Nintendo pulled a fast one this morning by announcingPaper Mario: The Origami Kingwith a surprise trailer and a July 17 release date. The jury is still out on whether this new game in the franchise will follow the beloved footsteps of its early titles or the derided formula of its recent entries, but if anything can be said aboutThe Origami King’s trailer, it’s that Nintendo still knows how to make a first impression.
Paper Mariois known for having a creative art style masquerading darker elements — especially in its more well-regarded entries likePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door(TTYD).The Origami Kingtrailer sets a similar atmosphere by having Princess Peach walk into her castle’s foyer folded like an origami doll and recommend Mario join her, as though she’s in a born-again cult. There’s no voice acting, but the stilted way each piece of text comes on screen and becomes more off-center over time sells a crazed, brainwashed Peach.
RELATED:Paper Mario Switch Reveal Lends Credibility to Big Nintendo Leak
In a lot of ways, this set-up is similar toTTYD. Much of that game has Peach relegated to mini-episodes between Mario’s adventure, and over the course of her story, she realizes its antagonistic X-Nauts are going to release a demon from the titular Thousand-Year Door. At the end of the game, Peach is possessed and becomes its final boss:The Shadow Queen. As fascinating an idea as a villainous Princess Peach was, it was short-lived inTTYDbecause it was a twist reveal.The Origami Kingcould truly let the concept shine.
According to the description forThe Origami Kingon Nintendo’s website, it’s going to begin with Mario and Luigi invited to Toad Town where they find a “fearsome” Peach under the control of King Olly — hellbent on re-folding the world in his image. Though Nintendo emphasizes the comedic nature of the game, one withreferences to other Nintendo properties, the possibility of seeing Peach in a different light for an entire game is (hopefully) too interesting to outright abandon in lieu of Mario’s journey with King Olly’s sister, Olivia.
Though many regardPaper Mario: Sticker StarandPaper Mario: Color Splashas missteps, the three games preceding them set a great precedent on characterizing Princess Peach better than almost any title in the mainlineMariofranchise. More often than not, Peach is a damsel in distress for Mario to rescue.
RELATED:What to Expect from Paper Mario on the Switch
InPaper Mario, things are different. The mini-episodes throughoutTTYDfeature Peach investigating her possible fate, all while teaching the supercomputer TEC what it means to be human. The originalPaper Mariosimilarly shows Peach trying to escape from Bowser’s clutches of her own accord, andSuper Paper Marioturns her into an integral companion alongside Luigi and Bowser. Some of the scenarios in the latter game are entirely dedicated to her as well, like when she has to deal with a geeky chameleon named Francis by tearing him down in a dating sim.
While the verdict is still out onThe Origami Kingand some strange choices, particularly in that it’s listed as an action-adventure game rather than an RPG, one thing it hopefully gets right is its treatment of Princess Peach.TTYDteased a lot of promise in the idea of an evil take on the character, but now the developers have an opportunity to bring that vision to life in a newPaper Mariogameby showing her creepy, creased-up actions throughout the story.
Paper Mario: The Origami Kingwill be available on July 18, 2025 for the Nintendo Switch.
