The Mario franchise as a whole is one that has branched off into numerous side titles if you will that has earned Nintendo a lot of money and praise. From the Mario Kart series, to the Mario Party line, the various sports titles, and of course, the Paper Mario games. But in regards to that later one, the desires of the dev team and the desires of the fans who play the games are decidedly at odds, and that doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.
For proof of this, look at the last 3-4 titles (which includes the crossover Paper Jam) in the line and notice that they’ve gone further and further from the world of the original game and the beloved Thousand Year Door. This has continued with the upcoming title The Origami King which features even less of what made the original two games so special.
Paper Mario: The Origami King producer Kensuke Tanabe talked about this in an interview with VGC and noted some rather curious things that has left fans scratching their heads. Mainly, he notes he has “refrained from using stories that are too complicated”, as he believes it “moves things away from the Mario Universe”.
Which is odd because the first three games especially were PRAISED for their deep stories and unique takes on the Mario Universe. So again, it is at odds.
As for the characters/partners that people are used to expecting, Tanabe noted that it’s “impossible” to “modify them” as before. Thus they have to either stick to what’s there or make entirely new things. Which seems odd on a whole host of levels especially considering the success of the first three titles and their original characters.
What this means for the franchise is that IF it continues (depending on the success of the Origami King) things won’t revert to where they were, but rather, they’ll continue on as they have been. Which might not be best for the game or its players.
