Super Paper Mario

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Super Paper Mario
For alternate box art, see the related gallery.
Developers	Intelligent Systems Nintendo SPD Group No.3
Publisher	Nintendo
Platforms	Wii, Wii U
Release dates	Original release: April 9, 2007 April 9, 2007 April 19, 2007 September 14, 2007 September 20, 2007 July 12, 2008 July 12, 2008 February 26, 2009 July 17, 2009 Nintendo Selects release: August 28, 2011 June 22, 2012 Wii U (digital download): June 16, 2016 August 3, 2016 August 11, 2016 August 13, 2016
Languages	English (United States) English (United Kingdom) Japanese French (France) German Italian Korean Spanish (Spain)
Genres	Platformer, RPG
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone CERO: - All ages PEGI: - Three years and older USK: - All ages RARS: - All ages ClassInd: - General audience GRAC: - All ages ACB: - General FPB: - Parental guidance
Mode	Single-player
Format	Wii: Optical disc Wii U: Digital download
Input	Wii: Wii Remote (horizontal)
Serial codes	RVL-R8PE-USA RVL-R8PJ-JPN RVL-R8PK-KOR

“An interdimensional adventure!”

—Save data description

Super Paper Mario is a platformer role-playing game released in 2007 for the Wii, as well as the first game starring Mario for the console. Rather than employing a turn-based battle system typical of the Paper Mario series, Super Paper Mario focuses on level-based platforming gameplay while repurposing some side-scroller mechanics into RPG elements, such as using points as experience. The game fuses elements of 2-D and 3-D gameplay together, shifting back and forth between dimensions as a major mechanic, once being described as a "2.5D" sidescroller by Nintendo Power magazine.

The story focuses on Mario, Princess Peach, Bowser, and Luigi journeying across various dimensions to stop a villain named Count Bleck from destroying all of existence. These four Heroes of Light are joined by fairy-like Pixls along the way, granting them extra abilities such as hammering objects or calling up a temporary shield. Their quest requires the collection of eight Pure Hearts, relics imbued with the power of love and key to neutralizing the prophesized end of all worlds.

Super Paper Mario has a distinct visual style among the Paper Mario games. While most characters, enemies and items returning from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door retain their visual and sound designs, this game utilizes very abstract, inorganic shapes and synthetic music to emphasize the unfamiliar territory. New characters are assembled from simple polygons, circles, and lines, and each dimension features equally abstract yet unique patterns, gradients, psychedelic colors and tessellation in their environments and backgrounds. Coupled with animations featuring computer pointers with selection boxes, outline-filling effects, and pixelation, this visual direction seems to be inspired by a mix of computer interfaces and digital media such as Microsoft Paint rather than strictly traditional art mediums.

The game was originally planned for a 2006 release on the Nintendo GameCube and the newer Wii console, but it was pushed to the latter exclusively, with motion controls incorporated into certain gameplay features. Super Paper Mario had a short development cycle compared to other games in the Paper Mario series, being released on April 9, 2007 for North America, April 19, 2007 for Japan, and September 14, 2007 for Europe, and September 20, 2007 for Australia. The game was re-released for the Wii U eShop in North America on June 16, 2016, in Japan on August 3, 2016, in Europe on August 11, 2016, and in Australia on August 12, 2016; however, the digital re-release was eventually removed from the Wii U eShop after its discontinuation on March 27, 2023, making it no longer possible for players to purchase the game, although players who purchased the title before this date can still play it as long as it is on their Wii U device.

Story

The inter-dimensional wedding, where the Chaos Heart is created.

The story opens with Mario and Luigi being informed by Toad about Princess Peach's latest kidnapping. Believing Bowser to be the culprit once again, the brothers immediately head off to his castle, only to find him simply preparing to attack. A villain named Count Bleck then appears with his assistant, Nastasia and Princess Peach, who is his prisoner. He announces his plans to use Peach "to destroy all worlds", renders Mario unconscious with his dark powers, and kidnaps Bowser as well, with Luigi and Bowser's minions being sucked away too.

Elsewhere, Peach regains consciousness to find that she and Bowser are dressed in wedding outfits and standing at an altar, with Count Bleck officiating. While Bowser says "yes", Nastasia uses mind control powers to force Peach to say "I do", and the marriage between them calls forth the Chaos Heart. Luigi awakens in the Koopa crowd watching the ceremony and attempts to intervene, but he is too late as Bleck uses the Chaos Heart to open a dimensional rift known as The Void, fulfilling a prophecy he read in an ancient book known as the Dark Prognosticus, in which all worlds are destroyed.

Mario in Chapter 1-1, flipped to the 3-D dimension.

Back at Bowser's Castle, Mario is awakened by a Pixl named Tippi, who brings him to the town of Flipside and introduces him to Merlon. He owns the benevolent counterpart of Bleck's book, the Light Prognosticus, which indicates that a hero fitting Mario's description can stop the Void, which is visible in the sky above Flipside and slowly growing. Merlon gives Mario the first of eight Pure Hearts that he needs to counteract the Chaos Heart. Upon receiving the first Pure Heart, Mario has to place it into the first Heart Pillar to cause a door to appear on the top of Flipside Tower leading straight to Lineland, where the next Pure Heart is. Merlon also tells Mario that he must also learn the "dimensional technique" from his friend Bestovius there in order to find the rest of the Pure Hearts.

Meanwhile, in Castle Bleck, the Count and Nastasia meet with the other three minions, Dimentio, O'Chunks, and the shape-shifting Mimi. Count Bleck promises to replace the destroyed worlds with a perfect world where all his minions' dreams will come true, and when Nastasia mentions that the hero of prophecy may be active, O'Chunks volunteers to take care of him, with Dimentio tagging along to watch the show.

Chapter 1: Lineland

Mario proceeding in Lineland.

In Lineland, Mario first seeks out Bestovius and gains the ability to flip into the third dimension, allowing him to progress through the world. After climbing Mount Lineland, Mario and Tippi reach Yold Town, where they find another Pixl named Thoreau, who assists them as they cross the puzzle-filled Yold Desert and are forced to fight O'Chunks before reaching Yold Ruins. The next Pure Heart is guarded by the robotic dragon, Fracktail, but while he recognizes Mario as the legendary hero, before he can let the plumber pass, Dimentio appears and causes the dragon to malfunction, making him attack. Mario is forced to defeat him before proceeding inside the sanctum of the ruins, where he is given a Pure Heart by Merlumina, one of the ancients who wrote the Light Prognosticus and lingered after death to await the hero.

Interlude

Meanwhile, O'Chunks reports back to Castle Bleck in shame, so the Count sends Mimi to deal with the hero, while Nastasia goes to look for any "goons" in the castle who still are not under Bleck's control.

Soon after, Peach (now in her usual pink dress) wakes up in Castle Bleck and joins a Hammer Bro and a Koopa Troopa in search of an exit, but they are soon cornered by Nastasia, who brainwashes Bowser's minions. Peach, however, is teleported away before she can be hypnotized.

Far away, Mario returns to Flipside to bring the Pure Heart to Merlon, and the group learns from a panicking citizen that a girl has fallen from the sky. They then go to investigate, and discover that the girl is Peach, whom they revive with Spicy Soup. Feeling responsible for the opening of the Void, Peach insists on joining Mario in his quest and helps him reach the next Heart Pillar, and Merlon sends them through the new orange door to the next world, Gloam Valley.

Chapter 2: Gloam Valley

Peach traveling in Gloam Valley.

Mario and Peach cross Gloam Valley to reach Merlee's Mansion, meeting an explosive Pixl named Boomer on the way. At the mansion, Mimi is waiting in disguise as Merlee's maid and uses various tricks and traps to try and stop Mario and Peach from getting deeper into the building, including forcing them to work in the mansion's power plant to work off a phony debt she levied on them for the apparent breaking of a vase. With help from another new Pixl, Slim, the heroes outwit Mimi and enter the mansion's basement, where a spectral Merlee appears and warns them to be careful as they search for her. Mimi shape-shifts into Merlee to try and trick Mario and Peach once more but when the truth is discovered she reverts to her true spider-like form and chases them around the basement as they seek out the real Merlee, who had hidden in a bathroom. After more attempted trickery, Mimi fights the heroes, but Merlee weakens her with magical chanting and she is defeated and forced to flee. Merlee then gives the third Pure Heart to Mario and Peach and informs them that there are a total of four heroes needed to stop the Void.

Interlude

With Mimi defeated, Count Bleck decides to send Dimentio to go after the hero of prophecy, while Nastasia resumes her search for non-hypnotized stragglers around the castle.

Meanwhile, Luigi wakes up and is manipulated by two Goombas into helping them find a way out, but they run into Nastasia. One of the Goombas is hypnotized and the other Goomba willingly joins Nastasia's side, and they restrain Luigi so that Nastasia can brainwash him as well.

The Void grows over Flipside when Mario, Peach, and their Pixl friends return. After finding the third Heart Pillar, a yellow door to The Bitlands appears on the tower.

Chapter 3: The Bitlands

The Bitlands.

Upon the heroes' arrival in the pixelated Bitlands, Tippi is kidnapped by the geeky, butterfly-collecting chameleon, Francis. Another Pixl named Barry witnessed the scene from behind a bush and tells the heroes how to reach Fort Francis. After passing through an underground area just like World 1-2 in Super Mario Bros., Mario and Peach come across some castles occupied by Koopas, Hammer Bros., Bullet Bills and Bowser himself, who proceeds to lose a one-on-one fight with Mario. Bowser explains that he was locked up in Bleck's Castle and does not know how he appeared in the Bitlands, and with some persuasion, agrees to join Peach and Mario on their journey. The three swim across the Tile Pool, where they meet a new Pixl, Thudley, and use him to defeat a monstrous Big Blooper. Beyond the pool, the heroes climb the Dotwood Tree in order to use the winds blowing at the top to float over a gorge and reach Fort Francis. Along the way, they run into Dimentio, who transports them to Dimension D and fights them. He is defeated, brushing it off as a mere amusement, and monologues to himself that he was in fact using it to gauge the heroes' strength in order to ensure they can defeat Count Bleck when the time comes. Unaware of Dimentio's plotting, Mario, Peach and Bowser continue on to Fort Francis, where they find another trapped Pixl named Carrie and navigate their way through a sea of puzzles, Meowmaid robots, and nerdy memorabilia. When they reach Francis, he immediately develops a crush on Peach and attempts to flirt with her using an electronic chat interface that he created, called Swoon.exe. She rebuffs him and he is defeated in battle, and the surge of trust and happiness from the newly-freed Tippi calls forth the next Pure Heart from the castle.

Interlude

Back at Castle Bleck, Dimentio muses that the heroes might be able to defy the prophecy, but Bleck is confident in his plan and calls for an unnamed new minion to take care of his foes. Nastasia lingers after the other minions leave and tries to get Bleck to reconsider, but while he does not give up after coming as far as he has, he gives her a chance to leave with his blessing, which she declines out of loyalty and love for Bleck. Unbeknownst to both of them, Dimentio eavesdropped on the entire exchange, but decides not to worry about it, since he has his own "projects" to attend to.

When the heroes return to Flipside, Merlon explains that the castle once belonged to the Tribe of Ancients, and the Pure Heart summoned by Tippi was originally sealed there by them. He also acknowledges Bowser as the third hero of the prophecy. The heroes can then open the new green door to continue on their quest. At this point, the player has the option to return to the Bitlands to collect Barry, who will say he is impressed that they managed to save Tippi. Barry is the first optional Pixl.

Chapter 4: Outer Space

Mario, Tippi, and Squirps check out something unusual.

The realm beyond the green door turns out to be Outer Space, and the heroes are forced to return immediately to Flipside and procure a Goldfish Bowl to use as a helmet in order to breathe in space. They soon meet an alien named Squirps who serves them as both a guide and a living ray gun for attacking enemies. They made a pit stop on Planet Blobule so that Squirps could go to the bathroom, but the outhouse is occupied by the Pixl Fleep, who does not exit until the heroes find him some makeshift toilet paper. He then joins them and they all proceed through the Outer Limits to the warped, maze-like Whoa Zone. Here they are confronted by another one of Bleck's minions, Mr. L, who they think they know. They defeat him, and defeat him again in space using Squirps' lasers when he summons his massive Brobot robot for a rematch. Squirps then brings the gang to the Pure Heart and a statue of his mother, where he remains behind as they return to Flipside.

Interlude

Back at Castle Bleck, Nastasia introduces Mr. L to the other minions and after he leaves, Bleck identifies him as the "man in green" that is destined to bring destruction to all, although the other minions are unenthusiastic about the newcomer. After they leave as well, Nastasia voices her concerns that the heroes will come for Bleck and once again appeals to him to call off the plan. She reasons that he used to cherish the world and muses that if she had been "that girl", things would be different, but Bleck says the girl could not be replaced, especially by Nastasia, and leaves.

Upon returning to Flipside, Tippi faints and is left at Merlon's as the group finds their way across a three-dimensional bridge to Flopside, the mirror counterpart to Flipside. They find the next Heart Pillar and meet Merlon's counterpart, Nolrem, before returning to Flipside, collecting Tippi, and entering the next world.

Chapter 5: Land of the Cragnons

Mario runs from a raging Muth.

The heroes drop into the Land of the Cragnons and are tasked with saving Cragnon citizens who had been kidnapped by Floro Sapiens. In the Gap of Crag, they fight O'Chunks again, but even with Dimentio's help, he is defeated. The heroes then collect another Pixl, Cudge, and enter the Floro Caverns, where they meet up with the famous Cragnon journalist, Flint Cragley and his crew, and discover that the Floro Sapiens had been using Floro Sprouts to brainwash their captured Cragnons into doing manual labor for them. They meet yet another Pixl, Dottie, and fight O'Chunks once again, although this time he has been dumbed-down and powered-up by Dimentio through the use of a Floro Sprout. Upon O'Chunks' defeat, the Floro Sprout falls off dead, and the heroes use it to trick the Floro Sapiens into letting them gain access to their leader, King Croacus IV. They battle and defeat him too, and only then learn that pollution caused by the Cragnons had driven him mad and led to the kidnappings. Flint Cragley vows to spread the word and make his fellow Cragnons curtail their pollution in a first step towards peace between the two nations, and the three heroes are given the Pure Heart that had been in King Croacus' possession.

Interlude

Back at Castle Bleck, Nastasia punishes O'Chunks for his repeated failures while Mimi complains about being bored and Mr. L picks fights with the others. Dimentio appears and quietly coaxes Mimi and Mr. L to attack the heroes, and they steal away from the castle.

Meanwhile, the heroes use their two new Pixls to unlock the next door to the next world, Sammer's Kingdom, and are informed by Nolrem that the Void will destroy all soon.

Chapter 6: Sammer's Kingdom

The Sammer's Kingdom

In the Sammer's Kingdom, the Void is almost at full size. After defeating the first Sammer Guy, King Sammer arrives with 99 more combatants and explains that the heroes have to defeat all of them to get the next Pure Heart, as per the laws of the land. After the heroes defeat the next nineteen Sammer Guys, Count Bleck himself appears to inform them that Sammer's Kingdom is about to be destroyed, but when Tippi confronts him, he beats a hasty withdrawal. The next five Sammer Guys recognize the direness of the situation and let the heroes pass for free, at which point the King returns and appears to present them with the Pure Heart, but it is just a bomb in a treasure chest, and the King turns out to be Mimi in disguise. She fights them with a barrage of rubees and is defeated, but she had only intended to stall the heroes. They hurry, but are unable to get farther than the 30th gate before the world is demolished and they are forced to flee back to Flipside. The door to the Sammer Kingdom remains so they go through, but all they find is an endless expanse of whiteness, and a deadened Pure Heart, now turned to stone. Mr. L appears with Brobot L-type to try to stop the heroes from getting the dead Pure Heart, but loses the fight and the Heart.

Interlude

After Mario, Peach and Bowser leave with the stone-like Pure Heart, Dimentio shows up and appears to destroy Mr. L.

Meanwhile, at Castle Bleck, Nastasia reports to Bleck about Mimi and Mr. L's disobedient hero-fighting and leaves Bleck to his ponderings about whether Tippi the Pixl was really Timpani, although he pushes the thought aside and reaffirms to himself that no one can stop the prophecy now anyway.

Back at Flipside, the heroes are despondent over the now-useless Pure Heart, when Dimentio shows up at Merlon's house and before anyone can stop him, he appears to destroy Mario, Peach and Bowser just as he had dispatched Mr. L. Mario wakes up to find himself alone in The Underwhere, the video-game Underworld. He wanders around the area, breezily meeting Luvbi before finding his way to her mother, Queen Jaydes, the queen of the underworld. She tasks him with collecting Luvbi for her, and in return, she agrees to revive the Pure Heart. Along the way back to Luvbi, Mario tracks down Luigi, who denies that he knows how he was sent to The Underwhere. After Luvbi is back with her mom and the Pure Heart is restored, Jaydes revives Mario and Luigi, sending them back to Flipside, where they meet up with Tippi again and open the next door.

Chapter 7: The Underwhere

Mario hanging around in some type of fountain that can refill his HP when touched.

The door takes them right back to The Underwhere, where Jaydes gives them a new task of escorting Luvbi to The Overthere, where Luvbi's father Grambi lives. They make their way past Underwhere Road, where they find Bowser, get past three Door Guardians (Dorguys the First, Second, and Third), and fight the three-headed Underchomp. They then ascend the Overthere Stair, finding Peach en-route, once more in need of revival, although this time it is because she took bite of a forbidden Golden Apple, and must eat another apple to recover. When they reach The Overthere, they find it already overrun with evil Skellobits, while their leader, Bonechill, had already frozen Grambi as part of his bid to take over The Overthere. He reveals that Luvbi is the final Pure Heart, having been given Nimbi form by Grambi, and intends to use her for his evil purposes, but the four heroes defeat him and his skeleton army falls to the Nimbis. After a fierce argument with her parents and a final, tearful goodbye, Luvbi transforms back to her Pure Heart form and is taken back to Flipside by Mario and the gang.

Interlude

Back at Castle Bleck, Dimentio lets the others know that the heroes are alive and the other minions scramble to get ready to fight them when they come to the castle. Before Dimentio leaves, he then asks Bleck if the name "Blumiere" rings a bell, saying Mario's Pixl mentioned the name. Nastasia once more tries to get Bleck to call off the prophecy, calling him Blumiere, but he denies his old name and identity and refuses to back down.

Chapter 8: Castle Bleck

The entrance to the castle.

After the heroes insert the final Pure Heart into the final Heart Pillar, the final door to Castle Bleck appears on Flopside Tower and Merlon and Nolrem see them off. The castle is large and filled with enemies, and the heroes are soon confronted by O'Chunks, whom Bowser battles and defeats on his own. After the fight, the roof collapses, but O'Chunks catches it and holds it aloft to let his worthy opponents pass. Bowser also stays behind, and after Mario, Luigi and Peach exit the room, they hear a crash and find that the door will not open up again.

Now one hero short, they carry on and are confronted by Mimi in the disguises of Merlon and Merlee, trying in vain to pry information on their weaknesses from them. She and Peach get in an argument and fight, with Mimi once more taking her "true" spider form, but still being defeated. The heroes turn to go, but Peach lingers to try and talk Mimi into leaving too; the floor then crumbles beneath the girl but Peach dives forward and tries to save her, only to fall in herself.

Mario, Luigi and Tippi carry on, coming up against Dimentio, who forces them to chase him through portals to the various other worlds, before ending up back in the castle. Dimentio then tells them that he had actually been helping them all along, such as by saving Peach from Nastasia and by sending everyone to The Underwhere to undo Luigi's brainwashing and get the Pure Heart fixed. He explains that he wanted the four heroes to unite and defeat Bleck, claiming that the Count had no intention of creating a new world once the old one was destroyed, but that he did not have enough strength to stop him on his own. Tippi warns Mario and Luigi not to accept Dimentio's offer of an alliance, and when rejected, he proceeds to goad Luigi into a one-on-one fight. Mario, Tippi and the Pixls go on ahead while Luigi remains behind and defeats Dimentio, who responds by trapping them both in a force field in order to destroy himself and Luigi, rather than letting Bleck get his hands on the "man in green" from the prophecy.

Mario and Tippi confront Count Bleck and Nastasia.

Mario and Tippi hear the blast and fear the worst, but know they have no choice but to continue to the castle's inner sanctum, where they are greeted by Bleck and Nastasia. Tippi and Bleck acknowledge each other as the star-crossed lovers Timpani and Blumiere, but Bleck still holds fast to his plan to destroy all the worlds and Tippi knows she and Mario have no choice, but to defeat him. Bleck sends Nastasia away and Mario tries to fight him, but Bleck is completely shielded by the Chaos Heart. Fortunately, Bowser (who fell through the floor before the ceiling collapsed), Peach (who landed on Bowser), and Luigi (who was simply found unconscious by Peach and cannot remember what happened) arrive to help Mario, with the uniting of the four heroes summoning the Pure Hearts and shattering Bleck's shield and leading to his defeat in the subsequent battle. As Bleck pleads for death and Tippi pleads for Bleck to live, Dimentio emerges and tries to finish off the Count, but Nastasia dives in front of the blast to shield him.

Knowing it does not really matter if the Count is alive or dead, Dimentio simply takes control of the Chaos Heart himself, thanking the heroes for using their Pure Hearts to defeat Bleck and pave the way for his own evil plan. He activates a Floro Sprout he had implanted in Luigi's head earlier and turns him back into Mr. L, before fusing him and the Chaos Heart together into the monstrous Super Dimentio. After sending Bleck, Tippi, and Nastasia away to deal with later, he adds himself to Super Dimentio and attacks the remaining heroes, who are unable to damage their new foe. All hope seems lost until O'Chunks and Mimi rejoin Bleck and help Tippi convince him to not give up, with the love and hope shared between them all conjuring up a new set of Pure Hearts, which Tippi brings to the heroes. Breaking through Super Dimentio's defenses, they defeat the enemy, but while Luigi is released unharmed, Dimentio leaves a portion of his power behind to continue controlling the Chaos Heart fuelling the Void. Bleck quickly brings the group to the altar from the start of the story and he and Tippi renew their vows of love and commitment to each other, creating another set of Pure Hearts which cancel out the Chaos Heart, make the Void disappear and restore all the destruction it had caused.

The four heroes and Bleck's minions, including Nastasia, all awaken on Flipside Tower and are greeted by Merlon, who tells them the world is saved and invites them to a celebratory dinner. They wonder what happened to Bleck and Tippi, but believe them to be alive, and at the end of the credits, two distant figures, implied to be Timpani and Blumiere, are seen on top of a tranquil grassy hill.

Gameplay

Mario navigating around a row of Thwomps by flipping into 3-D.

Super Paper Mario, while implementing RPG elements and a complex story, is designed mainly as a side-scrolling platforming game. The game borrows level formatting and concepts from Super Mario Bros. to denote its chapters, with eight worlds comprised of four levels each. Levels are typically completed by hitting a Star Block, while the chapter itself concludes one a Pure Heart is collected, similar to Goal Poles and Axes respectively. The towns of Flipside and Flopside serve as hub worlds for the player to engage in side-activities or access these worlds through the Dimensional Doors. Chapters are segmented into rooms connected by doors and designed with the ability to flip in mind, allowing for Mario to navigate various areas or discover hidden information by switching perspectives between a flat side-scrolling view and a high-angle 3-D view by pressing the button. To prevent Mario from abusing this technique, a ten-unit Flip Meter decrements for every two seconds he stays in 3-D and deals 1 damage once it depletes, slowly refilling while in 2-D. Mario is also joined by Peach, Bowser, and Luigi later in the story, who each have their own unique abilities helpful in combat and with navigating certain challenges.

Due to the lack of turn-based battles, elements such as Badges, Special Moves, Flower Points and Star Points do not return. Instead, leveling up is determined by the player's score, an element taken from Super Mario side-scrollers, and the reward for reaching score milestones will alternate between increasing Attack power by 1 or upgrading max health by 5 HP. Other puzzle and role-playing elements are maintained from the previous Paper Mario entries; Heart Points are used to represent the player's health, items can be collected and used at any time to attack enemies, apply status effects and solve puzzles, interludes featuring Count Bleck and his minions begin after each world is completed, and Pixls take on the role of party members and provide unique abilities of their own. Many characters also aide the player through conversation or by providing services.

