Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (known as Paper Mario RPG in Japan), is the second installment in the Paper Mario series; it was released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2004. The plot of the game revolves Mario, who embarks on a mission to collect the seven Crystal Stars in order to open the Thousand-Year Door. After hearing that Princess Peach has gone missing, Mario must also set out on a mission to rescue her from the fiends that have kidnapped her. The game involved intermissions between each chapter, in which the player could play the role of Bowser, as well as Peach, receiving their sides of the story while the main plot continues to unfold. This game, much like its predecessor, Paper Mario, is divided into eight eventful chapters, as well as a prologue.

Plot



 * Prologue: A Rogue's Welcome
 * Chapter 1: Castle & Dragon
 * Chapter 2: The Great Boggly Tree
 * Chapter 3: Of Glitz & Glory
 * Chapter 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls
 * Chapter 5: The Key to Pirates
 * Chapter 6: Three Days of Excess
 * Chapter 7: Mario Shoots the Moon
 * Chapter 8: The Thousand-Year Door
 * Side-Quest: The Pit of 100 Trials

Prologue: A Rogue's Welcome
The adventure begins when Princess Peach goes on a cruise with her steward, Toadsworth. The two end up in Rogueport, the home of rogues and thieves. She slips away from Toadsworth and meets a mysterious hooded woman. She tries to convince Peach to buy something. After a moment of thinking, Peach sees a box which she describes "pretty". The Hooded Woman says it is a box with a map to a legendary treasure. She claims that the chest can only be opened by "one with a pure heart." The Hooded Woman explains that a person like herself cannot open the chest. Then she tries to open it. She says that if Peach can open it, she can have whatever is inside. The Princess eagerly opens the box and discovers that it contains a Magical Map. Then, when the player starts a new file, It shows Mario's house. A Paratroopa, presumably Parakarry, delivers a letter. Luigi goes outside the house and takes the letter out of the mailbox and returns inside. He tells Mario that a letter from Princess Peach arrived. Luigi reads the letter to Mario. After reading the letter, Luigi gives Mario the Map. Mario looks at the map and nods.

As Mario reaches Rogueport, he immediately finds trouble. The Princess is nowhere to be found, and a mysterious group – the X-Nauts – are attacking a female Goomba, named Goombella. The villainous Lord Crump directs the group to attack; Mario and Goombella escape in the massive pileup of bodies, and slip into the main section of town. Goombella introduces herself formally, and explains that she is an archeology student under Professor Frankly, and attends the University of Goom. Mario shows Frankly the map; Frankly then explains the great legend tied to it. The map is connected to a massive gateway in the Rogueport Sewers – the legendary Thousand-Year Door. The door is rumored to contain a great treasure; however, a powerful seal holds the gate in place. The keys to the door are the seven Crystal Stars; the map has the power to reveal where the Crystal Stars lie, if held before the door. Frankly reasons that if the Princess is looking for the Crystal Stars, then the map will eventually reveal her location. Goombella and Mario enter to dank the Sewers, and encounter a mysterious Black Chest Demon, who curses Mario with the ability to turn into a paper airplane. Mario uses this power to reach the Thousand-Year Door; he holds the map in the air, and the location of the first Crystal Star is revealed.

Chapter 1: Castle and Dragon
Mario and Goombella show Professor Frankly the Map, and he reveals that the castle upon it is in the same vicinity as Petalburg, a serene village that is home to dozens of pacifistic Koopa Troopas. Mario and Goombella travel to the small town and discover that a monstrous dragon – Hooktail – lives inside the Castle, and the Koopas live in endless fear of him. Mario and Goombella must pass through Shhwonk Fortress and play a quiz game to earn the keys to the Castle. As they pass back through Petalburg, one particular Koopa – named Koops – asks to travel with Mario, as he wishes to avenge his father, who vanished a decade ago after traveling to defeat Hooktail. Once they arrive, they bypass Hooktail's traps and learn her secret weakness: she cannot stand the sound of crickets. With help from Ms. Mowz and another Black Chest Demon, (which lets Mario become paper-thin), they encounter and defeat Hooktail. She fights the group, but in the end, she falls. Hooktail coughs up Koops's Dad, who has retrieved the Diamond Star from within Hooktail's stomach.

After the battle with Hooktail, Peach is revealed to be kidnapped. However, she was not taken by King Bowser, but the X-Nauts and their leader, Sir Grodus. When an X-Naut tells Sir Grodus someone nabbed the first Crystal Star, Peach guesses that it was Mario. Grodus overhears this and decides to have his Shadow Sirens – sinister Beldam, silent Marilyn, and inferiority-complexed Vivian – steal the map from Mario. Peach then meets TEC-XX, or TEC for short. He is a massive computer that is interested in the Princess's concept of love, and asks for her help to understand it. The Princess agrees; in exchange, TEC lets her use his keyboard to send e-mail messages to Mario.

