Paper Mario: Sticker Star

by Nintendo

• Its papercraft visual style has been updated to take advantage of the 3D capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS in order to create a sense of depth.
• Paper Mario returns, bringing paper-based 2D environments to life for the 3DS.
• Gameplay in Paper Mario 3DS is similar to that of the original Paper Mario and its first sequel, where combat consists of turn-based battles.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0053BCMAC
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 11, 2012
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (178 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #8 in Video Games > Nintendo 3DS > Games > Action

Product Description

Amazon.com

Paper Mario: Sticker Star is turn-based Action-Adventure game, for Nintendo 3DS that uses the handheld's 3D capabilities to bring the visual style of the Paper Mario game franchise to life like never before. Players must collect, purchase, and create stickers to use in battles to stop Bowser from ruining things. Additional features include: rpg and puzzle-solving gameplay elements, hit point build up tied to stickers found and used, in-game companion "Kersti," explorable locales, and hidden sticker bonus abilities.

Unique Paper Mario action for 3DS.
View larger

An Imaginative Paper Mario Adventure with a Sticky Twist

A sticky situation has never been so fun. There's trouble afoot in the town of Decalburg, where the devious Bowser has disrupted the beloved Sticker Fest by causing the Sticker Comet to explode. Now Royal Stickers and pieces of the comet have been flung far and wide, and it's up to Mario and his ally Kersti to set things right by recovering them. This captivating handheld adventure will have new and experienced fans of the Paper Mario series captivated as they navigate colorful 3D environments, defeat enemies, collect oodles of stickers and items, and use them in a variety of fun ways.

Key Game Features

• Stickers are the key to this imaginative adventure. Battles are turn-based like in the original Paper Mario game, but instead of an attack menu, Mario whomps on his enemies using a sticker to attack. Stickers not only serve as Mario's attacks, but also help solve puzzles throughout the Paper Mario universe when placed in the correct spots. Stickers can be found and collected from all corners of the world, and the flashier the sticker, the more powerful it is.
• Mario can also spend coins to use the Battle Spinner, which lets him use up to 3 stickers in one turn if the icons are lined up just right. The Battle Spinner can turn the tide in a difficult battle, so collecting coins through the game to use it is crucial.
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star players get stronger by beating bosses, finding items and completing side missions for other characters in the game instead of accumulating experience points.
• As players progress through the game, they'll find and use more powerful stickers to boost Mario's attack power. Players can also find HP-Up hearts to further boost Mario's maximum health.
• The environments in Paper Mario: Sticker Star come to life in this visually-stunning papercraft world on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. They also contain a wide range of objects such as electric fans, scissors and radiators that can be converted into more stickers, which can then be used to solve puzzles or win battles as Mario maneuvers through each level.

Additional Screenshots

Turn-based Paper Mario action. View larger

Search for usable stickers. View larger

Create stickers from items. View larger

Varied battle arenas. View larger

Product Description

Nintendo’s classic Paper Mario franchise gets a fresh 3D look in its hand-held debut. Stickers are the backbone of Mario’s newest adventure in which players use stickers found in the game to not only win battles, but to solve puzzles as well.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

79 of 83 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars It hurts me to say this... February 11, 2013

By Relytia TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Fun: 3.0 out of 5 stars   

Please put down your pitchforks, my friends, and give me a chance to explain. I am no Nintendo hater. Quite the contrary in fact, and when it comes to the Paper Mario series, I have always been a massive fan, whether it's the original, classic Paper Mario, its utterly amazing sequel, The Thousand-Year Door, or the more platformer-centric Super Paper Mario, I love me some Paper Mario games. I can't tell you how excited I was when Sticker Star was announced. I bought my 3DS way back when highly anticipating this game, and even though it went through several delays, I waited patiently. All through development, this was promised to be an entry that would take Paper Mario back to its RPG roots, in every sense, and I couldn't have been more psyched. The first two or three hours in, I really enjoyed my time with Sticker Star. It was a blast and the undeniable Paper Mario charm was off the charts. Then, I started to notice some glaring issues, and they became more glaring with each passing moment until I realized something painful, I don't really like this game all that much. Please, put down your torches and pitchforks and let me explain (and I want to be fair to the game and to you, the readers, so this may be a long, detailed review, I'm warning you right now)...

