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Paper Mario: The Origami King
Critics Consensus (Skip It)
Paper Mario: The Origami King is warm and colorful, but the game suffers from one-note combat and tiresome backtracking.
Game Info
Join Mario and his new companion Olivia on a comedic adventure that will take you to the far corners of a papercraft world in Paper Mario: The Origami King on Nintendo Switch! Face off against the Origami King and his army of paper invaders, team up with some extraordinary companions and master magical powers on your quest to save the world.
0%
Recommended
0%
Average Score
Total Reviews: 99
RELEASE DATES:
GENRES:
- RPG, Adventure
DEVELOPER(S):
- Intelligent Systems
PUBLISHER(S):
- Nintendo
SERIES/FRANCHISE:
- n/a
GAME MODES:
- Single player
Where to Play
WHERE TO PLAY
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RATING & REVIEWS
Ratings & Reviews
99
Critic Reviews
77
Average Critic Score
Where to Play
CRITIC REVIEWS
All reviews are from professional critics. Learn more about the critics VSG aggregates.
High Score
95%
Median Score
80%
Low Score
45%
Cam Shea (IGN)
[Date Unavailable]
7/10
“The Origami King suffers from one-note combat and few real choices, but its personality and visual design are a joy.”
Sam Loveridge (GamesRadar+)
[Date Unavailable]
4.5/5 stars
“Paper Mario: The Origami King is fun, light-hearted and a celebration of Super Mario with a strong story, great humour and brilliant characters.”
Jeffrey Parkin (Polygon)
[Date Unavailable]
Not Recommended
“I want to share it with my nieces and nephews, as well as my grown friends. But I hesitate due to the frustration of the combat and those imposing boss battles — those moments where I wish I had someone else to take over on the controller.”
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Score Ranges
Read the Reviews (99 total)
| Outlet | Author | Score | Date | Quote | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3DNews | Иван Бышонкoв | 6 / 10 | 08-08-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King tried to be an RPG with adventure elements, but failed and became an adventure with miserably boring combat | Read review |
| Areajugones | David cruz | 8.5 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is the best installment of the saga since The Thousand-Year Door: it is not an RPG in use, nor does it seek to be. | Read review |
| Atomix | Alberto Desfassiaux | 90 / 100 | 07-15-2020 | this new Switch exclusive reminded me of many of the feelings that that 2004 title conveyed to me at the time, especially that of being on a great journey. | Read review |
| Attack of the Fanboy | Dean James | 4 / 5 stars | 07-29-2020 | While it may not return to the heights of The Thousand-Year Door, Paper Mario: The Origami King is by far the best entry in the series in over a decade and gives us hope for the future of the series for the first time in awhile. | Read review |
| AusGamers | Steve Farrelly | 7.5 / 10 | 07-21-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is as advertised above, a brooding yet charming affair that brings the collector in us along for a colourful ride through a kingdom gone foldingly mad. | Read review |
| BaziCenter | Bahram Bigharaz | 8 / 10 | 07-23-2020 | The Origami King is the best entry in the Paper Mario series, and probably one of the best Nintendo Switch exclusives if we don’t consider its rather weak combat system. Intelligent Systems did a great job in telling a new Mario story using Origami characters, and mixing it with funny moments, exploration and diverse environments. | Read review |
| But Why Tho? | Eva Herinkova | 9 / 10 | 07-25-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is an absolutely phenomenal game. It simultaneously makes a return to what made the original games so great, namely the exploration and humor, while still progressing forward with new, creative battle systems and ideas. I had a blast playing through the game, finding collectibles, rescuing Toads, and saving the Mushroom Kingdom in a beautiful, paper world that always kept me laughing. | Read review |
| Cerealkillerz | Manuel Barthes | 8.7 / 10 | 07-21-2020 | Nintendo came, saw and won! With a surprise announcement and directly delivered. The picturesque world explodes with humour, charme and details and offers a beautiful adventure for fans of the series. Only the fighting system doesn’t really fit to the otherwise great rest of the game. | Read review |