At Bowser's Castle, Kammy Koopa tells Bowser that Mario is hunting the seven Crystal Stars; Bowser decides that they sound like good "world-conquering tools", and wants them all to himself. Kammy also reveals that Peach was captured by someone else. Bowser is outraged at this and leaves for Rogueport to kidnap her back.

Back in Petalburg, the residents are amazed to see that Koops went from a nervous citizen to a brave warrior, and that Hooktail had been slain. As they head for the Thousand-Year Door, they receive an e-mail from Peach. Peach tells him she's been kidnapped and the people who kidnapped her are after the map she sent Mario. Mario and his team stand before the door and present their map to it. The next Star's location has been marked on the team's map; they then visit Professor Frankly for details.

Chapter 2: The Great Boggly Tree


The second Crystal Star is revealed to be in a massive tree in a pale-looking forest. The Great Tree is inhabited by the Punies, a small, near-defenseless race of slug-like creatures. To enter the Great Tree, Mario and his gang must seek the help of Madame Flurrie, a cloud spirit with power over the wind. To obtain her help, Mario must find her precious necklace. The Shadow Sirens hold it, so Mario must battle to recover it. With Flurrie as their third party member, the group enters the Great Tree to discover that the X-Nauts have imprisoned the Punies. Mario must navigate traps, the Jabbi tribe, and puzzles to recover the second star, in the heart of the Tree. There, Lord Crump snatches it, and uses his Magnus von Grapple to fight the heroes. He fails, and the group nabs the Emerald Star.

At the X-Naut headquarters, the X-Nauts tell Sir Grodus that Mario has taken the Emerald Star; the alien lord becomes infuriated. Meanwhile, TEC calls for the Princess, and asks about a typical love action. The Princess recommends dancing, and TEC generates a hologram of her to dance. The Princess moves through a waltz, and TEC is intrigued by the emotion he feels.

Meanwhile, Bowser and Kammy are in Petal Meadows. Bowser passes through an area reminiscent of the levels Mario visited in Super Mario Bros.. Upon reaching Petalburg, they manage to find the Princess, only they discover it's actually a poster.

Back at the Great Tree, the Punies say goodbye to Mario and his team, telling them to visit the tree at anytime. As they move on, they receive another e-mail from Peach. Peach tells him that the X-Nauts are on the search for the Crystal Stars; she tells Mario and his team to be careful. Mario and his team stand before the door and present their map to it. The next Star's location has been marked on the team's map; they then visit Professor Frankly for details.

Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory


The third Crystal Star appears on a large stadium in a floating town. To reach the glorious Glitzville, Mario and the gang must visit the fierce Don Pianta, ruler of the West Side of Rougeport. He offers them the tickets they need - if they can find his missing daughter, Francesca, and his mobster Frankie. The two have run off to get married; when Mario brings them back, the Don is pleased with his daughter, and then gives Mario the tickets as promised.

Once Mario and his team enter the Glitz Pit, they spot the Crystal Star on the Champ's Belt, held by the buffed and cocky Rawk Hawk. They decide that the best course of action is to sign up as a fighting team and become the champs themselves. Mario talks with the guffawing Grubba and his cold assistant, Jolene, and becomes the "Great Gonzales." As they battle through the ranks and gain a newborn Yoshi as a partner, a mysterious web of intrigue plays out: fighters vanish, cheating abounds, and a mysterious figure named "X" sends cryptic e-mails. The clues all reveal that the Star on the belt is a fake - the real Gold Star is being used by Grubba, to power a life-sucking machine that he uses to keep himself strong. He transforms into the fierce Macho Grubba, but the group overpowers him in the end. Jolene reveals herself as X, and explains that she was seeking her brother, Prince Mush. The Gold Star grants her wish by bringing him back to her, and everyone wonders about the power of the Crystal Stars.



At the X-Naut base, the Princess expects TEC to have her sing or talk; instead, he asks her to find out what Grodus is planning. Both are surprised-TEC has never questioned Grodus's authority before. The Princess goes undercover in an X-Naut disguise and learns that the alien lord is plotting to take over the world! TEC allows her to send this message to Mario, and continues thinking about the Princess.

Meanwhile, Bowser is searching for one of the Crystal Stars at the Great Tree in Boggly Woods. Unfortunately, he has absolutely no luck.

Back at the Glitz Pit, Mario tells the fighters and Jolene that he is retiring. They give him their thanks and say good bye. As Mario and company head for the Thousand-Year Door, they receive another message from Peach, telling them that the X-Nauts are planning to conquer the world. Mario and his team stand before the door and present their map before it. The next Star's location has been marked on the team's map and they go and visit Prof. Frankly for details.

Chapter 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls
The gang sees that the fourth Crystal Star is at a frightening-looking church. Professor Frankly tells them that this "Creepy Steeple" is near a town covered in twilight; to reach the mysterious town, Mario must have his name inscribed on his pants.

