Paper Mario

Paper Mario, titled Mario Story in Japan, is a video game for the Nintendo 64 released in 2000. This game was released for Virtual Console on July 16, 2007 in America. It was also originally in development for the Nintendo 64DD.

In this game, King Bowser steals the Star Rod from Star Haven and imprisons the seven Star Spirits. He plans to use it to get all his selfish wishes, while everyone else's wishes go ungranted, and after using the Star Rod to destroy Mario and kidnap Princess Peach, he uses his Castle to uproot Peach's Castle into the stratosphere. Now, Peach's Castle is teetering on top of Bowser's. It may look as if the Mushroom Kingdom is doomed with Peach in Bowser's sinister clutches, so Mario and his party members must embark on a mission to set free the Star Spirits, defeat King Bowser, rescue Princess Peach, and take back the Star Rod.

Opening: The Stolen Star Rod
The story opens with a place that lies far beyond the sky and far above the clouds, called Star Haven. within the sanctuary of Star Haven, lies a fabled treasure, known as the Star Rod, which can grant any and all wishes. The seven Star Spirits used this artifact to watch over and protect the peaceful world. Until one day, Kammy Koopa used her magic to teleport herself and her king, Bowser, into the sanctuary and, using his firebreath, Bowser shattered the protective seal over the Star Rod and grabbed it, in hopes of using its power to defeat Mario. As a test of the Star Rod's power, Bowser traps all of the Star Spirits inside playing cards then leaves.

Prologue: A Plea From the Stars
The game begins at Mario's house. A Paratroopa delivers some mail and Luigi reads it. Princess Peach has invited Mario and Luigi to her castle for a party. Mario and Luigi go to the castle, but King Bowser and Kammy Koopa use their own castle to steal Peach's! The two castles are taken up into the air. Mario fights King Bowser, but he uses the Star Rod (which he stole from Star Haven) to make himself invincible. Mario flies out of the window and lands in Goomba Village.

At Goomba Village, a family of Goombas rescue Mario. A star in his dream tells him to go to Shooting Star Summit. Goombario, one of the Goomba family, decides to go with Mario on his adventure. Mario and Goombario battle Goomboss before traveling to Shooting Star Summit, and Eldstar tells him to rescue the 7 Star Spirits, who are trapped in various places throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.

Back at Princess Peach's Castle, Peach finds a Star Kid named Twink, who helps her. Together they find out the locations of the Star Spirits after each chapter and Twink will be sent by Peach to tell Mario and his team the information on where the Star Spirits are being held.

Chapter 1: Storming Koopa Bros. Fortress
Mario and Goombario eventually end up at Koopa Bros. Fortress, where the first spirit is trapped. On the way, they find Koopa Village, which is infested with Fuzzies who are taking all the shells from the Koopa Troopas. The two later meet a Koopa Troopa named Kooper, who joins them after retrieving his lost shell.

Once in Koopa Bros. Fortress, they find a Bob-omb named Bombette trapped in jail. She explodes and makes an escape route and together the three defeat three Bill Blasters and the Koopa Bros., retrieving the first Star Spirit, Eldstar.

Back at Princess Peach's Castle, Peach and Twink find a switch behind a poster, which they can use to escape and they end up in Bowser's study and read Bowser's diary to discover the next Star Spirit is at Dry Dry Ruins...

Chapter 2: The Mystery of Dry, Dry Ruins
Twink comes and tells Mario that the second Star Spirit is in Dry Dry Ruins. On the way to Dry Dry Desert, they find a mail-delivering Paratroopa named Parakarry, who joins their party. Mario goes through the Dry Dry Desert to Dry Dry Outpost, where the meet Moustafa, who gives him a jem that will tell him where Dry Dry Ruins is. Upon finding Dry Dry Ruins, they discover it has many traps such as filling rooms with sand and finding keys. They eventually get to the very end of the ruins, where they find Tutankoopa and his Chain Chomps. After defeating him, they get the second star spirit, Mamar

Back at the castle, Princess Peach and Twink discover that the Star Spirit that was being held at Invincible Tubba Blubba's Castle managed to escape and they also learn that Invincible Tubba Blubba has a weak point, but can't do anything but wonder what it is.

Chapter 3: The "Invincible" Tubba Blubba
The third star spirit is in Boo's Mansion. Bootler appears in Forever Forest and tells Mario how to get through the forest. When Mario reaches Boo's Mansion, he finds that Bow, Princess of the Boos, has trapped the third Star Spirit, Skolar. She won't let him go until Mario helps her defeat the evil Tubba Blubba of Gusty Gulch. Mario and Bow go to Tubba Blubba's Castle and find the key to Tubba Blubba's weakness and defeat him. Bow gives back the star spirit and decides to join Mario on his quest.