| CGMagazine | Lindsay Traves | 9 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King had to meet the high bar set by the classic adaptations launched to the Nintendo Switch thus far and thankfully It didn’t fold under pressure. | Read review |
| Cheat Code Central | Jenni Lada | 4.5 / 5 stars | 07-21-2020 | There is fun to be had with Paper Mario: The Origami King. | Read review |
| Checkpoint Gaming | Edie W-K | 8 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is a great game with plenty of reasons to keep you exploring – it’s just missing that Wow factor that Paper Mario needed to put it back on top of the charts. Just don’t come in expecting it to be like the old games and you’ll have a great time. | Read review |
| COGconnected | Rhett Waselenchuk | 95 / 100 | 07-15-2020 | There are no paper cuts in store for you here. Paper Mario: The Origami King is as smooth as butter. | Read review |
| Critical Hit | Darryn Bonthuys | 7 / 10 | 07-28-2020 | There’s a lot of joy to be found in Paper Mario: The Origami King, but its shallow combat and monotonous nature makes for a glib experience that crumples under pressure. | Read review |
| Cubed3 | Renan Fontes | 6 / 10 | 08-07-2020 | The genuinely thought-provoking Ring Battle system, engaging puzzle design, and care given to Olivia’s characterisation all make The Origami King the best Paper Mario since the series’ Wii outing, but that wasn’t a high bar to begin with and the series is still struggling to come up with an engaging gameplay loop in light of the lessened RPG elements. Without experience or levelling, random battles lose their lustre fast. Likewise, Accessories don’t make up for a lack of Badges or traditional equipment, keeping combat relatively static and offering little in the way of non-Toad rewards for uncovering secrets. Worse is Intelligent Systems’ love affair with bloated pacing holding back otherwise well-designed dungeons and set pieces. The Origami King is an overall step in the right direction, but it’s emblematic of the fact that Paper Mario has no interest in honouring its legacy or living up to its potential. If nothing else, a direct sequel could easily unfold Origami King’s many creases. | Read review |
| Daily Star | Rebecca Stow | 4 / 5 stars | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is a vibrant, detailed, and exciting adventure filled with bustling hubs and lots of hidden treasure. Sadly, whilst the battle system looks good on paper, it isn’t the enjoyable or in-depth RPG system long term fans were hoping for. The writing is consistently laugh-out-loud funny though, and that’s the most important thing in any Paper Mario game. | Read review |
| DASHGAMER.com | Bryce Dewit | 7.5 / 10 | 07-23-2020 | Hopefully both new and long-time fans will still find something they will love here, because it would be a terrible shame if this game wasn’t viewed as it’s own piece, and just “Not-The-Thousand-Year-Door”. | Read review |
| Destructoid | Chris Carter | 8 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | There’s room in my heart for both styles of Paper Mario. The old games still exist and this newer, sometimes thinner formula is fine too. That said, it’s possible Nintendo and Intelligent Systems have folded this subseries every which way they can at this point. I hope the next one is a little more fresh. | Read review |
| Digital Trends | Jon Silman | 3.5 / 5 stars | 07-29-2020 | “Paper Mario: The Origami King is a charming Mario adventure marred by a difficult and tedious battle system.” | Read review |
| Digitally Downloaded | Matt Sainsbury | 4 / 5 stars | 07-15-2020 | I feel that there will be a discussion about that ring-based combat system and some of the world design elements, but through it all, I do think that most people will simply love the deadpan, dry, droll and refreshing humour, and a general return to form for Paper Mario at what it does best. | Read review |
| DualShockers | Ricky Frech | 7 / 10 | 07-24-2020 | As a longtime fan of the series, Paper Mario: The Origami King has its trademark humor and charm, but misses its appealing RPG gameplay. | Read review |
| Easy Allies | Ben Moore | 3.75 / 5 stars | 08-11-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is a delightful game with plenty of diverse ideas that falls just shy of greatness. | Read review |
| Echo Boomer | David Fialho | Recommended | 07-27-2020 | Another magical, charming and inovating entry in the Mario Universe, that falls a bit flat with a thin layered combat system and other little annoyances . | Read review |
