Best RPGs Like Paper Mario

Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 is my heart’s perfect JRPG. Its fun story, amusing characters, active battle sequences, and exploration-friendly world were matched—or even surpassed—in the Gamecube’s classic sequel Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. (Which has a fresh Switch release—no need to pay collector’s prices for an original.)

Still thirsting for a taste of that nostalgic magic? Yeah, me too. Fortunately, a number of games get pretty darn close. Let’s check out seven games in honor of the Seven Stars of Paper Mario!

10 Mario & Luigi Franchise

Don’t Forget These Handheld Heroes

Systems

Released

November 17, 2003

Developer

Vanpool

Publisher

Vanpool

Engine

gabeg

ESRB

e

How Long To Beat

35 hours

Expand

If your focus is on the big-screen consoles, you may have missed this province of the Mario empire. Beginning with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the GameBoy Advance, the Mario & Luigi series of RPGs features the action-command battles and whimsical storytelling which also characterize Paper Mario.

Unlike their shared roots in Super Mario RPG, the Brothers’ games step away from the use of companions to focus instead on our main heroes. Later installments in the series expand on this concept until you’re driving Giga Bowser through kingdom-destroying kaiju battles in Bowser’s Inside Story. Hard to top!

9 Ikenfell

Magical, Tactical, Comical, Tragical!

Ikenfell draws on the action-command battle style of Paper Mario, but puts a tactical twist on the format using an isometric battle grid to play out each combat. This—plus the Hogwarts-reminiscent setting in a magical school—give the game a dash of a Dungeons & Dragons vibe.

Better yet, Ikenfell doesn’t restrict how often you can use each character’s magical abilities—cast to your heart’s content! You’ll have to use them skillfully to get full effect, rather than cautiously preserving your resources. Combined with a story rife with hope, love, and loss, Ikenfell is an RPG well worth exploring!

Related

10 Best JRPGs On The Nintendo GameCube, Ranked

For what few JRPGs released on the GameCube, it still had its fair share of gems, and we’re going to rank the best those gems have to offer.

8 Tales of Symphonia

Adventuring To Save The World

[Note: Getting a “-500” error when I try to add the Tales of Symphonia Remastered tag, so table instead. OpenCritic doesn’t have a page for the original.]

If any game contends with The Thousand-Year Door for the crown of “Best GameCube JRPG,” then it’s Tales of Symphonia. This game takes you on a world-spanning adventure to save the world in a story of love and betrayal along the way.

Like action commands, but otherwise feel indifferent to turn-based battles? Then Tales may be a great fit—it features overworld exploration (and overworld monsters) like Paper Mario, but the battles instead are in real-time. One of my favorite features is being able to program commands for your party members, ordering them to use spells or tactics while mid-battle.

Just like Chrono Trigger, this classic can be difficult to find on the original console. However, an admittedly-clunky remaster keeps Tales accessible to gamers who never experienced the original. If a better port was available, Tales would certainly win a higher place on this list.

7 South Park: The Stick Of Truth

A “Mature” RPG Only For Hardcore Gamers

Few games revel in their own immaturity quite as delightfully as South Park’s The Stick of Truth. Even more surprising was that the game’s not just gross—it’s also fun.

The Stick of Truth shares classic gameplay elements with Paper Mario while providing an extremely different narrative experience. New companions and fart-astic spells continuously expand the world you can explore, while summonable NPCs and diverse abilities keep combat engaging all the way to the climax.

Just don’t, uh, play this one with the kids. Obviously.

6 Born of Bread

No More Loaf-Ing Around

Not just drawing on Paper Mario’s gameplay for inspiration, Born of Bread also draws deeply on its blended 2D and 3D aesthetic. You’ll explore the 3D landscape as a 2D sprite, gathering abilities and allies to further your battling prowess and unlocking new areas for adventure.

Unlike certain members of this list, Born of Bread really captures the childlike whimsy and joy of Paper Mario. The game’s story lacks the substance of Thousand-Year Door but evokes the charm of both Mario classics.

5 Beyond Galaxyland

Cosmic Exploration With Familiar Feel

Blend Paper Mario together with Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy, and you’ll end up with the indie sci-fi adventure of Beyond Galaxyland. This game distinguishes itself from the crowd by adopting a real-time turn gauge based on each character’s Speed.

This adds an exciting twang to the back-and-forth rhythm of classic JRPG combat, since you’re never quite sure whether you or the enemy will have the next turn. Further, the 2.5D aesthetic gives a paper-lite feel to each planet you explore on your quest to return to Earth.

Related

Beyond Galaxyland Review

Looking to scratch that JRPG itch? Beyond Galaxyland vies to be the genre’s best in 2024.

4 Chrono Trigger

Classic Turn-Based Variant

Chrono Trigger is the classic old-school JRPG which introduced the active time battle system later found throughout the genre (and especially in the Final Fantasy franchise). If you like JRPGs, and like how Paper Mario uses action commands to experiment with the gameplay formula, Chrono Trigger is well worth considering.

It’s not just gameplay which has stood the test of time—Chrono Trigger‘s time-hopping story also stands out from many other games in the genre. Rounding out the package are character designs by Dragon Ball Z legend Akira Toriyama.

Although the SNES original is a pricy proposition, successful digital remakes for PC, iOS, and Android ensure this legend remains easily accessible to modern gamers.

3 Persona 5

Subdue Humanity’s Subconscious

When it comes to modern JRPGs, few stand out quite like Persona 5. Like Paper Mario, this game combines turn-based battles with real-time level exploration, enabling reactive players to get an edge when initiating a fight against the “Shadows” which lurk within the human psyche.

Add a simulation of the main character’s social life into the mix, and you’ve got an intriguing and memorable gaming experience. Persona 5 is great for Paper Mario fans seeking a game with more emphasis on narrative and the companions you meet (or Shadows you capture) along the way.

2 Underhero

Can A Lowly Minion Save The World?

Welp, the hero’s been snuffed out, so someone has to return things to normal. Right?

In Underhero you play as one of the bad guy’s minions trying to do what the hero couldn’t: merely save the world, that’s all. Emphasizing timing above all else, this side-scroller combines RPG elements with rhythm mechanics like Crypt of the NecroDancer to craft a familiarly unfamiliar experience.

What really makes it jam, though, is Underhero’s storytelling and characterization. Playing as one of Bowser’s minions sounds exactly like a potential Paper Mario plot—if only the franchise wasn’t obligated to include a certain famous plumber.

1 Bug Fables

Spiritual Successor To Thousand-Year Door

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling perfectly captures the spirit of both early Paper Mario games, along with the spirit of other RPGs throughout the Mario franchise. Yet it does more than provide excellent timing-based RPG battles and rewarding ability-driven exploration.

This game is the spiritual successor to our nostalgia for Paper Mario as well. It remains a game for children, but it also feeds its adult audience with engaging platforming puzzles and difficult optional challenges.

The story beats and the sense of humor are familiar, but the bugs’ world is flush with detail. By the end of the game, I found it hauntingly beautiful.

You want a hot take? I’ve got one for you: I like Bug Fables even more than The Thousand-Year Door. It builds upon the classic’s formula, adds some modern quality-of-life tweaks, then lets you crank up the difficulty, too.

Yes, Bug Fables is filled with allusions to its inspirations—like an endless desert chapter—but it refuses to be defined by them. And even as it does, the game also manages to feel like “coming home.”

It’s a marvelous indie gem, and to my mind, a must-play for anyone who remotely likes Paper Mario-style RPGs.

Next

10 Best Turn-Based JRPGs, Ranked

Looking for your next turn-based JRPG adventure? Look no further!