Paper Mario: The Origami King is ready to unfold on Nintendo Switch this summer.
Nintendo announced the new game coming out on July 17 with a crafty announcement trailer. It wastes no time in introducing us to the central concept of the plot: strange creatures made of thick, folded paper have started spreading throughout the paper Mushroom Kingdom - including origami Princess Peach - and it's up to Mario to get to the bottom of this mysterious invasion.
The Paper Mario series arrives on #NintendoSwitch with an origami twist! What evil paper shenanigans does the Origami King have planned? Find out when #PaperMario: The Origami King releases on 7/17!https://t.co/Zw9epBSIZp pic.twitter.com/4fUGYDcGjGMay 14, 2020
Mario will explore the world with wacky abilities (including the ability to sprout some frankly creepy giant, accordion-folded arms), helping out citizens in need, and getting into fights with origami Goombas and other bad guys. The new combat system lets players reposition their foes using a ring-puzzle system to pull off bigger and bigger attacks. Mario will also get help from both familiar and new characters, such as the evil king's friendly sister Olivia, Bob-omb, and, um, an unceremoniously folded-up version of Bowser.
Aside from the new take on combat, Paper Mario: The Origami King looks like a revival of the older style of Paper Mario games from before the era of Sticker Star and Color Splash. Mostly because its characters aren't almost all different colors of Toad. That said, it looks like Origami King will expand the last two games' emphasis on creating an all-craft world, with environments that all seem to be made from construction paper (which, in some cases, Mario can use his freakishly long arms to tear).
Is it too much to hope that little Metroid gag at the end is Nintendo gearing us up for another Metroid Prime 4 announcement, as well?
Find even more new titles to look forward to in our guide to upcoming Switch games.
