen in prior Mario and Luigi titles, which is not a bad thing. Having Paper versions of almost every enemy requires keeping a close eye on the opposition, as the two varieties in which each foe can appear do not move identically. Bosses in particular require fast reflexes to survive, and their long attack chains demand increasingly close attention the closer one gets to victory. Unlike in Dream Team though, accessing the Easy mode no longer requires being destroyed by a boss. It can be turned on or off at any time outside of battle, and dramatically affects the characters' statistics to shrink all threats.

   Bowser's Inside Story had gigantic battles between kaiju-sized opponents, and Dream Team did something similar with Luigi. Paper Jam's contribution to the contest between outsized adversaries is Papercraft combat, in which the Marios and Luigi guide a massive parade float made mobile by a host of Toads underneath. Papercraft combat is not a duel, and always requires beating some Papercraft minions before the boss shows up. It's entertaining in spurts, and having a different Papercraft for each encounter keeps the system from getting too dull. These segments unfortunately tend to drag on, and the need to recharge the player's Papercraft by standing on mushroom icons and participating in a rhythm game exacerbates the length. Compared to the excitement of a duel between kaiju in prior Mario and Luigi titles, this unfortunately feels a bit thin. It also comes with a need to go through minigames to find Paper Toads for constructing the Papercraft, though these are generally quickly paced excursions that can be retried if necessary.

Are Wayne and Garth around to confirm this as an appropriate use of the word?

   Just as in the earlier Mario and Luigi titles, here the group learns new means of navigating the landscape while the game progresses, such as drilling under the earth or using Paper Mario to glide through the air. Use of these techniques is mandatory to progress, but it also gives a good reason to go back and explore earlier areas for now-obtainable goodies. The multitude of minigames available also supplies incentives for eking out more play time, which otherwise fits somewhere around twenty to twenty-five hours.

   Paper Jam's visuals are on par with those of Dream Team, meaning that the game looks good throughout but never really feels like it's pushing the 3DS to its limits. Many of the paper effects are interesting to see, and the 3D applies an impressive sense of depth to the proceedings. Many of the sound effects will be instantly familiar to any video game player, and this is only appropriate for a Mario game. Yoko Shimomura's score is pleasant and complements the action well, but is not one of her best efforts.

   At this point it's unlikely that anyone with the opportunity to play a Mario and Luigi game knows nothing about the series. For those who enjoy what it offers, Paper Jam delivers a fine representation without varying the formula much. I've enjoyed playing all the entries in this series, and this one continues the general level of quality and polish one expects from a Nintendo product. I very much doubt anyone who hasn't been enticed by these games before will find this one to be a gateway drug though.