Paper Mario
From a world made entirely of paper, a familiar hero emerges to fight!
ENTERS THE FRAY!
CONTENTS
Introduction
Basic Moves
Ground Moves
Aerial Moves
Special Moves
Other Information
INTRODUCTION
Summary
Not only is this my first MYM, it’s my first post.
I’m a big fan of the Paper Mario series, so I decided to start with a basic character like him (instead of someone totally random). I was surprised that he didn’t make it into Brawl. Although he suffers from light weight, short jumps, and low speed, his powerful, quirky moveset and incredible priority more than make up for it. In fact, he has many similarities to my Brawl main, Mr. Game & Watch. Paper Mario has one of his party members out at all times (the partner can be chosen on the character select screen). The Pixls Thoreau and Cudge appear momentarily when you need them, then go back inside Paper Mario. Every move has a picture accompanying it. Although that does not show the entire animation, remember that he is very similar to Mr. Game & Watch (almost worthy of clone status), so the animations are largely similar throughout, and there is not much description needed, other than the picture. I may have neglected to mention details that seem obvious to a veteran of the series, so feel free to bring those up.
Music
Here’s some of the music for Paper Mario’s stage, as well as other themes.
Koopa Bros. Theme (default) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38ScI-nWtAA
Huff ‘N’ Puff Theme -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0O07iyCc4s
Crystal King Theme -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHBb0z9584w
Doopliss Theme -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KFFPdF-KY8
Cortez Theme -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ImixRh72o
Shadow Queen Theme -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPVb0_gYbRg
Paper Mario’s Theme Song (begins at 0:18) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cxCQKRwwGw
Dimentio’s Theme (the first 5 notes play when Dimentio appears) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5sTQIdgsQA
Statistics
Height- 2/5
Weight- 1/5
Walk Speed- 2/5
Run Speed- 2/5
Fall Speed- 5/5
Fall Speed (Tumbling)- 1/5
Attack Speed- 3/5
Attack Power- 5/5
Attack Knockback- 3/5
Directional Influence- 1/5
Directional Influence (Tumbling)- 5/5
Average Reach- 3/5 (varies based on attack)
Priority- 5/5 (many disjointed hitboxes)
First Jump- 2/5
Second Jump- 2/5
Recovery- 3/5 (good horizontally, but bad vertically)
Final Smash- 4/5 (epicness)
Traction- 5/5 (no skid)
Dodges- 5/5 (the man's paper thin)
Wall Jump- No
Wall Cling- No
Crawl- No
Tether- No
Glide- Conditional
BASIC MOVES
First Jump
Mario jumps into the air at a fairly low height.
Second Jump
Mario spins around in the air. Again, not much height is gained.
Crouch
Mario pulls his hat over his head in a pathetic attempt to protect himself.
Shield
Mario pulls his hat over his head in a pathetic attempt to protect himself… except this time, it works.
Air/Ground Dodge
Mario spins around a few times.
Roll
Paper Mario spins around a few times, like a Spin Dash. His roll is quite long!
Trip
Paper Mario has a very distinctive trip. A funny sound is made in the background, and Paper Mario falls over. Faceplant!
Throw
Who else but… Thoreau the Pixl! Your kooky buddy Thoreau pops out and grabs your enemy from a distance, like one of Olimar’s Pikmin.
Once Mario has the enemy in his papery clutches, he holds them above his head like a trophy. His Grab Attack is a tiny bounce, which jars the enemy and gives them damage (the picture is somewhat misleading; the bounce is only about a third of Paper Mario’s height). Left and Right Throws simply toss the enemy in an arc in that direction. Up Throw tosses the enemy sky-high, and Down Throw lays the enemy on the ground, where they inexplicably take damage (like Snake’s Down Throw). Free techchasing! We’ll get to that later.
Final Smash: Art Attack
It’s the creative, destructive power of the Ruby Star! When Paper Mario gets a Smash Ball, his eyes glow a fierce yellow! Press B to unleash his Final Smash!
Paper Mario cannot move, and is invincible during this time. An Action Command appears: “Draw around the enemy as many times as you can!”. The Ruby Star appears as a cursor which moves a bit faster than Sonic's dash. Using the Control Stick, you can move the star around the screen and trap foes with multicolored lines. The lines are an impenetrable barrier- if your foe doesn’t escape in time, and you complete a circle around them, they take 10% damage and are stunned for a fraction of a second. Ouch! The Final Smash lasts for about 20 seconds, and a skilled player can deal upwards of 80% damage to a single opponent!
