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[Yuripaw]

I'll admit, I haven't read the this thread yet. I've just come in here, because for xmas, I was lucky enough to get a 3DS from my folks. I'm looking at possibly getting Paper Mario, but I'm curious how it is? I watched the Giantbomb quick look, and that's pretty much all I know about it. I don't know how I feel about the sticker system, and the lack of partners in combat. I seriously LOVE Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door for the gamecube, and some of my favorite aspect of the game was the timing based combat, and the partners you got along side. They were fun characters, and I enjoyed each of their unique stories using them.

How does Sticker Star stack up? I'm afraid of getting it and being disappointed.

 

[Kai Dracon]

I'll admit, I haven't read the this thread yet. I've just come in here, because for xmas, I was lucky enough to get a 3DS from my folks. I'm looking at possibly getting Paper Mario, but I'm curious how it is? I watched the Giantbomb quick look, and that's pretty much all I know about it. I don't know how I feel about the sticker system, and the lack of partners in combat. I seriously LOVE Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door for the gamecube, and some of my favorite aspect of the game was the timing based combat, and the partners you got along side. They were fun characters, and I enjoyed each of their unique stories using them.

How does Sticker Star stack up? I'm afraid of getting it and being disappointed.

Basically, this is an adventure game and not an RPG. It's really divisive, though IMO some who say it's actually badly designed as a game are not being fair. I find nothing wrong with it, and it has the usual Intelligent Systems levels of polish. It isn't Paper Mario 3 however. (As in, a conceptual sequel to TTYD.) By the same token, it is also not Super Paper Mario. It has enough of the traditional Paper Mario style to preserve much of the appeal.

The combat is still fun, though obviously lacking partners. I think that may have been an intentional omission as it seems you're not supposed to fight every battle and grind. But choose when to fight and build up cash or get rare stickers from farming certain enemies, stuff like that.

The stage design is really, really nice, there seems to be general agreement on that. Lots of creative stages, secret paths, and alternate exits. It's also less linear than the Mario World style map may suggest - there's a lot of backtracking to return to previous stages once you have the item to open up a secret or a new location.

 

[zroid]

How does Sticker Star stack up? I'm afraid of getting it and being disappointed.

Here's the low-down:

- This game is not a sequel to TTYD, so (ideally) don't go in expecting that
- It's not really an RPG, it's more of an adventure game which happens to have turn-based battles
- the "paper" theme is far more fleshed out here than it ever was before, and that's a good thing
- the game is flawed -- if you miss an item you end up needing later, it is almost impossible to figure out where it is, so you'll pretty much have to resort to a guide or ask someone. Be thorough when exploring to avoid this.
- there's a huge variety of stickers, and they're all fun to use, but inventory management is key
- Despite the lack of partners, the NPCs you do meet -- mostly Toads -- are injected with a ton of character. Each Toad in the game seemingly has a personality of his own, and it's refreshing.
- Bosses can be a sore spot. The boss fights themselves are like esoteric puzzles; you're supposed to find their weakness and exploit it, and it's not that obvious most of the time. Again, I encourage people to seek help or refer to a guide if necessary.
- the soundtrack is spectacular, especially the boss themes
- tons of secrets!
- the game is surprisingly non-linear outside of individual levels; you are encouraged down a set road, but if you want to you can veer off course.

 

[Sleepy]

Okay--the game actually sounds good when you both put it like that. Thanks!

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

I can't decide if I like this game or not. It's such a weird and odd experiment. I think the mere fact that I've never played anything like it makes me like the game a lot, but I'd like it more if it had more side-quests and alternate content. I haven't seen much, though I've only played the game for about six hours. The museum is cute but I want more.

 

[vagabondarts]

- the soundtrack is spectacular, especially the boss themes
- tons of secrets!
- the game is surprisingly non-linear outside of individual levels; you are encouraged down a set road, but if you want to you can veer off course.

I love that it rewards exploration.

Soundtrack is one of the best Nintendo has made.

 

[eznark]

So...hypothetically speaking...is there any way to get your stickers back once you've put them in the museum?

 

[zroid]

So...hypothetically speaking...is there any way to get your stickers back once you've put them in the museum?

via the museum? no

but there aren't any stickers you can only obtain once

 

[eznark]

I put the fan sticker that I had made in, if I go back to that same spot I got it will it be back?

I mean, my dumb friend did that.

 

[Easy_D]

I put the fan sticker that I had made in, if I go back to that same spot I got it will it be back?

I mean, my dumb friend did that.

The fan is always there, yes. But you can buy the any real life objects you've found from the shady Toad to the left of the stickerizer Toad in Decalburg.

 

[Tuck]

So I beat the game a few hours ago. Here are my final thoughts:

Essentially, its Paper Mario without the creative characters, story, art design, move set, level design (To an extent), and RPG system. All of that stuff is missed greatly. However, once I accepted that the game is NOT an RPG, but rather an action adventure title with turn based combat, I was able to find enjoyment is Paper Mario: Sticker Star. It *is* a good game.

The sticker concept is alright. I just wish there was more to it. Half of the stickers are standard jump or hammer moves. Only a few are really creative. And they all control nearly exactly the same, with little variation. More depth here would have been appreciated. In terms of combat, I wish you could do more than just block. There are defensive stickers, but none of them last more than one turn. They were however fun to use. The slot machine mechanic was interesting, but leaving the number of stickers you can used mostly up to luck is slightly cheap. Granted, being able to pay to slow the machine down was a nice touch.

Enemy variety was also lacking, but this is due to Miyamoto's request to only use standard Mario characters. An odd request. Boss battles suffered greatly due to this. I will say as a side note, there is something very satisfying about collecting shiny stickers, and better yet, BIG shiny stickers. Battles were easy, but definitely fun. Only occasionally would I go out of my way to avoid battles.