| EGM | Michael Goroff | 6 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King once again takes the series in a completely different direction. Mushroom Kingdom is bigger and more alive than it’s ever been, but it comes packaged with a combat system that quickly becomes stagnant. | Read review |
| Eurogamer | Tom Phillips | Not Recommended | 07-15-2020 | Nintendo sketches another warm and colourful Paper Mario adventure, though never traces its full potential. | Read review |
| Everyeye.it | Francesco Fossetti | 8.4 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | The Origami King does not reach the excellence of its impressive predecessor, The Thousand-Year Door, precisely because it decides to overshadow the PRG component. | Read review |
| Game Informer | Ben Reeves | 7.8 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | As usual, Nintendo’s quirky writing is full of laugh-out-loud moments, but your quest is full of tiresome backtracking | Read review |
| Gameblog | Yann Bernard | 4.5 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario’s heritage still floats over The Origami King, but didn’t cause writer’s block with this blank page, folded upside down thanks to the fantastic imagination applied to the staging and the story, decidedly audacious. Intelligent Systems’ inventiveness also deploys through the ingenious architecture of this interconnected world and the tactical dimension unrolled by the battles, that become real puzzles. Such a well hammered increase of depth doesn’t give headaches though, the main quest unwrapping along the realm’s spread richness, so this moustached RPG asserts itself as the undisputed lord of its very own domain. | Read review |
| GameCrate | Angelo D’Argenio | 8 / 10 | 07-21-2020 | This is no Thousand Year Door, and it’s not really an RPG at all, but it is a nice little diversion to keep your thumbs busy between other bigger releases. | Read review |
| GameGrin | Anna Duncan | 6.5 / 10 | 07-27-2020 | If you’re a fan of the series then you can’t go wrong, but it’s not the strongest game in the franchise with its plain bad battle system, regardless of how charming and beautiful it is. | Read review |
| GameMAG | Алексей Сарафанов | 9 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is a full-fledged, large and very beautiful adventure with role-playing elements, which pleases with an abundance of gameplay mechanics, a great sense of humor, an interesting plot, a well-developed world and a huge number of entertaining puzzles. The game will give you dozens of exciting hours in the paper world and is just a must-buy for all owners of Nintendo Switch. | Read review |
| Gamers Heroes | Johnny Hurricane | 8 / 10 | 07-20-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is on the cusp of greatness, only let down by its tiresome combat system. Nevertheless, this adventure is one worth taking for most Paper Mario fans. | Read review |
| Gamersky | 金闪闪老里 | 8 / 10 | 07-23-2020 | Apart from the combat part, Paper Mario: The Origami King is fun, adorable, and full of surprise. | Read review |
| GamesBeat | Jeff Grubb | 85 / 100 | 07-15-2020 | So don’t sit this one out. Pick it up, play through it, complain about it with me, but then stick around for all of its joys. | Read review |
| GameSkinny | RobotsFightingDinosaurs | 9 / 10 | 07-28-2020 | Despite a combat system that gets old quickly, Paper Mario: The Origami King’s writing, puzzles, worldbuilding, and visuals make it the best entry in the series since The Thousand-Year Door. | Read review |
| GameSpew | Richard Seagrave | 8 / 10 | 07-29-2020 | It isn’t perfect, but Paper Mario: The Origami King has a huge amount of charm, and those with a keen sense of humour and adventure will find themselves effortlessly falling in love with it. | Read review |
| GameSpot | Suriel Vazquez | 8 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | The Origami King keeps its RPG systems and character work light, but revamped combat and solid gags throughout are the course-correction Paper Mario needed. | Read review |
| GamesRadar+ | Sam Loveridge | 4.5 / 5 stars | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is fun, light-hearted and a celebration of Super Mario with a strong story, great humour and brilliant characters. | Read review |
| GameXplain | GameXplain | Recommended | 07-15-2020 | Video Review | Read review |