Twilight Town is suffering from a horrible curse. A wicked monster lives in the Creepy Steeple, and rings a bell there every so often; when the bell is rung, a citizen transforms into a pig. Using a new Black Chest Demon power that lets Mario roll up like a paper tube, the group reaches the church. They release some Boos (and can even fight the mighty Atomic Boo) inside, and soon meet the monster, a Duplighost! He transforms into a copy of Mario, but the group still beats him and claims his Star...but in a twist, it is revealed that the monster stole Mario's name, transforming the plumber into a shadowy version of himself. His allies go with "Mario", who will only transform back if the real hero can guess his name. To this end, Mario seeks help from a strange source - Vivian, who is with her sisters in town. With her help, he discovers that the monster's name is Doopliss. They fight, and for a brief time, Vivian leaves because she is helping her enemy. However, she suddenly reappears and announces that Mario offered her more kindness than her sisters ever did, and joins him permanently. The two defeat Doopliss and reclaim the Ruby Star.







At the X-Naut base, TEC asks the Princess to participate in a sort of "quiz show" with him. She agrees, and he strangely demands that she answer every question, at any cost. By doing this, she discovers the true "treasure" of the Thousand-Year Door - the soul of an evil demon! The Crystal Stars also work as keys in both ways-they can unlock the door, and also lock the demon away! The Princess sends this news to Mario, and wonders why TEC revealed this crucial information.

Meanwhile, the hapless Bowser continues his quest for Crystal Stars by flying up to Glitzville in his Clown Copter. It malfunctions, and he must traverse an underwater level to return to town, soaked and angry.

Back in Twilight Town, Mario and his friends had explained to the townspeople of how Doopliss imitated Mario. The Mario who was taking all the credit for the end of the curse was an impostor and so, the townspeople apologize to Mario for the misunderstanding. Mario and his team are about to head for the Thousand-Year Door, until they receive a message from Peach, saying that the treasure is the soul of a 1000-year-old demon. Mario and his team stand before the door and present their map to it. The next Star's location has been marked on the team's map and they visit Prof. Frankly for details.

Chapter 5: The Key to Pirates
The fifth Crystal Star is deep within a pirate's lair, on a far-off island. To reach the island, Mario recruits the aid of the fanciful Flavio and the crusty sea Bob-omb, Admiral Bobbery. After discovering Bobbery's sad past, Mario convinces him to sail with Flavio and his crew, one of whom is a poorly disguised villain.

On their way to the island, Mario and his compatriots are attacked by ghostly Embers, which shipwrecks them. Undeterred, Mario and his gang venture deep into the jungles of the island. They eventually discover the entrance to the Pirate's Grotto with the aid of Bobbery and Flavio's Skull Gem. Inside, Mario gains his fourth Black Chest Demon power: the ability to fold into a paper boat! He uses this power to rescue imprisoned Toads and the honeymooning Francesca and Frankie Pianta, and to reach the lair of the dreaded pirate lord Cortez. After a fierce battle, Cortez relinquishes his Sapphire Star. More trouble arises when Crump abandons his disguise and leads the X-Nauts in an attack, but Cortez lends his ship as aid, and the aliens are defeated once again.



In the X-Naut base, TEC has another surprising assignment for the Princess. Grodus has a disk of private information in his lair, and TEC wishes to gain access to it. To this end, he helps the Princess make an invisibility potion, which allows her to infiltrate the villain's room. She brings the disk to TEC, who promises to analyze it.

In Twilight Town, Bowser and Kammy Koopa run into Lord Crump, who is searching for the powerful Superbombomb, dropped by the Shadow Sirens. A contest between who has the bigger army begins, as Bowser assembles his Koopa Troop and Crump calls the X-Nauts. In the end, the battle is a stalemate - Bowser's fiery breath ignites the Superbombomb, which destroys everything!

Back at Keelhaul Key, Cortez ferries Mario and his teammates to Rogueport (and back, later on) on his ship. Mario gets an e-mail from Peach, telling them about what TEC is analyzing. Mario and his team stand before the door and present their map to it. The next Star's location has been marked on the team's map and visit Prof. Frankly for details.

Chapter 6: Three Days of Excess
The penultimate Crystal Star appears in a foreboding building in a wealthy town. The only way to reach the town is on the fabulously famous Excess Express - and the only way to gain tickets is through the mob connections of the Don Pianta. The Don is sick with worry over his missing daughter, though, and he cannot grant any favors. Mario rounds up the Pianta couple, and Francesca decides that it is time for her to run the family business. Don Pianta is pleased, and grants the plumber his request.

Once on the beautiful train, Mario and his team become swept up in mysterious happenings, including thefts and threatening messages. They have the help of Pennington, a famous penguin detective, and manage to solve the crimes. On their second day of travel, a pit stop at Riverside Station is necessary, and the group fears that someone is trying to stop them in their quest. The guess proves correct, as a fierce beast attacks the other passengers on the last day of the journey. Mario and the gang soundly defeat the villain, and finally reach the Poshley Sanctum. The Shadow Sirens (with new member Doopliss) are inside, and seem to snatch the Garnet Star-but Pennington reveals that what they stole was a fake. He happily presents the heroes with the real Star.





The X-Nauts tell Grodus that Mario has six of the seven Crystal Stars; the alien lord seems surprisingly calm about the situation. Meanwhile, TEC tells the Princess the extremely terrifying data he gained from Grodus's data disk: the X-Nauts plan to use her as a sacrifice to the demon behind the Thousand-Year Door! Incensed, TEC prepares to help Peach escape-but Grodus enters with two X-Nauts and orders them to initiate the data-wipe procedure. TEC gasps out "Iloveyou" just before he is shut down.

Later, Bowser learns that one of the Crystal Stars is through a passage in the Rogueport Sewers. He travels through an underground level to reach it, and finally claims the treasure in a workout room. Unfortunately, the "Star" is the fake Gold Star on Rawk Hawk's belt! The fighter enters the room, and is quite upset about Bowser breaking into his private area.

Mario and his team return to Rogueport and receive an e-mail from Peach, but the rest is cut off due to TEC being deleted. Mario and his team stand before the door and present their map to it. The next Star's location has been marked on the team's map and visit Prof. Frankly for details.

Chapter 7: Mario Shoots the Moon
The last Crystal Star appears on the map, in the furthest place possible- The Moon, within the X-Naut Base itself! To reach the Moon, Mario and his teammates travel to the Fahr Outpost, populated by Bob-ombs. After tracking the elusive General White around the world, they gain his permission to use a massive cannon, and blast off!



On the Moon, Mario explores, his actions no longer limited by gravity. Eventually, the group discovers the fearsome X-Naut Fortress, and must pass several tricky tests and electrical challenges to reach the heart of the lair. Once they arrive, Lord Crump appears, bragging about his latest creation-the Magnus von Grapple 2.0! The new machine proves as ineffective as the first, and Mario defeats the villain. This releases the Crystal Star, the final stone in the group and last key to the Thousand-Year Door!

Elsewhere, Bowser and Kammy reach Poshley Sanctum, and discover the glass Garnet Star that Pennington placed on the platform. They steal in-but a Paragoomba flies in and accidentally destroys the "treasure." To ease Bowser's wrath, the Paragoomba reveals that Mario is heading for the Thousand-Year Door, which contains a great treasure! Bowser announces that he will steal the prize, defeating Mario.

As Mario and his allies prepare to leave, they discover that all of the doors have locked-they are trapped in the X-Naut Fortress, and Crump has set it to self-destruct! The heroes race through the lair and discover TEC, who barely survived Grodus's order to purge his databanks. He recognizes Mario and tells him to rescue the Princess, activating an emergency transporter. The transporter places everyone in Rogueport Sewers. Prof. Frankly meets Mario and co. there. He urges them to open the Thousand-Year Door and find the Princess!

Chapter 8: The Thousand-Year Door
After Mario has received all 7 Crystal Stars, the time has come to open the Thousand-Year Door and enter the Palace of Shadow to rescue Princess Peach from Grodus.

The Palace itself is full of dark, twisted versions of Mario's enemies, mind-boggling puzzles, and deadly traps. Mario must use all of his allies' special powers and abilities to venture deeper into the depths of the earth. Eventually, the group discovers the massive Gloomtail, older brother of Hooktail. Defeating him relinquishes a key to the mysterious Riddle Tower. After solving the puzzles of the Tower, the group fights the Shadow Sirens once again, and discover that the "Professor Frankly" that told them to open the door was Doopliss in disguise! After defeating the Sirens, Mario reaches the Throne Room, where he finally finds Sir Grodus. He fights him - and Bowser, whom literally "drops in" unexpectedly. Grodus uses the distraction to rush into the deepest part of the Palace. There, he opens a sealed coffin...and frees the mighty Shadow Queen, empress of darkness! Beldam suddenly announces that she orchestrated the plot to free her "mistress." Grodus is knocked away, and Princess Peach is possessed, transforming into Shadow Peach! The world is covered in darkness, and everyone fears that the apocalypse has arrived.



Mario and his allies fight the possessed Princess, but the Queen proves too much for them. She laughs off their attacks...until a brilliant flash of light emanates from Mario. The Crystal Stars react to the evil of the Queen and fly throughout the world, each returning to where they were found. The friends Mario made on his journey gather around the Stars and send the whole team their thoughts and prayers. Their combined light breaks the Shadow Queen's invulnerability, and even restores the Princess for a few moments, who uses her magic to heal Mario. Empowered, the heroes work together to permanently destroy the Shadow Queen, saving the world!

The heroes celebrate their happy ending-and Professor Frankly reveals that there really was a treasure behind the Door after all - a Dried Shroom, proof that ancient civilizations a thousand years ago ate Mushrooms. Goombella later sends Mario a message, explaining what everyone has done: she works with Professor Frankly, while Koops plans on running for the office of Mayor. Flurrie returns to the stage and enacts "Paper Mario" as her comeback smash (Doopliss plays the role of Mario). The Yoshi Kid fights in the Glitz Pit as the "Great Gonzales Jr.", while Vivian has forgiven her sisters; the elder two vow to be kinder to her, and make a home in Twilight Town. Bobbery sails the seas with Cortez, and Ms. Mowz runs her Lovely Howz of Badges. TEC survived as well, and hopes to see the Princess again one day. The adventure ends when the Princess arrives with another treasure map - and the heroes are off again!

