Summary

• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door's remake for Switch releases this spring and pre-orders are available now.
• The game features turn-based RPG mechanics, turn-based combat, and party with unique abilities.
• The remake will include revamped graphics, quality-of-life changes, and updated gameplay features.

The fan-favorite Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake for the Nintendo Switch is almost here, with an updated look and changes to make the game easier for players to enjoy. Originally, the title was released as a Nintendo GameCube game in 2004, as the second in the Paper Mario series. Its clever art style and RPG mechanics combined with an engaging story and lovable characters made it a hit, and one that fans have been wishing would be brought to modern consoles for quite some time.

Nintendo has recently been releasing several remakes of classic titles, including Mario Vs. Donkey Kong. If the quality seen in those remakes is any indication, the remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will be a worthy addition and one that many will want to play whether they experienced the original or not. With this remake's release date arriving just around the corner, here is everything that is known so far about this version.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door's Release Date Is May 23

After being announced at a Nintendo Direct in September 2023 with a trailer showing the enhanced graphics, the release date for Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has been officially revealed to be May 23, 2024. Pre-orders for the digital version of the game are already available on the Nintendo online store at a price of $59.99 USD. As is customary for Mario games, it will be a Nintendo exclusive and is only available for the Nintendo Switch console.

At the time of writing, there has not been any word given about whether a physical release will also be made available. A physical version is likely, however, given that the remakes of Mario Vs. Donkey Kong and Super Mario RPG both received physical editions in addition to their digital releases.

The Story Of Paper Mario: TTYD

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door tells the story of Mario following Princess Peach to the rough-and-tumble town of Rogueport after hearing that she found a map that leads to an ancient treasure. Discovering that the Princess has been kidnapped again, he heads out to save Peach and find the treasure. Along the way, he is ed by some colorful friends, including Goombella, Koops, Yoshi, and more.

Unfortunately, while on this adventure, Mario and his friends cross paths with an evil secret society known as the X-Nauts, who are also seeking to find the treasure. The RPG includes turn-based combat mechanics in a stage performance style of battle setting, complete with audience . Players need to master timing their attacks correctly while using badges and certain attacks to impress the audience and, of course, win the battles.

Despite being the sequel to the Nintendo 64's Paper Mario, the story of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is a separate game and the only connections between the two are some character appearances. Players are not at any disadvantage for not having played the first title.

Paper Mario: TTYD Is A Turn-Based RPG

The Paper Mario series of games is a spin-off from the well-known Super Mario Bros. titles and is not the same platformer style that can be expected from those games. Paper Mario: TTYD has turn-based RPG combat mechanics with timing-based attacks, party with unique abilities, and more. Throughout the game, Mario and his friends can be leveled up, learning new skills and becoming better prepared to face the more serious battles at the end of the narrative.

Changes To The Thousand-Year Door's Remake From The Original

Until the game has been released, not many specifics have been revealed yet regarding changes to Paper Mario: TTYD from the original 2004 version of the game. The game has been remade from the ground up for the Nintendo Switch and features overhauled graphics that give a more vibrant presentation, particularly for the backgrounds. Naturally, the paper-style artwork of Paper Mario does not need much updating for the characters, but these have still been smoothed out with better animations.

As of the time of writing, not many details have been given to know what the "suite of additional changes" and "updated features" from what Nintendo has stated in its store page description will be. Recent history with games such as the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong remake gives reason to believe that Nintendo will do a good job of staying true to the original while offering improvements.

As the Nintendo Switch's successor, currently known only as the Switch 2, appears to be on the horizon, Nintendo has been creating remakes of many of its classic titles. Paper Mario: TTYD is a beloved title with a devoted following, and often comes up as a title that newer Paper Mario and other games are compared to for its story, gameplay mechanics, and RPG elements. This remake has been highly anticipated since before it was ever announced, and now the wait is almost over for fans to experience the updated Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door on the Nintendo Switch.

Sources: Nintendo, Nintendo of America/YouTube