Back at the castle, Peach and Twink learn the next Star Spirit is being held captive in Shy Guy's Toy Box. Bowser notices Peach and forces her to tell him what he hates.

Chapter 4: Trials in the Toy Box
The fourth star spirit is in Shy Guy's Toy Box. Shy Guys have invaded Toad Town, so Mario follows one of them to Shy Guy's Toy box. In there, Kammy kooppa lays all the things Peach said Mario hated. To get to the end, they must clear 3 out of the 4 train stations. They eventually meet Gourmet Guy and must give him a piece of cake so they can repair the 2nd railroad track. At the final stop, they meet and defeat the Big Lantern Ghost and inside his lantern they find a Lil' Sparky named Watt. She thanks Mario for rescuing her and joins the party. At the end of the toy box, they find General Guy, the leader of the Shy Guys, using Watt's light power. They defeat him for the star spirit, Muskular.

Back at the castle, Peach and Twink whip up a cake for the always-hungry Shy Guy Gourmet Guy and after Peach and Twink present to Gourmet Guy the cake, he'll tell Peach and Twink the next Star Spirit is being held on Lavalava Island.

Chapter 5: Hot, Hot Times on Lavalava Island
The fifth star spirit is in Lavalava Island. They can't reach it, but then a whale comes and asks Mario to get rid of a Fuzzy, by the name of Fuzzipede, inside his stomach. Mario defeats Fuzzipede and the whale takes him to Lavalava Island. He goes to Yoshi Village and finds the volcano, but he can't reach it. When he returns to the village, everyone is panicking because 5 Yoshis have gone missing. Mario helps Sushie, a friendly Cheep Cheep, find them. After they find the Yoshis, Mario and Sushie go to the volcano and defeat the Lava Piranha for the fifth star spirit, Misstar.

Back at the castle, Peach and Twink participate in a quiz show and while they're playing, they learn that one of the questions they had answered was the location of one of the Star Spirits and they learn the Star Spirit is imprisoned in Flower Fields by the evil cloud monster Huff N. Puff. Peach will also get an item called a Sneaky Parasol.

Chapter 6: Dark Days in Flower Fields
The sixth star spirit is in Flower Fields. After Mario finds the 4 Magical Seeds, he opens the portal to Flower Fields. He meets a Lakitu named Lakilester, who joins him and together they destroy the Cloud Creation Machine, go to Cloudy Climb and defeat the evil cloud Huff N. Puff for the sixth star spirit, Klevar.

Back at the castle, Peach uses the Sneaky Parasol she won at the quiz show to turn herself into one of the guards, allowing her to move around the castle without getting caught! Peach will also learn that Kammy is building a weapon designed to defeat Mario.

Chapter 7: A Star Spirit on Ice
The seventh and final star spirit is held in the Crystal Palace. In order to open the way forward, Mario must solve a penguin murder mystery in Shiver City, visit Starborn Valley, and dress a snowman for the cold. Along the way, they meet Madam Merlar, who gives Mario the Star Stone, giving him access to the palace. Once inside, the group realized that it contained many traps and puzzles involving Duplighosts and mirrors. Once they reached the Crystal King, Mario defeated him for the final star spirit, Kalmar.

Back at the castle, Bowser tied Peach up to keep her out of mischief.

Chapter 8: A Star-Powered Showdown!
With the help of the 7 Star Spirits, Mario and the team go to Star Haven and use the power of the Star Spirits to travel to Bowser's Castle. After going through the castle, they finally find Princess Peach. After a long, hard battle, interrupted by a cutscene in which Peach and Twink have a battle with Kammy Koopa, King Bowser is defeated, even with the power of the Star Rod and with the device Kammy Koopa told the guards about during the Chapter 6-7 intermission. Mario and his team return the Star Rod to its rightful owners and are later invited to Peach's second party.

Battle System
Paper Mario introduced a new battle system. Mario and one partner of their choice fight against the enemies. Mario has HP and BP, while all characters share FP. FP is used for special moves, HP is Mario's life force and BP affects the types of Badges Mario can wear.

Each attack has its own "Action Command", which increases the damage if performed correctly. For example, for "Jump", the player must press A just as Mario is about to hit the enemy, and for Hammer, He must hold left and release at the right time. Mario can also decrease enemy damage by 1 by pressing A just as they hit him.