Epilogue
In the game, there is not actually a chapter titled "Epilogue", but it is there. After Mario's final showdown with the Shadow Queen, Mario, Peach, and Toadsworth are found at Rogueport's port, conversing with all of Mario's partners (with or without Ms. Mowz, depending on if she joined Mario during the game). Each of the partners takes their turn talking, and Petuni and Punio come and give Peach and Mario mushrooms for the trip home. They then leave in the boat Mario arrived in, and he and Peach look back at Rogueport, which looks almost nice in the sunset.

Next shows Mario & Luigi sitting at home when Mario receives an email from Goombella, and she updates him on all the partners. Goombella is working as Frankly's assistant in Rogueport, and she informs him that the Thousand-Year-Old treasure was a dried shroom. This is deemed important by Professor Frankly because it proves that people ate mushrooms 1,000 years ago. Koops is living in Petalburg with Koopie Koo and his father. Flurrie has become an actress again and is starring in the play, "Paper Mario" along with Doopliss. Baby Yoshi has enrolled in Glitz Pit as the Great Gonzales Jr. Ms. Mowz is working at the Badge Shop in Rogueport. Bobbery lives on Keelhaul Key, but is rarely there as he spends most his time out at sea.

After reading the email, Peach & Toadsworth come with the news that Peach has found another Treasure Map, and invites Mario to go looking for it with her. Shocked, Mario passes out.

Paper Abilities
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door brings up new gameplay elements not present in the original Paper Mario game. Throughout the game, Mario finds four black treasure chests, which give Mario special abilities to use in the overworld. They all base on the Paper element of the game's graphics. With the first ability (called Plane Mode), Mario is able fold himself to a paper airplane at certain spots, allowing him to fly over large gaps. The second ability (called Paper Mode) allows him to turn sideways, making him as thin as paper, so that he can get through very narrow passages. With the third ability (called Tube Mode), Mario can roll himself up, allowing him to roll through low passages. With the fourth ability (called Boat Mode), he can fold himself to a paper ship at certain docks, allowing him to move over water. It is noticeable that, to use Tube Mode, Mario has to activate Paper Mode first, and then roll himself up.

Background
Another element introduced in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the background scenery, which is actually accessible for Mario through certain pipes. Several places which only appear in the background can be visited this way, including Hooktail Castle, the Great Tree, and Merlee's house in the Rogueport Sewers.

Intermissions
After each chapter, there is an intermission where the player is able to control Princess Peach, who is held captive in the X-Naut Fortress. The Peach intermission is followed by a Bowser intermission, a new addition in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Bowser usually visits the places Mario has been to one chapter before, and several missions include a side-scrolling platformer level in the style of Super Mario Bros. In these levels, Bowser has the ability to breathe fire, and by using the only available item, the Meat, is able to radically increase his size, thus crashing everything in his way. While enemies like X-Nauts charge at Bowser, others like Goombas are actually scared by him and turn away when he approaches them. The levels are called 1-X, 2-X and 3-X in reference to the world numbering of Super Mario Bros., while X stands for the number of tries Bowser has used for the level. He has endless lives for the levels. They are set in the three basic terrains of Super Mario Bros.: Overworld, Underwater and Underground/Castle.

Attacking enemies
While Mario and his partners are battling enemies, they can attack enemies with extra power using the Action Command.


 * Countdown: Tilt and hold the control stick left, then release when the red light flashes.
 * Tricky Timing: Pressing A just before landing on Mario's opponent.
 * Aiming: Aligning a cursor in the center of the targeting reticule
 * Button Mania: Holding on to or repeatedly tapping a button or input an entire sequence.

Stylish Moves are extra commands to please the crowd more and gain more star power.

Guarding
To perform a guard action command, press A or B when Mario's opponent is about to strike him. Guarding will reduce the damage he takes from enemy attacks and help the player resist status effects. The player must time it right, though.

Guard: To perform a Guard move, press A to dodge enemy attacks, reducing the damage they do by 1, also protecting Mario from negative status effects. The player will have a 1/2 second to guard.

Superguard: To perform a Superguard move, press B to dodge enemy attacks, negating the attack completely, damaging their opponent if it is attacking directly. The player only have a 1/4 second to superguard, making it naturally harder than guard.

Star Points
Every time Mario wins a battle, he'll earn Star Points. When Mario's Star Point Level gets up to 100, he'll choose whether to upgrade his Heart Points, Flower Points or Badge Points. Choosing HP and/or FP will raise Mario's HP or FP by 5 and choosing BP will raise Mario's BP by 3. Mario stops levelling up at 99, however it is very hard to reach this level because, starting from level 1, the Star Point Value for every enemy decreases by one with each level up.

