Operation Backlog Completion 2025
Mar 182024
 

It’s a good time to be a fan of Mario RPGs, which isn’t something we’ve been able to say in a long time.

Not only did Super Mario RPG get remade last year, but a remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is due out on May 23.

I’m excited for that remake because I love Thousand-Year Door and think the remake looks beautiful, but I also can’t help but hope that this could lead to a revival of the Paper Mario series in general.

It’s no secret that I’ve been… critical… of the direction Paper Mario took starting with Sticker Star. (Heck, my reaction to Color Splash’s announcement made it into one of Arlo’s videos, and even though I enjoyed Color Splash more than Sticker Star, I still wasn’t exactly thrilled with it.) But with Thousand-Year Door coming to a new audience, things might finally change.

I haven’t played Origami King yet, and I do intend to, to see if the story is as big an improvement over Color Splash as people say. But one of the most perplexing things we’ve discussed in regards to Paper Mario is the Origami King interview in which the producer suggested RPGs are too hardcore for a casual audience.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is not a “hardcore” game. Turn-based RPG combat is not inherently harder to understand than what they did in the later Paper Mario games. It’s an argument that never made sense to me, and I hope this new remake will prove it wrong.

If Super Mario RPG and Thousand-Year Door both do well, it might prove that it isn’t just a small hardcore audience clamoring for Mario RPGs after all.

And then… will we finally get a new Paper Mario in the old style after all?

That’s something I’d stopped hoping for. I’d given up and let Bug Fables fill the void Paper Mario left behind. I’d resigned myself to the fact that Paper Mario would never be an RPG series again.

But anything is on the table now.

This is more than just a simple port. It suggests they have actual faith that classic Paper Mario is worth paying attention to. Of course, I’d be happy to see the original Paper Mario and Super Paper Mario get remakes as well, but the possibility of a new classic-style Paper Mario game is now at the top of my list. If such a game was announced as a launch title for the next Nintendo console, that’s something that would get me there day one.

Do you think we’ll see a new Paper Mario game in the style of the originals?

Mar 112024
 

Last week the posting schedule got a bit off track, but that shouldn’t repeat itself this week.

Anyway, what would have been the topic of Friday’s post if I hadn’t jumped the gun and posted on Thursday, is that a Tokyo Xanadu sequel has been announced!

Last month, one of the announcements from the All Aksys Showcase was that the Switch version of Tokyo Xanadu eX+ will be coming west with an updated translation.

I’ve enjoyed what I played of Tokyo Xanadu but never stuck with it, so that announcement convinced me to officially put my playthrough on hold and wait for the Switch version. Meanwhile, Falcom had been teasing a sequel lately, as well, so it’s exciting to see that turn into an official announcement at last.

The new game appears to be set in Kyoto, so whether it will keep the “Tokyo Xanadu” title for familiarity or adopt a different one (Kyoto Xanadu?) remains to be seen.

No western release has been announced yet, but chances of it happening seem pretty good. (Maybe Aksys will announce it at another showcase?) Since I’m intent on playing the Switch version when it comes out, I might actually be caught up in time.

Moving on to something completely different, yesterday was Mario Day, and Nintendo’s announcements included a release date for the upcoming Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake.

May 23!

That’s actually a lot sooner than I expected. Since it was announced with a simple “2024” release window, I assumed it would be late in the year. Coming out in May makes it feel like it’s almost here already!

So Paper Mario is coming soon, and more Tokyo Xanadu is on the way. This really is a good year to be an RPG fan.

Sep 152023
 

Yesterday was both the Nintendo Direct and the State of Play, and while they weren’t as unbelievably exciting as last year’s, they still had some great announcements.

A few things from the Nintendo Direct leaked ahead of time, including one I never would have expected: a remake of Trace Memory and its sequel.

Another Code: Two Memories, titled Trace Memory in North America, was a DS adventure game about a girl named Ashley searching for her father on a mysterious island while solving puzzles. I loved it, and I was so disappointed that the sequel, Another Code R for the Wii, was never released in North America. Considering how niche they were, I never expected to see them again.

