History VideoGame / PaperMario

** Sushie in the first game has no use except to allow Mario to swim by entering the water at specific docks and to be especially powerful against fire enemies (she joins the heroes right before they enter a volcano). Bombette is a subverted example, since while she can only explode, that explosion also double as an attack.

* FormulaBreakingEpisode: Chapter 6 (except for Sticker Star and Origami King, which are divided into five segments and a endgame) seems to always stand out from the others in some way. The first game had it take place in a world that is separated from the Mushroom Kingdom. The second games' Chapter 6 took place on a [[LocomotiveLevel train]] where various mysteries had to be solved. The third game's Chapter 6 took place in a world where you have to fight through 100 opponents one at a time to complete it. [[spoiler:But that was cut short by an Apocalypse Wow.]] In Color Splash, one of the areas is a shout-out to VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3

* AbilityRequiredToProceed: A stable in the series, Mario would need new partners or equipment upgrades to get through whatever obstacle is blocking him.

The whole series is known for its witty dialogue and writing, giving many comedic moments of [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall leaning on the fourth wall]] and [[SelfParody self-parody]]

* StorybookOpening: All four games so far have opened this way, each of them telling the {{Backstory}} of important places or objects in the game. ''Sticker Star'' takes it UpToEleven, where the storybook continues after each boss. Interestingly enough, [[spoiler:the section after the fourth boss is narrated by the boss posthumously. It's unknown whether or not he narrated the rest of the book, though.]]

* MirrorMatch: The final bosses of ''The Thousand Year Door'' and ''Super Paper Mario'' [[spoiler:both forces Mario into a fight to the death with Peach and Luigi respectively, the two of them being people Mario loves (of course, being this is a family friendly video game series we're talking about, neither one ''actually'' dies)]].

* AdultFear: The final bosses of ''The Thousand Year Door'' and ''Super Paper Mario'' involve some hefty adult fear for Mario himself, [[spoiler:as both force Mario into a fight to the death with Peach and Luigi respectively, the two of them being people Mario loves (of course, being this is a family friendly video game series we're talking about, neither one ''actually'' dies- but still!)]].

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: Chapter 6 (except for Sticker Star and Origami King, which are divided into five segments and a endgame) seems to stand out from the others in some way. The first game had it take place in a world that is separated from the Mushroom Kingdom. The second games' Chapter 6 took place on a [[LocomotiveLevel train]] where various mysteries had to be solved. The third game's Chapter 6 took place in a world where you have to fight through 100 opponents one at a time to complete it. [[spoiler:But that was cut short by an Apocalypse Wow.]] In Color Splash, one of the areas is a shout-out to VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/color_splash_paper_mario.png]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: The second and third games have both been darker than their respective predecessors. ''Sticker Star'' and ''Color Splash'' reverse this trend. And then ''Origami King'' reverses it back into a darker and more emotional story.

* FlippingHelpless: Several enemies can be flipped on their backs, which reduces their defense to zero. The most common are the Koopas and their extended family, but other enemy trees include Clefts, Spinies, and Buzzy Beetles, some of which require a Pow Block or Quake Smash to flip.
** Shady Koopas are actually an inversion, since they become ''more powerful'' while flipped on their backs.

''Paper Mario'' is a RolePlayingGame SpinOff series of ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' developed by Creator/IntelligentSystems (who also developed the ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'' series and ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' series) following the general idea of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' (its working title was ''Super Mario RPG 2''), but with an art-style where everyone is as thin and two-dimensional as paper (hence the name). [[VideoGame/PaperMario64 The original game]] debuted on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64, and it was one of only ten games released for the system[[labelnote:note]]''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay, VideoGame/Bomberman64, VideoGame/DrMario 64, VideoGame/AnimalCrossing, VideoGame/TonyHawksProSkater 2,'' and some others[[/labelnote]] in 2001, a year that saw twice as many [=GameCube=] games released despite that system not debuting until November.

* ''[[VideoGame/PaperMario64 Paper Mario]]'' (original)
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor''
* ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario''
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar''
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioColorSplash''
* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheOrigamiKing''

See also ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam'', a {{Crossover}} with the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series.

* DenserAndWackier: The series' tone lightened up considerably with ''Sticker Star'' and ''Color Splash'', partly due to the introduction of sillier [[ExpositionFairy partner characters]], real-world objects that can be slung onto walls to turn into stickers and have their colors squeezed out for paint, and used as attacks, and more humorous dialogue.

* ActuallyFourMooks: Careful, that single Koopatrol you just First Strike'd may turn out to be 3 Koopatrols...with a Magikoopa, for good measure. And just because there's one sole Koopatrol doesn't mean more can't appear.

* DenserAndWackier: The series' tone lightened up considerably with ''Sticker Star'' and ''Color Splash'', partly due to the introduction of sillier [[ExpositionFairy partner characters]], real-world objects that can be slung onto walls to turn into sticks and have their colors squeezed out for paint, and used as attacks, and more humorous dialogue.

** In the second game, Vivian is fought in chapter 2, but doesn't join Mario until chapter 4. Also, when Mario gains the paper tube ability, he can enter Bobbery's house. Flavio can also be seen in Rougeport's Inn at the beginning of the game but doesn't play an important role until chapter 5.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In the first three games, [[DemBones Dry Bones]] and [[UndergroundMonkey their derivatives]] have a crippling weakness to [[KillItWithFire fire]], something which flies in the face of the mainline ''Mario'' series where (with the exception of ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'') they're [[NoSell completely immune to it]]. ''Sticker Star'' and ''Color Splash'' drop this weakness.