Shine Sprites
When Mario and co. collect Shine Sprites, Mario can give 3 of them to Merlon and Merlon will power up Mario's partners, increasing their HP and teaching them new moves. Getting the Up Arrow in Hooktail Castle will cause Merlon to remember he has an Ultra Stone which will allow Mario to power up his partners a second time, and Merlon will teach Mario's partners ultra-rank moves.

Star Power and the Audience
As in the previous game, using special Crystal Star Powers requires the use of Star Energy. However, in this adventure, it is an Audience that determines how much Energy Mario recovers. The Audience, which consists of various enemies and allies, sits and cheers as the group attacks. If Mario or his allies use the Appeal action or a Stylish Move, they will recover more Star Energy.

The Audience occasionally takes "active participation" in the battles; some spectators throw helpful items, while others may incapacitate other audience members, making Star Power recovery more difficult.

Bingo!
An icon will appear next to Mario's Star Power Gauge whenever the player successfully uses the Action Command of an attack. If the player has two matching icons and if the player executes an additional Action Command, Mario can take the Bingo wheel for a spin.

'''Goombella
A female Goomba who studied at Goom University. She is the first character to join Mario after he defeats Lord Crump. She has the same ability to uncover an enemy's stats, much like how Goombario can.

'''Koops
A timid koopa who lives in Petalburg. To prove to Petalburg he is not a coward, he joins Mario's team to avenge his dad, Koopley's death. He has the same ability Kooper has outside of battle, using his shell toss move to flip switches, grab items and attack enemies.

After defeating Hooktail, he finds out that Koopley isn't dead after all, and is able to give the heroes the Diamond Crystal Star.

'''Madame Flurrie
She can blow wind at enemies to make them dizzy and blow fake walls away, revealing secret passages. She is an actress, although when Mario meets her, she is on hiatus.

'''Yoshi
This Yoshi is namable after receiving him. Press X to ride on his back like most Yoshis and hit A to fly briefly over places that have no solid ground, which is the same ability Parakarry possesses in Paper Mario. That same ability can be used to walk faster than Mario alone, pretty much like Lakilester's ability. Yoshi also can be a different color based on when it was hatched.

'''Vivian
One of the Shadow Sirens. At first, she worked for Grodus, but joined Mario's team to help Mario get his name, appearance and teammates back, because Mario treated her a lot more nicely than Beldam and/or Marilyn. She can hide Mario from enemy attacks, in which that is the same ability Lady Bow has, but instead of turning Mario and company invisible, she'll pull them into the shadows.

'''Admiral Bobbery
A retired admiral who refused to help Mario at Keelhaul Key, but decided to help him after Mario gave him his late wife's letter. After Mario saves him from Cortez's underlings and gives him Chuckola Cola, he joins Mario's team. He has the same ability Bombette has outside of battle: with his bomb attack, he can destroy fake walls, flip switches and attack enemies. However, he can be tossed upwards to walk on ledges.

'''Ms. Mowz
Optional Partner: A Little Mouser cat burglar/badge hunter and the manager of the Lovely Howz of Badges. Mario and his teammates encounter her at Hooktail Castle, the Great Boggly Tree, and the Glitz Pit Storeroom. She joins Mario's team if Mario chooses to solve her trouble at the Trouble Center in Rogueport. To help her, Mario gets the Attack FX B badge in Hooktail's lair and gives it to Ms. Mowz. She can also seek out hidden items and penetrate enemy's defenses like Watt from the first Paper Mario did.

Sweet Treat

 * Crystal Star Required: N/A
 * Description: Replenishes UP TO 8 HP for both party members and 8 FP, as well as curing the poison status effect.
 * Star Power Needed: 1

Earth Tremor

 * Crystal Star Required: Diamond Star
 * Description: If successful, this power creates an earthquake that can do up to 6 damage against all enemies.
 * Star Power Needed: 2

Clock Out

 * Crystal Star Required: Emerald Star
 * Description: If successful, immobilizes enemies temporarily.
 * Star Power Needed: 2

Power Lift

 * Crystal Star Required: Gold Star
 * Description: Boosts attack and defense power for a short time for both party members.
 * Star Power Needed: 3

Art Attack

 * Crystal Star Required: Ruby Star
 * Description: Any amount of damage can be done depending on how many times the player encircles around the enemies
 * Star Power Needed: 4

Sweet Feast

 * Crystal Star Required: Sapphire Star
 * Description: Much like Sweet Treat, the player will replenish up to 24 HP for each party member and 24 FP.
 * Star Power Needed: 5

Showstopper

 * Crystal Star Required: Garnet Star
 * Description: If successful, destroys enemies in a single blow! NOTE: Does not work on enemies with more than 12 HP, mini-bosses and bosses.
 * Star Power Needed: 2

Supernova

 * Crystal Star Required: Crystal Star
 * Description: Does up to 15 damage to all enemies, 3 each time the player fills the gauge.
 * Star Power Needed: 6

Badges
Badges are what Mario may need throughout the game. They can be purchased at the Lovely Howz or by Charlieton, traded for Star Pieces by Dazzle, won at the Pianta Parlor or found in one of the places Mario and company visit. The blocks in which badges are found in the field are red in color, unlike normal item blocks which are yellow.

