There were many “revelations” made during the Nintendo Direct in September. But the one that had many people talking was the remaster of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The RPG classic was one of the best titles on the Nintendo Gamecube, and many people still consider it the best of the RPG spinoffs that Mario and friends have starred in. The reveal ended the Nintendo Direct with a simple tease that it would come out in 2024. However, that got many people talking about WHEN in 2024 it might arrive. Fast forward to now, and a new rating for the game hints that it could be coming earlier in the year than previously thought.
The rating comes from Brazil, which is not uncommon as certain foreign bodies outside of the developer’s main country will sometimes post the game’s rating long before it arrives. But that “long period” is still usually within a certain month’s span. So, if Brazil is rating the game now, it might be coming out in the next six months or so.
Going by that metric means it could arrive by April, if not sooner. That wouldn’t be a bad thing for Nintendo gamers as they want to play this game sooner rather than later. Furthermore, it would help highlight the “Mario Kingdom Year” that Nintendo has set up for itself via titles with Princess Peach, Luigi, and Mario coming out within a few months of each other.
Focusing on Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, this game really helped set the tone for what these RPGs could be as it built off of what the N64 title did and took it to new heights. For example, Mario went to an entirely new kingdom full of unique creatures and locations, starting with the town of Rogueport.
Furthermore, we had to deal with all-new villains via the X-Nauts and their leader, Grodus. There were also new ways to use your tag team partners, and all of the partners were new. The story was deep and complex. The locations we went to were vibrant and unique compared to one another. It was great. That’s why it was so frustrating when, at the behest of Shigeru Miyamoto, the franchise started to go away from what made it special and eventually became something unrecognizable.
That’s why many fans hope that this remaster sells numerous millions, so that Nintendo will see this and realize what they missed and how they need to proceed with it.