In combat, Stylish moves are now performed by shaking the Wii Remote after stomping on an enemy, earning points from the Audience and suspending the player in midair the longer the controller is in motion. This helps to chain jumps off of multiple enemies which increases the score gained exponentially, as points earned from defeated enemies will be rewarded for every subsequent hit of a combo. Action Commands are used to influence the potency and duration of various items, ranging from tilting the controller to aiming at the sensor bar to circle a Mushroom. Bosses can appear during the story to impede the heroes' progress, with certain ones being defeated to obtain the Pure Hearts at the end of most chapters.

Controls

The game is mostly played with the Wii Remote held sideways, with the direction of inputs shifting based on whether the player is in 2-D or 3-D. To account for this, the game provides an indicator above characters and objects displaying which direction to hold the to interact with them. Motion controls and pointer controls are also incorporated during certain Action Commands, Tattling, and minigames, some of which require the player to change their grip so that the Wii Remote is held upright.

Action(s)	Input(s)
	2-D	3-D
Movement
Move		Press
Jump / Swim	on the ground or in water
Stylish move	Shake or tilt left and right after jumping on an enemy
Interact / Enter doors		Hold towards the object or character
Enter Warp Pipe	Press on pipe entrance Hold towards horizontal pipe entrance touch ceiling pipe entrance	Hold on pipe entrance Hold towards horizontal pipe entrance touch ceiling pipe entrance
Climb	Hold while on or next to ladder as Mario, Peach, or Luigi
Flip between 2-D and 3-D	on the ground as Mario
Float with Parasol	Hold in the air as Peach	N/A
Duck / Slide on slope	Hold as Mario	N/A
Defend	Hold as Peach	N/A
Breathe fire	Hold as Bowser	N/A
Super Jump	Hold then release as Luigi	N/A
Menus and textboxes
Move cursor
View previous textbox
See controls
Pause menu
Change character / Swap Pixl / Use item	+ simultaneously
Advance Text / Confirm
Cancel option
Pixl and follower abilities
Use Tippi or Tiptron	Point and press
Grab / Throw	with Thoreau
Place Boomer	on the ground with Boomer
Detonate Boomer	/ Fire Breath with Bowser / wait 4 seconds
Slim / Unslim	on the ground with Slim
Turn intangible	Stand still while slimmed
Ground-pound	with Thudley
Ride Carrie	on the ground with Carrie
Use Fleep	on the ground with Fleep Move selection box and press to cancel	N/A
Swing Hammer	on the ground with Cudge
Shrink / Grow	on the ground with Dottie
Create barrier	with Barry
Dash	Hold while moving with Dashell
Play music	on the ground with Piccolo
Fire Squirt Beam	while in Outer Space
Action Commands
Merlee's charm roulette	Press to stop the wheel
Block Block	Time pressing three times in the directions shown
Courage Shell	Press when the arrow aligns with the center of the gauge
Long-Last Shake	Tilt five times in the directions shown
Fire Burst / Ice Storm / Thunder Rage	Shake up and down
Ghost Shroom	Point and circle around the Mushroom
Mighty Tonic	Shake up and down
POW Block	Time shaking four times when shown
Shell Shock	Point at the shell and press
Shooting Star	Point at the stars and press
Sleepy Sheep	Hold when ★ is lit up
Stop Watch	Press when the cursor passes over the ★
Volt Shroom	Press , or when that button lights up
Flipside Arcade
Aim	Point
Select Card (Forget Me Not)	or
Shoot (Mansion Patrol)	or
Move (Tilt Island)	Tilt left or right
Swing Hammer (Hammer Whacker)	Swing down
Pause

Character stats

Stat	Initial value		Max. value		Function
Flip Meter						A meter that ticks down each second that Mario is in 3-D, dealing 1 damage when depleted.
	1		99			Indicates the player's progress overall. Level ups alternate between increasing Health by 5 HP and Attack by 1.
	10		255			Denote the character's total health. HP dropping to zero results in a Game Over.
Attack	1	2	51	102		The base damage a character can deal.
	0		99,999,999			The total amount of points accumulated through the game.
Next Level	10000		24,500,000			Indicates the score needed for the next Level up.
	0		999			Currency dropped by enemies, found in ? Blocks and other places. They are used to purchase items.
Time Played	00:00		999:59			Measures for how long the player has played the game. It has no effect on gameplay.

Status effects

Enemies and the playable heroes can be inflicted with status effects, conditions which either boost or inhibit their abilities. These can be inflicted through contact with Cursyas, being hit with certain attacks, or by using items. Curses in particular can be cured by using Piccolo or a Slimy Extract, while Poison can be cured by consuming instant-healing items. With no turns to determine when a status should expire, most effects are given time limits instead.

Name	Image	Effect	Sources and Wielders
Curses
De-jumped		Jump height is limited severely for thirty seconds, and jump-based attacks against the Underchomp are disabled.	Enemies: Heavy Cursya, Dark Heavy Cursya Items: Dangerous Delight, Heavy Meal
Flipped		Controls using the D-Pad become reversed for thirty seconds, including menu navigation when fighting the Underchomp.	Enemies: Reversya Cursya, Dark Reversya Cursya Items: Dangerous Delight, Love Pudding
No Skills		Character abilities such as flipping, Fire Breath, and Peach's Parasol are disabled for thirty seconds.	Enemies: Tech Cursya, Dark Tech Cursya Items: Dangerous Delight, Standard Chocolate
Slow		Player movement is slowed for thirty seconds. This includes menu navigation while fighting the Underchomp.	Enemies: Cursya, Dark Cursya Items: Dangerous Delight, Luxurious Set
Other statuses
Defense up		The Defense of Mario and Company is boosted; any damage received is halved for a period of time.	Items: Courage Shell, Koopasta Dish, Koopa Dumpling, Koopa Pilaf, Koopa Tea, Love Noodle Dish, Lovely Chocolate, Turtley Leaf
Dizzy		Targeted enemies are spun and briefly dazed, being unable to attack. Targeted projectiles will reverse direction or disappear.	Pixls: Fleep
Double Attack		Doubles the Attack Power of Mario and Company for a period of time.	Items: Bone-In Cut, Hot Sauce, Love Noodle Dish, Lovely Chocolate, Mighty Tonic, Spicy Dinner, Spicy Pasta Dish, Spit Roast, Volcano Shroom
Electrified		Creates an electric charge around the player that paralyzes enemies on contact. inflicted enemies are shocked and cannot move or attack for a short period.	Items: Electro Pop, Love Noodle Dish, Lovely Chocolate, Volt Shroom
Frozen		Inflicted enemies are frozen for a short period. If the player is frozen, they must shake to escape.	Enemies: Ice Cherbil, Dark Cherbil, Skellobait, Spiky Skellobait, Bonechill Items: Berry Snow Bunny, Fruit Parfait, Ice Storm, Snow Bunny, Snow Cone
Immobilized		Prevents the inflicted enemies from moving for a short period, removing contact damage from the sides in the process.	Items: Stop Watch Statuses: Electrified
Invincible		Special defense that makes the affected character or enemy unaffected by conventional damage. The Pure Hearts can negate this defense.	Enemies: Mimi (Merlee's Mansion only), Count Bleck, Super Dimentio Items: Block Block, Block Meal
Poison		Deals one damage to the player every five seconds, for a total of 10 damage dealt.	Enemies: Poison Cherbil, Dark Cherbil, Poison Pokey, Dark Pokey, Putrid Piranha Items: Poison Shroom
Sleep		The inflicted character or enemy falls asleep, and will wake when touched. The player can also shake to wake up manually.	Enemies: Cherbil, Dark Cherbil, Crazee Dayzee, Amazy Dayzee, Dark Dayzee Items: Sleepy Sheep, Mistake, Weird Extract

Characters

Playable characters

The title screen with all four playable characters.

The player controls the four Heroes of Light in-game. They can be switched between at any time via the + menu. The player begins with only Mario, recruiting the other heroes as the game progresses and even losing the other characters occasionally. In the Light Prognosticus, Mario is given the title of "legendary hero", with the three other heroes that aide him being a fair and lovely princess, a furious monster king and a man in green. Characters are occasionally playable during intermission segments; Peach attempts to navigate out of Castle Bleck after chapter 1 is completed, and Luigi must attempt the same after the second chapter.

Each hero has their own skills and quirks which are useful for certain puzzles, platforming segments, and in combat. Mario is well-rounded and can flip to navigate areas in 3-D, Peach can float or defend herself using her Parasol, Bowser is well suited in combat, and Luigi has his signature higher jumps and slippery movement on the ground.

Name	Image	Ability	Walking speed	Availability
Mario		Mario has the ability to flip between dimensions using . When Mario flips, everything shifts between 2-D and 3-D, revealing secrets. Most enemies appear only in one dimension, but some can flip between them.	★★★	Always available
Peach		Peach can float across gaps with her parasol using . She can also shield herself with her parasol by pressing , which negates damage from almost all attacks.	★★☆	Joins during the interlude after Chapter 1; lost after Chapter 6; rejoins in Chapter 7-3; lost in Chapter 8-2 and rejoins in 8-4
Bowser		Bowser can attack enemies with his Fire Breath by pressing . Bowser's attacks deal double-damage.	★☆☆	Joins after being defeated in Chapter 3-1; lost after Chapter 6; rejoins after being defeated in Chapter 7-2; lost in Chapter 8-1 and rejoins in 8-4
Luigi		Luigi can use to activate his super jump to shoot upward and reach high places. It is also a double-damage attack.	★★★	Found in Chapter 7-1 (Chapter 6 Interlude); lost in Chapter 8-3 and rejoins in 8-4; unavailable during the final battle

Pixls

All thirteen Pixls

Pixls are colorful fairy-like beings that give Mario and crew special abilities, taking on the role of partners from the previous Paper Mario games. There are thirteen in total, four of which are optional, giving this game the largest selection of allies in the series. From the beginning of Mario's journey, Tippi stays by his side to give advice or identify information about select enemies, characters, and locations. Alongside Tippi, the player eventually gets access to more Pixls, which can be switched into the secondary Pixl role through the menu in a similar fashion to partners in past entries. Tippi (and Tiptron after the main story) can be used by pointing at the sensor bar and pressing , while the abilities of the secondary Pixl are activated by pressing and/or holding .

At certain sections of the story, one or multiple Pixls become unavailable. Tippi is temporarily incapacitated after returning from the Whoa Zone, and is fully unavailable after destroying the Chaos Heart. All Pixls are also unavailable when Mario is sent to The Underwhere by Dimentio.

Name	Image	Ability	Location
Tippi		Tippi can use her tattle ability find secrets and areas previously inaccessible without her. She also gives information on characters and enemies and give the crew hints. Tiptron may fill Tippi's role at the end of the game when Tippi permanently leaves Mario and his team.	Available from start
Thoreau		Thoreau is able to pick up non-spiky enemies and objects and throw them, as well as activate switches from a distance. He resembles a hand.	Mount Lineland
Boomer		Boomer can turn into a bomb and detonate to destroy blocks or cracks in walls. The blast deals double-damage to enemies.	Gloam Valley
Slim		Slim allows Mario and crew to turn sideways, and squeeze through tight spaces such as rails. Also, they become invisible and untouchable if they stand still.	Merlee's Mansion
Thudley		Thudley gives Mario and friends the ability to Ground Pound in order to destroy blocks and activate large switches. It deals double damage with Mario, Peach and Luigi, and four times the regular damage with Bowser.	The Tile Pool
Carrie		Carrie is able to turn into a platform that can swiftly carry Mario and Co. across dangerous places (such as spikes) to safety. She can also jump on spiked enemies without sustaining damage.	Fort Francis
Fleep		Fleep can flip objects caught in a different dimension back to its original one. His ability is most often used on shining spots that resemble tears in paper. He can also make enemies dizzy so the player can pass them by. Fleep is also the only Pixl that cannot be used in 3-D.	Planet Blobule
Cudge		Cudge lets Mario and co. use a hammer like in previous Paper Mario titles. It can destroy large yellow blocks and does double damage. He looks like a mallet.	Gap of Crag
Dottie		Dottie has the ability to shrink the player character, allowing them to enter small spaces and tiny doors, as well as Itty Bits shops. Enemies do not notice the player, but if Mario and co. touch them they still take damage.	Floro Caverns
Barry		Barry can surround the character with a strong barrier that can harm enemies in its way and counterattack projectiles that enemies such as Squigs shoot at the player. He is obtained by going back to The Bitlands after rescuing Tippi and talking to him.	The Bitlands (optional)
Dashell		Dashell provides a speed boost for the party, useful when traveling from place to place. He is obtained by defeating Wracktail in the Flipside Pit of 100 Trials.	Flipside Pit of 100 Trials (Room 100) (optional)
Piccolo		Piccolo plays music that can cure Mario and his team from any negative status, excluding poison. Using music, she can break blocks with her outline carved in it and can also put the Underchomp to sleep. She is obtained by completing a side quest from Merlee after Chapter 5 and unlocking the door in the alleyway of the first floor of Flopside.	Flopside (optional)
Tiptron		Tiptron is a robotic replica of Tippi that can be bought off of Francis for 999 coins as an additional partner. She replaces Tippi at the end of the game and has all of the same powers as her, as well as her consciousness.	Fort Francis (optional)

Followers

There are also two followers, Squirps and Luvbi, who join the heroes temporarily for their quest through Chapter 4 and Chapter 7, respectively. They are both the offspring of the rulers of their respective areas and are entrusted with protecting a Pure Heart in some fashion; Squirps is a prince and the son of Squirpina XIV, while Luvbi, the daughter of Queen Jaydes and Grambi, is a Nimbi disguise of the eighth Pure Heart.