When leveling up, Mario can gain Badge Points which allow him to use badges he has already found. Some of the badges add new Jump or Hammer moves to Mario's commands during battle and other new abilities.

Badges can also affect Mario and his partners outside of battles. After the battle certain badges can increase the amount of points defeated enemies leave. Enemies might also carry badges in battle, which only Ms. Mowz can steal right away, and there's a likeliness that they might leave them when they're defeated.

Two special badges, the W Emblem and the L Emblem, can change Mario's clothing. With the W Emblem, Mario gets Wario's clothing, with the L Emblem, he gets Luigi's clothing, and with both Emblems combined, he gets Waluigi's clothing.

If multiple copies of the same badge are worn at once, the FP requirements will increase, but so will the attack power.

All badges found in RPG's like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door are listed here in detail.

Bestiary (Tattle Log)
Goombella has the ability to analyze enemies and state their HP, Attack and Defense, as well as a short description. Their information is stored in the Tattle Log, also known as Bestiary.

Trouble Center Side Quests
In Rogueport there's a "Trouble Center" which offers the citizen's troubles for Mario to solve. An anonymous quest comes from Ms. Mowz and requires Mario to find a badge she has hidden. Only then she joins Mario's team.

Bosses
Yellow signifies chapter bosses.

The Pit of 100 Trials
The Pit of 100 Trials is an optional challenge. Before or after saving the world, Mario can take on the enemies found in the 100-basement floor area known as the Pit of 100 Trials. The enemies located on levels 50-99 are especially strong. Upon reaching floor 100, Mario gazed up at Bonetail, the long-lost relative of Hooktail and Gloomtail. After defeating Bonetail, Mario receives the Return Postage Badge.

Voice Acting

 * Charles Martinet as Mario
 * Jen Taylor as Princess Peach Toadstool
 * Scott Burns as King Bowser Koopa

Similarities
There are many similarities between the original Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, including:
 * The opening is identical to that of the previous game, right down to Parakarry delivering a letter from Princess Peach.
 * The first partner of both games is a Goomba that will give Mario hints on both enemies and the area. They both have headbonk, tattle, and multi-bonk as attacks.
 * The second partner of both games is a Koopa Troopa. Both will be able to be shot out to hit switches, etc. Both of them are also able to use Shell Toss and Power shell in battle.
 * The fourth partner of each game will allow the player to travel across gaps.
 * Both games have a Bob-omb as a partner, both are able to destroy cracked surfaces.
 * Both games have a partner that allows Mario to become invisible to enemies.
 * Both games have a partner who has betrayed an enemy to join Mario's party.
 * The main plot point of both games is to find seven stars.
 * In both games the player is able to play as Peach between chapters. The player is required to dress Peach up as an enemy to learn secrets. Also, the player can cook something in both games.
 * Mario and Peach contact each other using friendly characters in both games. Twink helped in Paper Mario and TEC in The Thousand-Year Door.
 * Mario must solve a mystery in both games. A Bumptie is Mario's fellow detective in both.
 * In one point of the games, Mario falls for a ploy created by the boss of the level which led him to be confined in a cage. A ? block in Paper Mario, and a fake puni pedestal in The Thousand-Year Door.
 * Chapter 1 in both games features a castle/fortress as the location of the boss.
 * The partner acquired in Chapter 2 in both games required Mario to bring him or her an item.
 * An oversized Clubba is the boss of Chapter 3 in both games, and both have a secret.
 * In both games, at one point, Mario has to chase the Chapter 3 bosses (Grubba and Tubba's Heart).
 * Moustafa and Flavio both give you stones needed to reach an ancient, rumored to be haunted, place, and the boss of both places sends threats along the way.
 * Buying a Dried Shroom and another certain item along with it was a secret sign in both games that was required to reach Moustafa and Don Pianta.
 * Chapter 4 in both games features a childish opponent: the Shy Guy Army in Paper Mario and Doopliss in The Thousand-Year Door
 * Chapter 5 takes place on a tropical island with coconuts in both games and both involve an expedition.
 * After the battle against Cortez was over, one of the Toad sailors will tell everyone that he feels a "slight wind" coming from the cracked wall, just as Misstar did in the first one. Also, the Bob-omb partner of both games is needed to blow that up. Also, the most frequently fought boss of both games conveniently show up after Chapter 5 is completed.
 * Chapter 6 takes place in a beautiful area and has a boss that can do a very high amount of damage when charged up: 16 for Huff N. Puff, 10 for Smorg. Also, both are blob-shaped and made up of a smaller species. Additionally, Ruff Puffs appear in the sixth chapter of both games.
 * Chapter 7 features a snowy region.
 * Chapter 8 includes a minor battle against Bowser before the final battle. Also, Kammy Koopa is fought in both chapters.
 * The main villain of both games (which have kidnapped Peach) had to be chased through long stairways in the eighth chapter of both games.
 * Also, both games have mini-bosses that are fought in the eigth chapter that are colored black, and have high attack power (Gloomtail and the Anti-Guys Unit).
 * Mario's final battle is divided into multiple parts. At one point, each boss is invincible and Peach must save Mario by sending him psychic energy.
 * Peach conveniently gets taken away in both games right before Mario and company reach the hideaways of the games' main antagonists.
 * In both games, there is a scene where Mario turns into 8-bit Mario with Super Mario Bros. music playing.
 * Both games have Merlon standing outside his house, waiting for Mario and his partners to show up, where he'll tell them about a dream that he had, and will tell them to let him know if they find out the meaning of it. And both times, it had something to do with "upgrading" Mario's partners.

