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Gaming Review


Released on Saturday, Dec 1 2012

Paper Mario: Sticker Star (For 3DS)

© Nintendo

Release Date: December 7 (Europe), November 11 (North America)
Platforms available on: 3DS
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: RPG

Paper Mario was a rare and delightful role-playing title on the Nintendo 64, and the beginning of a much-loved spinoff Mario series. After releases on the GameCube and Wii, Sticker Star is Paper Mario's first adventure on the Nintendo 3DS, introducing a few interesting and distinct quirks as a result of the sticker system.

Sticker Star begins like any other Mario game - Peach is kidnapped by Bowser, and it's up to the moustached plumber to rescue her. Stringing the story together is Mario's quest to recover six Royal Stickers, scattered around the Mushroom Kingdom, which are needed to overpower his nemesis.

Although Mario has a Navi-esque companion in sticker fairy Kersti, he scraps in every turn-based battle by himself. To take down enemies, he must use stickers - one-time use moves that can be found in the environment or are dropped after battles.

'Paper Mario: Sticker Star' screenshot

© Nintendo

Mario's sticker album will mostly be dominated by jump and hammer attacks - moves that will be familiar to Mario RPG veterans - and besides a few variants ('Line Jump' allows you to hop on all enemies, while 'Baa Hammer' puts the target to sleep) there are plenty more to find, ranging from fire flowers to boomerangs, spike helmets to frog suits.

With a good amount of variety in the stickers, there's strategy involved when it comes to besting foes. Hammers are effective against spiny enemies, but 'Iron Jump' is a great alternative. Meanwhile, shells are usually an effective way to deal with several ground-based enemies.

Like other Mario RPGs, extra damage can be dealt from attacks if button presses are timed correctly. Hitting the 'A' button as a jumping Mario hits his target will not only boost damage but also allow the plumber to keep hopping on the enemy. The same is true for defense, as less damage will be taken with a spot-on block.

One combat mechanic that gets highly repetitive, though, is the battle spinner. Should you want to use two or three stickers at once instead of just the standard one, you're forced to play a slot machine minigame, with your success determining how many consecutive attacks you can execute in that move.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star (For 3DS)

© Nintendo

Because multiple attacks are incredibly handy in group encounters and boss fights, playing the same minigame gets tiring quickly, especially when it slows down what is otherwise a smartly engaging battle system.

But while the battle system is enjoyable, the battles themselves are let down by the fact that there's no character progression at all. Mario never gains experience or levels up, and health increases are periodically found rather than earned. Mario copes with increasingly tougher enemies by picking up better stickers mostly while you're exploring the world, which makes engaging in battles rather pointless.

The stickers being disposable also introduces a couple of problems. Firstly, you may feel inclined to save your best stickers for a tough fight or impending boss. This means that dealing with non-threatening encounters takes longer than it should as you're deliberately using your worst stickers.

Secondly, battles don't always reward you with stickers, so in most cases, fighting will slowly deplete your album. There are more than enough stickers in levels for this not to be a huge issue, but getting nothing useful out of battles inspires you further to avoid enemy encounters.

Fortunately, the levels are mostly pleasant. The pop-up visuals look superb on Nintendo's portable device and are a great fit for 3D. Sticker Star naturally takes place in a variety of thematic environments - including desert, forest and snow - and the enemies that populate the world as well as the level design help set apart each area of the game.

The level design is rarely linear. Like Super Mario World, some levels have multiple exits, while there is a wild number of secret rooms that are littered with numerous rewards, from bonus coins to rare stickers.

Exploration is certainly encouraged - while it's often entirely possible to make a beeline to the exit, there are several puzzles that require some thought and checking every nook and cranny to ensure you haven't overlooked something key.

Discovering some of Sticker Star's many secrets is rewarding and among the best moments of the game. However, while much of the puzzle-solving is neat, too much of it relies on items accumulated from previous levels. These ones can be particularly irritating.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star (For 3DS)

© Nintendo

For example, in the second world, Mario has to collect three tablet pieces from earlier in the game to progress. One is hidden away in a secret area only hinted at by a vague and cryptic message, while getting another requires using an entirely missable object that isn't even in the same world.

The game stalls horribly as you backtrack and replay level after level, trying to figure out what you're missing. It's often unclear where Mario needs to go to progress, and these moments end up being frustrating and ruin the flow of the story.

It's a shame, because the writing is sharp and legitimately funny at times. There's no denying that Sticker Star has a lot of charm and personality. Mario fans will also lap up appearances from some classic enemies, as the likes of Kamek, Wiggler and Super Mario Bros 2's hopping purple Ninji turn up. Plus, there's a Yoshi sphinx that will please fans of the cute dinosaur.

Much of what made Paper Mario charming in the first place still remains with Sticker Star. However, this 3DS game can be pretty tedious to play. The sticker system is a fresh and interesting idea, but ultimately, too many problems bog the game down and what's left is a lackluster installment.

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