Mario with a story, a map, and party members who each had their own reason to be there.
Paper Mario began development as Super Mario RPG 2 before finding its own identity: a flat, paper-craft world where characters moved through scenes like cut-outs in a theater. The visual style solved a technical problem — it reduced 3D complexity while producing something visually distinctive — and became inseparable from the series across four entries. The RPG structure added badge customization, seven party members with individual abilities, and a timed-action battle system that kept combat active rather than passive. The game sold 2.9 million copies on Nintendo 64 and established Paper Mario as Nintendo's RPG branch alongside the Mario & Luigi series. The sequel, The Thousand-Year Door, built on every system the original introduced.
About this game
Paper Mario (2000) — known in Japan as Mario Story — is a Nintendo 64 turn-based RPG developed by Intelligent Systems, presenting Mario and a cast of paper-thin characters in lush 3D environments. Originally conceived as a sequel to Super Mario RPG, the project evolved over four years into Nintendo's own vision for a Mario RPG, establishing the distinct Paper Mario franchise. The game sold 1.3 million copies, was praised for its writing, charm, and accessible battle mechanics, and anchored the final stretch of the Nintendo 64 library.
Key Features
Paper Mario's turn-based battles reward timing: landing a precise button press during Mario's attacks (Action Commands) boosts damage, while a correct press while receiving attacks (Guard) reduces damage. Eight companions join Mario across eight chapters, each with unique abilities — Kooper can retrieve distant items with his shell, Bombette detonates cracked walls, Parakarry can fly Mario across gaps. The game uses the paper aesthetic for visual gags and puzzle mechanics: Mario can slip through thin gaps, and enemy cards fold flat when stunned. Chapter bosses are preceded by story scenes that build genuine character, a rarity in platformer-adjacent RPGs.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Paper Mario emerged from an unusual lineage: Intelligent Systems initially developed the game as a sequel to Super Mario RPG, the acclaimed SNES RPG co-developed with Square. When the collaboration between Nintendo and Square did not continue, Intelligent Systems redesigned the project from scratch, spending approximately 18 months experimenting with visual styles — full 3D, paper-thin characters in 3D, and combinations — before settling on the paper aesthetic. The game was also originally planned for the Nintendo 64DD disk drive peripheral before being moved to cartridge after the 64DD's commercial underperformance. Paper Mario went on to anchor a long-running franchise and establish Intelligent Systems — best known for Fire Emblem and Advance Wars — as a capable RPG developer.
Tricks & Tales
The Japanese title, Mario Story (マリオストーリー), was changed to Paper Mario for Western markets because Nintendo of America felt the title did not communicate the game's genre or appeal clearly. The game was produced by Shigeru Miyamoto with a team of approximately 20 people. The paper visual style was not the original design concept — the team experimented with full 3D and other approaches for about 18 months before the paper-flat aesthetic emerged. A planned Nintendo 64DD version of the game was scrapped when the 64DD add-on failed to gain commercial traction in Japan.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The Japanese version is titled マリオストーリー (Mario Story); Western versions are titled Paper Mario. Released in Japan (August 2000) and North America (February 2001). No notable regional gameplay differences. N64 cartridges have NTSC/PAL format differences.
Maintenance Tips
Paper Mario saves to an internal EEPROM chip on the cartridge — no external memory card is used. The EEPROM retains data without a battery; data loss on a functioning cartridge is uncommon. Clean edge connectors with isopropyl alcohol if the cartridge fails to boot. The N64 cartridge format is physically robust and does not require special storage.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Paper Mario copies regularly.
Will this Japanese Nintendo 64 cartridge work on a North American or European N64?
No, not without modification. The Nintendo 64 uses a regional CIC lockout chip, and Japanese N64 cartridges have a different physical shape from North American cartridges. Running Japanese software on a Western N64 requires both a cartridge adapter to bridge the shape difference and a method to bypass the CIC chip. A Japanese Nintendo 64 console is the simplest way to play Japanese N64 software.
How should I clean a Nintendo 64 cartridge?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and wipe the gold-plated edge contacts on the base of the cartridge. The N64 connector slot is deep — a longer swab or folded swab helps reach all contacts. Never blow into the cartridge. N64 cartridges use 3.8mm security game bit screws if the shell needs to be opened. Most N64 boot failures trace to oxidized contacts; cleaning both the cartridge edge and the console slot is usually the complete fix.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Paper Mario
A short checklist for buying a used Nintendo 64 cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese N64 cartridge. The N64 is region-locked by shape and lockout, so a Japanese cart needs a Japanese console or an adapter.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Paper Mario sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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