References to Other Games

 * Super Mario Bros.: At the X-Naut Fortress, there is a room where Mario can change into an 8-bit sprite of himself, along with the Super Mario Bros. music playing in the background. Hamma also mentioned that his grandfather was at World 7-1. Bowser's gameplay is also a direct parody of this game.


 * Super Mario Bros. 2: The appearance of Bob-ombs and Shyguys, which originated from this game.


 * Super Mario Bros. 3: Whenever Jolene (while under the alias of "X") or Grubba sent Mario an e-mail, the Ice World map screen theme would play. This game also included Boomerang Bros., Fire Bros., and Boos, which originated from this game. Bowser's theme song is a remix of the background music that plays in Boom Boom's castle.


 * Super Mario World: Whenever Peach sends Mario an e-mail, the title screen theme would play. Whenever Mario gets an e-mail from other people, part of the epilogue theme (from when a Koopaling castle is beaten) will play.


 * Paper Mario: Parakarry makes a brief cameo at the beginning of the game, and delivers a letter to Mario from Peach, just like the previous game. Lady Bow also makes a cameo appearance, and makes a direct reference to Boo's Mansion, as well as the adventure they had. There is also a random Toad at the Excess Express (after Chapter 6 is completed) that will ask Mario a quiz question, ("What did Bowser steal in the first Paper Mario?"), and the answers is, "Star Rod". The video game-obsessed Toad kid from Petalburg also mentions that he's been playing game, describing Bow as the "cutest Boo of ALL TIME!!!" Jr. Troopa also appears in the background in the picture that Zip Toad attached to his e-mail.


 * Fire Emblem: The video game-obsessed Toad in Petalburg mentions that he's been playing this game.


 * Super Paper Mario: This game is aluded to by a video game-obsessed Toad in Petalburg. At the end of the game, he'll state that he's been playing "the new Paper Mario game", and that it will be pleasing to fans of Luigi, which hints that the game was already in production and/or planning stages at the time Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door was in development.


 * The Legend of Zelda: In TEC's question and answer test with Peach, he asks her "How do you seal the Demon?", and a selectable answer is "A Legendary Sword." This is referring to the Master Sword that Link uses to seal Ganondorf.

References in Later Games

 * Super Paper Mario: All seven partners from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door make cameo appearances as Catch Cards that are won by completing the Duel of 100 at Sammer's Kingdom. Francis also has plush toys of the Yoshi Kid (in all colors), Vivian, Bobbery, and Pennington, along with a poster of Petuni. In Francis' list of things to buy, Rawk Hawk was given a reference when he stated that he wants a DVD called, "From Bedrawk: The Rawk Hawk Story". Francis also stated that he wants a Ms. Mowz doll will "real-smooching action", along with a Magnus von Grapple action figure. Francis also happens to watch "Starship X-Naut" and "The Grodus Chronicles". Also, Fracktail and Wracktail, themselves are homages to Hooktail and Bonetail. Lastly, there is also a Sammer Guy who calls himself "Laughing X-Naut".


 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl: Goombella, Yoshi, Vivian, and Rawk Hawk appear as Stickers. Goombella also has her own trophy. Also, the words, "CRUMP" and "RAWK" appear in the random name selection, which are possible references to Lord Crump and Rawk Hawk.

Trivia

 * The fifth chapter of this game is similar to the fifth chapter of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Both were in a seaside setting, and both involved a pirate that was in possession of the star object Mario and his partners were after. Also, both of these pirates eventually allied themselves with Mario to help fight against the villains who used Mario to gather the star for them.


 * All of the partners from the first Paper Mario were originally going to make cameo appearances in this game, but were scrapped from the final product for unknown reasons. However, Parakarry and Lady Bow were the only ones who made the cut.


 * During the cutscene that took place after the Grodus battle in Chapter 8, there is a slight error in the game script. When Grodus attempts to destroy Mario and company by using Peach a shield, Mario's current partner will ask what they should do, and if the "Don't attack." option is chosen, then Grodus will question them, asking whether or not they care about Peach's life, when that should have happened if the "Attack." option was chosen, instead, and vice versa.


 * The data disk that Princess Peach obtained from Grodus' room resembles the disks that are used for the Famicom Disk System. Also, the video that's displayed on Grodus' computer happens to be the BIOS screen for that system.