Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam – The Dad and Daughter Preview

All photos by Jorge Figueiredo

Game releases are always cause for celebration, and nobody does game release parties for the whole family better than Nintendo. My daughter Olivia (age 8) and I were invited to a #PaperJamParty to check out the soon-to-be-released Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam for the Nintendo 3DS. Goodies and paper craft activities were the order of the day, which also included gifties for the kids and a chance to play a game that has not yet been released. Needless to say, there were a lot of smiling faces.

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Mario and Luigi greeted us as soon as we got off the elevator. Behind them was a room filled with tables laden with gift bags (one for each child) and designated areas for the parents. The kids patiently waited until all of the children arrived, at which point they were told to open up their gift bags (the opening of the presents didn’t take very long), which included a brand new copy of Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam and an amiibo. The cookie featuring a Super Mario character was also a pretty big hit with the kids. The paper craft Super Mario figures distracted the adults.

During the course of the event, kids were asked a few questions by a film crew about what they thought of the game, and the responses that I heard were overwhelmingly positive. My kiddo does not naturally gravitate to Mario games (she’s more loyal to Animal Crossing), but she was all over this title like a moustache on a plumber.

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As for the game itself, Paper Jam is a fusion of the worlds of Super Mario and Paper Mario, and the different genres mix with wacky results. Through a series of quests, Mario, Luigi, and Paper Mario (along with their friends) will set out to solve the mix-ups that have resulted in their worlds colliding. – Jorge

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The Kiddo Speaks

Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam is a lot of fun. I didn’t really expect to enjoy it too much, seeing as I don’t normally play Mario games, but I have to say that I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought! It’s a bit tough to control at first, but as you play you learn a lot (especially because the game helps you with good instructions). The story is fun and funny, and I really liked the reactions of the different versions of the characters.

There are a lot of battles in this game – and, as I said before, I found them hard to beat. However, there is an “assist” button that gives you clues while you play. This really helped me out a lot. After a little bit of time with “assist” being on, I figured out how to play through the battles much better. I also learned how to use the huge hammer against my enemies!

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I really enjoyed the Paper Jam Party event! Playing the game before it comes out feels really special – almost as cool as the Super Mario cookies! – Olivia

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Back to Dad

When the smell of pizza is in the air and the shrimp still refuses to tear herself away from her 3DS, you know that you have a winning title on your hands.

I tried out the game for myself when we got home (with her permission of course) and I, too, was pleasantly surprised. I haven’t really gotten into the Paper Mario universe, but it’s a lot of fun. The game has an RPG flavor (what with all of the battle strategizing), yet it also offers some real-time interactive elements in combat, like dodging attacks. The Paper characters offer up new ways to interact with the environment (slipping through tight spaces) and other characters (making copies of themselves in combat to deliver multiple blows). I mean, an RPG with puzzle elements? Yes please! Of course, it’s all delivered with Nintendo’s usual colorful flair and friendly, easy-to-learn gameplay.

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Big thanks to Nintendo for inviting us to the Paper Jam Party (and for the generous gifts). Not only was it great to see kids gobbling up the game and the treats, it was also fun to watch various parents try to assemble Mario figures out of paper (figures that their kids barely touched because of how engrossing the game is). Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam will hit the shelves on January 22. – Jorge

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