| GamingBolt | Pramath | 8 / 10 | 07-24-2020 | Paper Mario may have shed its RPG trappings fully by this point, but that doesn’t stop The Origami King from being one of the best and most memorable outings in the series’ long history. | Read review |
| GamingTrend | David Flynn | 55 / 100 | 07-22-2020 | While Paper Mario: The Origami King makes excellent strides in terms of humor and adventure game design, it’s still sorely lacking aesthetically and features a horrendous battle system that only gets more frustrating as you play. I’ve given up on the series returning to the style of my childhood’s classics, but if the series ditches battles entirely it could make for some extremely fun adventure games. | Read review |
| GBAtemp | Jordan Ryan | 8.3 / 10 | 07-25-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King might seem like a mixed bag on the surface, but in my mind the good outweighs the bad. The music, while forgettable, is still functional. The combat, while annoying, is far from the worst thing I’ve played. And the just pure enjoyment I got from exploring and experiencing the world is enough for me to still give the game a hearty recommendation. | Read review |
| Geeks Under Grace | Derek Thompson | 5 / 10 | 08-24-2020 | Humor was only one component that made past Paper Mario games so well-loved; The Oragami King eschews all the other important ingredients. | Read review |
| God is a Geek | Adam Cook | 9 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | A creative triumph, with new ideas that last the entire game, some of the best boss battles in ages, and praiseworthy presentation. Paper Mario: The Origami King is only let down by some of the general combat being a bit skippable. | Read review |
| Guardian | Sarah Maria Griffin | 4 / 5 stars | 08-04-2020 | It might be made of papercraft, but Origami King has a lot of structural integrity, and unexpected depth. If you don’t fold at the tricky battle mechanics, the reward is an elevated, postmodern delight. | Read review |
| Hardcore Gamer | Kirstin Swalley | 4 / 5 stars | 07-20-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is a wonderful new entry that helps sell the idea that trying new things was the right move. | Read review |
| Hey Poor Player | Anthony Pelone | 3.5 / 5 stars | 08-31-2020 | As opposed to the cynical anti-player nonsense smothering the last two games, there’s a real heart beating in this installment that I can’t ignore: I adore this cast, I like exploring this world, and I enjoy the tale they left behind. But my contempt lies more within my response to 2007’s Super Paper Mario: wherein a genuinely well-meaning iteration is, once again, suffocated by a gameplay system that does it no favors. | Read review |
| IGN | Cam Shea | 7 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | The Origami King suffers from one-note combat and few real choices, but its personality and visual design are a joy. | Read review |
| IGN Spain | David Soriano | 8.5 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | New first-party from Nintendo, new great game for Switch. Despite the fact that being announced just two months ago, the new installment of Mario’s RPG saga is brilliant, even if its combat puzzles mechanics end up getting too repetitive. | Read review |
| Impulsegamer | Nathan Misa | 3 / 5 stars | 07-27-2020 | A light-hearted, casual action-adventure game with basic of RPG elements that will appeal most to younger Switch owners and newer Paper Mario fans. | Read review |
| Jump Dash Roll | Jon Peltz | 8 / 10 | 07-27-2020 | Paper Mario is a hysterical and consistently gripping adventure that will keep you wondering what left turn it will take next. It’s a game crafted with love and a willingness to subvert expectations, and its myriad charming moments will make you forget about its joyless and overly pushy battle system. | Read review |
| KeenGamer | Harry Fritsch | 7 / 10 | 07-27-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is a delightful debut for the arts and crafts world of the Mushroom Kingdom on Switch by having the sharpest execution of the series’ endearing presentation and writing to date. However, developer Intelligent Systems continues to enable Paper Mario’s decade long identity crisis by failing to commit to RPG systems in addition to the inclusion of a half-baked battle system that feels irrelevant to the overall experience. | Read review |