Name	Image	Information	Location
Squirps		Using while held in space, Squirps allows Mario and the other heroes to fire blasts of energy forward to attack foes or hit blocks from afar. He also guides the player on how to reach the Whoa Zone, where the fourth Pure Heart is kept.	Outer Space
Luvbi		Being a Nimbi with no abilities, Mario and Luigi are tasked with accompanying Luvbi up to The Overthere safely. After the fight against Bonechill, her appearance fades as she transforms back into the white Pure Heart to help the heroes stop the Void.	The Underwhere

Audience

Super Paper Mario's audience

Main article: Audience

The audience is a group of generic creatures who appear whenever Mario, Peach, Bowser, or Luigi does a stylish move, which is performed by shaking the Wii Remote after stomping on an enemy. The audience in this game consists of Toads, Goombas, Koopa Troopas, and Shy Guys, only a handful of species from the previous game. More audience members will join on the sides of the screen to say "Nice", "Good", "Great", "Wonderful", up to "Excellent" for each subsequent stylish move. The crowd's approval gives the player additional points in multiples of ten added onto the score earned from defeating enemies.

Enemies and obstacles

Enemies

Main article: Super Paper Mario bestiary

There are around 180 enemies in Super Paper Mario, performing their attacks in real-time rather than in turns to suite the side-scrolling format and many of which can be defeated to collect points and occasionally items. Multiple varieties of enemies are encountered throughout the game, including 49 shadowy variants fought exclusively in the Flopside Pit of 100 Trials. The returning enemies retain their designs from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, while newly introduced enemies bear more geometrical designs and are exclusive to this game outside of references.

Enemy stats and information can be gathered by using Tippi or Tiptron to tattle them, similar to previous entries in the Paper Mario series. Catch Cards can also be collected, which display their own descriptions of the enemies, their stats, and a picture in the center. For each card collected of a given enemy, the damage they receive increases. Examples of enemies from this game are listed below.

Super Paper Mario enemy
Goomba
	Max HP	1	Role	Common	Location(s)	Lineland Road (1-1), Yold Desert (1-3), Gloam Valley (2-1), The Bitlands (3-1), Castle Bleck Entry (8-1), Castle Bleck Foyer (8-2), Castle Bleck Inner Sanctum (8-4), Flipside Pit of 100 Trials (Rooms 2, 5, 12, 14 (flipping) and 46 (flipping))
	Attack	1	Card type	Common
	Defense	0	Items	Cake Mix, Shroom Shake, Honey Jar, Big Egg, Dried Shroom	Card location(s)	Card Shop; Catch Card/SP; Chapter 1-1: Found in 3D behind a tall pipe in the second area.
	Score	100
	Card description	This lowly goon is always getting stepped on. It isn't easy being a soft, mushroomy minion.
List of Catch Cards           1      2	Tattle	Normal: It's a Goomba, one of Bowser's minions... Max HP is 1 and Attack is 1. It really puts the "under" back in "underlings"... It has no remarkable traits... They are pretty much the lowest of the low... But I hear Goombas do have their fans, so what can you do... Flipping: It's a Goomba, one of Bowser's minions...Max HP 1, Attack 1. It really puts the "under" back in "underlings"... It has no remarkable traits... Well, except this one has the ability to flip between dimensions... But I hear Goombas do have their fans, so what can you do...

Super Paper Mario enemy
Squiglet
	Max HP	2	Role	Common	Location(s)	Lineland Road (1-1), Yold Desert (1-3), Yold Ruins (1-4), Flipside 1st Floor Outskirts, Flipside B2 Outskirts, Gloam Valley (2-1), Flipside Pit of 100 Trials (Rooms 1, 3, 8, 19, 27, 41 and 97)
	Attack	1	Card type	Common
	Defense	0	Items	Fire Burst, Horsetail, Fresh Veggie, Peachy Peach	Card location(s)	Card Shop; Catch Card/SP; Chapter 1-1: Found on top of Bestovius' house.
	Score	100
	Card description	Awww...look at that adorable little Squiglet. So adorable under your foot.
List of Catch Cards     43      44      45	Tattle	This is a Squiglet... It's a small little creature that scurries around on its many legs... Max HP is 2 and Attack is 1. There isn't much else to say about Squiglets... When it spots an enemy, it gets excited and hops up and down...

Super Paper Mario enemy
Zombie Shroom
	Max HP	1	Role	Common	Location(s)	Lineland Road (1-1), Yold Desert (1-3), Merlee's Basement (2-4), The Bitlands (3-1), Planet Blobule (4-2), The Whoa Zone (4-4), Gap of Crag (5-2), Floro Caverns (5-3 and 5-4), Overthere Stair (7-3)
	Attack	2	Card type	Uncommon
	Defense	0	Items	Poison Shroom	Card location(s)	Card Shop; Catch Card/SP; Chapter 7-3: Found at the far right of the Star Block by using Luigi to high jump to the roof and go to the other side.
	Score	300
	Card description	It's a Zombie Shroom. They pop out of ? Blocks. It may look like a snack, but it'll snack on you!
List of Catch Cards     177      178      179	Tattle	That's a Zombie Shroom. It is an evil shroom monster that comes out of ? Blocks... Max HP is 1. Attack is 2. It can move very fast in a limited area... But it has low HP, so you can take it out...

Super Paper Mario enemy
Cherbil
	Max HP	5	Role	Common	Location(s)	Yold Desert (1-3), Gloam Valley (2-1), Gap of Crag (5-2), Castle Bleck Foyer (8-2), Castle Bleck Inner Sanctum (8-4), Flipside Pit of 100 Trials (Rooms 6, 23, 47 and 83)
	Attack	2	Card type	Common
	Defense	0	Items	Peachy Peach	Card location(s)	Card Shop; Catch Card/SP
	Score	400
	Card description	This odd floating beast strikes with sleeping gas. One whiff of that gas and it's sweet dreams...
List of Catch Cards     87      88      89	Tattle	That's a Cherbil. It's a nasty gasbag that spews a plume of sleepy gas... Max HP is 5. Attack is 2. That gas will put you to sleep, so don't go sniffing it... Some say the gas comes from their mouths. Some say it comes from elsewhere... ...Oh, dear...

Super Paper Mario enemy
Tileoid B
	Max HP	10	Role	Common	Location(s)	The Dotwood Tree (3-3), Flipside Pit of 100 Trials (Rooms 31, 45 and 53)
	Attack	1	Card type	Common
	Defense	0	Items	Peachy Peach, Horsetail	Card location(s)	Card Shop; Catch Card/SP
	Score	300
	Card description	This sticky beast clings to any surface. Caution: it is not blue cotton candy.
List of Catch Cards     120      121      122	Tattle	That's a Tileoid B. It is a mysterious creature that's made of many small parts... Max HP is 10 and Attack is 1. It can also crawl along walls and ceilings... Tileoids vary in color and ability. This blue Tileoid is known for its curses...

Obstacles

Name	Image	Description	Locations
Bottomless pit		Holes in the ground which usually deal 1 damage to the player when fallen into, before respawning them nearby. Some pits are instead entrances to hidden areas.	All locations except: Yold Desert Yold Ruins Merlee's Mansion Merlee's Basement Outer Space Planet Blobule Outer Limits Whoa Zone Sammer's Kingdom World of Nothing
Cracks		Walls or other objects with visible cracks in them can be blown up using Boomer's ability. When on the ground they can also be broken using Thudley.	Flipside Gloam Valley The Bitlands Floro Caverns Castle Bleck Foyer
Dark		An obscuring effect that limits the player's view beyond the center of the screen. Darkness can be temporarily cleared by lighting torches with Bowser's Fire Breath.	Underwhere Road
Door cage		Cages which block access to certain doors until activating something, i.e. using Thoreau or Thudley to escape their respective rooms after they join Mario's party.	Yold Town The Tile Pool Sammer's Kingdom Overthere Stair Castle Bleck Interior
Electrical barrier		A moving wall of electricity that will cause the player to lose 1 HP if touched.	Merlee's Mansion
Fire Bar		A rotating bar of fire that will cause the player to lose 1 HP if touched.	Yold Ruins Castle Bleck Foyer
Fire-spitting lamp		Indestructible lamps which sometimes shoot out fireballs at the player.	Merlee's Basement
Floro Sapien Scanner		A processing unit which automatically inspects all visitors to King Croacus IV's chambers. Wearing a Floro Sprout allows Mario and co. to walk through.	Floro Caverns
Gnip		Guard dogs which grab the player with their mouths and release them safely outside of the building. A larger variant known as Gnaw is chained to one of the doors. The Gnips all leave after saving Merlee.	Merlee's Mansion
Hedron		Rotating rectangular prisms that will damage the player on impact.	Outer Limits
Lock		These can be found on certain doors, requiring the appropriate key to be unlocked.	Flipside Flopside Yold Ruins Fort Francis Whoa Zone Floro Caverns The Underwhere The Overthere Castle Bleck
Passcode keypad		Keypads which require the correct password to unlock a connected door or safe.	Merlee's Mansion Fort Francis
Piccolo stone		Red-tinted stones which are removed when using Piccolo's ability nearby, revealing hidden chests. In Flipside, this stone bears her emblem.	Flipside Flopside (3rd Floor)
Quicksand		Sand that flows down, pulling enemies under and causing the player to lose 1 HP if they sink deep enough.	Yold Desert Yold Ruins
Security door		A special door that fires laser beams towards intruders if anyone other than Francis or Princess Peach attempts to enter.	Fort Francis
Spike Trap		Pointy obstacles that causes the player to lose 1 HP. Some spikes are revealed and retracted on a cycle.	The Dotwood Tree Fort Francis The Underwhere Castle Bleck Foyer
Spike ceiling		A ceiling covered in spikes which will descend gradually. If the player doesn't escape in time, it will cause a Game Over.	Merlee's Mansion
Trap door		A loose flooring which the player will fall into when attempting to grab Mushrooms attached to string or trapped ! Switch blocks.	Merlee's Mansion Castle Bleck Foyer
Yellow block		Blocks which require Cudge to break, often barring access to doors or other objects. Some are disguised from the front, with their true form visible in 3-D.	Gap of Crag Floro Caverns Flopside

Bosses

Bold text indicates a chapter boss.

