Summary

• Nintendo has revealed three new features for the Paper Mario: TTYD remake on Switch.
• Players will be able to swap between companions easier, and unlock special galleries in-game.
• Other updates to Paper Mario: TTYD include enhanced graphics, effects, a hint system, and a badge for switching soundtracks.

Nintendo has revealed multiple new features for the Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Two separate announcements have come from the company regarding quality-of-life updates for the remake this week. More announcements of this nature could be made before its May 23 release date.

The first post was made on May 13 by the official Nintendo of America X (formerly Twitter) . The post highlighted a clip of Mario using a new feature called the Partner Ring, which allows Mario to cycle through the companion characters players acquire throughout the game.

The second post from May 15, also from Nintendo of America, revealed that as more Star Pieces and Shine Sprites are collected in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, special galleries featuring art and music will be unlocked. The galleries can be found in the Journal section of the game’s menu screen.

All three of these mark brand-new content additions to the game, which was originally released on the GameCube in 2004. The Switch remake has rebuilt the classic, and with the Partner Ring and galleries, may become the definitive way to play the game.

Other Improvements Coming To Paper Mario: TTYD In The Switch Remake

Could The Next Paper Mario Entry Return To TTYD's Format?

These three are just some of the improvements to Paper Mario: TTYD. Nintendo has shown via the game’s trailers that the graphics, visual style, and effects have all been improved via the Switch’s hardware. The studio has also added an updated hint system, so players can ask Goombella and others for clues on how to proceed through certain sections of the game. Previews for the title also revealed a special badge allowing players to switch between the updated soundtrack for the Nintendo Switch and the original GameCube tracks.

Despite these changes, the overall gameplay and story of the beloved Mario RPG remain the same. Mario will travel to the town of Rogueport and get wrapped up in a sequence of events to save Princess Peach from the X-Nauts, all the while collecting star stones that will unlock the mythical Thousand-Year Door beneath the city. As for the gameplay, the turn-based RPG stylings of the original Paper Mario game and the GameCube version of TTYD will be intact.

The franchise’s future may be in part dependent on the sales success of Paper Mario: TTYD. Since the original GameCube title was released in 2004, the franchise has veered into different gaming styles that diverged from the classic turn-based RPG gameplay. That led to both mixed reviews from critics and divisive responses from those who played them. The success of Super Mario RPG on Switch and the hype behind Paper Mario: TTYD’s return could lead to a return to form, with pure RPG mechanics, a companion system, and a grand story that ties it all together.

Source: Nintendo of America/X (1, 2)