When talking aboutPaper Mario, almost every fan of the series agrees on one thing - its new games aren’t made the same way as they used to be. Ever sinceSuper Paper Mariofor the Nintendo Wii, the series has shifted far away from the first two titles, which has left many players to feel as if the classic RPG series will never be as great as it once was. Even though2020’sThe Origami Kinghas signaled shifting back to what the series had been remembered for in some ways, some of the gamers who grew up with the Nintendo 64 and GameCube titles have become game developers themselves since. As a result, multiple indie games have tried to capture the experience themselves in recent years.The Outbound Ghostis one of them.
The Outbound Ghostis public about itsPaper Marioinspiration, yet it also features numerous features and uses art direction that takes advantage of current technological capabilities in ways that sets it apart from where it began. Theindie gamealso doesn’t chasePaper Mariotoo closely, making strides to stand out on its own with its own unique story and combat systems.Outbound Ghostuses its own charm to fill in the blanks of whatPaper Marioleaves behind in the games that aim to come after it, ending up as a perfect blend of both nostalgia and new experiences.
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The Story of Paper Mario
Paper Mariois arguably famously remembered for two reasons. For its simple yet engaging combat, and it’s humorous and witty story that also knew how to be serious when events called for it. In particular,Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorheld incredibly deep storylinesbehind its jokes. Some parts of the GameCube classic dealt with events such as a ride on a haunted train, and a computer who went against his programming to assist Princess Peach because he had fallen in love with her while observing her for security reasons. Yet it balanced these moments well with plenty of whimsy and humor, and there are plenty of memorable funny moments as there are tense ones.
The Outbound Ghostsees players experience the world through a gray ghost who’s lost his memory. The release trailer says that each character they meet will have their own stories, with some gameplay hinting that a few of these spirits may even be playable. In what’s been shown of the game so far, there’s a large presence of hilarious and cartoonish dialogue through speed bubbles, which istaken straight fromPaper Mariowith all the expected punchlines and flavor to its writing. WhileThe Outbound Ghost is currently playing its cards close to its chest when it comes to its darker plot elements, at the very least the influence with the game’s humor is very easy to spot.
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The Combat of The Outbound Ghost
Even though many players miss the great writing of the first twoPaper Mariogames, another thing that’s missing in more recent releases is the turn-based gameplay the franchise was originally remembered for. The combat was simple, but gave fans thousands of strategic options to choose from. Eachchapter of aPaper Mariogameusually features a challenging boss at the end, which made reaching that point feel dramatic and earned. Some chapters even featured fake-outs where players would be tricked into thinking the final battle came too early only to find out that wasn’t exactly the end.
It isn’t hard to notice the clear inspiration fromPaper Mario’scombatwhen it comes toThe Outbound Ghost’sbattle system. However, the developers have also openly stated that it also takes notes from other turn-based RPGs such asPokemonandBravely Default, too. It takes awayPaper Mario’sdramatic HP point damage presentation to replace it with constantly visible HP bars, and gives players pre-set moves with different effects on enemies' stats.Outboundaims to present a deep combat system that still remains welcoming and accessible.
All in All,Paper Mariofans who pick upThe Outbound Ghostare sure to find themselves with a familiar yet brand-new experience. It has a fair deal of creativity to help it stand on its own, like how many of the creatures players can battle with are based off of virtues and emotions such as jealousy and spite. The world also seem to be littered with humorous NPCs, including a ghost named Ask who loves ketchup, specifically meant to be a reference to thefirst season ofPokemon.
WhileThe Outbound Ghostmay seem like a greatspiritual successor toPaper Mario, fans should be careful to judge it for its own merits rather than choosing to see it completely like an old experience. Even though the game has shared plenty of details about itself publicly, there’s most likely a lot more to see once it arrives on PC later this month. Only then will players know if the writing of the game as well as the combat holds up to the titles that inspired it, but so far the previews look very promising.
The Outbound Ghostis set to release on PC on September 21, with PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X releases coming soon after.
