Paper Mario games are known for being funny, having turn-based fights, and using paper in a very different way. Each chapter adds a new friend with unique skills that Mario can use to make a comedy team.
Can a Mario game be funny? That’s what Nintendo’s Paper Mario series is all about. There is no doubt that the answer is yes. People love these games because they have a unique turn-based fighting system, funny story dialogue, and interesting paper mechanics. However, Mario doesn’t go on these trips by himself. In each game part, he meets a new friend with special skills who joins him to make a comedy pair.
There is no difference between the first game and The Thousand Year Door. Nine people join Mario’s group over the course of the story. Picking which party member is with Mario at each part of the game is important for getting the most out of the game.
Goombella
Goombella is the first member of Mario’s group to stay with him forever. She wants to be an archaeologist. Not in fight, but outside of it, she can use her Talk ability. During a fight, this ability can show you an enemy’s health and stats. When you’re not in battle, she will either give you a clue about a puzzle or just tell you what she thinks about where you are.
At first, Goombella is great for attacking from above with her Headbonk move. But as you level up and get better items, she stops being so useful.
Ms. Mowz
Ms. Mowz is a Lady Thief and the only party member that you don’t have to have in the game. She can sniff, which lets her tell you if coins, star pieces, or badges are close if she joins the group. It’s helpful if you want to gather everything, but you won’t know what it is until you find it.
She can take items from enemies during fight. She can also use Love Slap to hit enemies over and over and kiss Mario to heal some of his HP.
Vivian
Before Vivian joins the party, she has her own story conflict that needs to be solved, and you will get to see it happen over several chapters. Over time, she learns to respect herself, and as a party member, she shows ten times that respect.
Vivian has the power to pull Mario into a tiny shadow world below the ground. It helps Mario avoid enemies and look around when he’s not in battle, and it protects him from enemies with charged superpowers when he is in battle. If the enemy is strong enough, her other strikes do fire damage, which can be good or bad.
Admiral Bobbery
Admiral Bobbery is a seasoned sailor Bob-omb who swears he will never sail again after a terrible loss. Until Mario convinces him to lead a ship when Flavio can’t provide a pilot.
Bombs are one of the best tools in any game that Admiral Bobbery gives you. He can blow up holes in the walls of towns and dungeons to get to hidden areas. During fight, he blows up your enemies. He also has a cool skill called “Bomb Squad” that, if you aim right, can do long-range damage over time.
Koops
To fight enemies on the ground, this shy Koopa Troopa can fire powerful shells. For some reason, enemy spikes don’t hurt him, and he can hit more than one enemy at once right away. Outside of fight, you can also use his shell attacks to turn on switches or grab distant items. As soon as you use this skill, you can hold him there for a planned attack.
Koops starts the trip feeling bad about himself, but he learns to speak up and be brave along the way. He’ll always check on Mario to make sure he’s okay.
Madame Flurrie
Flurrie is an old and grand wind spirit. You can tell her to blow the air in any direction you want, which is needed to finish chapter two and can help you find secret walls throughout Drive Mad.
The best thing about Flurrie is how well she fights. It doesn’t matter how far away the enemy is as long as they don’t have spikes on. She can body slam them. When she’s low on strength and doesn’t want to fight a lot of enemies, she can use Gale Force to blow them away.
Mini-Yoshi
This little Yoshi is ready to fight anyone Mario wants, at any time, and he will do a lot of damage. At his base level, his signature attack, Gulp, lets him swallow an enemy and spit it out at another enemy, causing four damage. Besides that, he can Ground Pound any enemy and, at higher stages, call out a crowd of Yoshi.
You can speed up and float over big gaps in the platforms if you ride on his back. There are also eight different colors you can get based on how long it has been since he hatched. You get to choose his name.