GROUND MOVES
A: Paper Cut – Damage: 2%, 4% - Knockback: Forward, Up
Mario jabs his fist forward and gives his enemies a paper cut. The move has a short range, but if it hits, it’s gonna sting for days.
Pressing A again immediately lets Mario deliver a swift uppercut to the enemy, sending them slightly upwards at middle percentages for some FREE COMBOING!
F-Tilt: Fire Flower – Damage: 2% x 6 - Knockback: Forward
Mario sets a Fire Flower on the ground, and it spews small Spicy Curry-esque fireballs about 1 body length away for roughly a second. If they fail to DI out of it, Mario can walk forward and smash them while the Fire Flower is activated!
U-Tilt: Stone Cap – Damage: 10% - Knockback: Up
Mario’s cap turns briefly into stone, and he does a small hop upward. This attack has huge priority on the top, but Mario remains vulnerable on the sides.
D-Tilt: Shell Shock – Damage: 8% - Knockback: Diagonal - Trips
Mario produces a Koopa shell and kicks it away from him. It whizzes forward and returns like a boomerang. It cannot touch enemies in the air, but if they are on the ground, they will trip.
F-Smash: Hammer Smash – Damage: 16-20%, 30% - Knockback: Diagonal
It’s hammer time! Cudge the Pixl appears momentarily, and Mario can use his hammer. If you charge the smash, you’ll hear four beeps in the background, each a third of a second apart. The first three are a countdown, but when you hear the fourth, higher pitched one, release the A button to inflict massive damage and knockback! The word “NICE!” appears over your enemy’s head if this is performed correctly. The smash can charge a bit more, but if you release it before or after the fourth beep time, it will only inflict normal damage. Unlike the picture, there is no meter or action command… just beeps.
U-Smash: Hammer Throw – Damage: 14-18%, 25% - Knockback: Up
Mario throws his hammer up in the air, and catches it gracefully about a half second later. The hammer gets thrown farther the more you charge it. The beeps are heard again, but this time, if you let go during the fourth beep, you throw the hammer sky-high, almost to the bubble zone of Final Destination! Since this has purely vertical knockback, it can K.O. enemies through the ceiling! The hitbox on the side is similar to Olimar’s U-Smash.
D-Smash: Quake Hammer – Damage: 14-18%, 24% - Knockback: Up
This hits a fair distance on both sides of Mario, and like the other two smashes, it has a timer. Now, if you time it right, you can bury your enemies in the ground, like a Pitfall or DK’s Side B attack! Then, you get a free attack- if your enemies don’t escape first.
Dash Attack: Spin Dash - Damage: 9% - Knockback: Up
Mario slides along the ground and spins. This attack looks eerily similar to his roll. Mindgames, anyone?
AERIAL MOVES
Nair: Quick Spin – Damage: 1% x 10 - Knockback: Forward, Up
Mario spins in the air and does damage to whoever touches him. Like Olimar’s Nair, it has many consecutive hits that can suck in enemies if they don’t DI correctly. This looks similar to his air dodge, and it will take a keen eye to spot the difference. More mindgames!
Fair: Hammer Pound – Damage: 15%, 10% - Knockback: Down, Diagonal
Mario swings his hammer forward, like the Ice Climbers’ Fair. It is much like Falcon’s Knee Of Justice, with three key differences: less strong, less manly, and with a hammer instead of a knee. It is also a spike if spaced correctly. Otherwise, it sends the enemy up and to the side.
Bair: Hammer Swing - Damage: 11% - Knockback: Forward
Mario swings his hammer behind him. It has less range than his Fair, but is faster.
Uair: Hammer Jab – Damage: 14% - Knockback: Up
This is like the Ice Climbers’ Uair, with one key difference: there’s only one hammer. It also has quite a bit more vertical knockback.
Dair: Ground Pound – Damage: 16% - Knockback: Down
No hammer here. Instead, Mario does a quick flip and drops like a rock. Although this is a powerful spike, it can kill Paper Mario if used recklessly off the edge. Sort of like Toon Link’s Dair.
