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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | |||||||||
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For alternate box art, see the game's gallery. | |||||||||
Developer | Intelligent Systems | ||||||||
Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||||
Platform(s) | Nintendo GameCube | ||||||||
Release date | Original release July 22, 2004 October 11, 2004 November 12, 2004 November 18, 2004[1] Player's Choice April 24, 2006 | ||||||||
Language(s) | English (United States) French (France) German Spanish (Spain) Italian Japanese | ||||||||
Genre | RPG | ||||||||
Rating(s) |
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Mode(s) | Single player | ||||||||
Input | Nintendo GameCube:
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the second installment in the Paper Mario series. Released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2004, the game is an RPG as the first Paper Mario, featuring both turn-based battles and puzzle and platforming-focused challenges on the overworld as well as collaborating with a party of friendly characters that subsequently join on the quest, known as partners.
The story has Mario travel to the ramshackle town of Rogueport to meet Princess Peach after news she acquired a map leading to an ancient treasure. He soon finds that Peach has been kidnapped again, and comes in conflict with the X-Nauts, a malevolent secret society. Mario's quest has him collect the seven Crystal Stars, mysterious artifacts of great power that are linked to an ancient evil sealed deep below Rogueport.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door greatly expands on the battle system with new features such as more fleshed-out partners who now have their own health pool and the ability to negate all damage inflicted by enemy attacks through Superguarding. An audience now watches the battles, whose members may mess with the fights in ways that help or hinder the player. On the overworld, Mario now has the ability to fold into various paper forms, allowing him to explore deeper and solve puzzles. The game also has intermissions between each chapter, in which the player assumes the role of Peach, as well as Bowser, who have their own stories that complement the main plot.
A follow-up titled Super Paper Mario was released for the Wii in 2007. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the only game in the series to share the same battle system as the original Paper Mario, as Super Paper Mario is a platformer with RPG elements and subsequent installments (starting with 2012's Paper Mario: Sticker Star) retooled many aspects of the series.
Plot
Prologue: A Rogue's Welcome
The adventure begins when Princess Peach goes on a cruise to Rogueport where she meets a hooded woman, and buys a box which contains a map. She sends this to Mario, along with a letter asking him to help her search for the map's treasure. Soon after that, she is kidnapped by Sir Grodus. Mario receives the letter with the map and decides to help her, and thus boards a ship to Rogueport.
Shortly after Mario reaches Rogueport, he finds Lord Crump attempting to interrogate Goombella about the Crystal Stars. Mario intervenes and Lord Crump tries to defeat him. After defeating the X-Naut general and escaping from the X-Nauts, Goombella introduces herself, and Mario explains his quest to her. As Goombella is also searching for the map's treasure, she decides to join Mario. Then, Goombella suggests to go to Professor Frankly's house, to consult him and show him the map. At the professor's house, Frankly explains that the map is related to the legend of the treasure of the Thousand-Year Door, and that, to obtain the treasure, one must first open the door with the seven Crystal Stars. Said objects can be found by holding the Magical Map before the Thousand-Year Door, which is located in the town's sewers. So, Mario holds the map before the Thousand-Year Door, revealing the location of the first Crystal Star.
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | プロローグ ゴロツキタウンへようこそ![?] Purorōgu: Gorotsuki Taun e Yōkoso! |
Prologue: Welcome to Rogueport! | |
German | Prolog: Willkomen in Rohlingen[?] | Prologue: Welcome to Rohlingen | |
Italian | Prologo: Benvenuti a Fannullopoli[?] | Prologue: Welcome to Idler City | |
Spanish | Prólogo: Bienvenidos a Villa Viciosa[?] | Prologue: Welcome to Vicious Village |
Chapter 1: Castle and Dragon
Mario and Goombella show the updated map to Professor Frankly, who reveals that the first Crystal Star is in Petal Meadows. To reach this place, they must find a pipe in Rogueport Sewers. After finding it, Mario and Goombella arrive in Petal Meadows, where they see Hooktail and her castle. The duo stops at a nearby village called Petalburg and discover from the mayor that the dragon Hooktail has been terrorizing the village. The mayor tells them that Hooktail guards the Crystal Star in her castle, and that to access it, they must find the two stone keys in Shhwonk Fortress. After finding them, Mario and Goombella march to Hooktail's castle, with Koops in tow (who wants to defeat Hooktail to avenge his dead father and become stronger). After navigating through the castle's traps with the help of Koops, they encounter the dragon and defeat her, allowing Koops's father to get out of the dragon's gut and present Mario with the Diamond Star.
Somewhere else, it is revealed that Princess Peach was abducted by the X-Nauts. When an X-Naut tells Sir Grodus someone got the first Crystal Star, Peach accidentally blurts out Mario's name. Grodus hears this and orders the Shadow Sirens to steal the map in Mario's possession. Peach then meets TEC-XX, who develops an interest in Peach's concept of love, and asks for her help to understand it. Peach agrees; in exchange, TEC lets her send e-mails to Mario. During another scene transition, at Bowser's Castle, Kammy Koopa tells Bowser about Mario's quest to find the Crystal Stars and Peach's abduction, things that motivate Bowser to hunt for the Crystal Stars and kidnap Peach back. Bowser and Kammy then head for Rogueport.
Back in Petalburg, the group receives an e-mail from Peach, who tells them she has been kidnapped. Mario and co. head back to the Thousand-Year Door to reveal the location of the next star.
Storyline text
Mario and friends finally got a Crystal Star in the castle after defeating Hooktail. Koops even reunited with his long-lost father, whom he thought was dead. Yet they were unable to learn anything about the whereabouts of the princess. Where could Princess Peach be? Yes... Mario's adventure has only just begun.