| Kotaku | Chris Kohler | Not Recommended | 07-15-2020 | Origami King might not be the successor to Thousand-Year Door for which fans have been clamoring, but this time the formula works, allowing the series’ great writing and worlds to shine through. | Read review |
| LevelUp | Pedro Pérez Cesari | 8 / 10 | 07-29-2020 | The Origami King is a fun adventure game with a charming story and clever dialogue. Sadly, it suffers from an identity crisis due to an battle system that is not for everybody. | Read review |
| Luis Alamilla | Luis Alamilla | 7.5 / 10 | 07-23-2020 | Video Review | Read review |
| Merlin’in Kazanı | Ersin Kılıç | 70 / 100 | 07-28-2020 | A fun game despite some losses in RPG dynamics and depth. | Read review |
| Metro GameCentral | GameCentral | 8 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | One of the most relentlessly charming video games ever made and the best Paper Mario since The Thousand-Year Door. | Read review |
| MonsterVine | Tyler Lander | 4 / 5 stars | 07-29-2020 | My final thoughts on the game come down on how fun it is to play rather than watch and if you are a completionist of sorts, you will get your money’s worth. | Read review |
| New Game Network | Josh Hinke | 67 / 100 | 07-29-2020 | There are elements acting as a glue-stick, keeping Paper Mario: The Origami King from completely falling apart, but it is in desperate need of a vision. If you really need a Mario fix, look to the superior Super Mario Odyssey, which is already available on the Switch. | Read review |
| Niche Gamer | Brandon Lyttle | 5 / 10 | 07-27-2020 | Players wanting to re-experience a Mario RPG will be sorely disappointed by Paper Mario: The Origami King. But players who want a light-hearted and laidback adventure game are in for a good time. Albeit, one that doesn’t quite justify the game’s price tag. | Read review |
| Nintendo Enthusiast | Brett Medlock | 8 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | At the end of the day, Paper Mario: The Origami King surpassed my expectations. It isn’t the RPG return to form many gamers were hoping for, but it is the best Paper Mario game since The Thousand-Year Door. The combat is unique, the writing is superb, and the world is brimming with charm. | Read review |
| Nintendo Life | Chris Scullion | 8 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | It still isn’t the new Thousand-Year Door fans will have been hoping for, but it’s still one of the funniest games in the series and it’s got a truly likeable companion character, and while the combat is far from ideal the fact that we still thoroughly recommend the game regardless speaks volumes about every other aspect of it. | Read review |
| Nintendo Wire | Ricky Berg | 8.5 / 10 | 08-05-2020 | When the confetti’s done flying it might not stand with the must-haves of the Switch’s library, but Paper Mario: The Origami King is a satisfying and entertaining bibliofold of a game. | Read review |
| NintendoWorldReport | Xander Morningstar | 7.5 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | I liked playing Paper Mario: The Origami King. It has such high points with the music, the visuals, the comedy, and the willingness to try new ideas. I love how experimental the adventure is with the large variety of situational humor and mini-games. This world was such a treat to journey through, and it was nice to have more then one meaningful emotional moment again in a Paper Mario game. | Read review |
| Noisy Pixel | Jake Yoder | 8 / 10 | 07-23-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King might not be the RPG that I was hoping for, but the new systems and clever features made me forget all about that. The attention to developing a compelling plot within this fantasy world makes it a must-play experience for all Mario fans. Battles do inevitably become redundant, but that doesn’t overshadow this beautiful origami world begging to be explored. | Read review |
| Paste Magazine | Waverly | 7 / 10 | 07-24-2020 | A lot of the little puzzles and vignettes are also fun as well. However, it’s hard to look past the masculinist colonialist ideals it holds onto and consider coming back again. I’m not sure I’ll be able to forget the fun and laughter of Origami King, but I also won’t forget its problems. | Read review |
| PCMag | Will Greenwald | 3 / 5 stars | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King weighs down a fun adventure with an unsatisfying, puzzle-based combat system that misses the mark. | Read review |