SPECIAL MOVES
Up B: Paper Airplane – Damage: 8% - Knockback: Diagonal
Paper Mario does a short hop upwards, and transforms into a paper airplane! He enters into glide mode (similar to Metaknight, Pit, and Charizard). Pressing A activated the Glide Attack- a small swoop in the air, which can be performed unlimited times in one glide until an enemy or object is hit. Unfortunately, this crumples the nose of the plane, so it can no longer be flown. Mario pops back into his old self.
Down B: Quick Change
Even among other Down B moves, this is unique. When Paper Mario is selected from the roster screen, three of his partners are shown behind him: Parakarry, Bow, and Lakilester (as seen in the first picture). They are shown in a similar fashion as Pokemon Trainer’s three Pokemon. You can select a partner to start with, or let the game choose randomly. When Mario starts the battle, the partner appears behind him and follows him wherever he goes (just like the original game). Pressing Down B, however, makes the current partner retreat and a new partner appear! The process takes about a second. Pressing Down B twice quickly will switch to the third partner in line, instead of the second one. Each partner has their own unique Neutral and Side B attacks. Neutral B is used for defense: Parakarry has recovery and weight, Bow has stun and edgeguarding, and Lakilester has speed and techchasing. Side B is used for offense: Parakarry has a ranged attack, Bow has a close-up attack, and Lakilester has a projectile. You do not need to switch partners at any time- you can use the same one throughout the match without penalty. This allows a great deal of flexibility in fighting styles: Parakarry has a controlled style, Bow has an aggressive style, and Lakilester has a campy style. Although the partners cannot receive damage, they are crucial to Paper Mario’s gameplay!
Neutral B (Parakarry): Air Lift
Parakarry picks up Mario and carries him a short distance. Mario gains extra weight during this time (much like Yoshi’s second jump), and he can drop at any time by pressing B again. Although it costs Paper Mario his second jump, it is a very useful move for getting back to the stage, as enemies will have a hard time knocking you off while you are on Parakarry.
Side B (Parakarry): Shell Shot – Damage: 14% - Knockback: Diagonal
Parakarry will retreat into his shell, and a dotted line will appear on the screen. By holding B, the line will swing up and down. When B is released, Parakarry will shoot forward along the line, ramming into anyone and anything in the way!
Neutral B (Bow): Spook
Hold B, and Bow covers her face…. Then release it, and Bow grows huge, makes a scary face, and cackles madly! Enemies in front of Mario are stunned for a brief time. The longer B is held, the larger the hitbox becomes. If enemies are in the air, it sends them into free-fall animation, costing them precious height if they are off the stage.
Side B (Bow): Fan Smack – Damage: 3% x 6 - Knockback: Horizontal – Cape Effect
Bow takes out her pink-laced fan and smacks anyone in front of her. Like Marth’s Side B attack, pressing Side B multiple times in a row makes Bow keep stepping forward and smacking. Not only is this a combo, it also has a cape effect, so enemies who get hit will change the direction they are facing!
Neutral B (Lakilester): Cloud Nine
Mario boards Lakilester’s cloud and gains mobility. Although he can’t use any moves, he turns on a dime and travels as fast as Sonic runs! Boarding and getting off take a fraction of a second, so this is an excellent techchasing move that will nearly guarantee a grab if you react fast enough. Beware, though- if Mario gets hit, he is knocked back onto the ground.
Side B (Lakilester): Spiny Flip – Damage: 11%, 5% - Knockback: Up, Up
That’s right – Paper Mario has a projectile! Lakilester throws a Spiny egg a fair distance away from Mario. Once again, holding B will increase the strength of this move, so you can hit enemies halfway across a large map if it is funny charged. Once the Spiny touches the ground, it takes a second to disappear. Enemies need to take care and not step on it, otherwise they will receive damage!
OTHER INFORMATION
Stage: Mushroom Theater
This stage is… well… a stage. The audience demands bloodshed! Satisfy their thirst for violence! The stage is flat, and you cannot K.O. anyone on the bottom. There are plenty of traps on this stage to keep you on your toes. Occasionally, water, props, pails, and Shy Guys will fall from the ceiling, hurting you or stunning you. And, of course, there is audience participation. When you see an audience member about to throw a mushroom or a hammer, you’d better be ready for it. Mushrooms can make you huge, but hammers can hurt! If there isn’t enough damage being dealt (e.g. two campy players), the audience will keep trying to nail you until you suck it up and fight!
