A Super Mario Bros. fan game has taken the name Paper Mario to a new level by rendering the classic game in an impressive papercraft format. Papercraft has been used to depict many scenes from video games in the past, and has even been used to provide gamers with scale models of the Xbox Series X/S, in order to properly plan their gaming setups.
As the name suggests, papercraft is generally considered to be a physical medium where simple paper and cardstock can be used to construct some impressive miniature models. While based in paper, the medium has often been translated into a digital format where the 2D style and format is reimagined as a video game. Popular examples of games that adopt a papercraft style include the Paper Mario games, a series currently consisting of six main titles (and one spin-off crossover game with the Mario & Luigi series) under the banner of the greater Mario franchise. The most recent of these titles, 2020's popular Paper Mario: The Origami King, was a great success, and held a surprisingly dark undertone of body horror in its colorful world.
Players can now download a papercraft Paper Mario-like version of the classic Super Mario Bros. thanks to creator booopp3 (via Alpha Beta Gamer). Super Mario Bros. Papercraft is now available to download from itch.io, and although sadly buggy in its present state, the game packs in an impressive amount of content. It features Mario piloted by a length of green card as he navigates the entirety of World 1, including secret areas and the fight with Bowser. As such, Super Mario Bros. Papercraft joins other recent fan games like the nostalgic remake of Sonic's Chao Garden in offering gamers new opportunities to explore classic gaming moments.
Fan games like this papercraft Super Mario can be a great source of fun, providing a wide variety of reimaginings for beloved games. There are, for example, a multitude of Pokémon fan games out there, which introduce new regions, mechanics, and even Pokémon (or 'Fakemon') for players of the popular franchise. However, the companies which own those properties can be extremely protective of their copyrights, and as such often shut down fan games and similar projects once they get wind of them. Nintendo is particularly well-known for this, although not all companies are so harsh; Sega has said in the past that it mostly allows Sonic fan games, provided that they are not monetized.
Despite the reported bugs, Super Mario Bros. Papercraft is still an impressive labor of love for its creator. The visuals alone show that a good deal of time and effort has gone into recreating World 1. The game looks almost as if it is some sort of performance, being played out in a pop-up theatre by a group of unseen performers. It should be noted that because of this, it is not a precise match for the Paper Mario aesthetic, although there have been more accurate fan creations in the past. Just last year, a video was published showing a Paper Mario parody of Mario Kart in action. But in any case, fans of Paper Mario in the mood for a bit of quirky nostalgia may find themselves greatly appreciating this take on the classic Super Mario Bros.
Source: booopp3/Twitter, Super Mario Bros. Papercraft/itch.io (via Alpha Beta Gamer/Twitter)