When Mario levels up, the player can choose to increase HP by 5, FP by 5 or BP by 3. The best idea is to upgrade BP with the occasional HP/FP boost until his BP is at maximum (30), then upgrade HP and FP.

When Mario and his team rescue a Star Spirit, they could summon them to use their powers against an enemy or two. Star Spirit Powers can be used if there is plenty of Star Energy. If Star Energy is used up Mario can use focus to regain Star Energy. Star Energy can also fill up as a battle progresses.

Goombario
Can use Tattle to see enemies' stats.

'''Attacks – Headbonk (0 FP): Bonks single enemy, like Mario's jump. – Tattle (0 FP): Uncovers enemy's description and stats. Outside of battle, he can tell Mario about the people he meets and the places he visits. – Charge (1 FP): Boosts Headbonk attack by 2. – Multi-Bonk (3 FP): Much like Mario's Power Bounce, bonks an enemy multiple times until he misses the action command.

Kooper
Good at attacking ground enemies.

'''Attacks – Shell Toss (0 FP): Attacks one enemy. Outside of battle, he can use this attack to flip switches, grab items and attack enemies. – Power Shell (3 FP): Attacks all enemies. – Dizzy Shell (4 FP): Makes enemies Dizzy. – Fire Shell (5 HP): A fiery move that attacks all grounded enemies.

Bombette
Good at attacking multiple enemies.

'''Attacks – Body Slam (0 FP): Charges at one grounded enemy. – Bomb (3 FP): Attacks one grounded enemy. Outside of battle, she can use this attack to flip switches, blow up fake/cracked walls and attack enemies. – Power Bomb (6 FP): Attacks all grounded enemies. – Mega Bomb (8 FP): Attacks all enemies.

Parakarry
Good at attacking both ground and air enemies.

'''Attacks – Sky Dive (0 FP): Kicks one enemy while airborne. – Shell Shot (3 FP): Charges at one enemy while airborne. – Air Lift (3 FP): Lifts enemies out of battlefield. Outside of battle, Mario can use this attack to hover over short distances due to his (Mario's) weight. – Air Raid (6 FP): Flies around like crazy, inflicting damage to all enemies.

Lady Bow
Good at attacking multiple times.

'''Attacks – Smack (0 FP): Smacks an enemy 4-6 times. – Outta Sight (2 FP): Makes Mario invulnerable to attacks. Outside of battle, she can use this attack to protect Mario from damage. – Spook (3 FP): Scares enemies away from battlefield. – Fan Smack (5 FP): Smacks an enemy 5 times with her fan.

Watt
Good at penetrating enemies' defenses and paralyzing enemies.

'''Attacks – Electro Dash (0 FP): Attacks one enemy, ignoring enemy's defense value. – Power Shock (2 FP): Paralyzes single enemy. – Turbo Charge (3 FP): Temporarily boosts Mario's attack power. – Mega Shock (5 FP): Paralyzes all enemies.

Sushie
Is good against fire enemies.

'''Attacks – Belly Flop (0 FP): Hop on one enemy. – Squirt (3 FP): Shoots water at one enemy. – Water Block (3 FP): Boosts Mario's defense. – Tidal Wave (6 FP): Launches water attacks against all enemies.

Lakilester
Good at attacking multiple enemies.

'''Attacks – Spiny Flip (0 FP): Throws a Spiny Egg at one enemy. – Spiny Surge (4 FP): Throws a lot of Spiny Eggs at all enemies. – Cloud Nine (4 FP): Boosts Mario's evasion rate. – Hurricane (5 FP): Blows enemies out of the battlefield.

Eldstar
As his name implies, he's the elder of Star Haven and he's respected by all others.

He is the Star Spirit the Koopa Bros. guard.


 * Found in: Koopa Bros. Fortress
 * Boss required to defeat: Koopa Bros.
 * Powers
 * Focus
 * Refresh: Needs 1 Star power.
 * Powers Obtained: Chapter 1: Storming Koopa Bros. Fortress
 * What Focus does: Boosts Star energy.
 * What Refresh does: Replenishes Mario's HP and FP by 5. Needs 1 Star power.

Mamar
Happy and kind hearted, she looks after the others.

She is the Star Spirit Tutankoopa guards.


 * Found in: Dry Dry Ruins
 * Boss required to defeat: Tutankoopa
 * Power: Lullaby
 * Power Obtained: Chapter 2: The Mystery of Dry, Dry Ruins
 * What it does: Puts enemies to sleep for a short time by singing a lullaby.
 * Star Power needed: 1

Skolar
As his name implies, like most scholars, he's always studying. He is the Star Spirit Tubba Blubba guards, but he escaped from Tubba Blubba's Castle and was searching for a way out in the Forever Forest and was captured by Boos, who promised to set him free after Mario and Co. defeat Tubba Blubba.


