Nintendo has announced that the classic Nintendo 64 RPG Paper Mario will be making its way to the Nintendo Switch via its Switch Online + Expansion Pack Online Library. The popular title from 2000 will be coming to the Switch on December 10.
Paper Mario took the characters and world of the Mario universe of games and transported them from a platformer to an RPG to much acclaim from both fans and critics. The story follows Mario as he, once again, needs to save Princess Peach after Bowser steals her and her castle, along with a mystical item known as the Star Rod. The only way for Mario and his party of eight different members to stop Bowser and save the princess is to locate the Seven Star Spirits, who have the power to stand against the Star Rod and have also been imprisoned by Koopa.
The game was lauded for its successful transition of this world from a platformer to an RPG, blending certain aspects of both genres so that it was still a good RPG while also honoring the legacy of its titular hero's series. The game went on to create an entire sub-series within Mario games, with six more titles being released in the over two decades since, including the much-beloved GameCube classic Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in 2004. The latest game in the series was Paper Mario: The Origami King in 2020.
Originally announced at the Nintendo Direct in September, the Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership plan along with the Nintendo Switch Online collection started in October. The new membership plan retains all of the features as a regular Switch Online membership with the added ability to play a lineup of retro classics, including games like Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Star Fox 64, and Mario Kart 64. These titles are playable now with the new Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership plan, which features the same benefits of a Nintendo Switch Online membership, along with access to classic Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis games with added online play, players also got the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Happy Home Paradise DLC at no extra cost.
Paper Mario will be available on Nintendo Switch via its Online Library to owners of Switch Online + Expansion Pack starting on December 10. You can watch a brand new trailer for the announcement of the game below.