| Player2.net.au | Dylan Burns | Recommended | 07-31-2020 | Origami King is entirely pleasant, well written, charming and enjoyable without being essential or groundbreaking. While the battles are confusing and far too frequent, the exploration, constant unveiling of secrets, colourful environments and quirky characters will keep you hooked. | Read review |
| Polygon | Jeffrey Parkin | Not Recommended | 07-15-2020 | I want to share it with my nieces and nephews, as well as my grown friends. But I hesitate due to the frustration of the combat and those imposing boss battles — those moments where I wish I had someone else to take over on the controller. | Read review |
| Post Arcade (National Post) | Chad Sapieha | 7.5 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | It’s smart, creative, and rarely less than lovely to look at, but its combination of odd combat mechanics and sporadically subversive wit are bound to reinforce the franchise’s status as distinctively niche within the Marioverse. | Read review |
| PowerUp! | Leo Stevenson | 6.3 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Ultimately, let down by a lacklustre combat system that is far too repetitive and frequent, Paper Mario: The Origami King is only… ok. It’s still worth playing for the wonderful visuals and excellent storytelling but don’t expect a true Mario RPG. | Read review |
| Press Start | Shannon Grixti | 8 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is another exceptional Nintendo game. The story is laugh out loud hilarious, the world begs you to explore it and the art style is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, the battles get in the way of its successes and ultimately let it down. | Read review |
| pressakey.com | Tim Bissinger | Recommended | 09-10-2020 | Origami King is a wonderful, light-hearted adventure | Read review |
| Reno Gazette-Journal | Jason Hidalgo | 8 / 10 | 07-23-2020 | Origami King — even with its imperfections — is a bold attempt at reimagining the franchise. Fans who pine for the series classic RPG mechanics will likely be disappointed in the game’s combat system. A colorful and imaginative open world, however, combined with witty dialogue and poignant storytelling, make Origami King a welcome addition to the Paper Mario fold. | Read review |
| Rocket Chainsaw | Joseph Rositano | 3.5 / 5 stars | 08-13-2020 | If you were disappointed by Sticker Star and Color Splash, give this new entry a go as it is definitely more enjoyable, but keep in mind the series is clearly heading into a new direction. | Read review |
| RPGamer | Anna Marie Privitere | 4 / 5 stars | 07-28-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is a great title that proves bouncing back from a low point in the series isn’t an impossible task. While not the perfect Paper Mario title, it certainly enshrines itself as one of the best. | Read review |
| Saudi Gamer | محمد الدوسري | 6 / 10 | 07-21-2020 | For the fans of the series like me I see it as a fun experience in general, especially it’s the debut of the series on the Nintendo Switch, but the overall quality of the series is still in decline unfortunately. | Read review |
| Screen Rant | Cody Gravelle | 4.5 / 5 stars | 07-15-2020 | An endlessly enjoyable story, a unique take on combat that fuses puzzle-solving with RPG traditions, and a beautiful world full of adventure makes Paper Mario: The Origami King yet another must-play Nintendo Switch experience. | Read review |
| SECTOR.sk | Michal Korec | 8 / 10 | 08-04-2020 | Paper Mario is back and ready to fight with new ring-based battle system. Mostly successfuly. | Read review |
| Shacknews | Ozzie Mejia | 7 / 10 | 07-27-2020 | The best thing I can say about Paper Mario: The Origami King is that it has some major problems, but the story is great enough and so worth experiencing that it’s worth trudging through the negatives to experience it at least once. Like a lot of first-time origami projects, it starts rough, but it’s worth seeing through to the end. | Read review |
| Slant Magazine | Aaron Riccio | 4.5 / 5 stars | 07-24-2020 | While a lot of care has gone into refining the game’s combat, there’s no shortage of things to do outside of battles. | Read review |
| SpazioGames | Valentino Cinefra | 8.5 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Tough Paper Mario: The Origami King is not an rpg anymore, this new work from Intelligent Systems is still an oustanding adventure with a lot of humor and awesome ideas. | Read review |