 * Found in: Boo's Mansion
 * Boss required to defeat: Tubba Blubba
 * Power: Star Storm
 * Power Obtained: Chapter 3: The "Invincible" Tubba Blubba
 * What it does: Attacks all enemies, damaging 7 HP each.
 * Star Power needed: 2

Muskular
This young Star Spirit is always full of energy.

He is guarded by General Guy and his troops.


 * Found in: Shy Guy's Toy Box
 * Boss required to defeat: General Guy and his troops
 * Power: Chill Out
 * Power Obtained: Chapter 4: Trials in the Toy Box
 * What it does: Decreases enemies' attack power by 3.
 * Star Power needed: 2

Misstar
This young Star Spirit is pure hearted but strong.

She is guarded by Lava Piranha and his Lava Buds.


 * Found in: Mt. Lavalava
 * Boss required to defeat: Lava Piranha
 * Power: Smooch
 * Power Obtained: Chapter 5: Hot, Hot Times on Lavalava Island
 * What it does: Replenishes Mario's HP by 20 with a kiss.
 * Star Power needed: 3

Klevar
Young and-- as his name implies-- he is very clever and is always reading books.

He's the Star Spirit Huff N. Puff guards.


 * Found in: Flower Fields and Cloudy Climb
 * Boss required to defeat: Huff N. Puff
 * Power: Time Out
 * Power Obtained: Chapter 6: Dark Days in Flower Fields
 * What it does: Immobilizes enemies for a short time.
 * Star Power needed: 2

Kalmar
Very warm hearted. As his name implies, he hates fights or arguments.

He is the Star Spirit the Crystal King guards.


 * Found in: Crystal Palace
 * Boss required to defeat: Crystal King
 * Power: Up and Away
 * Power Obtained: Chapter 7: A Star Spirit on Ice
 * What it does: Turns enemies into stars, knocking them out of battle.
 * Star Power needed: 2

Star Beam/Peach Beam

 * Power Obtained: Chapter 8: A Star-Powered Showdown!
 * What it does: Negates the effects of the Star Rod. During the final battle with Bowser, Star Beam has no effect against the Star Rod due to the device Kammy Koopa made. After Peach and Twink defeat Kammy Koopa, this power is upgraded to Peach Beam.
 * Star Power needed: None

Bestiary

 * See Paper Mario (Bestiary) for a list of all enemies found in Paper Mario. Also see the bestiary for bosses in the game.

Badges

 * See Paper Mario Badges for a list of all of the badges found in Paper Mario.

Trophy Information from Super Smash Bros. Melee
''The Star Rod: Bowser stole it, and Mario wants it back. Bowser vs. Mario is familiar for Mario aficionados, but Paper Mario is novel. What this game brings to the 3D polygon-filled gaming world is its art style: everything is wafer thin! What the visuals lack in realism, they more than make up for in unique artistry.''

Trivia

 * This is the only Mario RPG game that has Bowser as the main antagonist. In all of the other RPG games Bowser is either an ally or a minor foe.
 * Several characters have appeared in 3D in other non-Paper Mario games:
 * The Goomba King reappeared in Super Mario 64 DS though is called Goomboss.
 * Koopatrols reappeared as enemies in Mario Pinball Land.
 * Whacka has reappeared on a board in Mario Party 6.
 * Many Paper Mario characters, enemies, and possibly dreams of their locations make at least a cameo appearance in Mario Party 5. Most notably, the game is hosted by the Star Spirits, marking their only appearance outside Paper Mario.
 * This is the only Paper Mario game that has no optional characters.
 * This is also the only Paper Mario game that doesn't have the endless play mode, where the player can continue playing the game even after the final boss is defeated. At the end of Paper Mario, after the credits have rolled, Mario and Peach will watch the fireworks of the Mushroom Kingdom victory parade at the Mario Bros.'s house. "The End" will appear and Mario and Peach will stand there and watch the fireworks, endlessly. This forces the player to turn off the console leaving all data back where they last saved before the final boss. In a positive way, however, this allows the player to defeat the final boss more than once.
 * A few of the characters from Paper Mario made a brief cameo appearance in the sequel, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.
 * This Paper Mario doesn't have heart points for Mario's partners like in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. So whenever the partner got attacked, he/she would be Injured, meaning the partner will unable to move for a certain amount of turns.