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | ステージ1 マリオとお城とドラゴンと[?] Sutēji 1: Mario to Oshiro to Doragon to |
Stage 1: With Mario, the castle and the dragon | |
German | Kapitel 1: Lohgards Drachenburg[?] | Chapter 1: Dragon Lohgard's Castle (Lohgard is Hooktail's German name.) |
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Italian | Scena I: Mario, il castello e la dragonessa[?] | Scene 1: Mario, the castle and the dragon | |
Spanish | Acto 1: El bueno, el feo y el malo[?] | Act 1: The Good, The Ugly and The Bad |
Chapter 2: The Great Boggly Tree
The second Crystal Star is revealed to be in the Great Tree, home of small creatures known as Punies, deep inside Boggly Woods. When searching for the pipe leading to Boggly Woods in Rogueport Sewers, Mario and his partners encounter Punio, who tells them that the X-Nauts have invaded the Great Tree, capturing most of the Punies and that the Jabbies, the Punies' enemies, have allied with the X-Nauts and are trying to expulse the Punies from the Great Tree. Mario and co. decide to help out the Punies, and therefore Punio leads the group to the Boggly Woods. After getting there, Mario and co. encounter the Shadow Sirens with a necklace, who do not recognize him due to having lost a sketch of him. The group continues and arrives at the Great Tree. However, they realize that the tree is locked. Punio suggests they find Madame Flurrie; to find the secret entrance. However, upon reaching her home, Flurrie reveals she has lost her necklace and does not want anyone to see her without it. After defeating the Sirens and returning the necklace to Flurrie, she joins them in their quest. The group finds the secret entrance and enters the tree; after freeing the locked Punies with the aid of a special orb and after solving the Great Tree's puzzles and defeating the Jabbies, they reveal the second Crystal Star at the bottom of the tree. There, Lord Crump snatches it, and activates a time bomb to blow up the tree. After chasing him to the entrance, he stops the bomb and uses Magnus von Grapple to fight the heroes, but he is defeated by the group. Afterwards, the X-Nauts evacuate the tree and Mario and co. obtain the Emerald Star.
At the X-Naut headquarters, the X-Nauts inform Sir Grodus that Mario has taken the Emerald Star. Meanwhile, TEC-XX calls for the Princess, and asks her to dance with him. TEC then lets Peach e-mail Mario.
Bowser can be seen arriving in Petalburg, and then talking to what he thinks is Peach, but is revealed to be a poster by a nearby Koopa.
As Mario and his team move on, they receive another e-mail from Peach, who tells them that the X-Nauts are searching for the Crystal Stars. Mario and his team reveal the location of the next Crystal Star, and they visit Professor Frankly for details.
Storyline text
And so, after pummeling Lord Crump, Mario obtained the second Crystal Star... With the X-Nauts gone, peace once again prevailed throughout the Great Tree. The Boggly Woods echoed with the Puni songs of joy. But... this may not be the last our hero hears from the vile X-Nauts. They will surely continue to stand in Mario's way and try to put a stop to his efforts...
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | ステージ2 ふしぎの森の大きな木[?] Sutēji 2: Fushigi no Mori no Ōkina Ki |
Stage 2: The Big Tree of the Mysterious Forest | |
German | Kapitel 2: Der Baum der Bubus[?] | Chapter 2: The tree of the Bubus (Bubu is the German name for the Punies.) |
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Italian | Scena II: La Grande Quercia del Bosco Misterioso[?] | Scene 2: The Great Oak of the Mysterious Forest | |
Spanish | Acto 2: El bosque animado[?] | Act 2: The Animated Forest |
Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory
The third Crystal Star appears in a large arena on a floating town. To reach Glitzville, Mario and the gang must visit Don Pianta. He offers them the ticket they need after doing him a favor. Once Mario and his team arrive in Glitzville, they enter the Glitz Pit, a popular place in which fighters brawl, and spot the Crystal Star on the Champ's Belt, held by Rawk Hawk, the current champion. They sign up in the Pit, battle through the ranks, and eventually gain a newborn Yoshi as a partner. Soon, a mysterious figure known only as "X" starts sending cryptic e-mails to Mario. The e-mails lead Mario and his partners to discover that the Star on the belt is a fake, and that the real Crystal Star is being used by Grubba, the promoter of the Glitz Pit. Mario & co. expose his wrongdoings and chase him into the arena, where he transforms into Macho Grubba in order to eliminate Mario and his friends. However, the group manages to defeat him. After the battle, Jolene, Grubba's assistant, appears and reveals herself as the mysterious X, explains her story, and gives Mario the Gold Star.
At the X-Naut base, TEC-XX asks Peach to go ask Grodus a question relating to his plans. The Princess goes undercover in an X-Naut disguise and learns that Grodus is plotting to use the Crystal Stars to take over the world. TEC allows her to send this message to Mario. Meanwhile, Bowser and Kammy are searching for one of the Crystal Stars in the Great Tree, where they discover that Mario already obtained it.
Mario & co. receive another message from Peach; they promptly reveal the fourth crystal star's location.
Storyline text
Glitzville's seamy underside was a dark, dangerous place seething with conspiracy... With the help of the lovely Ms. Jolene, Mario revealed Grubba's true identity... And acquired the third Crystal Star by defeating the monstrous Macho Grubba. Grubba had used the power of the Crystal Star to run his power-draining machine... What other hidden powers might these strange and mystical items possess?
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | ステージ3 もえよ!チャンピオン![?] Sutēji 3: Moeyo! Chanpion! |
Stage 3: Get fired up! Champion! | |
German | Kapitel 3: Kampf der Champions[?] | Chapter 3: Clash of the Champions | |
Italian | Scena III: Forza, campione![?] | Scene 3: Come on, champion! | |
Spanish | Acto 3: El rey de los luchadores[?] | Act 3: The King of Fighters |
Chapter 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls
Professor Frankly tells the group that the Crystal Star is located in Creepy Steeple, near Twilight Town. When Mario & co. get to Twilight Town, they discover that the village is under a curse cast by a monster who lives in the steeple. Using a new Black Chest Demon power, the group reaches the steeple, and battles the monster. During the battle, the monster uses an ability to steal Mario's name and body, transforming Mario into a shadowy version of himself. Mario's partners claim the Crystal Star and leave with whom they think is Mario. Meanwhile, the Shadow Sirens are in Twilight Town, planning on defeating Mario and his partners with their new weapon: the Superbombomb. However, Beldam seems to have lost it, prompting her to blame Vivian and to force her to search for it. The real Mario returns to Twilight Town, and helps Vivian with her problem. Out of gratitude, she joins Mario's party. They eventually discover from the monster's parrot that the monster's name is Doopliss. After telling Doopliss his name, he is weakened and flees to Creepy Steeple. Mario and Vivian chase him there and they fight once more. Mario and his new partner defeat Doopliss, allowing Mario to regain his name and body and obtain the Ruby Star.
At the X-Naut base, TEC-XX asks the Princess to participate in a sort of "quiz show" with him. By doing this, she discovers what the "treasure" of the Thousand-Year Door really is: the soul of an ancient demon. The Princess then relays this information to Mario. Meanwhile, Bowser continues his quest for the Crystal Stars by flying to Glitzville in his Koopa Clown Car. However, it malfunctions halfway there, and he travels underwater to return to Rogueport. After he and Kammy return, he orders Kammy to continue her research on the Crystal Stars.
Back in Twilight Town, Mario and his friends receive the message from Peach. They reveal the next Crystal Star and visit Professor Frankly for details.
