By: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow

In my opinion, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004) is a perfect game. It was something that changed my brain chemistry with its hilarious story, vibrant visuals, fun gameplay, and energetic music. It was the perfect package, something I didn’t think they could make any better. Well, not until they released the remake on 23 May 2024! Now, in 2025, having sunk hours into the remake, I feel like I need to talk about this game—

I initially thought that they could simply port the original onto the Switch and call it a day. I still believe it to be a perfect game, after all. However, that isn’t what they did and I am so glad about that. The changes that were made in the remake only served to improve the game.

For example, it is far more beginner-friendly now as there are more options for tutorials and training with the new “Battle Master.” Your partner can also give you hints at any time: this allows for beginners to never feel lost or confused about where to go next.

Speaking of partners, there is now the option to change your partner with the new quick-select wheel. This is a quality of life change that I exclusively use since it is much more fluid and doesn’t feel like it disrupts gameplay. Whereas before, you had to pause the game entirely in order to swap out allies.

Your partners and the NPCs will also react to getting hit with your hammer. In addition to that, the hammer allows you to interact with the world around you by squashing cockroaches and bunches of grass. You’re even rewarded sometimes by receiving a coin from doing so. That small detail, with everything making a different sound when hitting them, makes me want to hammer everything in the game! Especially since the sounds are more crisp and fresh; it’s very satisfying.

The world is so much more alive. Pieces of paper will blow in the wind at Rogueport while Boggly Woods has a moving, oil slick sheen to the ground. This, coupled with the visual upgrade, makes the remake look stunning, vibrant, and shiny. The developers really went above and beyond by also pushing the paper theme even further than before.

The visuals pair extremely well with the punchy music too. With the dynamic blend between electronic and live arrangements, it breathes new life into the game. However, if you’re ever feeling like you miss the old soundtrack or perhaps wish to directly compare them, you can buy the “Nostalgic Tunes” badge for one coin at the badge shop. At no cost to equip it, you can use this badge to immediately change to the original music. I found myself regularly switching back and forth between the old and the new soundtracks throughout my playthrough in order to hear the differences.

An addition that I also appreciate is the new fast travel area found in the Rogueport sewers. There you can unlock pipes to quickly travel to areas you have already beaten. This makes going from one place to another much easier, as you find yourself traveling all over the map for items and quest lines.

All of these changes build a fresh, new experience with a game I’ve put hundreds and hundreds of hours into. It creates a sense of playing it for the first time as you discover the new things they added. In my mind, the original is a 10 out of 10 game, but they really knocked it out of the park with the remake! So much so, I don’t know how to rank it!

Whether you are new to the game or you are a veteran like me, there is something for everyone just as long as you enjoy turn-based RPGs. This game still makes me laugh as the dialogue and quips hold up to this day while the combat is fun and engaging. The remake had a great set of bones to build off of and the 2024 version has managed to reinvigorate the original into an even more exciting experience.

I can’t recommend the remake enough. If you are on the fence about getting it, I think you should take the plunge. It is a worthwhile and complete experience only made more immersive and convenient with all of the updates and quality of life improvements.

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Copyedited by: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting and Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee