Lost the classic Paper Mario? Try bug fables on switch instead

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a pretty good game in its own right, but let’s really be: it’s been years since we’ve had a game that captures the magic of the first two titles in the Paper Mario series. Where Origami King makes combat more into an action-oriented puzzle, old-school Paper Mario games were deeper role-playing games with bright action elements. Luckily, there’s something outside that catches the torch, and it’s on Nintendo Switch to boot.

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is a highly regarded adventure RPG that has been on PC for a while, and more recently was released on consoles. The Paper Mario influence is apparently out of the get-go, thanks to an art style that all resembles a two-dimensional cardboard cutout. It looks better in motion than it does in screenshots, trust me. The fight is also a turn-based affair where good timing can help you hit or defend a little harder. Some ideas are similar too: I’m currently playing through a desert part that is obviously removed from the memorable Oasis part of the Nintendo 64 game.

It would be a mistake to call Bug Fables a bright imitation, however. Instead of just re-creating an experience you already have, Bug Fables takes the original Paper Mario formula and expands it in large and small ways, ultimately creating a wonderfully unique experience.

Part of it is the basic premise: You play as a group of bugs that live in a larger insect world, just like you do in the equally excellent Hollow knight. This fact alone delivers Bug Fables room to experiment with characters we don’t normally see in games that often. I have killed many zombies, grunts and people in my years of gaming. Here I worry more about things like prayer locusts, parasitic wasps, dung beetles, moths and all kinds of ants. Better yet, there are larger kingdoms of insects, each with its own political and cultural preferences to address their concerns.

One of the playable characters is a rebellious bee from her mother, who would rather see her play a predetermined role in the basket, as all pollinators do. Intriguing are the only types of bugs I have not seen roaches, but that’s meant. Roaches, in this world, are an ancient civilization with advanced technology that other insects are still fighting to understand. I’m only in about 15 hours Bug Fables, but I have a feeling I will find out what happened to the otherwise all-existing real plague. For now, let me ask myself about politics on a smaller scale, such as why ladybugs in antiquity are not allowed.

Image: Dangen Entertainment / Moonsprout Games

I am also regularly amused by how the developer, Moonsprout Games, plays with the enlarged setting. There are times when it becomes clear that you are a small creature living in an enormous world. There was, for example, a section where I walked into a museum that proudly displayed a set of jackets and rubber balls that were speculated to be remnants of an ancient war. Shops and houses are made from things like old boxes and soda cans, which are borrowed Bug Fables a well-groomed, resident radiance.

Combat will be familiar to anyone who has played Paper Mario before, but there are some controversies. Rather than having two characters on the field, you have three. Your positioning determines who is hit the hardest by the enemy, although you are allowed to change order halfway through your turn. Characters can also give up their turn to give another teammate a second action, but the trade-off is that each attack will be a little weaker. Enemy placement also makes a difference: If your rival flies, for example, only certain attacks will land … unless you manage to drop them to the ground.

I’m also regularly surprised by the complexity of the action commands – many hours in, I still have to actively pay attention to what the game wants me to do. The window to land a hit will constantly shift, as the button asks for specific attacks to change from turn to turn, so I can not simply turn my brain off after memorizing how it works. I can – and do – mess up with basic commands when I get sloppy. On the flip side, however, it is extremely satisfying when I managed to accurately predict the timing of an enemy attack, allowing me to ignore the damage.

Image: Dangen Entertainment / Moonsprout Games

Oh, yes: there are statistics and figures to make you worry. As you level up, you get the choice to add to your HP pool, increase your skill points for special missions, or expand how many “medals” you can complete. Like badges in Paper Mario, medals affect all sorts of different things in combat, allowing you to customize the experience to suit any style of play you see fit. Right now I have a medal on which one of my characters can damage an enemy if I successfully block an attack, and another that instantly kills opponents at a low level without having to go into battle. I’m trying to save for a medal that allows follow-up attacks.

Bug Fables is also packed with the kind of site content that makes RPGs sing, from optional quests and bosses to secret shops and even a full-fledged card game that takes advantage of all the characters you meet along the way. I have participated in a play, and have so far returned a value of an apartment of lost items. There are a number of “bounties” I have no idea how I can still complete. There is even a cookie system with dozens of recipes that can confirm your items in new and unexpected ways. I haven’t done much with it yet, though Bug Fables also introduces a charm system where you can pay a mystique for random, temporary buffs during battle. And, if the basic experience is not enough of a challenge, Bug Fables also gives you two difficulty options via medals that make fighting harder, but also the rewards bigger.

Image: Dangen Entertainment / Moonsprout Games

Maybe my favorite mechanic is the dedicated “gossip” button, which you can press at any time to comment on your characters on the colorful cast they encounter along the way, or the many antics that go into your adventure prevent. Let me tell you, it’s a perverted pleasure to stand in front of someone and then decide to talk about their shit, just because you can. As social distance has diminished the chances for hot gossip, being able to blow some steam into a game is a hilarious relief. More games should have a gossip button. It’s brilliant.

This is all to say: If you’re waiting for a real Paper Mario experience, you may have it. It only costs $ 24.99 – less than half the price Origami King does – you can take it with you on the go, and it’s an explosion. It just is not made by Nintendo.