The English name for the chapter, as well as its Japanese, Spanish, Italian, and French translations, are referencing the Ernest Hemingway novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls. The Japanese name is also potentially a reference to the Japan exclusive Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru co-developed by Intelligent Systems which involves a bell capable of transforming frogs into people.
Storyline text
(fake) Mario defeated the scourge of Creepy Steeple and found the fourth Crystal Star. The people of Twilight Town have surely recovered from their awful curse by now. At this rate, Mario's quest to collect all seven Crystal Stars will be done in no time! With his back to Creepy Steeple, Mario sets out toward his bright future...
(real) Mario defeated the rogue who had stolen his name and appearance. Now Mario has four Crystal Stars. That leaves a mere three more to find! And THAT means his quest to collect all of the Crystal Stars is more than half over! Now Mario heads off toward his next adventure with his new friend, Vivian... ...But what about Beldam and Marilyn? And what became of the doppelganger, Doopliss?
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | ステージ4 ブタのためにカネはなる[?] Sutēji 4: Buta no Tame ni Kane wa Naru |
Stage 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls; A parody on For Whom the Bell Tolls and Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru | |
German | Kapitel 4: Die Glocke der Spukabtei[?] | Chapter 4: The bell of the Spook Abbey | |
Italian | Scena IV: Per chi suona la campana[?] | Scene 4: For whom the bell tolls | |
Spanish | Acto 4: ¿Por quién dobla la campana?[?] | Act 4: For Whom the Bell Tolls? |
Chapter 5: The Key to Pirates
The fifth Crystal Star is located deep within a pirate's lair on the southern island of Keelhaul Key. To reach the island, Mario enlists the help of Flavio and Admiral Bobbery. They sail to the island with some Toads, Pa-Patch, and Lord Crump in disguise (known as "Four-Eyes"). On their way to the island, Mario and co. are attacked by Cortez's Embers, which shipwreck them on Keelhaul Key. Later on, some of the crew members are attacked by more Embers, and Bobbery sacrifices himself to save them. Bobbery says he is close to death, and after giving him his last request, they find out that he just fell asleep. After Mario wakes him, he joins Mario's party. With the aid of Bobbery and Flavio's Skull Gem, Mario and co. enter Pirate's Grotto. After solving some puzzles, and after gaining another ability from a Black Chest Demon, they finally reach the lair of Cortez. After they battle, Cortez gives Mario his Sapphire Star. Afterwards, Lord Crump abandons his disguise and tells Mario that he will continue attacking him with his ship's cannons until he hands over the Crystal Star. With the help of Cortez's ship and Flavio's Skull Gem, they defeat the invading X-Nauts, along with their leader.
In the X-Naut base, TEC-XX wishes to gain access to a disk in Grodus's room, and asks Peach to help him. After making an invisibility potion, she helps him and he promises to analyze the data. Peach then sends another e-mail to Mario, informing him of this. Meanwhile, in Twilight Town, Bowser and Kammy Koopa run into Lord Crump. The three get into an argument, which escalates to an armed confrontation between the Koopa Troop and the X-Nauts. However, Bowser inadvertently ignites the Superbombomb, knocking out both armies.
Back at Keelhaul Key, Cortez ferries Mario and his teammates to Rogueport. Mario gets the e-mail from Peach, telling them about what TEC is analyzing. Mario and his team then reveal the next Crystal Star's location, and visit Professor Frankly for information.
Storyline text
Cortez, scourge of the seas... Mario soundly defeated this fearful spirit and claimed the Crystal Star. Perhaps the peaceful citizens of the world no longer need fear Cortez and his fell ship... The only problem remaining is how Mario will escape this isolated island... And could there be another problem still, hiding beneath our hero's nose?
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | ステージ5 トロピコアイランドの大海賊[?] Sutēji 5: Toropiko Airando no Dai Kaizoku |
Stage 5: The Great Pirate of the Tropic Island | |
German | Kapitel 5: Der Schatz des Piraten[?] | Chapter 5: The pirate's treasure | |
Italian | Scena V: Il grande pirata dell'Isola Tropico[?] | Scene 5: The Great Pirate of the Tropic Island | |
Spanish | Acto 5: La isla del tesoro[?] | Act 5: Treasure Island |
Chapter 6: 3 Days of Excess
The sixth Crystal Star is in Poshley Sanctum in the town Poshley Heights. The only way to reach the town is on the famous Excess Express. After doing Don Pianta another favor, he gives Mario a train ticket. During the first day on the Excess Express, Mario and his team found many mysterious happenings, including thefts of items and messages threatening to blow up the train. On their second day of travel, Pennington, a penguin detective, helps Mario and his friends solve the crimes and they manage to capture a fake Zip Toad who was really Doopliss in disguise, and was the one who attempted to halt the train by causing an explosion with some stolen items. At sundown, when the train stops at Riverside Station for refuel, Doopliss escapes capture. Mario and company find that the drawbridge has been lifted, preventing the Excess Express from continuing its route. The gang enters Riverside Station and flips the switch to bring the drawbridge back down. They discover that a group of Smorgs are behind it. On the third and final day of the journey, a stowaway Smorg monster attacks the train, kidnapping all of its passengers. Mario and his friends defeat the creature, rescuing the passengers in the process, and finally reach Poshley Heights. They venture into Poshley Sanctum, a museum that happens to belong to Pennington. The Shadow Sirens, who happen to be already inside, snatch what appears to be the Garnet Star and flee. However, Pennington reveals that what they stole was a fake, and lets Mario find where the real Crystal Star is. After some exploring, Mario and company manage to find the real Garnet Star.
Back at the X-Naut base, the X-Nauts tell Grodus that Mario has six of the seven Crystal Stars. They also tell him of TEC's betrayal. Meanwhile, TEC tells the Princess the data he gained from Grodus's data disk, and prepares to help Peach escape. Before he is able to, Grodus enters with two X-Nauts and orders them to initiate a data-wipe procedure of TEC's memory. TEC tells Peach "I love you" just before he is shut down.
Meanwhile, Bowser is searching for another Crystal Star in Rawk Hawk's workout room, which he has found in the form of the Champ's Belt. However, he quickly learns that it is not a real Crystal Star, just a glass fake.
Mario and his team return to Rogueport and receive an e-mail from Peach, telling them about what the X-Nauts plan to do with her, but an important part of it is cut off due to TEC being shut down. Back in Rogueport, Mario and co. reveal the next Crystal Star's location and visit Professor Frankly for details.
Chapter 6 appears to allude to Murder on the Orient Express, which also involves several peculiar passengers on a train where a crime takes place.
