Yet another remastered version of a brilliant game from a bygone era, arriving after Metroid Prime Remastered, Pikmin 1+2 Or The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDto name only Nintendo productions, Paper Mario: The Millennium Door coming to us in just a month.
Before that, since it is visibly very confident about the quality of this production, the company allowed us to get our hands on a complete version to give you our first impressions, via a session lasting up to the end of the third chapter of the game. Connoisseurs know that this already represents a good part of the adventure, which allows us, from today, to be quite specific about our fears and expectations. So, do we advise you to pre-order your copy? This is what we are going to see.
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Conditions of play: Nintendo has sent us a full version of the title, for which certain updates are however to be expected before release. We were prohibited from continuing after completing Chapter 3 before writing. This article is guaranteed spoiler-free.
The cube of all passions
When it comes to Gamecube, there are two schools. First, there are those who say THE Gamecube… no comment! Then, there are the others, for whom one would believe that the console had descended from the heavens, with its host of apostles having redefined the Nintendo game library. Released in May 2002 by us, this cubic console, armed with a handle for transport, and no less than four controller ports, did not sell very well. Worse, in the face of competition it is struggling a lot, since not only is it being overtaken by the brand new challenger on the market, namely Xbox, but it is also light years away from a PlayStation 2 having sold more than 150 years. million copies worldwide. However, there is no shortage of notable releases on this fallen machine.
Paper Mario: The Millennium Door is one of these. Arriving in November 2004 on the old continent, this exceptional suite Paper Mario of the Nintendo 64 will have immediately met with the expected critical success. We are talking about a title having easily reached the 87 on Metacritic which, admittedly, remains a rather arbitrary data for the time, but still remains a good indicator of the affection of the public and the press for this RPG dressed entirely in paper. So obviously, its 2024 version is awaited, especially by fans of the original game who note, like everyone else, the aberrant prices of Gamecube games on the internet. First good point, this Switch edition will cost less new than its used big sister. However, everything is not to rejoice in this lifted release.
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Well, we're not going to lie, the first minutes spent on the title are exciting. Visually, this version deviates very little from the original, but it is nevertheless enhanced with a certain elegance. As a result, fans of the original will not be disoriented, and others will not have the blatant impression of playing a game that is around twenty years old. What the music, reorchestrated with a finesse that is a pleasure to hear, will only corroborate. And for the eternally nostalgic, don't panic, since an item sold for a pittance in the first streets of the adventure will allow them to enjoy the original soundtrack. A little attention which is nice to see, as well as the appearance of badges allowing you to modulate the difficulty of the adventure (different from the one found in the original), reminiscent of what offered Sea of Stars last year.
And said badges won't be too much since, at first glance, the overall difficulty of the game has absolutely not been increased. Which means that, as at the time, seasoned players will probably have no trouble completing this adventure, despite a few small peaks that may surprise you. Something that the profusion of fights, linked together at a pace which is likely to irritate, does not help, since it takes no time to make our pocket Mario evolve, to the point of rolling over the entire enemies encountered. In any case, this is the observation that we draw from our few hours of play, during which we have already been able to come up against several bosses. None caused the slightest problem, and worse, we never really felt in difficulty.
Solid foundations
But apart from that, it's difficult to deny your pleasure. Paper Mario: The Millennium Door remains true to itself, with writing that works well, despite a story that never seems to fly high, a gallery of endearing characters, and a kind humor that often hits the mark. We are quite close to what young players were able to discover on the most recent Color Splash And The Origami King, with a relatively linear recipe including a lot of combat, and a little exploration in settings that are very pleasing to the eye. Simple but effective, and ultimately we didn't really ask for more, especially since it's the only legal way to try a Gamecube classic without breaking the bank.
On the combat side, we find mechanics directly inherited from Super Mario RPG, with a QTE system to ward off enemy attacks, but also to launch our own abilities. Something which, as always in the RPG series dedicated to the mustachioed plumber, allows the player to be involved at all times during the confrontations. Enough to allow them to drastically gain in interest, despite their relative weakness compared to what is happening today in the genre, even if that does not completely excuse their sometimes exasperating profusion. Still, we would not have been against some improvements, even if it meant deviating from the original material, particularly with regard to the interface. But we quibble.
However, a few small details remain to be confirmed. To begin with, we wait to realize how much nostalgia plays a role in these rather positive first impressions. Because if we keep very pleasant memories of Paper Mario of the Gamecube, and that these first hours spent on the Switch version had the delectable effect of a Proust madeleine, nothing tells us that the recipe will take as well in the long term, in this edition brought up to date. We can clearly see that the interactions with the decor are fewer, and much less hidden than in The Origami King for example, which can work against exploration in the long term, to the extent that progression appears very linear.
We also hope that the fights will gain in intensity as we progress in the adventure, otherwise it risks turning out to be a bit soporific in the long term, as with the last two opuses of the franchise. At least, the possibilities seem much greater than what we saw in the friendly, but a little disappointing, Super Mario RPG arriving to us in its Switch version last year. Finally, we would not be against a few notable additions, in order to offer real added value to this version which, without this, and despite a lifespan at least as colossal as that of the original, is likely to disappoint. a bit some fans waiting for a little more than a simple facelift. Even if, here again, we quibble.
Promising, Paper Mario: The Millennium Door certainly is. At the same time, we expected it a little, the original version being a real must have for the Nintendo Gamecube. Everything does not necessarily seem rosy, especially when it comes to the fights which seemed far too numerous to us during our session. But it must be said what is, it warms the heart to find this classic RPG style Big N, which seems to have lost none of its enchanting universe, its endearing characters, and its kind humor. We are clearly not the game of the year, but certainly a highly recommendable adventure for any Switch player.