Chapter	Image	Name	Stats				Location
			HP	Attack	Defense	Score
Chapter 1		O'Chunks (1)	20	1	0	1000	Yold Desert
		Fracktail	?? (9 hits)	1	0	1000	Yold Ruins
Chapter 2		Mimi (1)	?? (6 hits)	1	0	2000	Merlee's Basement
Chapter 3		Bowser (1)	20	2	1	2000	The Bitlands
		Big Blooper	?? (3 hits)	2	0	0	The Tile Pool
		Dimentio (1)	30	2	0	1000	The Dotwood Tree
		Francis (1)	40	1	0	3000	Fort Francis
Chapter 4		Mr. L	40	3	0	2000	Whoa Zone
		Brobot	255	4	3 (6 against fire)	4000
Chapter 5		O'Chunks (2 & 3)	40	2	0	2000	Gap of Crag
			60	3	0	4000	Floro Caverns
		King Croacus	50	2	0	5000
Chapter 6		Mimi (2)	25	2	0	4000	Sammer's Early Duels
		Brobot L-type	64	5	4 (8 against fire)	6000	World of Nothing
Chapter 7		Bowser (2)	80	8	2	4000	Underwhere Road
		Underchomp	48 (16 each)	3	4	6000
		Bonechill	80	4	0	7000	The Overthere
Chapter 8		O'Chunks (4)	100	4	0	8000	Castle Bleck Entry
		Francis (2)1	40	1	0	3000	Castle Bleck Foyer
		Mimi (3)	?? (6 hits)	4	0	8000
		Dimentio (2)	80	4	0	8000	Castle Bleck Interior
		Count Bleck	150	8	0	8000	Castle Bleck Inner Sanctum
		Super Dimentio	200	6	0 (head) 4 (body)	9990
Optional		Wracktail	?? (30 hits)	10	0	9990	Flipside Pit of 100 Trials
		Shadoo	400 (100 each)	10 (Dark Bowser: 20)	0 (Dark Bowser: 4)	39960 (9990 each)	Flopside Pit of 100 Trials
		End Boss	99	10	4	5000	Sammer's Endgame

¹ - Francis can only be fought in Chapter 8-2 if the player chooses him when asked about which enemies they hate.

Items

Items are collectibles Mario and Company can collect and use for a variety of purposes. Some items have combat utility, while others apply effects ranging from status effects to healing Heart Points or increasing Defense. There are also unique items called Important Things, which are useful for story progression, opening locked doors, or performing other tasks. A maximum of ten normal items can be held at any time, while special items such as Caught Cards, Maps, and Important Things have separate and much larger capacities.

Attacking items Fire Burst - Broils enemies with searing flames. Ghost Shroom - Summons a Ghost Shroom to damage enemies. Ice Storm - Pelts enemies with frigid shards of ice and freezes them. POW Block - Rattles enemies on the ground and ceiling. Shell Shock - Rams into enemies when the player kicks the shell. Shooting Star - Showers enemies with a flurry of shooting stars. Thunder Rage - Strikes enemies with lightning. Volt Shroom - Briefly paralyzes enemies the player touches. Self-harming items Poison Shroom - Poisons the player and makes them lose HP, so the item should be sold rather than used. Dangerous Delight - Blocks the player's abilities, reduces jumping and speed, and reverses the controls. Supportive items Bone-In Cut - Briefly doubles the player's Attack. Block Block - Temporarily makes the player invincible. Courage Shell - Temporarily reduces the damage the player takes by half. Hot Sauce - Briefly doubles the player's Attack. Mighty Tonic - Temporarily doubles the player's Attack. Turtley Leaf - Briefly reduces the damage the player takes by half. Collectible items Coin - Currency used to purchase items or services at shops. Flipside Token - Currency used in the Flipside Arcade for minigames and rewards. Caught Card - Cards containing the soul of an enemy. Super Card - Caught Cards of 2-star rarity. Special Card - Caught Cards of 3-star rarity. Rubee - Red gem currency used to pay off debt to Mimi. Map - Images marking the locations of hidden treasures. Power-ups Happy Flower - Flowers with coins attached to them will slowly rain from the sky for a limited time. Mega Star - Makes the player huge and invincible for a short time. Pal Pill - Summons little buddies to surround and defend the player. Slow Flower - Temporarily slows down time; triples value of coins and points. Speed Flower - Temporarily speeds up time; triples value of coins and points. Miscellaneous items Catch Card - Catches an enemy's soul (if it works). Catch Card SP - Catches an enemy's soul more reliably. Gold Bar - A bar worth around 100 coins. Gold Bar x3 - A trio of gold bars; worth around 300 coins. Gold Medal - A medal worth 10,000 points. HP Plus - Raises HP by 5 permanently. Mistake (Sleepy Sheep) - Briefly puts enemies to sleep. Mystery Box - Becomes a random item when used. Power Plus - Raises Attack by 1 permanently. Sleepy Sheep - Briefly puts enemies to sleep. Star Medal - A medal worth 1,000 points. Stop Watch - Stop enemies in their tracks.

Recovery items Big Egg - Restores 12 HP and cures poison. Black Apple - Restores 1 HP and cures poison. Blue Apple - Restores 5 HP and cures poison. Cake Mix - Restores 5 HP and cures poison. Dayzee Tear - Restores 3 HP and cures poison. Dried Shroom - Restores 1 HP and cures poison. Fresh Pasta Bunch - Restores 5 HP and cures poison. Fresh Veggie - Restores 10 HP and cures poison. Golden Leaf - Restores 1 HP and cures poison. Honey Jar - Restores 10 HP and cures poison. Horsetail - Restores 7 HP and cures poison. Inky Sauce - Restores 3 HP and cures poison. Keel Mango - Restores 7 HP and cures poison. Life Shroom - Automatically restores 5 HP if the player falls in battle. Long-Last Shake - Regenerates the player's HP over time. Mild Cocoa Bean - Restores 5 HP and cures poison. Mistake - Restores 1 HP and cures poison. Mushroom - Restores 10 HP when touched. Peachy Peach - Restores 10 HP and cures poison. Pink Apple - Restores 5 HP and cures poison. Power Steak - Restores 15 HP and cures poison. Primordial Fruit - Restores 10 HP and cures poison. Red Apple - Restores 5 HP and cures poison. Give to Cyrrus to get to Door O. Sap Soup - Restores 3 HP and cures poison. Shroom Shake - Restores 10 HP and cures poison. Slimy Shroom - Restores 10 HP and cures poison. Smelly Herb - Restores 5 HP and cures poison. Super Shroom - Restores 20 HP when touched. Super Shroom Shake - Restores 20 HP and cures poison. Ultra Shroom - Restores 50 HP when touched. Ultra Shroom Shake - Restores 50 HP and cures poison. Whacka Bump - Restores 30 HP and cures poison. Yellow Apple - Restores 5 HP and cures poison. Important Things Ancient Clue - Serves as toilet paper for Fleep in Chapter 4-2. Autograph - In the Piccolo side quest, Paper transforms into this item once Merlumina signs it. Blue Orb - Needed to create a bridge in Chapter 7-4. Card Key - Opens the door to the Processing Center in Chapter 5-4. Cooking Disk - Each of the six in-game disks unlocks a page of the Dining Specializer. Crystal Ball - The player needs to deliver this item to Merlee in the Piccolo side quest. Diet Book - The player would return this to Hagra in Chapter 7-2. Floro Sprout - A disguise the player gets from O'Chunks in Chapter 5-4. Elemental tablets - Needed to obtain Cudge in Chapter 5-2; there are three Tablets-Stone, Fire, and Water. Golden Card - Unlocks the Hammer Whacker arcade game. Goldfish Bowl - The player can get this from Pook in Flipside; it becomes the Helmet. Helmet - A breathing apparatus the player needs in Chapter 4-1; the Goldfish Bowl becomes this item. Keys - Opens doors in various areas; keys come in several varieties. Paper - The player receive this item from Old Man Watchitt in the Piccolo side quest. Red Orb - Needed to create a bridge in Chapter 7-4. Return Pipe - Returns the player to Flipside from most chapters. Training Machine - An exercise machine that the player must deliver to Merluvlee in the Piccolo side quest. Yellow Orb - Needed to create a bridge in Chapter 7-4. You-Know-What - A mysterious item that the player must deliver to Bestovius in the Piccolo side quest.

Catch Cards

Catch Card #44: a Squiglet.

Main article: Catch Card

Catch Cards are collectible items that can be purchased at the card shops Catch a Dream and Fondest Hopes, located on floor 1 of Flipside and Flopside respectively. For each Caught Card of an enemy, the damage the player inflicts on said enemy increases. Empty Catch Cards can also be purchased and used to potentially trap the nearest enemy on-screen and convert it into a Caught Card, with the chance for success influenced by the player's Score. Caught Cards come in three rarities and offer information about the character on the card, such as their maximum attack and HP (Heart Points).

Recipes

Main article: List of recipes in Super Paper Mario

At Saffron's and Dyllis' kitchens, Sweet Smiles and Hot Fraun, located on floor 1 of Flipside and Flopside respectively, the player can give them ingredients to create special meals. Saffron cooks only one ingredient, while Dyllis mixes two ingredients. Usually, items heal more when cooked, though in some cases, their effect completely changes. The Dining Specializer shows the player different recipes, the number of which can be increased by inserting Cooking Disks into the Dining Specializer. In total, 96 different recipes can cooked by Saffron and Dyllis.

Treasure maps

A map marking treasure in Yold Desert.

Main article: List of maps in Super Paper Mario

Once the player can access B1 in Flopside, they can find Flamm, who sells treasure maps with various prices and treasures. They can then be viewed in the menu, and they require the player to travel to designated spots across the different accessible dimensions. Treasures are marked with a red "X" on the map, and the player needs to use the Pixl Fleep to flip the spot marked with the red "X". There are 48 total maps.

Objects

A list of interactive objects that Mario and company can encounter during their quest. For objects that primarily function as obstructions or hazards, see § Obstacles.

Name	Image	Effect
Navigation objects
Arrow		Arrows left on signs, floors, and walls directing the player on where to go.
Charold's boat		A boat which Charold can use to ferry the player safely across the River Twygz.
Colored floor		Blue and red floating platforms which appear and disappear based on the color of nearby floor switches in The Dotwood Tree.
Door		Usually featuring a large star in the center, doors lead between different areas or rooms. The dimensional doors allow access to various locations from the Flipside and Flopside Towers. Larger doorways called Space Gates require Squirps' help to unlock.
Elevator		Elevators can be used to traverse between floors in Flipside, Flopside, and Fort Francis. Red arrow buttons mark the locations of elevators in the former two towns.
Floating rock		Rocky platforms from Gloam Valley which float in the water, but will sink when stood on.
Geysers		Orange water geysers which flow in an area deep below the River Twygz, rising up and down over time.
Jump platform		Landing on a jump platform will bounce the playable character up. Blue ones allow the player to retain control during the jump, whilst red ones launch the character towards a fixed location.
Jump-over cloud		Large flat clouds with eyes, which function identically to blue jump platforms. One cloud named Cyrrus can launch Mario and co. much higher once given a Red Apple.
Ladder		Flat objects which can be climbed to reach higher areas. Some appear from blocks. Bowser is unable to climb these whenever he attempts to.
Lift		Floating platforms in a variety of sizes that help with navigating certain areas.
Minecart		A wheeled vehicle which can be ridden along the tracks in the Floro Caverns.
Red wind		Rideable winds that can carry the player.
Spinning device		When standing in the red squares, Mario and co. will be passed off between multiple flipping rectangles before being dropped off at another point.
Squarp hole		Kaleidoscopic wormholes used to navigate between areas of Outer Space.
Warp Pipe		Pipes used for traveling between certain areas. Welderberg can build blue pipes, which serve as shortcuts to the Pit of 100 Trials entrances in both Flipside and Flopside, and between the Second Floor of both cities.
Blocks and containers
? Block		Its contents are released when struck by jumping beneath them, using various Pixl abilities, or via Bowser's Fire Breath. Some ? Blocks are hidden, or disguised as brick blocks.
Brick block		Can be broken by jumping beneath them, using various Pixl abilities, or via Bowser's Fire Breath. Red bricks are resilient to jumping hits. Some are disguised as Hard Blocks, with their true form visible in 3-D. Bricks found in the Flipside and Flopside Pits of 100 Trials are indestructible.
Cloud Block		Cloud-shaped blocks that serve as platforms. They are only found in the skies of Mount Lineland.
Coin Block		Rewards one coin per strike until a certain amount of time passes. They are disguised as brick blocks from the front, with their true form visible in 3-D.
Empty Block		The form that a ? Block or Coin Block takes after being struck. It still reacts to hits but cannot be destroyed.
Flip block		Flat blocks that can flip from 2-D to 3-D or vice versa when hit from below, often used as platforms to reach higher areas.
Heart Pillar		Pillars scattered around Flipside and Flopside, which house the eight Pure Hearts and must be visited to unlock each dimensional door.
Rift		Indicators of objects which are hidden from the player. Using Fleep on a rift will reveal the item or object. Some only appear in certain situations, such as during Chapter 8-3.
Save Block		Colorful blocks which open a prompt to save game progress when struck.
Star Block		Larger blocks found at the end of most levels. Striking one from below begins the END OF CHAPTER cinematic, before advancing to the next level or returning to Flipside or Flopside.
Stone block		Large pushable blocks found in the tunnels beneath the River Twygz. They can be used to reach higher areas while the water is drained.
Stone tablets		Rock pillars in the Gap of Crag that house the Elemental tablets. When inserted in the correct order, Cudge the pixl is released.
Throw block		A throwable block requiring Thoreau's ability to lift. These blocks are used in various puzzles.
Treasure chest		Treasure chests contain Important Things, items, or keys. The bigger variants typically contain Pixls or items to strengthen the stats of Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi.
Switches
! Switch		Colored blocks which trigger events when hit or jumped on, often involved in puzzles. Can also be found in the form of pressure-activated switches.
Color-changing block		Color-coded blocks which cycle between blue, red, black, and white. Four must be matched to nearby portrait colors to access King Croacus IV's chambers.
Gravity switch		Flat black blocks with white outlines and symbols. When struck these alter the direction of gravity for the user; gravity either inverts vertically or shifts 90 degrees clockwise based on the arrow symbol.
Lever		Levers which Red and Green use to operate their bridges, and Mario and co. use to control the water level in the tunnels beneath the River Twygz.
Mirror Hall switch		Eight colored blocks which are activated in a sequence to open the Mirror Hall between Flipside and Flopside.
Post		Columns which can be pounded into the ground or pulled them out using Thudley. They sometimes need to be raised or lowered in specific sequences.
X mark		X marks floating in the Outer Limits, which Fleep can activate to reveal hidden Space Gates, similar to rifts.
Miscellaneous
Bomb		A bomb that Boomer can transform into, useful for destroying cracked walls, enemies and other objects. Ninjoes and related enemies can transform into decoy bombs when attacked.
Hammer		A hammer summoned when using Cudge's ability. This doubles attack power against enemies and can break yellow blocks.
Dark Prognosticus		The book of prophecies which Count Bleck follows to summon the Chaos Heart and destroy all worlds.
Light Prognosticus		A book created by the Tribe of Ancients to combat the negative fortellings of the Dark Prognosticus. Merlon uses it to guide Mario and co. towards preventing The Void from consuming all worlds.
Crag-vision		Stone televisions with animated chalk drawings, which reveal hints towards finding the Elemental tablets. They are found in the Downtown of Crag.
Dining Specializer		A device cataloging the various recipes cooked by Saffron and Dyllis. Cooking Disks can be entered to add more recipes to the databank.
Sign		Provides helpful information pertaining to the area. Signs near both Merlon and Nolrem's houses list in-game statistics.