* PutOnABus: Following the different approach of the series starting with Sticker Star, not only are unique characters gone - so were various Paper Mario exclusive Koopa Troop minions, including the Koopatrol (who also happened to appear in two unrelated Mario spin-off titles), Cleft, Clubba, and Ruff Puffs. Additionally, any Yoshi's Island related enemies that weren't Shy Guys and Snifits stopped appearing afterwards as well.

** Parakarry, a partner in the first game, shows up or is referenced in all Paper Mario games.

* RecurringBoss: Every single game has had at least one boss fight with a Blooper, alongside recurring battles against major antagonists.

* YouDontLookLikeYou: Justified example. As Old Wonky explains in the second game, Chet Rippo and the "Merl" family change drastically in appearance between games because they are actually different people who are assigned names according to their roles.

* HubWorld: All games except the fourth have one that connects to each world in each game. ''Sticker Star'' uses a world map instead.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The second and third games have both been darker than their respective predecessors. ''Sticker Star'' reverses this trend. And then ''Origami King'' reverses it back into a darker and more emotional story.

* DenserAndWackier: The series' tone lightened up considerably with ''Sticker Star'', partly due to the introduction of sillier [[ExpositionFairy partner characters]], real-world objects that can be squeezed out, and used as attacks, and more humorous dialogue.

* AdultFear: The final bosses of ''The Thousand Year Door'' and ''Super Paper Mario'' involve some hefty adult fear for Mario himself, [[spoiler:as both force Mario into a fight to the death with Peach and Luigi respectively, the two of them being people Mario loves]].

* ChickMagnet: These games seem to make Mario the most attractive man around. Most of his female partners give him at least one kiss before becoming his partner. Ms. Mowz in TTYD takes this to the extreme- Mario encounters her several times before she becomes Mario's partner, and she gives him a kiss ''each and every one of those times'' (which his other female partners do NOT take kindly to!).

* ChickMagnet: These games seem to make Mario the most attractive man around. Most of his female partners give him at least one kiss before becoming his partner. By far the most extreme example is Ms. Mowz in TTYD - you encounter her several times before she becomes Mario's partner, and she gives him a kiss ''each and every one of those times'' (which his other female partners do NOT take kindly to!).

* ChickMagnet: These games seem to make Mario the most attractive man around. Most of his female partners give him at least one kiss before becoming his partner.

The whole series is known for its witty dialogue and writing, giving many comedic moments of [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall leaning on the fourth wall]], [[SelfParody self-parody]], and [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar getting crap past the radar]].

* NoHeroDiscount: In this game and all the sequels. You're a worldwide hero needed to save the kingdom/world/multiverse/whatever and you still need to pay for inns, items, and fortunetelling. At least you don't pay for inns in the first game, but considering Mario's more famous in the Mushroom Kingdom than in Rogueport or Flipside, it's not quite enough slack.
* NonStandardGameOver: Every game has some way of saying that the game ended early. The original game has the first Bowser fight, the second had the diary on the train and [[spoiler:a DealWithTheDevil, if you accept the Shadow Queen's offer]], and the third has the beginning dialogue options ''before you even start the game'' (just say you don't feel like saving the world), and another [[spoiler:if you accept Dimentio's offer.]] The fourth is the first to break the tradition.

* RecurringBoss: Every single game has had AT LEAST one boss fight with a Blooper.

* MagneticHero: Mario, who attracts many partners over the course of the first three games. He also gets Kersti on his side in ''Sticker Star'' and Huey in ''Color Splash''.

The fourth game, ''Sticker Star'', started a large-scale upheaval of the series; it and its sequels are part of a different story continuity that doesn't reference the first three games often. To make ''Paper Mario'' fit better with the main ''Super Mario Bros.'' universe, most original characters and designs were dropped in favor of using unmodified enemies and characters from the main series, save for one or two new faces per game. Mario is now only accompanied by a power-granting ExpositionFairy and an occassional temporary partner. Battles are simpler: Mario no longer has Flower Points (the series' equivalent to {{Mana}}) and instead uses consumable items to perform stronger attacks, and experience/levelling up is replaced with gaining more coins and items from fights. Since battles are less involved, the games are focused on puzzle-solving and overworld exploration. ''Sticker Star'' and beyond lean much heavier into the diorama-based aesthetic of the series, adding in arts-and-crafts mechanics and visual gags.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** In the first three games, [[DemBones Dry Bones]] and [[UndergroundMonkey their derivatives]] have a crippling weakness to [[KillItWithFire fire]], something which flies in the face of the mainline ''Mario'' series where (with the exception of ''VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach'') they're [[NoSell completely immune to it]]. ''Sticker Star'' and ''Color Splash'' drop this weakness.
** In the first three games, the "paper" aspect is mostly an art style that has little bearing on the plot. A few mechanics revolve around Mario's flat body, but these are explicitly described as unnatural and weird. Starting with ''Sticker Star'', the characters are aware that they are made of paper, frequently mention that, and treat it as if it was perfectly normal.

* GuideDangIt: The last lost toad and the last treasure chest in the first level, Whispering Woods, are obtained by [[spoiler:finding a giant shell in the Great Sea with the submarine close to a single, isolated Shy Guy, and then cooking said shell at the barbecue place close to the hut in the Woods]]. Never is this even hinted at, further complicated by the fact that the respective region may be displayed as 100% cleared already.