There are also platforming elements, similar to past Mario titles. Outside of battle, Mario can walk around several areas and interact with several other characters, such as having Goombella tell the player all about a specific character. At other points, players can take control of Bowser, where the game-play is much similar to that of Super Mario Bros. At certain points, however, players can take control of Peach, who has game-play reminiscent of the original Paper Mario's game-play for Peach. For example, Mario can turn into a paper plane to fly over certain gaps or pits.įor the most part of the game, Mario is the playable character. Both the world and the characters exhibit a paper-like style to them, allowing Mario to use this to his advantage. The characters are all two-dimensional, however, the world is three-dimensional. The basis of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is that Mario must collect the seven Crystal Stars, similarly to the Star Spirits of Paper Mario, in order to save Peach from a mysterious clan until later on in the game when they and their hiding place are identified. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is explicitly related to the first Paper Mario game for the Nintendo 64, as it basically has the same turn-based fighting system for battles.