Services

Across the various cities and dimensions are services provided by characters to aid the four heroes, from selling items to giving insight on where to go next.

Shops

Howzit's shop in Yold Town.

Main article: List of shops in Super Paper Mario

Spread throughout the dimensions are numerous shops, with most being branches run by Howzit. Here, the player can purchase items for coins, sell items, store up to 32 items, pick up stored items, and earn "Shop Points" every time an item is purchased. After reaching certain milestones with the Shop Points, the player is gifted with special items, ranging from a Cake Mix to a Catch Card of the special rarity class. Some shops are located in tiny houses, called "Itty Bits", which are accessible by shrinking with the help of Dottie. A traveling salesman named Flimm also appears near a beveragarium on floor B1 of Flipside and occassionally in the Flipside and Flopside Pits of 100 Trials. Flimm can sell an assortment of items but will not store or buy any items from the four heroes.

Inns

Inns are locations where the four heroes can rest to fully recover all their Heart Points. There are only two inns, one owned by Tinga in Flipside and another being owned by Inga in Flopside. At Tinga's Inn, the player may stay the night costs 5 coins, while Inga's Inn operates as a bed-and-breakfast. After resting, the player can flip into 3-D to find the "breakfast" Inga cooked on the table. The available packages are:

• 10 coins for the Mushroom Package (a Dried Shroom)
• 20 coins for the Flower Package (a Peachy Peach)
• 40 coins for the Star Package (a Slimy Shroom)

Fortune predictions

Merluvlee inside her fortune shop.

See also: List of story predictions in Super Paper Mario

At the fortune shop in Flipside, Merluvlee will operate her Crystal Ball in similar fashion to Merlee. After paying her 5 coins, Merluvlee will perform a chant, look into the Crystal Ball, and provide the heroes with insight on the next step for them to advance through a given area. Her services become inaccessible once the main story is completed.

Charm packages

After rescuing Merlee at her mansion, she can be visited at her Crystal Ball in the mansion, or at Merlee's House of Charms in Flopside after completing Chapter 3. After purchasing one of three price packages, Merlee will use her Crystal Ball to cast a spell on the heroes. This charm will activate after defeating between 20-70 enemies, spinning a roulette of items above the player so the selected item can be collected. The charm will run out after a set amount of uses depending on the chosen charm package:

• 50 coins for the Trial Package (5 spins)
• 100 coins for the Advised Package (10 spins)
• 200 coins for the Special Package (15 spins)

Beveragariums

Garson's account of the Pure Hearts.

Carson revealing O'Chunks' backstory.

On basement level 1 of Flipside the heroes can stop by The Underwhere bar and to speak to the bar owner Garson and learn both games tips and information about the Tribe of Ancients. For a price of 10 coins, Garson will explain one of his 18 tips and tales to the player. Once all stories have been told, a random story of his can be heard for no cost. There is also a pipe leading to the Flipside Arcade, which can be found by flipping into 3-D. Once the game has been completed, The InterNed settles down atop a table near the jukebox, and can be paid 10 coins to listen to one of 87 songs from the game. These songs will conclude if the player leaves the bar.

Similarly, Flopside B1 has the Overthere bar, where Carson can be paid 10 coins to recount the backstories of the Tribe of Darkness, Count Bleck's minions, and the Pixl uprising. Carson has 16 stories total, and like Garson will retell a random one for free once they are all heard.

Haircut

Bleu giving Peach a ponytail.

An artist named Bleu lives in the rightmost house of the residential 1st floor of Flopside. By speaking to him as Peach, he will decide to give her a ponytail, similar to her look in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door after taking a shower at the X-Naut Fortress. Her haircut will revert if the player switches characters or leaves the area. This same ponytail look is depicted on Catch Card #225, Peach's third card.

Side-quests

Duel of 100

Bowser facing against End Boss in the final round of the Duel of 100.

Main article: Duel of 100

After completion of the game, the player may return to Sammer's Kingdom to fully complete the Duel of 100 by defeating all 100 Sammer Guys sequentially in combat. This includes foes which initially knelt down to allow the heroes to pass through quickly as the Void drew near. The rounds have no time limit, but occassionally Ninjoes, Ninjohns, and Ninjerries can appear to aid the Sammer Guys. After the duel, King Sammer congratulates the heroes on their skill and rewards them with Catch Cards of the partners from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. King Sammer also sends his princes on vacation after the duel concludes, preventing the player from reentering the rest of Sammer's Kingdom or participating in the event again.

Pits of 100 Trials

Main article: Flipside Pit of 100 Trials

Main article: Flopside Pit of 100 Trials

The pits of 100 Trials are challenges found in the outskirts of Flipside and Flopside, respectively. Each pit is designed with murals and varying layouts of silhouetted objects (and enemies in the Flopside Pit) based on Game & Watch LCD screens. Groups of enemies roam a given floor, with one enemy holding the key needed to progress. Every tenth floor is a resting area with a treasure chest, a pipe for leaving the pit, and occasionally items to purchase from Flimm.

The 100th room contains a boss to fight; Wracktail is fought in the Flipside Pit, with Dashell the sprinting Pixl rewarded upon his defeat. For the Flipside Pit, the player must reach the 100th room twice in order to battle the boss, Shadoo. As a reward, chests appear containing cards of the playable characters and their dark versions, which provide global buffs in power and removes Mario's Flip Meter timer for his card specifically.

The Flipside Arcade

The lobby of the Flipside Arcade

Main article: Flipside Arcade

The Flipside Arcade is found in a beveragarium in Flipside. There, the player may play four minigames, one of which is unlocked via the Golden Card.

• Forget Me Not - A card matching game with familiar characters from the game. Missing three times in one round is a game over.
• Mansion Patrol - A shooting game that involves the character shooting Boos to get points. This game marks one of the only appearances of Toads in the entire game, other than at the start of the game, where Toad himself appears.
• Tilt Island - The player uses the Wii Remote to tilt a small "island" of sorts while collecting food items and dodging enemies. The more items collected, the higher the player's score is.
• Hammer Whacker (Unlockable with Golden Card) -The player holds a large hammer and whacks giant shells back at the Koopa Striker, who hits the shells towards the player.

Similarities to the previous Paper Mario games

As with Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, this game contains many similarities and reused elements from the previous two games:

• All three games have a pre-title screen intro sequence.
• All three intros begin at the Mario Bros.' House.
• All three games feature interludes where the player have to maneuver Peach through the enemy base.
• Peach plays an integral role in each of the first three games. In the first, she is captured and helps Mario on his quest through Twink. In the second, Peach is captured and is used as a vessel for the Shadow Queen. In this game, she is a main playable character and one of the Heroes of Light.
• All three games allow the player to play as Peach at some point. In Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Peach is playable in the intermissions. In this game, Peach is a main playable character.
• Similarly, both Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and this game allow the player to play as Bowser. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Bowser is playable in the intermissions. In this game, Bowser is a main playable character. Also, his combat style is very similar to the platformer levels during his intermissions in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
• All three games have a small, peaceful town within Chapter 1, as well as a fortress/dungeon-like area as the final area of the chapter. (This is also seen in the game's successors' first worlds.) Also, like in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, a large dragon is a boss that is fought at the end.
• A red palm tree is seen in the desert, just as it was in the first Paper Mario. As with that one, something had to be done near it in order to trigger something.
• Like Paper Mario this game has a chapter that involves climbing a mountain and crossing a desert to reach a ruin.
• Merlon, Merlee, and Merluvlee reappear in this game.
• As with Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Paper Mario also features a partner that is used to blow up cracks in walls and reveal hidden areas.
• This game also contains a partner with the power to evade enemy attacks, as well as getting past floors with rising spikes.
• Super Paper Mario also contains a partner that can get Mario over spikes and other dangerous terrain.
• All three games include a reptile as a Chapter 3 boss.
• In both Paper Mario and Super Paper Mario, the boss of Chapter 2 is chased by a creature with dog-like qualities. In Paper Mario, Tutankoopa is chased by a Chomp. In Super Paper Mario, Mimi is chased by Gnaw.
• In all three, the second and fourth chapter bosses work for the main villain (although Doopliss does not join Grodus until after he is defeated in Chapter 4). If Smorg is working for Grodus, then this applies to the sixth boss as well.
• In both Paper Mario and Super Paper Mario, Mario has to run away from a chapter boss who chases him because they are invincible and cannot be defeated until the end of the chapter. In Paper Mario, Mario has to run away from Tubba Blubba. In Super Paper Mario, Mario and Peach have to run away from Mimi in her spider form.
• Also, all three games have a chapter boss that is invincible until the end of the chapter. Paper Mario being Tubba Blubba, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door being Doopliss, and Super Paper Mario being Mimi. However, unlike Tubba Blubba and Mimi, Doopliss never actually chases the player, although they must run away from him in battle if they guess his name wrong when he asks them.
• This game features a plant boss at the end of Chapter 5, just as the first Paper Mario did.
• Lady Bow and Parakarry make cameos in this game, just as they did in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
• As with the first and second Paper Mario games, Mario's first ally knows how to use the Tattle ability.
• As with Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, this game, too, contained a main villain that is being used as a pawn the entire time by one of his minions, and an ally to get possessed by the game's final boss.
• In both Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario, the main villain's name resembles an expression of disgust, and his minion who is using him has a name resembling a word related to insanity.
• In all three games, a character says "Still your tongue" to another character whose name starts with B: Lady Bow to Bootler, Grodus to Beldam, and Blumiere's Father to Blumiere.
• Super Paper Mario, just like the first game, features a cutscene where an enemy asks questions about Mario and company's weakpoints, and the kinds of things that they hate.
• Super Paper Mario has a childish shapeshifting character, just like the previous game.
• All three Paper Mario games have at least one party member that has to be fought first before they join. Paper Mario being Lakilester, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door being Vivian, and Super Paper Mario being Bowser.
• Super Paper Mario contains a Pit of 100 Trials, as well; and just as it is in the second game, it is entirely optional, and contains a boss that is supposedly more difficult than this game's final boss, and, in the case of the Flipside pit, is very similar to the first boss.
• In Chapter 8-2, Mario and company are lured into a trap by Mimi, where she tricks them into hitting a blue ! Block, similar to how Yellow Ninjakoopa set a trap for Mario, where he hits a fake ? Block that causes him to fall through a trap door, as well as the trap that Lord Crump sets in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, which is activated by placing the Puni Orb in a fake pedestal.
• The final stages of all three games involve a shapeshifting villain masquerading as a familiar character that assists Mario and company throughout the game: a Duplighost impersonates Princess Peach in Bowser's Castle in the first game, Doopliss impersonates Professor Frankly at the Palace of Shadow entrance in the second and Mimi mimics Merlon within Castle Bleck in this game.
• The player needs to collect specific entities to progress through chapters in all three games: Star Spirits, Crystal Stars and Pure Hearts, respectively.
• The final battles of all three Paper Mario games involve a villain becoming invincible, where the entities that were collected throughout the game have to be used against them to remove their invincibility barriers.
• The final bosses of both Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario offer Mario and his allies a chance to join them, and if "yes" is chosen, then the player gets an instant Game Over.
• In addition, the final bosses in both of these games have the goal of ending the world.
• In both Super Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, there is a new character that is the main antagonist for most of the game, but ends up getting betrayed/injured by the true final boss. Also, the final bosses of each of these games are Mario's allies who are forced to fuse with the main villain.
• Although Chapter 7 does not take place in a snowy region like it did in the first two Paper Mario games, it did contain a boss with power over the ice element, just like the first Paper Mario.
• As with the previous game, Super Paper Mario had an ordinary enemy by the name of "Johnson", as well.
• Super Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door both have legends involving four heroes. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it is the four ancient heroes that originally defeated the Shadow Queen and were sealed in black chests, in Super Paper Mario, it is the playable character cast.
• All three Paper Mario titles involve battling a giant Blooper at some point in the game.
• All three chapter 5 bosses have more than 1 form.
• Each Chapter 5 features a non-partner character that goes along with Mario to the chapter's location, and at least one point enters the "dungeon" with him (Kolorado, Flavio, and Flint Cragley). All three have a significant part to play near the end; Kolorado gives Mario an item needed to enter the sixth chapter in return for the treasure, Flavio negotiates with Cortez to fight off an attack by Crump, and Cragley informs the Cragnons of the reason behind the Floro Sapiens' invasion and tells them to stop throwing trash into the river.
• All of Mario's partners in this game are a final boss in at least one of each of the first three released Paper Mario titles, Bowser in Paper Mario, Peach in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (possessed by the Shadow Queen), and Luigi in Super Paper Mario (hypnotized and combined with Dimentio).
• In this and the previous game, there is a segment where the floor is flooded with a swarm of enemies. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, this happens with Dull Bones in Hooktail's Castle and the Dry Bones in the Palace of Shadow while in Super Paper Mario, this happens with copies of Dimentio in Count Bleck's castle.
• Also, in both games, there is a major battle between armies of the enemies, one side being the good guys and one side being the bad. The two sides fight each other and the good side wins. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it is Grodus' army vs. the capsized civilians. In this game, it is the Skellobit army vs. the Nimbis.
• In this and the second game, there is a segment where the player has to help Peach in some way using an item. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Peach herself creates a potion, and if it is made incorrectly, she can turn either big or small. In this game, she is asleep and the player has to bring her a fruit that can wake her up. If the player brings her the wrong fruit, she turns either big or small as well. The smoke effect when Peach is given said item is similar as well. Also, while bringing her the wrong item does not do anything, the player must bring Peach a Spicy Soup (made by bringing a Fire Burst to Saffron) after Chapter 1 to wake her up. It is mandatory to do so, because Peach is needed numerous times throughout the game.
• All three games require the player to be in at least the fourth chapter to cook two things together.
• All three titles required Mario to go through a fortress to progress through the game. Koopa Bros. Fortress in the first, X-Naut Fortress in the second, and Fort Francis in Super Paper Mario. Also, both X-Naut Fortress and Fort Francis are high-tech themed.
• Like the first two games, the Chapter 5 boss is located in a cave.
• Both Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and Super Paper Mario feature a card key system somewhere. In Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, it is located in X-Naut Fortress. In Super Paper Mario, it is located in Floro Caverns. The design of both of them is also similar.
• The Tattle for Goombas references the one in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. In the Japanese version, this is a throughline to the original Paper Mario, whereas the English localizations lost the direct quotation.

Differences from the other Paper Mario games

• Unlike the previous games, this game's pre-title screen opening takes place shortly after the game begins rather than before.
• This game is a side-scroller, unlike the other Paper Mario games.
  • As such, this is the first and so far only Super Mario RPG to lack turn-based battles (aside from the Underchomp battle).
• A score system is used for leveling up, rather than Star Points.
• For the first time in the series, Peach's design uses her current main dress.
• This is the first game in the Paper Mario series to not feature Kammy Koopa. Starting with Paper Mario: Sticker Star, her role has largely been filled by Kamek.
• For the first time in the series, damage cannot be inflicted on Bowser with a standard jump attack.
• The trend of Mario gaining a special attack from the game's key objects was broken, starting with this game.
• Unlike the first two (as well as Paper Mario: Sticker Star), the fifth chapter does not take place on a tropical island.
• This game is the first in the series to feature voice clips for Luigi.
• This game (as well as Paper Mario: Color Splash) does not have an ice-themed locale.
• There is no parade (or anything similar to one) during the credits.
  • It does, however, have pictures of the game shown during the credits.
• Starting with this game, Mario's house is not shown during the ending.
• This is the only game in the series with Luigi as a playable character.
• This is the only game in the series where the final boss theme does not change after the intermission.
• Starting with this game, a Goomba character does not give tattles.
• Starting with this game, Parakarry does not appear at the beginning of the game to deliver a letter to Mario and Luigi.
• This is the only game in the series where no Bob-ombs appear physically.
• This is the only game in the series where Mario does not break the fourth wall by giving the player a thumbs up.
• Besides Bowser's intermissions in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, this is the only game in the series where the player characters can swim in bodies of water freely, while in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario gets hurt by Nibbles if he falls into water, and in other games, Mario simply cannot touch deep water at all.
• In this game, ? Blocks have their contents reset every time Mario enters a level. In the previous two games and Paper Mario: The Origami King, they permanently remain as Empty Blocks.
• In this game, coins dropped by enemies are collected automatically, and the hero automatically enters a door after unlocking it with a Key. In the previous two games, Mario must pick coins and enter unlocked doors manually.
• Unlike in the previous games, some, although not all, mandatory party members automatically join the party at the end of the chapter if they are skipped using glitches.

Staff

Main article: List of Super Paper Mario staff

The game was developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. Ryota Kawade was the chief director and Chie Kawabe was the art director. The music is credited to Naoko Mitome and Chika Sekigawa. Shigeru Miyamoto is credited as supervisor. The game was produced by Kensuke Tanabe and Ryoichi Kitanishi and executive produced by Nintendo's president at the time, Satoru Iwata.

Development

After wrapping up development of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, director Ryota Kawade wanted to make "other type of games" using the Paper Mario series. Kawade brainstormed many ideas for a new Paper Mario game that would retain the series' humor, puzzles and leveling system while featuring a new twist, eventually settling on the concept of switching between 2-D and 3-D (an idea which came to him during a train ride, where Kawade was thinking about the Bowser platforming segments in The Thousand-Year Door while looking at the other end of the train). The idea was presented to Nintendo, which suggested that an action-adventure game would best demonstrate the concept.

The developers and Nintendo considered that retaining the leveling system was important, as it would allow less dedicated players to still enjoy the game and make it stand out from traditional Super Mario games. The graphics and character design were deliberately designed to be surreal and unusual to invoke the idea of "a Mario world that's not really a Mario world" and because the idea "to show something that the player has never seen before" was considered a pillar of Paper Mario.

When asked by Nintendo Power if the next Paper Mario would return to the series' RPG roots, Kawade claimed to be uncertain if they would continue on Super Paper Mario's concept, return to the gameplay style of the previous games, or be a completely different type of game, but he concluded that "we want a challenge and to take on new things". Producer Kensuke Tanabe similarly stated that he would "look for a new and different style".

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Super Paper Mario pre-release and unused content

Super Paper Mario was originally developed as a title for the Nintendo GameCube, under the same name. The game was also at one point considered for release on both the GameCube and Wii consoles. The Pixls were also initially named "Fairens," and all but Tippi seemed to have initially been one single Fairen that would have morphed into different forms depending on the ability used.

A Gold Fuzzy makes an appearance on the back cover of the guidebook, but no Gold Fuzzies appear in-game.

Regional differences

In the American version of Super Paper Mario, Dimentio insults Luigi by calling his mustache a "shag." Because this term doubles as a vulgar slang term in British English, the line was changed to have Dimentio call Luigi "pushover" in the British English version. Similarly, most instances of "spank" were changed to "yell" or "clobber" in the British English version. This is most notable with O'Chunks's dialogue.

Several names were also changed:

• The floors of Flipside and Flopside are named according to American convention (First/Second/Third Floor) in the American version, the European convention (Ground/First/Second Floor) in the British version.
• Chap, the green-colored character found on the second floor of Flipside, is named Glim in the PAL version.
• Muffy, the pink-colored character found on the first floor of Flipside, is named Tina in the PAL version.
• Muffy, the pink-colored character found on the second floor of Flipside, is named Lucy in the PAL version.
• Buffy, the purple-colored character found on the first floor of Flopside, is named Nina in the PAL version.
• Lucy, the purple-colored character found on the second floor of Flopside, is named Lacy in the PAL version.
• Spit Roasts are known as Roast Meats in the British version.
• The Cooking Disks are named by abbreviation of their colors (R = red, W = white, Y = yellow, B = blue, G = green, PU = purple) in the American version, and by numbers (2 to 7) in British and other versions.
• Gnips, the dog-like creatures in Merlee's Mansion, are called Howls in the British version. Similarly, Gnaw is named Growl in the British version.
• Tuff, the citizen in Downtown of Crag, is named Scoria in the British version.
• Yellow Apples are known as Orange Apples in the British version.

Notable mistakes and errors

• When Fracktail and Wracktail first appear, the boxes they are contained in cut off parts of their body, regardless if the game is set to display in 4:3 or 16:9.
• Some of Fracktail's dialogue is contained in the normal speech bubble rather than the speech bubble for robotic characters. This would be corrected in the Japanese and European versions.
• During the cutscene in which Count Bleck's barrier is broken, Princess Peach speaks a line that was likely intended for Bleck: "What is now happening to... Count Bleck?!"
• In Chapter 3-4, when Francis shouts, "HOT BABE IN ROOM!" prior to his boss battle, he leans back, causing his speech bubble that would normally point towards him in his idle position to misalign and point towards Peach instead, making it appear as if she uttered the line.

Glitches

Main article: List of Super Paper Mario glitches

Clipping through objects

If Mario flips dimensions, goes beside a slanted object, and flips back into 2-D, he is able to walk through the object.

Infinite jump glitch

Mario performing a midair jump using Thudley.

Using Mario and Thudley, the player should Ground Pound with the button, and just as Thudley's ground pound starts descending, cancel it and flip to 3-D. The mechanic of jumping in midair after flipping allows this trick to be performed repeatedly to gain height and distance.

Platform clipping

The player must be Luigi and must be under a platform moving down. To start the glitch, Luigi must high jump and hit the platform moving down. The platform will keep moving, and when Luigi starts falling, he should jump immediately. Luigi should be on the platform.

Promotions

Trading cards

A card featuring Bestovius.

Main article: List of Super Paper Mario trading cards

In September 2007, a set of twenty holographic cards depicting artwork of various characters in Super Paper Mario were produced in Japan by Subarudo. The designs are vaguely reminiscent of Catch Cards from this game, however they use a more abstract background and also feature other characters in each corner. These cards could be collected individually by purchasing packs for 315 yen that came with one card and one Mushroom-shaped gummy.

