Nintendo didn’t focus much on 3DS during their E3 press conference. I suppose that’s fair - after all, they have a brand new system launching later this year that needs some love. Thankfully, they put some time aside to hold a special event just for the handheld crowd, and gave us a further look at some upcoming titles for their 3D system. While many were created by third parties, one Nintendo-developed title that looked promising was Paper Mario: Sticker Star.
Sticker Star is the latest game in the Paper Mario series, and brings the world of the famous plumber into the realm of JRPG. A long story and turn-based battles are the marks of Jananese role-playing, and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. However, there are a few new elements that come into play this time around.
Along with the usual cartoony, flat sprites, you’ll find a world filled with stickers. Stickers are everywhere, and do all manner of things, from changing the land around you to granting attacks in battle. You’ll also uncover shiny versions (I’m sure you all know the joy that comes with that!), granting increased powers and furthering your awesomness. As an RPG, you can be sure that many stickers are hard to find and located in obscure places, but this just adds to the longevity of such a title.
Battles carry on the tradition that began in Mario RPG, with button presses increasing attacks, initiating combos, and defending against enemy assaults. However, the Sticker-based attack moves bring a new element to the action. Yeah, in case you hadn’t realised by now, stickers play a very important role in this title.
You’ll also be using stickers to help out those in need, placing them like collectibles in an album and bringing their abilities to the environment around you. While this particular aspect looked a little linear, actually finding the appropriate stickers to use may prove to be the interesting part. You can also convert some of the non-cel-shaded, real-world items into stickers for use on the puzzles. Has the word “stickers” lost all meaning yet?
Whether you’re a mario fan, or a JRPG fan, Paper Mario: Sticker Star is definitely one to look out for. There are so many other aspects to talk about, and you can be sure we’ll post them hers as details are released. For now, here’s a trailer to get you excited:
