Paper Mario fever has taken the world by storm thanks to Mario’s newest remake. I remember playing the game on the GameCube the first time when it came out in 2004 and loving every second of it. Now, 20 years later, younger gamers are getting to experience this endearing and comedic RPG adventure for the first time.
It’s nice to go back and play the game again for me too, making the most of the Switch in handheld mode while playing on the go and enjoying the remastered graphics that look incredible on Ninty’s hybrid hero. Just like the Mario & Luigi RPGs, the Paper Mario games lend themselves to what I would call ‘cutesy art styles’ and are so family-friendly that they couldn’t possibly offend anyone. And, as an RPG (don’t forget a cutesy one), it lends itself to another incredible Nintendo franchise too.
Pokémon and Paper Mario aren’t that far apart in terms of their gameplay style. Friendly little characters, turn-based battles, memorable NPCs; they’re practically interchangeable, right? Well, one fan certainly thinks so, having set out on a mission to recreate Pokémon Starters as Paper Mario Characters in their latest artistic endeavour. Meet TimDrawsStuff, and get ready to check out their vision of the Alola starters in the Paper Mario universe!
Gotta’ Craft ‘Em All!
How awesome is that! Meet Litten, Rowlet, and Popplio as they would be in Mario’s Paper world following Vivian, Koops, and Admiral Bobbery around. Stopping the X-Nauts would be a doddle (or should that be a doodle if we’re keeping with the art theme?) with these guys behind you; Popplio using fire moves against paper characters would probably make short work of any attack, let’s be honest!
Tim, an animator studying to be a Game Artist, hasn’t just stopped at the Alola region, however. Despite it being a favourite and memorable region, he’s also gone on to create other starters and Pokémon from the series including a video on the Scarlet and Violet Pokémon and, my personal favourites, the OG Kanto starters from the very first games. Check out the terrific trio below in this short Paper Pokédex clip!