Browser game

A tie-in browser game was released in 2007 called Super Paper Mario Memory Match, featuring a memory tile game where the player takes turns against O'Chunks. Similar to the Forget Me Not minigame, the player must try to match obscured tiles of character portraits to score the most points in a three-round competition. Each round increases the amount of tiles, starting from 8 tiles and ending with 16 tiles.

Super Mario-kun story

Super Mario-kun vol. 37

On February 28, 2008, the manga Super Mario-kun adapted the story of Super Paper Mario, with abridged and altered events to keep it comedic and concise for the medium. Tippi's design is more rounded, having a yellow body and head with a cute face rather than being restricted to her in-game polygonal appearance. The beginning events play out largely the same, with Count Bleck wanting to force Bowser and Peach to marry to form the Chaos Heart. Mario is then sent to collect the first five Pure Hearts as the prophesized hero. Unlike in the game, Mario does not meet up with Peach after collecting his second Pure Heart, and Luigi, whose brainwashing as Mr. L wears off after battling in the Whoa Zone, comes to his senses and joins Mario, Bowser, and Tippi on their quest.

A continuation was published in October that same year, where Peach reaches the rest of the party in The Overthere shrine during their fight against Bonechill. She reveals she has retrieved two Pure Hearts from the Land of the Cragnons and Sammer's Kingdom, implying the other heroes skipped these dimensions. The history of Tippi and Count Bleck is revealed during their penultimate battle, which causes Count Bleck to cease his plans. Dimentio steps in to take control of the Chaos Heart, but like in the game he is vanquished, with Tippi's and Bleck's silhouettes being shown under the same tree seen in the game's credits.

Reception

Michael Cole of Nintendo World Report gives the game a 9/10 and praises it for the wide array of different artstyles, emotional moments, and funny writing. He specifically notes the script's references to game and game culture and the variety of topics it jokes about. However, he does deride the game for its level design, specifically the easily circumvented platforming challenges and tedious puzzles.

In a 2007 interview, Seth Gordon, director of The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters, expressed his desire to create a film adaptation of Super Paper Mario. With the rising popularity of 3-D movies, his idea for an adaptation involved constantly switching between 2-D and 3-D. However, Gordon also mentioned that, even though The King of Kong was screened for Nintendo, he has not been given an opportunity to speak with Nintendo about the idea.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Wii	Ricardo Torres, GameSpot	8.8/10	In the end, while it's not quite on par with some of the other entries in the series, Super Paper Mario stands as an engaging and fun Wii game that's well worth your time. Though the minor camera and pacing issues as well as the underwhelming audio keep the game from being a totally polished experience, there's plenty to appreciate. Super Paper Mario's humorous story, accessible gameplay, inventive design, cool visual style, and impressive amount of content give it an undeniable charm. Anyone with a Wii should check it out.
Wii	Bryn Williams, Gamespy	4/5	Super Paper Mario is a rock-solid entry into the Wii's expanding library of games. It's of a substantially higher quality than the majority of third-party games recently released and as such, it should appeal to virtually everyone who owns the console. It's well worth the price of admission and if you were on the fence before, rest assured that this one's worth your time and money.
Wii	John Walker, Eurogamer	8/10	So an admittedly muddled review. Is it a new Wii must-have? I'm going with, perhaps. It uses the Wii tech so cleverly, remembering that simple is best, but letting it play in a way impossible on any other console. It's non-stop hilarious, and utterly adorable. If only it had been more inventive with the 3D potential, it would have been a stand-out classic. As it is, subdued by this shortfall, it's a gorgeous, confusing little buddy, that's lovely to hang out with.
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		85
GameRankings		85.16%

Quotes

Main article: List of Super Paper Mario quotes

• "Mario! Take this and save all worlds from destruction!" - Merlon
• "Nothing is decided entirely by fate, you know... All things determine their destinies." - Tippi
• "To feel sadness is to live, but as long as you are alive, the future is a blank page." - Merlon
• "Of all things, you defend the heart?! Nothing could be more worthless..." - Count Bleck
• "Well, I can’t just sit here and let everyone else go off to save the worlds, now, can I?" - Princess Peach
• "No more sequels! It's gonna end right here, right now. ONCE AND FOR ALL!" - Bowser
• "I don't give my name to scoundrels! Just watch as Luigi punishes you for your badness!" - Luigi
• "JUNIOR?! C'mere un' I'll introduce yeh to Fist Jr. an' his wee pal, Slappie!" - O'Chunks
• "You DUMMIES! The only reason I'm even HERE is to get in the way!" - Mimi
• "Master of dimensions... Pleaser of crowds... I am... Dimentio!" - Dimentio
• "And with that...I am hungry. [...] Let us heal our weariness by devouring a banquet of sumptuous sweets!" - Merlon

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Super Paper Mario.

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  Mario and Tippi

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  Princess Peach

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  Bowser

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  Luigi

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  Count Bleck

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  Dimentio

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  Fracktail

Multimedia

For the complete list of media files for this subject, see Multimedia:Super Paper Mario. For this subject's sound test, see Super Paper Mario sound test.

Disc Channel

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Super Paper Mario - The game's title screen music.

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Flipside - Plays in Flipside.

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Lineland Road - Plays in World 1-1.

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Gloam Valley - Plays in Gloam Valley.

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Outer Space - Plays in Outer Space, Planet Blobule, and the Outer Limits.

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Gap of Crag - Plays in the Gap of Crag and Downtown of Crag.

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The Underwhere - Plays in The Underwhere.

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The Ultimate Show - Plays during the final battle against Super Dimentio.

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Help:Media file • Having trouble playing?

References to other games

Game & Watch

• The Flipside and Flopside Pit of 100 Trials design is based on the design of Game & Watch games.

Mario Bros.

• Super Dimentio's simile taunt to the party after the first half of the final battle has him comparing the party to upside-down turtles as they wallow in helplessness, alluding to how Shellcreepers are defeated.

Super Mario Bros.

• The structure of the story is an allusion to this game, featuring eight worlds, each one containing four levels (here termed chapters), which use the same level code format.
• When Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, or a Koopa Troopa gets a Mega Star, they turn into screen-sized versions of their sprites from this game; similarly, the Pal Pills create eight small Mario, Luigi, Peach, or Bowser sprites from this game to aid the player. The sprite for the Shell Shock is also based on the sprite for a Green Shell from this game.
• The design for ? Blocks is based upon those of this game.
• When Piccolo is in use, she causes the characters to have the same sound effects as in the original Super Mario Bros.
• World 1-1 has been recreated in Chapter 1-1 (which also, in turn, has a rendition of "Ground BGM"), World 1-2 has been recreated in Chapter 3-1, World 2-1 is recreated in Chapter 5-3, and World 2-2 is recreated in Chapter 3-2.
• Underground rooms filled completely with coins reappear.
• Bowser's temporary castle in the Bitlands is based on the castle designs of this game.
• One of the Sammer Guys says "Sorry, but your prize is in another castle", referring what the Toads say after being rescued from fake Bowsers ("Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!").
• When Mario is sent to The Underwhere, one Shayde calls the dimension "World -1", which is a reference to the Minus World glitch.
• In Outer Space, there are constellations of Fire Flowers, Super Mushrooms, and Koopa shells at the background.

The Legend of Zelda series

• When Fracktail short-circuits, he says, "I AM ERROR," a reference to the character Error's line from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
• Rubees resemble Rupees, the currency in this game series.

Super Mario Bros. 2

• Francis' must-buy list includes something called Cyborg Wart, a reference to Wart, the final boss of this game.

Super Mario Bros. 3

• At the start of the Yold Ruins, there is a place where Mario must avoid bottomless pits and a Fire Bar in order to get to a door. There is a ? Block above where the Fire Bar is. Additionally, if Mario climbs the platforms to the area above the exit, he can find a secret treasure chest. This is an allusion to the first fortress in World 1 of Super Mario Bros. 3, where the secret is found by flying above where the door was and the secret was the Recorder.
• Francis' to-buy list includes a "Tanooki suit made with real tanooki fur", a reference to the Tanooki Suit from this game.
• An arrangement of the "Underwater BGM" plays when the Big Blooper appears.
• Bowser's battle theme is an arrangement of "World 8 Map (Dark Land)."

EarthBound Beginnings

• The Underchomp is fought in a similar battle style to this game.

Super Mario World

• An arrangement of "Ground BGM" is heard in the theme for Lineland Road.

Paper Mario

• Every partner in this game returns as a Catch Card.
• Francis has posters of Lady Bow and Bootler.
• Tubba Blubba is mentioned by Francis, stating that there is a TV show called "The Blubbening", which stars him.
• Mimi makes two direct references to this game. The first part is when she shapeshifts into Bowser and yells at Dimentio for reading her diary (which is a reference to Peach and Twink reading Bowser's diary), and the second part is when Mimi shapeshifts into Merlee, asking Mario and company about their weak points, just as Bowser and Kammy did to Peach.
• At the beginning of the game, Mario has a picture with all eight partners from both Paper Mario and its sequel.
• The noise that plays when an enemy is defeated (when it disappears) is the same noise that plays in Paper Mario when an enemy disappears, albeit sped up.
• The song that plays after the character completes a chapter (while a piece of paper at the middle of the screen is telling the chapter's story) is Paper Mario's chapter completion music.

Luigi's Mansion

• The minigame Mansion Patrol takes place in the foyer of the mansion from this game.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

• There is a Sammer Guy named Mustard of Doom, referencing one of Fawful's quotes in this game.
• Red and Green are a pair of brothers in red and green, similar to many pairs of characters who appear as red and green siblings in this game.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

References to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in Fort Francis.

• Many character sprites are reused or revamped from this game.
• Every partner in this game returns as a Catch Card.
• Francis has plush toys of the Yoshi, Vivian, Admiral Bobbery, and Pennington, along with a poster of Petuni.
• Sir Grodus and the X-Nauts are referenced by Francis when he mentioned the TV shows, "The Grodus Chronicles" and "Starship X-Naut".
• On Francis' things to buy list, he wants a Ms. Mowz doll with "real smooching action", as well as the DVD, "Harder Than Bedrawk: The Rawk Hawk Story". A Magnus Von Grapple action figure is also on that list.
• Fracktail and Wracktail are homages to Hooktail and Bonetail.
• One of the Sammer Guys is nicknamed "Thousand-Year Roar".
• Within Heronicus' house are the stone heads from Keelhaul Key.
• Mario has a picture of all seven partners from this game.

References in later games

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• The trophies of Paper Mario, Paper Luigi, Paper Bowser, Paper Peach, Wedding Bowser, Wedding Peach and Fracktail all reference the story of this game in the description.
• Count Bleck, Tippi, and O'Chunks appear as Stickers.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

• Big Blooper is mentioned in the Blooper trophy.

Wii U

• Trophies of Tippi, Fracktail, Flint Cragley, Mr. L, and Count Bleck appear.

Paper Mario: Color Splash

• The 3-D flipping mechanic returns in this game during the Super Mario Bros. 3-styled sub-level found within the Green Energy Plant.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

• Mr. L and Dimentio appear in this game as spirits. A giant Luigi appears during the Dimentio spirit battle, referencing Super Dimentio.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (Nintendo Switch)

• A photo of the partners from Paper Mario (and Thousand-Year Door after the game is cleared) is shown in the Mario Bros.' House, similar to the introduction of Super Paper Mario.
• Garson and Mega Star are incorrect answers in The Creepy Steeple Boo’s quizzes.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	スーパーペーパーマリオ Sūpā Pēpā Mario	Super Paper Mario
Chinese (traditional)	超級紙片瑪利歐 Chāojí Zhǐpiàn Mǎlì'ōu	Super Paper Mario
Korean	슈퍼 페이퍼 마리오 Syupeo Peipeo Mario	Super Paper Mario

Notes

• The Japanese save data description says「ペラペラマリオの超次元大冒険！」(Parapara Mario no chōjigen daibōken!, "Pattering Mario's super dimensional big adventure!")

External links

Websites

• Official Site (North America)
• Official Site (Japan)
• Official Site (Europe)
• Official Site (South Korea)

Instruction booklets

• North American instruction booklet (EN/FR/ES)
• Japanese instruction booklet