Never-before-seen footage of Paper Mario, also known as Super Mario RPG 2 at the time, has been discovered after over 20 years. Mario has had several RPG series in his lifetime in different styles. Mario & Luigi take more of a traditional RPG approach in its gameplay style, while Paper Mario’s paper aesthetic has led to much gameplay variety.
Mario’s first RPG, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, is the only Mario title developed by Square Enix and is regarded as a cult classic. It stands out even from the many Mario RPGs that came after it. Following Super Mario RPG came the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series, though the latter series is currently in limbo with developers AlphaDream filing for bankruptcy. Nintendo did trademark Mario & Luigi in 2020 following AlphaDream’s bankruptcy, but whether this will lead to any new games in the future isn’t known.
YouTuber Clasicos TV has now shared video footage of never-before-seen footage of Paper Mario (via GameXplain), which is believed to be around 20 years old. The video, called Nintendomania, features promotions of the Nintendo 64, and included in this compilation is a glimpse of early game footage of what would come to be known as Paper Mario. While the paper folded style is still present, the locations look drastically different than how their designs would be finalized. Elements from Yoshi’s Island such as Poochy and a faced mountain are also present.
Along with Mario & Luigi being in limbo, the most recent Paper Mario titles have been divisive to many fans. Many players miss the style of the older Paper Mario games such as the original Paper Mario and its sequel Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door on the GameCube. The recent Paper Mario: The Origami King, while the most successful Paper Mario game, was criticized for aspects such as the puzzle gameplay and the lack of unique NPC characters.
The transition from Super Mario RPG to Paper Mario would end up drastically changing the Mario RPG genre, and this never-before-seen lost footage shows that Paper Mario ended up going through several phases of its own before settling on its final design. Series staples like partners aren’t present in this footage, and Mario himself has a noticeably different look in his eyes than in the final product. Due to the unknown status of Mario & Luigi, and Paper Mario shifting away from RPG mechanics, the fate of future Mario RPGs is looking grim. Mario RPGs were well known for their creativity, and it shows in both Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario despite being in the same genre. If Nintendo wishes to make another Mario RPG type of game, then that same level of creativity could theoretically be put into a new style of Mario RPG that sets itself apart from past games. Alternatively, either Mario & Luigi or Paper Mario could be given some form of life that brings back the classic era of Mario RPGs.
Source: Clasicos TV/YouTube (via GameXplain/YouTube)