The wait for Nintendo’s next GameCube re-release is over. This time, it’s an enhanced port of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door scheduled to drop in 2024.
This has been one of the most heavily demanded re-releases in recent Nintendo history since it is a beloved title generally considered the best in the entire franchise. Physical copies of the 2004 GameCube original have been going for over $100 for a while now, so this is also a great way to let people enjoy the game in a new way—since it hasn’t been available on any other console.
After TTYD, Paper Mario began experimenting with its formula, and fans of the original two titles slowly lost interest or disliked the changes made. 2007’s Super Paper Mario on Wii was the last game in the franchise to receive better than mixed reviews from players, though The Origami King did get some love when it launched on Switch in July 2020.
Paper Mario fans will have a lot to look forward to with this “remaster,” even if we don’t know exactly what to expect beyond a great game resurfacing on Switch.
Nintendo didn’t share much about what is being changed about the game, if anything, other than the graphics getting some modernized polish. Some additional content will be added alongside this release, but the core gameplay is likely to remain the same—with minor tweaks to balance areas the original may have been lacking.
This announcement was by far the biggest in the September showcase today, followed closely by the return of F-Zero, which is getting a battle royale title exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online.
Nintendo has been reluctant to do so, but maybe we will see additional GameCube titles coming to the Switch in the future since we already got Metroid Prime Remastered and ports of Pikmin and Pikmin 2 this year.