But now Another Code: Recollection has been announced for the Switch, a collection that includes both games. Not only that, but they appear to be fully remade.

They look amazing. Another Code: Recollection will be out on January 19 (even with a physical release), and I can’t wait.

They also showed the upcoming Princess Peach game that was announced in the last Direct, and you know what? It looks like it could be incredibly fun.

Princess Peach: Showtime! sees Princess Peach trying to save a theater that’s been taken over by a group of bad guys, and the way she does this is by transforming to get new costumes and skills suitable to the situation at hand. Swordfighter Peach fights with a sword, Detective Peach investigates a scene to find clues, etc. I was curious about it before, but now I really want it!

This one will be out on March 22.

(Lots of people have been describing it as “Balan Wonderworld, but good” and that’s… actually somewhat fitting.)

Vanillaware’s new game was also announced at the Nintendo Direct: Unicorn Overlord. I was excited to learn what their next game would be because of how much I loved 13 Sentinels, but I’m not sure if Unicorn Overlord will be my type of game.

Nevertheless, I’ll keep an eye on it.

It will be out on March 8.

Eiyuden Chronicle also got a new trailer and an April 23 release date. When I backed Eiyuden Chronicle on Kickstarter, its 2022 projected release window felt like it was so far off, and here we are waiting until April 2024. But it looks excellent, so I’m looking forward to it a lot.

Finally, the Nintendo Direct closed on a surprise announcement… one that’s been rumored so often that the last time it was rumored earlier this year, I dismissed it and actually forgot all about it. Yes, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is being remade.

It looks great, and it appears to be more than just a simple graphics upgrade. In addition to the upgraded visuals, fans also noticed that several characters such as the partners have back sprites now, the partners are more expressive, and there’s at least one new NPC.

I’m so happy. I love the original Paper Mario games, and it’s been so long since we’ve had an actual true Paper Mario game in the original style. I loved Bug Fables enough to come to terms with the possibility of never having a Paper Mario RPG again, but now my hopes have returned. While this might not be a new game, it’s clear they’re putting a lot of effort into it. If the Thousand-Year Door remake sells well, we could see Paper Mario return to the original style with a new entry!

So while it wasn’t a thrilling Nintendo Direct, Another Code: Recollection, Princess Peach: Showtime!, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door were enough to make me happy.

Then came the State of Play in the evening, and while there wasn’t anything as Earth-shattering as last year’s Ishin reveal, we finally got to see the reason for that mysterious Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn copyright.

That’s right, Tales of Arise came out two years ago, Beyond the Dawn was copyrighted almost one year ago, and now Tales of Arise: Beyond the Dawn has been revealed as story DLC set after the main game.

According to official details about it, it’s supposed to be around 20 hours long. That’s edging into being an expansion, so maybe the long wait makes more sense.

Although I had mixed feelings about Tales of Arise (which is how I already intended to write that before looking back and realizing it’s literally what I titled my review post), I’m intrigued by the idea of the DLC. Unfortunately, it’s out on November 9, which means it’s probably not being played before Like a Dragon Gaiden.

Meanwhile, the State of Play closed with a new trailer for Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, and it looks fantastic. The parade scene? The Nibelheim flashback? Cait Sith? Vincent? The Gold Saucer and its mini-games? Oh, I was worried they wouldn’t include the Gold Saucer mini-games in the remake, but there they are and I couldn’t be happier!

It’s appearing more and more like there really are changes being made to the story and my big theory will come to nothing, but I’m pretty excited for what was shown here.

Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth will be out on February 29, which means next February will truly be an insane time for JRPG fans.

Overall, I would give a slight edge to the Nintendo Direct for having three games that really excited me, compared to the State of Play’s two (one of which is DLC while the other is a new trailer for a game I was already looking forward to), although both events were kind of medium overall with just a few standout moments.

What games are you most interested in from the Nintendo Direct and the State of Play?