First off, there's a reason why I was hooked for the first two or three hours. There are a lot of positives in this game's favor. Here are the biggest ones:

- The Presentation. The visuals are spectacular, possibly the best the series has ever had, in fact. The whole "children's pop-up book" aesthetic of the Paper Mario series has always been one of its biggest strengths. Not only is it cute, but it somehow pulls off being simultaneously nostalgic and fresh to the extreme, and it's done really well here. Many familiar locales from Mario's history, most notably from the the New Super Mario Bros series, get their chance to shine, and shine they do. The nostalgia and familiarity is really endearing and some new twists on familiar oldies, like a Mariachi Shy Guy band, or a Yoshi sphinx, are fantastic. There's also something awesome about 2-D, flat paper characters and settings rendered in true 3-D on the 3DS. It's like playing a child's school project diorama come to life. Great job here! And then there's the soundtrack. Oh the soundtrack! The music in this game really blew me away, and on occasion merits putting down the system just to soak it in for a while. Much of it feels like they told a Jazz band to just go nuts with familiar Mario motifs and themes, and it's awesome. Plenty of sax and trumpet to go around. Sweet stuff. Don't even get me started on how sweet the Mariachi Shy Guy band music is.

- Stickers, stickers, stickers. Everything revolves around stickers. Yes, everything. The battle system is entirely sticker based, and oftentimes you need certain stickers to solve puzzles in the various levels you visit. Maybe you need to put a mere normal sticker in the environment to open a door. Or maybe you need a special "thing" sticker that comes to life and affects the environment in big and surprising ways. There's lots of clever puzzles throughout the whole game. I found the whole "sticker" theme to be a refreshing twist on the classical Paper Mario formula, or at least I found the concept to be great anyway.

- The Battle System (more on this in the bad section later). In an attempt to return to Paper Mario's RPG roots, Intelligent systems made the battle system a turn-based affair once again. To fight a sense of "been here, done that," they decided to make the battle system revolve around stickers. This means two things. 1.) The entire battle system is, for all intents and purposes, entirely item based (or sticker inventory based, if you will), and 2.) There's a system of strategy that involves proper button inputs to increase the effectiveness of whichever sticker command you choose. This gives the battles a great sense of risk vs. reward as you wonder, "Can I use this less powerful 'worn-out hammer' perfectly and finish the battle that way? Or should I pull out my more powerful 'flashy hammer' sticker and guarantee a victory?" This is really cool.

This all sounds awesome, doesn't it? Well, yes, that's because it is. It's a unique twist that at least starts to bring the series back to its RPG roots. There are a few HUGE problems, however, that really pull the rest of the game down. I'll try to explain them now:

- The story. There is no story, really. Yeah, at the beginning, Bowser grabs a giant, mythical royal sticker he's not supposed to, and because of that sticker's power, he himself becomes a super powerful, shiny sticker. He gives each fragment of the original royal sticker to five of his henchmen across the land, and it's up to Mario to go to each area, traverse their levels, and get each crown sticker back. After this introduction to the story, there's nothing more. No more plot, no more interesting characters, no real developments. It's bizarre, because the game actually feels like a traditional Mario platformer in terms of its story, in that, there is virtually none. Even the way you get from level to level is like a Mario platformer: an overworld map in a "level 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, etc." sort of way. Again, it's more akin to New Super Mario Bros. Each level itself is styled in the way the original Paper Mario was, but there's no big world to explore, no big, interesting towns to visit, no companions to meet and take along with you, nothing. There's only one companion, a floating crown sticker named Kersti who is basically Mario's very own Navi, but not nearly as charming or likable. Even Super Paper Mario, which was basically a platformer at heart, had way more plot and characters than this. What happened? There's no incentive to keep going, as far as plot is concerned. Again, in a Mario platformer, that's not a problem, but this isn't a platformer! It's *supposed* to be more of an RPG, and in an RPG, plot is kinda important.