| Stevivor | Ben Salter | 7 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario The Origami King is a delightfully charming game, with a vibrant open world to explore and endearing characters that are genuinely funny, so long as you can handle a healthy dose of dad jokes. | Read review |
| Telegraph | Tom Hoggins | 4 / 5 stars | 07-21-2020 | The latest outing for Mario’s most unusual guise combines inventive puzzle-combat and a gorgeous world to explore | Read review |
| The Digital Fix | Reuben Mount | 7 / 10 | 07-23-2020 | A visually beautiful and hilariously well-written experience let down by an overbearing and clunky fundamental gameplay system. Unfortunately, Paper Mario: The Origami King falls flat in its attempts to bring one too many things into the fold. | Read review |
| The Games Machine | Daniele Cucchiarelli | 9.1 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | The Origami King is one of the most entertaining chapters in the long-lasting Paper Mario franchise and will surprise you with some fresh gameplay solutions. | Read review |
| The Outerhaven Productions | Henry Buehler | 3 / 5 stars | 07-24-2020 | Paper Mario’s latest outing on the Nintendo Switch is a very charming but shallow adventure in a gorgeous, handcrafted world. | Read review |
| TheSixthAxis | Stefan L | 7 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is a solid, but unremarkable sequel. It’s like a table of snack food at a party, where you’ll happily nibble away just because you’re stood next to it or feeling a bit peckish, but it’s not exactly going to fill you up. The new battle puzzles and the boss fights in particular stand out, but the world and endless Toads fail to spark the same delight. This feels like a missed opportunity. | Read review |
| ThisGenGaming | Robby Bisschop | 9 / 10 | 08-08-2020 | The Origami King is a fantastic new page in the Paper Mario RPG playbook offering a funny story that is guaranteed to crease you up. Whenever the game threatens to get stale, it’ll have an exciting new twist waiting just around the corner. | Read review |
| Too Much Gaming | Joseph Choi | 8 / 10 | 07-27-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King was enjoyable, but the verdict’s out as to whether or not it’s a classic on par with the best of the Mario RPG games. | Read review |
| Unboxholics | Γιώργος Πρίτσκας | Recommended | 07-15-2020 | If you are looking to relax with a light mood game with plenty of humor, Paper Mario: The Origami King is for you. | Read review |
| USgamer | Nadia Oxford | 4 / 5 stars | 07-15-2020 | If you’re OK with Paper Mario’s turn to action, you’ll find an enjoyable game packed with humor, secrets, and unique boss battles. | Read review |
| VG247 | Alex Donaldson | Recommended | 07-15-2020 | That simplicity is overridden by originality and vigor, then – but I also know all too well that some fans of the older Paper Mario games will once again walk away a little disappointed. This is still undoubtedly no Thousand Year Door. Perhaps the next outing can bring back a little of that RPG depth – but regardless of that, this is still the best Paper Mario game in years. | Read review |
| VGChartz | Nicholas Taylor | 8 / 10 | 08-15-2020 | A highly innovative, amazingly well-written, perfectly scored game with engaging characters, fun areas, and a very satisfying battle system. | Read review |
| Video Chums | Mary Billington | 9 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is a hilarious game with a ton of variety in its world and a clever new puzzle-based battle system. There’s so much fun to be had that if you don’t already own a Switch, this will act as a fantastic reason to go out and get one. | Read review |
| Wccftech | Dave Aubrey | 7.5 / 10 | 07-15-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King is the best Paper Mario game I’ve played in over a decade, and yet I’m still feeling let down. While it’s incredibly endearing and genuinely funny, it’s also painfully boring and the thought of playing it again puts me straight to sleep. There will undoubtedly be massive fans of Paper Mario: The Origami King, but I can’t say I’m one of them. A lovely action adventure game, but essential for no one. | Read review |
| We Got This Covered | Jon Hueber | 4 / 5 stars | 07-30-2020 | Paper Mario: The Origami King has plenty of humor and some frustrating combat, but it all comes together to create a unique experience for players of all ages. | Read review |
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