Storyline text
Mario found the sixth Crystal Star, hidden craftily in the Poshley Heights sanctum. Now only one Crystal Star remains... But our hero still does not know where Princess Peach is being held. Where could the last Crystal Star be? And where is Peach being held? Hoping this Crystal Star might yield answers, Mario and friends return to Pennington.
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | ステージ6 リッチリッチエクスプレス3日間[?] Sutēji 6: Ritchi Ritchi Ekusupuresu Mikka-kan |
Stage 6: The Rich Rich Express 3 days | |
German | Kapitel 6: Reise im Glimmer-Liner[?] | Chapter 6: Travel in the Excess Express | |
Italian | Scena VI: Tre giorni sul Fasto-Express[?] | Scene 6: Three days on the Pomp-Express | |
Spanish | Acto 6: Misterio en el Ricachón Exprés[?] | Act 6: Mystery in the Rich Man (Train) Express |
Chapter 7: Mario Shoots the Moon
The last Crystal Star appears to be on the moon. To reach the moon, Mario and his companions travel to Fahr Outpost to find a cannon to shoot them to the moon. After searching for Goldbob and General White, whose blessings are needed to operate the cannon, Mario & co. enter the cannon and are shot to the moon.
On the moon, the group discovers the X-Naut Fortress. Once they arrive at the end of it, Lord Crump appears, bragging about his latest creation — Magnus von Grapple 2.0, and tries once more to defeat Mario and company. After Lord Crump is defeated, the Crystal Star is released.
Meanwhile, Bowser is searching for another Crystal Star in the Poshley Sanctum. A Paragoomba flies in and tells Bowser that Mario has collected every Crystal Star and is heading for the Thousand-Year Door, which contains a great treasure. Bowser announces that he will steal this treasure and defeat Mario.
As Mario and his allies prepare to leave the fortress, they discover that all of the doors have been locked, except for one. In this room, the heroes find TEC, who is running on backup power. He recognizes Mario and tells him to rescue the Princess, who has been taken to the Palace of Shadow, a place that lies beyond the Thousand-Year Door. He then activates an emergency transporter. The group is transported to a room in Rogueport Sewers. After exiting the room, Professor Frankly meets them at the entrance and urges them to open the Thousand-Year Door.
Storyline text
The last Crystal Star had been hidden in the X-Naut hideout on the moon... But by the time Mario recovered it, Peach had already been taken away... Where could Peach be now? And what of the elusive Grodus? Perhaps he holds the key to the remaining puzzle... Mario finally has all seven Crystal Stars... Where will they lead him next?
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | ステージ7 はるかなる月を目ざして[?] Sutēji 7: Harukanaru Tsuki o Mezashite |
Stage 7: Aiming at the Distant Moon | |
German | Kapitel 7: Der Weg zum Mond[?] | Chapter 7: The Way to the Moon | |
Italian | Scena VII: Viaggio sulla Luna[?] | Scene 7: Journey to the Moon | |
Spanish | Acto 7: Objetivo: la Luna[?] | Act 7: Target: the Moon |
Chapter 8: The Thousand-Year Door
After Mario has received all seven Crystal Stars, the time has come to open the Thousand-Year Door and enter the Palace of Shadow to rescue Princess Peach from Grodus.
Mario and his friends open the Thousand-Year Door with the seven Crystal Stars, allowing them to enter the Palace of Shadow. The palace itself is full of enemies, puzzles, and traps. Eventually, Mario and co. battle and trounce a dragon named Gloomtail, older brother of Hooktail. After the dragon's defeat, he relinquishes the key to access the Riddle Tower. After solving the puzzles of the tower, a secret passage which leads deeper into the palace is revealed. Mario and his party continue down that path, but not before defeating the Shadow Sirens, who try to get rid of them. Finally, Mario and company reach the throne room of the palace, where they find and defeat Sir Grodus. Bowser and Kammy, who drop in unexpectedly, also battle Mario, but are thwarted in the end. Grodus uses the distraction of the battle to bring Princess Peach into the deepest part of the palace. There, he opens a sealed coffin and frees the Shadow Queen, the ancient demon of legend. Beldam suddenly appears and announces that she was the one who orchestrated the plot to free her mistress. The Shadow Queen refuses to be controlled by Grodus, and fries him with a lightning bolt, apparently killing him. The Queen then possesses Princess Peach, using her as a vessel to sustain her life. The world is then covered in darkness. Mario and his allies fight the Queen, but she eventually decides to fight in her real form, in which she is invincible. She proves too much for the group to handle, however, the Crystal Stars suddenly react to the evil of the Queen and fly throughout the world, each returning to where they were found, allowing the people of the world to cheer on Mario and his party. The hope of the people of the world break through the Queen's invulnerability, and this also allows Peach to give the heroes the last of her power. Strengthened, the heroes seal the Shadow Queen forever, saving the world.
Goombella later sends Mario a message, explaining what everyone has done: she works with Professor Frankly, while Koops plans on becoming the Mayor of Petalburg. Flurrie has returned to the stage and enacts "Paper Mario" as her comeback smash while Doopliss plays the role of Mario. The Yoshi fights in the Glitz Pit as the "Great Gonzales Jr.", while Vivian has forgiven her sisters and lives in Twilight Town. Admiral Bobbery sails the seas with Cortez, and Ms. Mowz runs her Lovely Howz of Badges. Lord Crump, Grodus and the X-Nauts survived and are spending their time in Poshley Heights. TEC survived as well, and hopes to see the Princess again one day. The game ends when the Princess visits the Mario Bros. with another treasure map.
Names in other languages
Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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Japanese | ステージ8 スターストーンと伝説の宝[?] Sutēji 8: Sutā Sutōn to Densetsu no Takara |
Stage 8: The Star Stones and the Legendary Treasure | |
German | Kapitel 8: Die Legende vom Schatz[?] | Chapter 8: The treasure's legend | |
Italian | Scena VIII: Le Gemme Stella e il Tesoro Leggendario[?] | Scene 8: The Star Gems and the Legendary Treasure | |
Spanish | Acto 8: El destino en sus manos[?] | Act 8: The fate in their hands |
Gameplay
In terms of gameplay, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door brings over the core mechanics of the N64 original and enhances them. Mario now has a voice used for jumping and attacking, and starts his adventure with a hammer. Action Commands can also be performed from the start. However, he has lost the ability to Spin Dash from the original game.
The partner system is also enhanced. Unlike the original, where partners had a simple fine/injured status system, this game gives partners their own Heart Points. As such, partners can fall in battle, and items such as the Mushroom can be used on them as well. Several partners are similar to ones seen in Paper Mario, like Koops being the counterpart of Kooper, but generally have more abilities available. Timed moves are more abundant in this game. In addition, battles are set up on a stage, like a play; this greatly affects battles, and characters can interact with the audience and stage.
Background
Another element introduced in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the background scenery, which is actually accessible for Mario through certain pipes. Several places which only appear in the background can be visited this way, some of which include Hooktail Castle, the Great Tree, the X-Naut Fortress, and Merlee's house in the Rogueport Sewers. This feature was carried over to the next game in the series, Super Paper Mario. Certain abilities are disabled here, however. Mario's partners cannot be used in the background, Mario cannot move to a different screen/area, and he also cannot walk past any houses or locations.
Intermissions
After each chapter is completed, two intermission scenes precede the beginning of the next chapter. The player can save their progress before and after each intermission.
Princess Peach intermissions
The first intermission allows the player to control Princess Peach, similarly to the intermissions from Paper Mario. These intermissions follow Peach as she is held captive in the X-Naut Fortress, as well as her interactions with the fortress's main computer, TEC-XX, who had a malfunction upon discovering Peach, causing him to fall in love with her. The intermissions also provide more context to the X-Nauts, their motive for kidnapping Peach, and their greater overall plans. At the end of each intermission, Peach sends a message to Mario's Mailbox SP.
Bowser intermissions
The Peach intermission is followed by a Bowser intermission, a new addition to Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. These intermissions serve as comic relief to contrast the more serious nature of the Peach intermissions. Each intermission follows Bowser and Kammy Koopa; having discovered that Mario is collecting the Crystal Stars and Princess Peach has been kidnapped, Bowser sets off to find the Crystal Stars first and kidnap Peach himself. However, Bowser usually visits the places Mario has been to one chapter before, and his search for Peach and the Crystal Stars in each location he visits ends to no avail.
The Bowser intermissions at the end of Chapter 2, Chapter 4, and Chapter 6 include a side-scrolling platformer level in the style of Super Mario Bros. The levels are called World 1-X, World 2-X, and World 3-X, in reference to the world numbering of Super Mario Bros., with the X being replaced by the number of attempts Bowser has used for the level. Bowser has unlimited lives during each level. Each level is themed after a basic environment from Super Mario Bros. and plays an arrangement of music from that game. Each level also has a time limit of 180 seconds, which kills Bowser if time runs out. If only 30 seconds remain, the "Hurry up!" jingle from Super Mario Bros. plays and the music speeds up. Bowser can also earn points and collect coins in these levels; however, these elements have no effect on gameplay. Each coin Bowser collects is worth 500 points, with the coin count being retained after dying. If the coin count reaches 99, it simply reverts to 0 upon collecting the next coin, without any special effect.
In these levels, Bowser can press to jump, and can perform a Ground Pound by pressing again in mid-air. He also has the ability to breathe fire by holding , which can defeat enemies and destroy blocks, although he cannot breathe fire in mid-air. The only item that appears in these levels is Meat, which allows Bowser to radically increase his size and take an extra hit from hazards, similar to the effects of a Super Mushroom. However, touching lava or falling into a bottomless pit immediately kills Bowser. Bowser has four possible sizes:
- An extremely small size, which Bowser reverts to after taking a hit while at his default size.
- A medium size, the default size at which Bowser starts each level.
- A large size, which Bowser grows to after using a piece of Meat from his default size. At this size, Bowser flattens enemies if he stomps on them.
- A gigantic size, which Bowser grows to after using a piece of Meat from his large size. At this size, Bowser starts flashing yellow and becomes invincible similarly to Mega Mario, allowing him to crush everything in his way, including enemies, blocks, and Warp Pipes.
Enemies react to Bowser in different ways: while X-Nauts charge at Bowser, Goombas are scared by him and run away when he approaches them. The end of each level features a flagpole; reaching it completes the level and briefly displays the word "FINISH". There is also a small castle next to the flagpole, as another reference to Super Mario Bros. If Bowser is at an extremely small or medium size, he descends the flagpole and enters the castle; however, if he is large or gigantic, he destroys the flagpole and simply stands next to the castle.
Bowser says a short line when beginning each new attempt of a level. Below is each line in order:
- Ready to roll!
- Lemme at 'em!
- Inconceivable!
- I'm on fire!
- I'm hungry!
- Next time!
- Ain't over yet!
- Charge!
- Good to go!
- Relax!
- Hoo... I'm tired.
- Still in it!
- Rampage time!
- Eh... OK.
- Go time!
- Feel it!
- I'm sleepy...
- Timing, baby!
- Rhythm, baby!
- Feeling good!
- Concentrate!
- GAAAAAAAH!
- Too close!
- Last...gasp!
- Break time.
- Here goes!
- Once more!
- I'm still OK!
- Never give up!
- Gotta do it!
After 30 attempts, Bowser will always say "Gotta do it!" when beginning each subsequent attempt.
Paper abilities
While exploring the game's world, the player encounters black treasure chests, which give Mario special abilities to use in the overworld. All of these abilities are based on the paper element of the game's graphics.
Paper ability | Location and chapter received | Ability gained |
---|---|---|
Plane Mode |
Rogueport Sewers (Prologue) | Allows Mario to fold himself into a paper airplane at certain spots, allowing him to fly over large gaps. |
Paper Mode |
Hooktail Castle (Chapter 1) | Allows Mario to turn sideways. Due to being thin, this allows him to go through certain narrow passages. |
Tube Mode |
Twilight Town (Chapter 4) | Allows Mario to roll up into a short tube, allowing him to quickly roll around, allowing him to pass under low passageways. |
Boat Mode |
Pirate's Grotto (Chapter 5) | At certain docks, Mario can turn into a boat with this ability, allowing him to swim on water. |
Mario's partners
Throughout the game, Mario, just like the past game, uses partners. His partners have purposes in both the overworld and battle. They can be upgraded by Merlon by giving him 3 Shine Sprites. Every partner knows two moves upon joining the party, learns the third after being upgraded to Super Rank, and masters the final move after attaining Ultra Rank. Initially, each partner may only be upgraded once, but upon finding the Up Arrow in Hooktail's Castle, Merlon remembers he has an Ultra Stone, subsequently allowing the player to upgrade a partner for a second time.
