Paper Mario: Sticker Star

Paper Mario: Sticker Star marks a return to the series' roots. Where Super Paper Mario shifted in the traditional direction of platforming, Sticker Star comes back to the RPG elements that first set this strange little offshoot apart.

The plot revolves around the annual Sticker Fest, which Bowser has annoyingly used as an opportunity to pull one over on everyone and scatter six magical stickers across the land. They're now stuck to Bowser and his minions and, as ever, it falls to Mario to get them back.

The emphasis is back on item management, and Mario must collect up stickers to do turn-based battles. Battles can even unfold the environment to reveal new areas and roots.

Paper Mario has long embraced the plumber's 2D roots, so putting it onto a handheld that defines itself by its third dimension might seem like an odd choice, but in actual fact it makes for some interesting visuals and brings the paper aesthetic right to the fore. The added depth creates the feeling of Sticker Star being a portable diorama, with neat touches like NPCs crumpling up adding to the effect.

With vivid design, writing that's sure to get a chuckle and a return to the series' RPG roots, Sticker Star is sure to make fans of both Mario and papercraft happy!