- The Battle System. Now wait a minute, didn't I say this was a positive? Well, yeah, the battle system itself is fantastic, except for one MASSIVE problem: It's all meaningless! After playing for an hour or two, I noticed something; there's no place in the menu to see Mario's stats, or his level, or his equipment... there's only sticker inventory. Wait, does that mean there's NO experience points (or Star Points, to be accurate) or leveling up in this game? Yep, there are *zero* tangible benefits to battles. The ONLY reward for winning battles are coins and stickers. Stickers are *everywhere* in the world as you explore, so this battle reward is meaningless. Coins are also everywhere in the levels, and their only use is for buying more stickers, so again, meaningless. The battles that are otherwise brilliantly conceived are rendered a waste of your time by no meaningful, tangible rewards for your efforts. There's no sense of progression in Mario's character, whatsoever. It makes more sense to just avoid enemies on the map altogether (who always respawn when you go back to already conquered areas, by the way, and since backtracking is a big part of this game at times, this is troublesome and annoying). Coming from Thousand-Year Door, where I actually sought out battles as much as I could due to their one-two punch of awesome design and satisfaction from winning, this is a *massive* gaffe. I mean, it's unforgivable really. Imagine truly great RPGs, ones like Final Fantasy IV (or VI, VII, and IX, take your pick, they're all amazing), Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, Radiant Historia, Super Mario RPG, the Mario and Luigi rpg series, or the first two Paper Mario titles, and imagine them without experience points, new, better equipment to find/aquire, or a leveling system. Blasphemy! If this wasn't trying to be an RPG, it wouldn't be so bad, but everything else in the game hearkens back to the RPG Paper Mario titles. *Sigh*

- Perhaps the WORST thing about the game is its lost potential. When Intelligent Systems started work on this game, they wanted to make it a true sequel to 1,000-Year Door. They had a big, epic plot planned out. There was going to be a charming overworld filled with exciting places to explore and characters to meet. There would be several unique, lovable companions to join you on your quest. The theater turn-based battles with audiences would come back. All throughout the process, however, Shigeru Miyamoto rejected all of these ideas until this game became the finished product. I love you Miyamoto-San, but what the H-E-doublehockeysticks were you thinking!? If Intelligent Systems' original vision for this game had been allowed to come to fruition, I have no doubt whatsoever that this would have been a 5-star masterpiece. Look at their track record for a moment: all Paper Mario games up until this one, the Fire Emblem series, the Advance Wars series, the WarioWare series, Pushmo, Crashmo, and the list goes on. Read more ›

63 of 73 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun game. Not an RPG November 12, 2012

By Jack Fox, Badgerlord

Fun: 5.0 out of 5 stars   

In honesty I haven't played a Paper Mario game since the first one on the 64, and a little bit of Thousand Year Door. I Did watch the one on the Wii get played but I never played it myself.

To sum it up, PM3DS is NOT an RPG in the sense that All the other paper Mario games are. If your looking for Exp and levels and stats this is not the game for you. It's more like... like Zelda than an RPG. You have a certain amount of HP that can be increased by finding heart containers (+5 HP Per) that's it. your attacks are based on the Stickers you find and they are all one use attacks. Once you use them you can't use it again ever unless you find the sticker again. Now this may seem horrible but actually it creates a really fun strategy game in a way.

You get X amount of pages of stickers, on average you can fit about 15 per page, some stickers are bigger and take up 4-8 slots on a page so you have to be careful. But these big ones are the strongest attacks in the game and are fun to watch. They are like summons from the Final Fantasy series. I say X amount of pages because you gain more of those as the game goes on.

Now as for the stickers themselves, there are 96 combat stickers and 64 "Thing" stickers (These are the Big stickers, i like to call them Summons). Once you find a summon sticker you can buy it again and use it, however you can only have one of the same summon at a time. But they have more than just uses inside of battle, these stickers can (and some times HAVE to) be used outside of battle to open up pathways or to clear a sandstorm etc... and this is where I think the game gets fun. It doesn't hold your hand at all you have to figure out which stickers to use, where they are hidden and if you chose the wrong sticker you do lose it. It's where the Metroid/Zelda feeling hits me that I like it. Problem solving has always been a plus for me in these kinds of games, and having to backtrack a bit to find a lost item i missed is entertaining... mostly. I think Metroid takes it a level TOO far but that's OK.

As for the combat since this is a Paper Mario game. I find combat to be a lot of fun. As I said you use your stickers to fight and there are plenty to choose from. It's a matter of choosing which stickers can kill your opponents in one shot or not. But it's not a simple one click and watch fight (well the summons are) you have to hit the action button at the right time to perform a timed attack just like in the old Mario RPG game, and all the RPG Mario games since. The boss battles are a bit more ridiculous and even involve a bit of problem solving. Each boss tends to have a weakness, usually one of the summon stickers. For instance one will become much weaker if you use the bat on it. Sadly I never had those stickers for those fights and i end up using a lot of my battle stickers to win, but I found it to be a lot of fun. Lastly, the main point of the game is not only to collect stickers, but coins as well. With coins you can buy more stickers and summon stickers, and it gives you access to the battle spinner in combat. The battle spinner gives you a chance to use more than one sticker in a turn letting you combo certain ones together. It's expensive but a lot of fun. I ended up spending all my money to kill a boss cause I messed up big time. But I killed him!

All in all I think it's a fun game, the humor is silly and all paper themed, but in a good way. I like that they are aware that they are paper and don't really question it. If you are however looking for a good RPG... this isn't it. In fact I wouldn't even call it an RPG same as I wouldn't call Zelda an RPG. It's more of an... Action Platformer. A great addition to the 3DS library all in all and it's even available on the e-shop.

Things I Like:
+Figuring out which stickers to bring and managing them is fun to me
+The levels are silly but fun, as is the humor
+Plenty of stickers to collect and use
+Summon stickers are fun to watch
+Rewarding when solving a puzzle as the game has 0 hand holding

Things I thought were meh
:Not an actual RPG. I would have liked at least an Attack or Defense stat, as it stands I have to remember the damage of every item
:I'm slightly worried about game length, it doesn't appear to be that long a game though I may be wrong
:Sometimes the Dialogue can go on for a bit longer than needed, though not often

Things I don't like
-The loss of a battle companion is sad, i liked having a sidekick
-The bosses can be unfair at times and if you didn't bring the right summon sticker than it's going to be a LOT harder, though still possible
-You find out what sticker to use on the boss... after you kill it or during the fight where it's already too late
-Selling Stickers takes a long time sometimes.

as it stands I give the game an 8/10. it's not GOTY, but it's fun.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars It really tried, but... December 11, 2012

By Danielle LeClair

Fun: 2.0 out of 5 stars   

I've been a fan of the Paper Mario games since the first one came out for N64. The first two games were exactly what they promised: an entertaining Mario RPG. When the third installment came out for the Wii, I remember being so excited, wondering what the innovation of the Wii would do for the series; however, I ended up being extremely disappointed. If I wanted another platformer, I'd play New Super Mario Bros. So when I heard that they were going back to the old formula for the new 3DS game, needless to say, I was ecstatic. Apparently though, that would just be too good. This game is so repetitive and boring, and not the RPG we were promised. Gone are the partners and items, in favor of stickers (a finite resource) for everything that used to be fun. One of my favorite parts of the original two Paper Mario games was going around to different towns, talking to everyone, doing side quests, and just generally exploring. Sticker Star replaced all of this with a structured level design with very few/limited towns. After playing through until around 3-4, the story basically was at a stand-still, and going around to each level just seemed like a chore. I really wanted to like this game--Paper Mario has never looked better; Paper Mario was made to be on the 3DS. It's just so unfortunate that this game was so boring.