Name | Summary | Abilities | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Goombella |
A sassy Goomba who studies at the University of Goom. She is the first character to join Mario after he defeats Lord Crump. She has the same ability to uncover an enemy's stats as Goombario does. | Headbonk 0 FP |
Hits enemy twice. Does not work on spiky or fire enemies. |
Tattle 0 FP |
Analyzes enemy and reveals their HP and other statistics. | ||
Multibonk 3 FP |
Attacks enemy repeatedly for diminishing damage (minimum 1 per hit). Does not work on spiky or fire enemies. | ||
Rally Wink 4 FP |
Gives Mario a second turn, at the expense of her own turn. | ||
Koops |
A timid Koopa who lives in Petalburg. To prove to Petalburg that he is not a coward, he joins Mario's team to avenge the death of his father, Koopley. He has the same ability Kooper has outside of battle, using his shell toss move to flip switches, grab items and attack enemies, but with a slight upgrade--he can hold his shell in place and then fire it back in the opposite direction.
After defeating Hooktail, he finds out that Koopley is not dead after all, and he gives the heroes the Diamond Crystal Star. |
Shell Toss 0 FP |
Attacks one ground-bound or low-hovering enemy. |
Power Shell 3 FP |
Attacks all ground-bound and low-hovering enemies. | ||
Shell Shield 4 FP |
Summons a Koopa Shell to protect Mario for a few turns. | ||
Shell Slam 6 FP |
Attacks all ground-bound and low-hovering enemies, ignoring their Defense Power. | ||
Madame Flurrie |
She is a slightly pompous wind spirit that Mario meets in Boggly Woods. She is an actress, although when Mario meets her, she is on hiatus. She can blow wind at enemies to make them dizzy and stun them, and to blow fake walls away, revealing secret passages. She joins Mario only after he returns her Necklace, which Vivian accidentally picked up. | Body Slam 0 FP |
Attacks one enemy. Does not work on spiky or fire enemies. |
Gale Force 4 FP |
Blows weak enemies away from battle. This move is particularly effective against aerial enemies. | ||
Lip Lock 3 FP |
Transfers an enemy's HP to Flurrie's HP. This move pierces Defense Power. | ||
Dodgy Fog 4 FP |
Makes Mario dodgy for a few turns, so that attacks directed at Mario miss more often. | ||
Yoshi |
This belligerent, spunky Yoshi baby hatches from an egg rescued by Mario and friends. The player can press to ride on his back like most Yoshis. He can run much faster than Mario can, and while he cannot jump as high as Mario, he can float in the air for a few moments to cover a greater distance and cross gaps; this is similar to Parakarry's ability from Paper Mario. The Yoshi can be a variety of colors, based on the time he hatches. He allows Mario to name him. | Ground Pound 0 FP |
Attacks one enemy multiple times for 1 point of damage per hit. |
Gulp 4 FP |
Swallows an enemy and shoots it at the enemy right behind it, damaging both of them. This move ignores Defense Power. Does not work on fire enemies. | ||
Mini-Egg 3 FP |
Throws a set amount of eggs at various random enemies, dealing 1 HP of damage per hit to them. This attack may make them tiny. | ||
Stampede 6 FP |
Calls a herd of Yoshis to attack all enemies. | ||
Vivian |
One of the Shadow Sirens. At first, she worked for Grodus, but joined Mario's team to help Mario get his name, body, and teammates back, because Mario was kinder to her than her sisters. Since he was prevented from telling her who he was as a result of having his name stolen, she did not realize he was her enemy until their final confrontation with the body thief, even though he never lied to her. She retreated from battle upon this revelation, but quickly returned after deciding that Mario had earned her loyalty. She can pull the team into the shadows with her Veil technique, which is for all practical purposes identical to Lady Bow's Outta Sight move from Paper Mario. | Shade Fist 0 FP |
Punches an enemy and leaves it magically burned. |
Veil 1 FP |
Hides Mario and herself in the shadows to negate all damage for a turn. Next turn, Vivian will not be able to act. | ||
Fiery Jinx 6 FP |
Attacks all enemies with fire, penetrating their Defense Power and leaving them burned. This move is particularly effective against ice enemies, and it heals fire foes. | ||
Infatuate 4 FP |
Blows kisses at all enemies, possibly confusing them. | ||
Admiral Bobbery |
A retired Bob-omb admiral who refused to help Mario reach Keelhaul Key, but decided to help him after Mario gave him his late wife's letter. After Mario saves him from Cortez's underlings and gives him Chuckola Cola, he joins Mario's team. He has the same ability Bombette has outside of battle: with his bomb attack, he can destroy cracked walls, flip switches and attack enemies. However, he can be tossed upwards to walk on ledges. | Bomb 0 FP |
Attacks one ground-bound enemy. |
Bomb Squad 3 FP |
Sets up three time bombs to explode on the next turn. | ||
Hold Fast 4 FP |
Damages all enemies that physically attack Bobbery. | ||
Bob-ombast 9 FP |
Powerfully bombs all enemies. This move will ground all enemies. | ||
Ms. Mowz |
A flirty Squeek cat burglar/badge hunter and the manager of the Lovely Howz of Badges. Mario and his teammates cross paths with her at Hooktail Castle, the Great Tree, and the Glitz Pit storeroom. She is an optional partner who joins Mario's team if he chooses to solve her trouble at the Trouble Center in Rogueport. To help her, Mario has to get the Attack FX B badge in Hooktail's lair and give it to Ms. Mowz.
She can also seek out hidden items and penetrate enemies' defenses like Watt from the first Paper Mario did, although the specifics are considerably different. She is the first partner in the Paper Mario series who does not have to join Mario's party in order for him to complete his quest. |
Love Slap 0 FP |
Attacks one enemy, ignoring their Defense Power. |
Kiss Thief 2 FP |
Steals an enemy's held badge or item. | ||
Tease 3 FP |
Makes all enemies dizzy. | ||
Smooch 10 FP |
If successful, Mario recovers up to 10 HP. |
Battle system
Battles take place on a stage. In addition to the traditional turn-based combat, the characters on-stage interact with the scenery: sometimes the background falls, damaging all characters on stage and possibly making them dizzy, the audience helps Mario gain Star Power and also may throw items on stage or attack Mario and his partners, and lastly, some bosses even use the audience to their advantage. For example, Hooktail eats some of the audience to regain 10 HP, also causing all other audience members to flee, making it impossible to gain any Star Power. In addition, the battle shifts off-stage.
Attacking enemies
While Mario and his partners are battling enemies, they can attack enemies with extra power using various Action Commands. Stylish moves are extra commands to please the crowd more and gain more Star Power.
Guarding
To perform a guard action command, one must press or when Mario's opponent is about to strike him. Guarding reduces the damage he takes from enemy attacks and help the player resist status effects. The player must time it right, though.
Guard: To perform a Guard move, the player must press to dodge enemy attacks, reducing the damage they do by 1, and also protecting Mario from negative status effects. The player has 8 frames (roughly 2/15 of a second) to guard.
Superguard: To perform a Superguard move, the player must press to dodge enemy attacks, negating the attack completely and sometimes damaging the attacker--generally a Superguard deals 1 damage to an enemy who attacks directly and none to foes who attack at range, but it does deflect Pokeys ranged attacks back at them. The player only has 3 frames (or 1/20 of a second) to superguard, making it more difficult to time than a regular guard.
Leveling up
Star Points
Every time Mario wins a battle, he earns Star Points. The amount he earns from each enemy or boss depends on his current level compared to the enemies he earns them from; as his level goes up, he earns less Star Points from them. If Mario's level is just under, matches or exceeds the enemy's, or reaches the maximum level, 99, he does not earn any Star Points from them at all. When Mario's Star Point Level gets up to 100, the player can choose whether to upgrade Mario's Heart Points, Flower Points or Badge Points. Upgrading HP or FP increases the upgraded stat by 5 and choosing BP raises Mario's BP by 3. Mario stops levelling up at 99. Each stat has its own maximum value, which it cannot be upgraded beyond. For HP and FP, this value is 200, but for BP, this value is 99; however, it is impossible for the player to have all three stats simultaneously be at their maximum value at any one time, since the lack of level ups prevent at least one of the stats to be at its maximum.
Shine Sprites
Much like Paper Mario, there are items found in the overworld of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door that, when collected, allow Mario to upgrade his partners to learn new moves and increase their HP. In this game, Shine Sprites fulfill this purpose. The price of upgrading a partner is always three Shine Sprites. There are 42 Shine Sprites altogether in the game.
The Audience
- Main article: Audience
The Audience determines how much Star Power Mario recovers. It consists of various enemies and allies, and sits and cheers as the group attacks. If Mario or his allies use the Appeal action or a Stylish move, they recover more Star Energy. The audience is even used by various bosses. Hooktail, Cortez, and the Shadow Queen all use the audience to restore their HP. Magnus von Grapple 2.0 can also use members of the audience to attack by launching them at Mario and his partners.
The Audience occasionally takes active participation in the battles; some spectators throw helpful or hurtful items, while others may incapacitate other audience members, making Star Power recovery more difficult.
Bingo!
- Main article: Bingo!
An icon appears next to Mario's Star Power Gauge whenever the player successfully uses the Action Command of an attack. If the player has two matching icons and if the player executes an additional Action Command, Mario can take the Bingo wheel for a spin.
Crystal Stars
Crystal Star | Location | Guarded By | Power & SP needed | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Magical Map
|
Rogueport in a small chest, with a merchant | No one, but locked in a magic box only the pure of heart could open. | Sweet Treat, 1 | Replenishes up to 7 HP for both party members and 8 FP, as well as curing all status ailments. |
Diamond Star
|
Hooktail Castle | Hooktail | Earth Tremor, 2 | If successful, this power creates an earthquake that can do up to 6 damage against all grounded and low-hovering enemies. This special move pierces Defense Power and ignores enemies' invisibility. If done perfectly, this move damages all enemies, no matter their positions at the battle stage. |
Emerald Star
|
The Great Tree | Originally no one, Magnus von Grapple | Clock Out, 2 | If successful, immobilizes all enemies temporarily. |
Gold Star
|
Glitz Pit | Macho Grubba | Power Lift, 3 | Boosts Mario and his partner's Attack and Defense Power for a short period of time. |
Ruby Star
|
Creepy Steeple | Doopliss | Art Attack, 4 | Any amount of damage can be dealt, depending on how many times the player circles around the enemies using the . This special move ignores enemies' invisibility. |
Sapphire Star
|
Pirate's Grotto | Cortez | Sweet Feast, 5 | Much like Sweet Treat, the player can replenish up to 24 HP and 24 FP for each party member. |
Garnet Star
|
Poshley Sanctum | Although Pennington guards the Poshley Sanctum, Smorg must be battled to get it. | Showstopper, 2 | If successful, defeats all enemies in a single blow. Does not work on enemies with more than 12 HP, mini-bosses, and bosses. |
Crystal Star
|
X-Naut Fortress, originally in Rogueport | Possibly originally no one, Magnus von Grapple 2.0 | Supernova, 6 | Does up to 15 damage to all enemies. The damage increases by 3 each time the player fills the gauge. This special move ignores enemies' invisibility. |
Items
Items are objects that help Mario and his partners on his journey. Most of them change and heal his stats such as Heart Points (like Mushrooms), Flower Points (like Honey Syrup), Attack (like Power Punch), Defense (like Courage Shell), and some give the player status boosts (like Repel Cape), but some damage the enemy (like Fire Flower) and/or give them status ailments (like Mr. Softener). Mario may hold on to 10 items on his body but he can store 31 items at any Item Shop and withdraw them at any time there. The amount of items Mario can hold is doubled after he collects the Strange Sack.
Badges
- Main article: List of badges in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Badges are objects that Mario and his partners can use throughout the course of the game. They can be purchased at the Lovely Howz or by Charlieton, traded for Star Pieces by Dazzle, won at the Pianta Parlor or found in one of the places Mario and company visit. The blocks in which badges are found in the field are red in color, unlike normal item blocks which are yellow.
When leveling up, Mario can gain Badge Points (BP) which allow him to use badges he has already found. Some of the badges add new Jump or Hammer moves to Mario's commands during battle and other new abilities.
Badges can also affect Mario and his partners outside of battles. After the battle certain badges can increase the amount of coins, flowers, hearts, or Items enemies drop. Enemies might also carry badges in battle, which only Ms. Mowz can steal right away, and there is a likelihood that they might leave them when they are defeated.
Two special badges, the W Emblem and the L Emblem, can change Mario's clothing. With the W Emblem, Mario gets Wario's clothing, with the L Emblem, he gets Luigi's clothing, and with both Emblems combined, he gets Waluigi's clothing.
If multiple copies of the same jump or hammer badge are worn at once, the FP requirements increases exponentially, whereas the attack power increases linearly.
Enemies and bosses
Bestiary (Tattle Log)
- Main article: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door bestiary
Enemy formations
In Mario's adventure in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, he encounters enemies on the field. When he engages battle with them, there are often other enemies that accompany the one that Mario encountered on the field.
Bosses
Bold signifies chapter bosses.
