MFGG - Mario Fan Games Galaxy

Review Information

Game Reviewed	Paper Bowser World, by Toodles Team
Review Author	Avi
Created	Aug 21 2006, 12:21 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview

Not to be confused with Paper Mario World, Paper Bowser World is a fangame which takes a cue from one of our favorite diversions from Paper Mario 2 - the "Super Bowser" stages. PM2 left us wanting more of these wonderful little distractions, and Toodles has heard our plea, hence concocting this amusing little time killer.

Join Bowser on his quest to kidnap the princess, or for a change of pace, you may also play as everybody's favorite old hag, Kammy Koopa, on a quest to find her missing wand. The game's storyline is told through cutscenes which, like the gameplay itself, takes a cue from PM2. Unlike MOST fangames though, the story is well told, and the dialogue is actually entertaining.

Pros

Aside from the game's dialogue actually being worthwhile, the gameplay itself isn't too shabby either. The game faithfully revists the Super Bowser stages from PM2, and it feels great to effortlessly destroy levels with your firey breath.

Cons

It may be fun to plow through levels with ease, but that's really all there is to it. Though regrettable to say, it actually will get tiring later on.

Also, the game lacks any sort of high score feature, meaning all those points you get from smashing things are ultimately worthless.

And furthermore, a save feature or a level select would have been nice. Short as this game may be, it still would have been nice to start at any level other than the first.

Impressions

Gameplay 7 / 10	If you are not familiar with PM2's Super Bowser stages, they recreate level scenarios similar to those of the original Super Mario Bros, with a few twists - most notably, and most obviously, you play as Bowser. You'll get to completely anihilate levels with your firey breath, and that in itself is satisfying, for a time. So, if you're familiar with the Super Bowser stages, you know what to expect with Paper Bowser world. However, some elements are missing, most notably the swimming stages, and the "mega mushroom" effect Bowser gains after eating a certain amount of meat. However, that was apparently left out due to technical constraints, so you really can't blame Toodles there. Of course, the game has its additions as well, particularly the addition of Kammy Koopa as a playable character. However, she lacks the destructive capabilities of Bowser, so ultimately Bowser's game is much more fun. Paper Bowser World isn't very deep, but its aim was to create a fun little experience to pass the time with, and that is where it succeeds.
Graphics 8 / 10	Paper Bowser World's graphics are either ripped directly from PM2, or are brilliantly recreated by Toodles. All in all, they fit together nicely, and overall look fairly nice. However, there are some blaring flaws. First and foremost... the HUD counters. They use a very generic font, and are colored bright red. They clash horribly with the rest of the game's graphics, and they downright look unprofessional. In fact, they look just like TGF/MMF's "default" counters (despite the fact that this game was made in Game Maker). The other graphical flaw sees Bowser's left foot floating above the ground while he is standing. This is due to the fact that Paper Mario takes place on a 3D landscape, so therefore the sprite was designed to integrate with 3D environments as opposed to 2D backdrops. Although, with Toodles's brilliant PM2 spriting skills, I wonder why he didn't fix it. Though, you shouldn't notice these flaws too much after a while, as you should hopefully be paying more attention to the level itself.
Sound 7 / 10	The sounds and music are ripped directly from PM2, and naturally, they are the same songs used in the Super Bowser stages. So, expect to hear cheesey yet zany rock remixes of classic SMB tunes. They fit nonetheless, and get the job done just fine. While Paper Bowser World uses high-quality, direct-from-PM2 music as opposed to the conventional midis used in most fangames, at times the action will still freeze momentarily when starting up a song. Such was the case with midis.
Replay 7 / 10	The main game contains 4 worlds, with 4 levels apiece. However, should you complete the game without dying more than 10 times, you will be treated to yet another world with 4 more levels. While you don't get the full 8 worlds you'd expect from a Mario game, remember that there were only three Super Bowser levels in PM2. Besides, the gameplay does tire after a while, and 20 levels is indeed quite a decent amount for a fangame. And then there is the option to play as Kammy. But seeing as how she is a smaller, less powerful version of Bowser, she probably won't extend the replay value too much unless you are interested in hearing her side of the story. Paper Bowser World isn't something you'd play every hour of the day, however, it is a good game to pass the time with.

Final Words

A good boredom killer, simple as that.

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Comments

	toodles_team Aug 21 2006, 12:30 PM
A good boredom killer! THANK YOU! SOMEONE FINALLY UNDERSTANDS THE POINT OF THIS GAME! No, that wasn't sarcasm. I created Paper Bowser World to be a simple game that would get some laughs. It's nice to see someone actually understand that!


	Avi Aug 21 2006, 7:26 PM
Ah, you're welcome. ^_^


	fonsijd Oct 11 2007, 6:20 AM
Quote (toodles_team on Aug 21 2006, 12:30 PM) A good boredom killer! THANK YOU! SOMEONE FINALLY UNDERSTANDS THE POINT OF THIS GAME! No, that wasn't sarcasm. I created Paper Bowser World to be a simple game that would get some laughs. It's nice to see someone actually understand that! i thought that you meant it to be a good game. But then again all games, including good ones, were boredom killers (even the edutainment ones) Note to self:shudder whenever I say edutainment shudder

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