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Paper Mario: Color Splash Discussion (Nintendo Wii U) [game]
 
Paper Mario: Color Splash on the Wii U
8.68/10 from 6 user ratings

Welcome to the official discussion thread for Paper Mario: Color Splash on the Wii U!

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I've seen a lot of people really down on this game since it got announced. I don't blame them, I was too! Really wasn't a fun of Sticker Star, so seeing them continue that style of gameplay was pretty disappointing.

But then I went back to play Thousand Year Door a few weeks ago, and found myself thinking... "This is fun, but I use the same strategy every battle. There are so many cool badges but there's no incentive to use them all! I would be really cool if there was, like, a system where each attack was a one-time use, and you had to improvise by playing with whatever you have at the time, and... oh crap, wait a minute."

So I'm willing to give this game a shot with a more open mind. I do think it's lacking a lot of Thousand Year Door's personality in its character designs, and I'd love to see a story that's a little more bonkers than Sticker Star's, but watching this trailer, the game looks gorgeous. It's like a polished-up 2016 version of what Paper Mario should be! I don't think it'll quite reach the heights of Thousand Year Door, but man, some of that stuff in the trailer looks really cool. I'm looking forward to it.



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06/16/16, 03:02    Edited: 06/16/16, 03:06
 
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I'm genuinely saddened that more NW users aren't playing this.

This is an A+ quality title and it really feels like a fun adventure. This is coming from a Sticker Star hater!

I'm currently fighting a steak in order to cook it to perfection.
10/18/16, 19:11   
Edited: 10/18/16, 19:12
Oh man I failed twice at the Mansion level! I got so close the second time but got stuck on that Toad that's shaking the balcony railing. Cool idea for a level, kinda reminds me of that one DKCTF water level. I think I need a vard I don't have for that level too actually. I accidentally skipped the dialogue after failing the first time (because I thought I actually died) so wasn't 100% sure what the hook was. I kinda gathered what it was though. Cool level for sure. And of course great music as usual.

@ploot
Yeah and it pisses me off when even Nintendo fans reference this game as if it's "another" lazy Nintendo game as of late. Fuck off with that, it isn't true in the SLIGHTEST. I'm pretty damn sure the people saying that are going off of lame reviews and maybe some of the trailers/clips which aren't doing the game justice.

THIS GAME IS QUALITY.
10/18/16, 21:08   
Edited: 10/18/16, 21:24
I played the first level like ten days ago and really enjoyed it! I need to play more!!
10/19/16, 19:39   
Ever notice the little green "?" in the corner of the screen? It pops up every now and again. Click it! The game gives you awesome behind the scenes tidbits about sections of the game, and makes sure you aren't spoiling anything in the process.

This is a well crafted experience all around!


@Secret_Tunnel
It gets so much better!
10/19/16, 21:47   
The credits have rolled, and I am very satisfied with my experience!

This game has so many fun and clever moments, and Huey is such a great sidekick character! Probably the best that the Paper Mario series has had.

I have yet to complete the story of Piper, and I need to unlock three of the banners. I will be doing this! The only one that worries me is beating the Rock Paper Wizards due to the randomness of Roshambo.

Regardless, this was one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've had in a LONG while. YAY!
10/20/16, 08:44   
ploot said:
Ever notice the little green "?" in the corner of the screen? It pops up every now and again. Click it! The game gives you awesome behind the scenes tidbits about sections of the game, and makes sure you aren't spoiling anything in the process.

I've seen it several times but always assumed it was tutorial stuff. It's bonus stuff?? Wuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?
10/20/16, 09:04   
ploot said:
Ever notice the little green "?" in the corner of the screen? It pops up every now and again. Click it! The game gives you awesome behind the scenes tidbits about sections of the game, and makes sure you aren't spoiling anything in the process.

I did that for the Tea Time Toads. Pretty neat back story.
10/25/16, 14:42   
@TheOldManFromZelda
Aw wtf I didn't even see that. I only finally really noticed it when fighting the Black Shy Guy.
10/25/16, 18:36   
I've been having a lot of fun with this game. It fixes a lot of the issues I had with Sticker Star, though the battles still seem a bit superfluous. I don't mind as much when I have a ton of cards, coins and ways to blaze through enemies in very little time. The writing and humour is super on point and always brings a smile to my face. The painting the world gimmick is fun enough to keep me hammering away at colourless spots. The music and visuals are very impressive. Glad I gave this game a go, as I was hesitant pre-release, but it's becoming one of my favourite games of the year.
10/26/16, 00:41   
I ran into my first negative stage of the game last night. The crossing of the sea. Ugh. I understood all the clues from the pirate's notes, but the lack of execution on my part made the whole thing take waaaay longer than it should've. Normally I like stages that break from the normal pace of the game, but that was such a drag. Glad I made it through. The vortex stage, on the other hand, was a lot of fun. Glad that immediately followed the sea crossing.
10/28/16, 15:29   
Just got my second Big Paint Star, and I'm liking this game quite a bit! The battles are very, very easy, but the world, characters, and writing are all really fun. Between its fantastic soundtrack and awesome mini-cutscenes, I'm loving its presentation of the Mushroom Kingdom; I think this is the most fleshed-out version of Mario's world that we've ever seen. Thousand-Year Door had an edge to it, but Color Splash is classic Mario!

There's a bunch of extraneous stuff that I don't care for and am trying to ignore. The Rock Paper Scissors dojos aren't challenging, they're just a game of luck (that you can easily farm for thousands of coins). I was going to try filling out the museum, but all it did was incentivize me to not use all the fun new cards I was getting. Some of the mini paint stars require you to essentially play through the same level twice, and I don't see myself scouring every level to find every single white spot to get that one particular banner unlocked for no reason.

All total, there's lots of filler that weighs the game down a bit; it feels very contrary to Nintendo's "no achievements!" design philosophy, and I hope it's not a sign of things to come in any of their future games. I'd much prefer for that development effort to go into making the game a bit more challenging with some side stuff or optional playstyles for (to be frank) adults.

Like I said though, I'm gonna ignore all that stuff and press on, because the core game is a pretty awesome, close-to-magical adventure so far. I know we're all fans of the first two Paper Mario games' diverse cast of characters, but Huey is really growing on me, and Color Splash's sheer number of NPCs wouldn't work if each one had a unique design. Even Treehouse's more "modern" style of writing fits perfectly with the tone of the game. Definitely looking forward to playing more of this and seeing what else there is!
11/12/16, 08:29   
Edited: 11/12/16, 08:33
@Secret_Tunnel
It gets harder as it goes on. There's a decent amount of challenge. I've even died a few times against bosses. Some levels/puzzles are very tricky.

I know what you mean about the card collecting. Why would I wanna sacrifice a new card I got unless I have spares? Kinda a weird choice.

I haven't played in about a week, I need to get on it! I will say interest has dropped off a weeeeeeeee bit (okay, maybe a good bit) but it has nothing to do with me feeling disappointed or anything, it's just more that the magic I felt for the first SEVERAL hours is wearing off just a bit. The game isn't BLOWING ME AWAY like it was before. But I mean, it's still fucking awesome and I still love this game to death.

Anyways, I need to jump back in!
11/15/16, 12:06   
I thought I was the only person still playing this.

I have one big paint star left to get before the end game.

I would've kept going, but my son emptied the contents of his stomach in bed Friday night. Such is life.
11/15/16, 17:17   
@TheOldManFromZelda

I'm playing too! I just discovered the pirate ship which is between the second and third stars. I'm really enjoying this game. That forest level which reminds me of a particular Super Mario 64 level was a treat too.
11/15/16, 17:45   
@TheOldManFromZelda

I've started to play it, I've gone through the first half dozen or so stages. I think I left off after finding that mountain sage who turned into one of those Key Toad thingies.

My only gripe so far is the seeming scarcity of battle items. I feel like I need to stock up a lot on basic items at the store, or else use the more powerful items against annoying mooks.

This sort of thing is hard to balance, I'd be happier if they went with a more traditional battle system, rather then one that relies on a 'finite' stock of attacks.
11/15/16, 22:50   
Edited: 11/15/16, 22:50
I beat this over the Thanksgiving break.

What a fun game, and the final battle was actually quite challenging for me. (I'm awful at timing events).

A solid entry and much better than Sticker Star.
11/28/16, 17:53   
I'm really loving the visuals, the music and the dialogue in the game. It's got by far the best presentation of any Paper Mario game, and that goes a long way. The realistic paper/cardboard aesthetic elevates the game the same way that the yarn elevated Kirby's Epic Yarn and Yoshi's Woolly World.

I'm less enthused with the way the series has stalled in other areas. For instance, I think it's unforgiveable that this game doesn't have a quick retry option after a Game Over screen. Die, and it's all the way back to the last save with you. Frickin ATLUS RPGs have quick retries.

It's especially grating when boss battles are essentially puzzles. Puzzles for which you may not have the required pieces. Like, that Coliseum fight? It's DESIGNED so that you don't have the necessary weapon to win. You have to guess that your only option is to run away from that fight. It's ridiculous.

Add to that several sequences that can lead to an instant death, like in the dig site right before the coliseum, and it gets beyond frustrating, especially when you have to go through the same bits of dialogue or the same steps over and over again.

There's something messed up when you think that Atlus' hardcore RPGs have become more user-friendly than Nintendo's. Nintendo should be the king of user-friendliness. It's hard to believe that this is the same company that expressed concern over the fact that not enough people finished their games to their liking, when they come up with stuff like this.
12/08/16, 17:30   
@Guillaume

If anything, playing this game has been a really fun exercise in separating everything it does right from everything it does wrong, because there are so many things in both categories. I'm having a blast writing my review of it, haha.
12/08/16, 23:56   
@Guillaume
Before entering the Coliseum, the Toad says "You must have a BONE to pick with them, eh?" and various things like that a BUNNNNCH of times. The final answer you give him is, "I got it, BONE." They made it very obvious the bone was needed, and in a funny way.

There should have been no reason to run away, unless you played it in French and they didn't translate it that way.

That said, there are some frustrating sections, including the final boss (the dig site insta-death also got me like three times). BUT MAN does this game handle presentation so well that I forgive it (maybe more than I should?).
12/09/16, 04:17   
Edited: 12/09/16, 04:19
@ploot

Right, that "bone" hint made me go back to Chateau Chanterelle, the Thing dudes in town, and the dig site in order to find the bone. Because obviously the hint was that you needed the bone, right? All that for nothing.

And yes there was a reason to run away: you don't get the bone until after you try fighting him.
12/09/16, 04:25   
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