This game is so imaginative and expands the Mario universe so much, from scoundrel-ridden pirate towns to Agatha Christie-style train mysteries and battle arenas and the moon and body-snatching ghosts and apocalyptic demon queens and even playing as Bowser, there's fun stuff around every turn and corner here. The battles are snappy and fun, the humor laugh-out-loud, the music memorable. I'd have to flip a coin between this as the original Super Mario RPG as my favorite Mario RPG.

I'd call this the "Best JRPG for people who don't like JRPGs". Most of the genre's most annoying mechanics/tropes are gone or minimized: No grinding, a streamlined leveling and party management system, a more engaging twist on turn-based combat, relatively short (30-35 hours). I still didn't love it, though I understand it's appeal. It's world and characters are unabashedly weird and quirky and at times there's a dark humour rarely found in Nintendo games.

The combat is really inspired and a nice continuation of what was started with Super Mario RPG. The story was okay but to be honest I never go to any Mario games for the story, yet the characters are lovable. It's a really solid RPG all in all, but I thought it would be funnier than it was.

[REPLAY] I don't make these often, but a game-to-film comparison is The Princess Bride; a bizarre yet heartfelt story filled with wacky characters, wackier villains and oddly sophisticated combat. that Nintendo refuses to make another Paper Mario game like TTYD indicates they're more interested in delivering kinesthetic experiences rather than emotional ones. and yet, this is both. a shining example of the kind of experience only video games can provide, as rare as those experiences can be.

My favourite turn-based RPG, hilariously enough. When you look at "fun for the whole family" in a dictionary, you find this game's disc nestled betwixt the pages, and also probably a Power Plus badge. God, those things are the best. Hilarious and really fun in a totally PG way, juuuuust difficult enough for EVERYONE, great story. A solid candidate for "first video game".

Though Thousand-Year Door lacks some of the magic that made the original so charming, it's still an addictive RPG with improvements to the combat system, new partners, and even more uses of the adorable paper theme. It doesn't touch its predecessor in just about every other respect, though. When I recall the original, I recall joy. When I recall this one, I recall joy peppered with some moments of frustration.