Chapter | Name | HP | Attack | Defense | Location | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Prologue: A Rogue's Welcome | Lord Crump (1) | 5 | 1 | 0 | Rogueport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gus (optional) | 20 | 3 | 0 | Rogueport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Blooper | 12 | 1 | 0 | Rogueport Sewers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chapter 1: Castle and Dragon | Gold Fuzzy Fuzzy Horde |
10 | 1 | 0 | Shhwonk Fortress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | 1 (per attack) | 0 | Shhwonk Fortress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Red Bones Four Dull Bones |
5 | 3 | 1 | Hooktail Castle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 (each) | 2 (each) | 1 (each) | Hooktail Castle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hooktail | 20 | 5 | 1 | Hooktail Castle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chapter 2: The Great Boggly Tree | Vivian Marilyn (1) Beldam (1) |
10 | 1 | 0 | Boggly Woods | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | 2 | 0 | Boggly Woods | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | 1 | 0 | Boggly Woods | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Magnus von Grapple | 30 | 2 | 1 | The Great Tree | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chapter 3: Of Glitz and Glory | Armored Harriers | 6 (each) | 4 (each) | ??? (each) | Glitz Pit | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowser (1) | 30 | 3 | 1 | Glitz Pit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rawk Hawk | 40 | 4 | 0 | Glitz Pit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Macho Grubba | 60 | 4 | 0 | Glitz Pit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chapter 4: For Pigs the Bell Tolls | Atomic Boo (optional) | 40 | 4 | 0 | Creepy Steeple | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Doopliss (1) | 40 | 4 | 0 | Creepy Steeple | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Doopliss (2) | 40 | 4 | 0 | Creepy Steeple | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chapter 5: The Key to Pirates | Three Embers | 8 (each) | 3 (each) | 0 (each) | Keelhaul Key | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cortez | 20 x 3 | 4 | 1 | Pirate's Grotto | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lord Crump (2) X-Nauts |
30 | 3 | 0 | X-Ship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 (stack)/10 (horde) | 3 (stack)/5 (horde) | 0 (both) | X-Ship | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chapter 6: Three Days of Excess | Smorg | 50 | 5 | 1 | Excess Express | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chapter 7: Mario Shoots the Moon | Two Elite X-Nauts | 10 (each) | 5 (each) | 1 (each) | X-Naut Fortress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Magnus von Grapple 2.0 | 70 | 6 | 2 | X-Naut Fortress | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chapter 8: The Thousand-Year Door | Dark Bones Four Dry Bones |
20 | 5 | 2 | Palace of Shadow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 (each) | 5 (each) | 2 (each) | Palace of Shadow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gloomtail | 80 | 8 | 2 | Palace of Shadow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Doopliss (3) Marilyn (2) Beldam (2) |
40 | 6 | 0 | Palace of Shadow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
40 | 7 | 0 | Palace of Shadow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | 5 | 0 | Palace of Shadow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sir Grodus Grodus X |
50 | 7 | 1 | Palace of Shadow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 (each) | 4 (each) | 0 (each) | Palace of Shadow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowser (2) Kammy Koopa |
70 | 7 | 2 | Palace of Shadow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
50 | 5 | 0 | Palace of Shadow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shadow Queen | 150 | 7 | 1 | Palace of Shadow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pit of 100 Trials | Bonetail (optional) | 200 | 8 | 2 | Pit of 100 Trials
Obstacles
Hidden block locationsIn Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario can discover hidden ? Blocks throughout the game. Ms. Mowz is helpful in discovering them. There are 15 invisible ? Blocks in the game. Selling pricesIn Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario can sell items from his inventory to shopkeepers in the item shops in the game. Most items can be sold to the shopkeepers for a set price at every shop, however, some items sell at a higher price depending on the location of the shop and the item itself. Mario can make a profit if he purchases an item at a low price from one store, and sells it to another that buys it from him at a higher price. One Trouble Center trouble exploits this fact. Side activitiesStar PiecesDuring the adventure, Mario and co. can collect Star Pieces by finding them in hidden spots, underneath chambers which he can use the Spin Jump to reveal, and earning them from other characters. Ms. Mowz is useful in finding the overworld Star Pieces. Mario can then trade them with Dazzle for Badges. There are 100 Star Pieces in the game. Trouble Center
In Rogueport, there is a Trouble Center which offers the citizens' troubles for Mario to solve. An anonymous quest comes from Ms. Mowz and requires Mario to find a badge she is looking for but can not find. After this quest is completed, she joins Mario's team. Zess T. recipes
Mario first breaks her contact lens in the Prologue. After Chapter 2, Mario bought her a new one, and she returned home. Mario can ask her to cook something. After completing her Trouble Center trouble, she is able to cook two items at once. The Pit of 100 TrialsThe Pit of 100 Trials is an optional challenge. Before or after saving the world, Mario can take on the enemies found in the 100-basement floor area known as the Pit of 100 Trials. The enemies located on levels 51-99 are especially strong. Upon reaching floor 100, Mario discovers Bonetail, the long-lost relative of Hooktail and Gloomtail. After defeating Bonetail, Mario receives the Return Postage Badge. Similarities to Paper MarioThere are many similarities between the original Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, including these elements:
Quotes
Regional differencesTitle theme
Technical changes
Area changesSeveral areas had some changes made between the Japanese and international versions. Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8The changes made consist of the fight against the Shadow Queen:
Aesthetic changes
Pre-release and unused contentReveal trailerThis game was initially titled Paper Mario 2 and featured a far different logo, one reminiscent of the original Paper Mario's logo. Part of the original trailer shows an extra ledge above the pipe in the room directly east of the Thousand-Year Door, with an HP Plus badge on it. It could be accessed via a moving platform which had a wall over it halfway, which appeared to be passable with help from Vivian. Also, Beldam and Doopliss were originally going to be fought somewhere in Riverside Station. The trailer also showed that Item Shops would be labeled with Mushrooms, much as in Super Paper Mario, rather than the Fire Flowers seen in the final game. Red Bones was initially named "Red Koopa Skeleton." In the same trailer, one can see that "Tornado Jump" was initially called "Hurrican Jump".[sic] The status element Slow had a different icon, a snail instead of a sad purple face.
Glitches
Koops splashing on Dry LandAt any location where Mario can fall into the river and the player can talk to an NPC, the player should stand near the river and use Koops's ability, holding so he remains in place. Without letting go of the button, the player should walk away so that Koops is offscreen, and talk to a character in the same area. When the player is done, Koops respawns next to Mario. There is a splash animation even on dry land. Staff
Intelligent Systems developed the game with Nintendo publishing it. The music is credited to Yoshito Hirano and Yuka Tsujiyoko. ReceptionOverall, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door received very positive reviews from critics, who praised its enjoyable story, characters, and humor, in addition to its battling system, multiple side-quests, and soundtrack. In 2019, a petition on Change.org was started to get Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remade in HD.[3]
Gallery
Media
References to other games
References in later games
Names in other languages
External linksReferences
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