Item: Dizzy Dial
The screen will twirl around, and all of your enemies will be stunned for a few seconds. Time to attack!
Item: Zap Tap Badge
Wearing this badge sends an electrical current coursing through the wearer's body. Although they are unharmed, any opponent who comes in contact with them gets zapped! Although direct attacks still work on the wearer, the attacker will suffer 3% damage and upward hitstun. This means that any direct attacks performed by the wearer gain 3% damage as well, but the enemy is constantly sent upwards, so it may be difficult to combo (well, you can't really combo much anyway in Brawl, lol).
Assist Trophy: Dimentio
Master of dimensions, pleaser of crowds, dark magician Dimentio appears, like a hurricane at a kindergarten picnic! He flies around and shoots dark energy beams around the stage, striking like an unseen dodgeball in an echoing gymnasium! If any fighters are unfortunate enough to touch him, they are encased in a glowing cage and subject to a series of explosions, dealing massive damage! Upon his entrance, light circus music starts to play, the crowd goes wild, and you can hear his signature laugh: “Ah ha ha ha ha”. After wreaking havoc on the opponents, he departs with a theatrical "Ciao!".
Universe Icon: Hammer
Mario’s signature hammer from the game series.
Entrance
A cursor draws a rectangle in thin air, and the background flips like a revolving door to reveal our favorite 2-D hero (sorry, Mr. Game & Watch).
Footstool Jump: Power Bounce
Paper Mario’s footstool jump has a unique property- it deals damage! Even better, his fast falling speed allows him to footstool enemies multiple times in a row before they can recover from their tumble animation. If he can perform this far from the stage on an opponent with poor recovery, it’s a near-guaranteed kill! However, Mario has to take his own poor recovery into account… reckless use of this tactic could lead to his death.
Idle Pose
If Mario stands still for too long, he falls asleep! When you wake him up, his snot bubble pops (just like the game), and he continues fighting.
Up Taunt
Mario jumps into the air and gives a thumbs-up. The crowd goes wild!
Side Taunt
Mario gazes thoughtfully into the distance.
Down Taunt
Mario gives the audience a grin and a thumbs-up.
Hitstun
When Paper Mario is sent flying, and goes into his tumble animation, he doesn’t fall like normal- he drifts down like a piece of paper does when you drop it! He starts to fall extremely slowly, and moves left and right like Mr. Game & Watch’s Up B Parachute. This aids his recovery immensely. You can see him doing this many times throughout the series.
SSE Boss: Count Bleck
Using his dark, twisted magic, Count Bleck will stop at nothing to destroy Paper Mario and his fighting friends, and bring about the end of all worlds! Plus, it’s a great excuse to use this awesome image.
Kirby Hat
Kirby may turn out to be a counterpick for Paper Mario. Guess why? Because when Kirby swallows Mario, not only does he get a hat, he also steals the partner that Paper Mario is using at the moment, and gains access to their Neutral B attack! The next partner pops out automatically, and poor Mario is left with only two to choose from. And if he gets swallowed by three different Kirbys, then he has no B attacks at all, except for his Up B! Oh, the humanity! Once Kirby dies, though, the partner realizes the folly of their ways, and goes to rejoin their true master. Truly, a bittersweet reunion. Oh, and I got another great image.
Costumes: L and W Emblem Badges
When Mario puts on the L Emblem badge in TTYD, he turns into… you guessed it… Paper Luigi! The W Emblem badge gives him Wario’s colors, and wearing both gives him Waluigi’s colors (of course). All of these costumes are available to choose from. Red Team gets the Mario costume, Green Team gets the Luigi costume, and Blue Team gets the Waluigi costume.
Snake’s Codec
Snake: Looks like they’ve made a paper cutout of Mario. He’s got a (flying turtle/ghost/turtle riding a cloud) with him, too.
Colonel: You must be fighting Paper Mario.
Snake: Paper? This guy’s about to get crumpled and shredded.
Colonel: It’s not so easy, Snake. His hammer packs a real punch. And his (Paratroopa/Boo/Lakitu) has moves of its own, as well.
Snake: He’s got some tricks up his sleeve, eh? I’ll be watching this guy carefully.
Colonel: He’s a featherweight, though. If you manage to land a heavy blow, he’s a goner.
Snake: Sounds like a plan.
~ lol
