Summary
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Dooris by farthe best game in the series, and the Nintendo Switch remake faithfully preserves the iconic RPG for newcomers to enjoy. However, those who’ve already played the original might wonder what’s different in the Switch version. Rest assured, there are plenty of new features.
Initially, the remake seems almost identical to its GameCube predecessor, given that the story and gameplay are mostly the same. Despite that, many subtle and significant changes have been added to improve the experience. From quality-of-life updates to new bosses, you’ll encounter several differences on your journey to collect the Crystal Stars.
8The Battle Master
Hone Your Skills And Learn New Tricks
After leaving Professor Frankly’s office in Rogueport, you may notice a purple Toad standing next to the sewer pipe. That’s the Battle Master, a new character who offers advice and tricks to help with combat.
Talking to him starts a mock battle where you can practice action commands for attacking and countering. He also gives you information about the game’s mechanics, your partners' abilities, and tips regarding strategies. He appears in various locations throughout the adventure, so track him down if you need some help.
7Reduced Backtracking
New Shortcuts And Better Fast-Travel
A major criticism of the original Thousand-Year Door is the excessive backtracking, especially in chapters four and five. Fortunately, the remake fixes this. New shortcuts have been added to Creepy Steeple and Pirate’s Grotto to make those sections much less cumbersome.
The fast-travel system in Rogueport Sewers is also more convenient. In the original, warp pipes leading to previous areas were scattered across different rooms and weren’t labeled. The remake improves this by placing all pipes in one room and numbering them, making it much easier to traverse the world.
6Vivian Is Canonically Trans
LGBTQ+ Representation For The Win
Vivian is one of thebest partners in The Thousand-Year Door, and the Nintendo Switch remake reimplements a part of her character that was removed from the original version.
In Japan, Vivian has always been transgender. Tragically, that was changed in the original English localization. However, the Switch remake finally confirms that Vivian is indeed trans. There’s even new dialogue about her journey of discovering her gender identity and the bullying she endured because of it. It’s a genuinely touching moment and a welcome addition to the game.
5Partner Wheel
Swap Between Party Members Quicker
In the original game, swapping party members was a little tedious. You had to pause, go to the Partners tab in the menu, and cycle through the characters until you found the one you wanted. This feature is a bit archaic by today’s standards.
Luckily, switching companions is much more convenient in the remake. While exploring, you can press the “L” button to bring up the partner wheel. You still must cycle through your party members, but at least it saves you some time, especially if you swap partners frequently.
4New Post-Game Content
It Doesn’t End At The Final Boss
If you’re wondering whether The Thousand-Year Door remake has any new content, rest assured that it does. Two brand-new post-game bosses are waiting for you after the credits, and they’ll put your skills to the ultimate test.
Without spoiling anything, you may find the first post-game boss in Glitzville. The second one is hidden at the very end of the Pit of 100 Trials, though you must reach the bottom twice to find him. You’ll need all the help you can get, so verify to stock up on items andequip your best badges. Good luck!
3Newly-Arranged Soundtrack
The Songs You Remember, But Better
One of the best parts about Paper Mario TTYD is its exceptional music, which is even better with the remake’s newly arranged soundtrack. Every song has been revamped, and the new instruments do wonders for bringing out the emotion of each tune.
In addition, some songs have several variations based on where you are. For instance, the battle theme is stylistically different depending on the chapter, including a spooky rendition in Twilight Town and an epic rock version in Glitzville. Even Rougeport’s song changes genres from area to area.
If you prefer the original GameCube soundtrack, you can switch to it by getting the Nostalgic Tunes badge in Rogueport.
2Quality-Of-Life Updates
Difficulty Adjustments And More
The Thousand-Year Door hassome pretty difficult chapters. Thankfully, the remake adds a few quality-of-life updates to make the tricky parts easier. New save blocks have been added to the overworld, and if you’re ever stuck, you can press the “ZL” button to get a hint from one of your partners.
Battles have also been tweaked a bit. You no longer lose coins while fleeing a fight, and thanks to the extra inventory slots, you may use more items in combat. If you die during a boss, you can respawn right before the fight instead of returning to your last save block.
1Art And Sound Galleries
Enjoy Concept Art And Music
Star Pieces and Shine Sprites were used solely to buy badges and update partners in the GameCube version. In the Switch remake, they have an additional purpose: unlocking content in the newly added art and sound galleries.
While the sound gallery allows you to enjoy the game’s music, the art gallery shows off the remake’s stunning new visuals with gorgeous screenshots of various moments from the adventure. You can even unlock never-before-seen concept art of the characters and locations.
