Paper Mario: The Origami Kingis just over a week away now, and some industry insiders are starting to reveal more about the game. The most recent development is the realization that the game won’t feature an experience system, and subsequently, Mario won’t level up throughout the game.
As most RPG fans are aware, experience tends to be a vital part of the progression system in a game. It is what drives players to continue to get stronger and allows them to face tougher challenges.Paper Mario: The OrigamiKingis stepping away from that system, however, which poses some interesting gameplay questions.
RELATED:Paper Mario: The Origami King Video Collects Gameplay Clips
The biggest concern fans have with this change ishow character progression will work. If Mario begins with all the same powers, moves, and abilities that he will have by the end of the game, that would remove any feeling of advancement after all.
It is still too early to make a complete judgement, as it is unclear whether or not battles offer other rewards aside from experience or if Mario will have other ways of advancing. Even so, the decision to remove experience and levels is rather strange, and is a little off-putting for some fans. If there are in fact no rewards for combat, then players will likely begin to feel incentivized to avoid it altogether. While this isn’t necessarily a problem, it runs counterintuitive to what olderPaper Mariogames and other RPGs have taught fansover the years.
It’s worth noting that there are plenty ofRPGs that don’t use experience, but these tend to be more open world experiences. In games likePaper Mario: The Origami Kingwhere every battle results in a cutaway battle sequence akin to an olderFinal Fantasygame, experience is sort of an expected part of the equation. Hopefully Nintendo finds other ways to incentivize battles and reward the player for doing well in them, otherwise most fans will probably start avoiding battles after the first couple encounters.
Truth be told, thePaper Mariofranchise as a whole has undergone some drastic changes over the course of its past few titles. Over the previous five titles beforeOrigami King, the gameplay style has changed pretty dramatically. Whether this is Nintendo attempting to adapt to more modern audiences and experiences or just it not fully knowing what it wants to do with the franchise is unclear, butOrigami Kingwill likely be an enjoyable experienceregardless.
Paper Mario: The Origami Kingreleases July 17th exclusively on Nintendo Switch.
MORE:10 Games To Play While You Wait For Paper Mario: The Origami King