Level design was surprisingly great, but the world design was not nearly as creative as in TTYD. Standard grass level, ice level, fire level, sand level. The two forest levels were highlights in terms of asthetics. Graphically the game shines - they really took the paper concept to a whole new level. I just wish artistcally the game matched its graphical prowess. The level design itself is not nearly as creative as TTYD either, but there were still some very clever moments. World 3 and the Boo Mansion level were highlights. The fact that the game was not strictly linear was good, and I liked the world map. Very Super Mario World esque.

The missing story is perhaps my biggest disappointment. Yes, Super Paper Mario had too much text. but to remove the story and side characters entirely? What? Bowser does not say even one line in this game. What a disappointment - it is in the Mario RPGs where Bowser has truly shined! His personality was so endearing in the Mario & Luigi games. And replacing the side character with Kertsi (Or however you spell her name)? Bad idea. She isn't as bad as Phi from Skyward Sword, but she was pretty annoying. The side characters from TTYD were much better. Thankfully the game retains its humor in the few cutscenes that it has.

The paperization of the world was a pretty neat idea. Led to some interesting puzzles. Didn't mind this gameplay mechanic at all.

Finally, the thing stickers. What an awfully implemented idea. Having them required for some segments of the game/boss fights was so stupid. They are hidden randomly in the world and the game never even hints at which one you need. Awful game design. I would say they should have just been uber-powerful stickers, but the game is so easy they are almost never needed. This should have been cut.

I didn't hate Sticker Star. It may sound like I did, but it was pretty fun actually. A solid 7 out of 10. Maybe even a little higher than that. It just isn't what I wanted, and I do hope they go back to the standard Paper Mario formula. As it stands though, it was a fun adventure game that I am glad I played through.

 

[Dr.Hadji]

Kind of stinks how the people who don't like the game are doing such a good job of spreading their message. People who haven't played the game just assume its bad now. That "Miyamoto needs to sit down thread" and how SS is thrown under the bus is sad.

The world design was not nearly as creative as in TTYD. Standard grass level, ice level, fire level, sand level. The two forest levels were highlights in terms of asthetics. Graphically the game shines - they really took the paper concept to a whole new level. I just wish artistcally the game matched its graphical prowess. The level design itself is not nearly as creative as TTYD either, but there were still some very clever moments. World 3 and the Boo Mansion level were highlights. The fact that the game was not strictly linear was good, and I liked the world map. Very Super Mario World esque.

Got any examples of TTYD great level design. Haven't played it in a while but I'd say SS easily bests TTYD in that area.

 

[Tuck]

Kind of stinks how the people who don't like the game are doing such a good job of spreading their message. People who haven't played the game just assume its bad now. That "Miyamoto needs to sit down thread" and how SS is thrown under the bus is sad.

Sticker Star is good.

Even so, I believe the game would be far superior had Miyamoto not gotten involved.

Got any examples of TTYD great level design. Haven't played it in a while but I'd say SS easily bests TTYD in that area.

I'll admit, I haven't played it in a while. I may be looking ay it through rose color glasses. But there is one level in TTYD I never forgot. The battle arena section of the game, where you start off in this tournament style battle, but slowly this really surprising plot unfolds where the guy in charge of the tournament is actually evil and absorbed the power of other contestants.

I guess I have to retract that statement: Its not fair to say TTYD's level design was far superior (In terms of art design, it was superior), but I guess I don't remember enough of the game to really say for sure.

 

[Green Mamba]

Kind of stinks how the people who don't like the game are doing such a good job of spreading their message. People who haven't played the game just assume its bad now. That "Miyamoto needs to sit down thread" and how SS is thrown under the bus is sad.

Then spread your own message. What would you prefer PM fans who are disappointed in the game to do, keep quiet?

Me, I will not keep quiet. If it is true that fan opinion of SPM's story caused SS to be the vacant NSMB-ized shell that it is, then I will make my opinion of this game as loud and as clear as possible to avoid future missteps.

 

[Velcro Fly]

I got the game for Christmas and having seen it in action plenty I knew beforehand what I was getting into as far as gameplay and mechanics. I knew in advance it wasn't Paper Mario 64 or TTYD. I knew that the story was thin and that the gameplay and adventure/exploration was pretty much the meat of the game.

Having just finished with the intro to Persona 4: Golden, I was ready for some lighthearted fun that I knew this game would provide.

After nearly 2 hours, I can safely say this game, for what it is, has blown me away. I thought it was going to be one thing, and it went above and beyond that. Seeing someone else play it doesn't do the game justice at all. If it wasn't for the fact that it is 5am and I need to get some sleep, I'd probably be hammering, stomping, and sticking my way through the rest of world 1.

First of all, the battle system while simple, is perfect. I don't get bogged down with too much that detracts from what I really really enjoy about the game. I love the exploration aspect. I've only played a few levels in the first world but I hope the game keeps up with the exploration. Not only are stickers a genius idea for exploration, but I wish that 3D could be incorporated more, sort of like those bonus areas in 3D Land where you'd flip the 3D effect on and could see through the optical illusion. I get the feeling that things aren't that advanced since you seem to not have any control of the camera, but something like that would have been really cool.

The stickers themselves are cool. I know I'm early in the game, but some of the stickers I have no idea what they do so getting the timing down is a lot tougher than saying ok I leveled up this much so I learned the next spell in this list so I can use that to beat enemies quicker. I also made the mistake of going into 1-2 with apparently too few stickers and ran out near the end. Luckily enough for me I realized that if I let an enemy hit me I can get a basic sticker to attack and was able to make it through to the end.

I just can't express enough how satisfied I am with the game for what it is and not what I wanted it to be. I think that once people get over the fact that we didn't get a true RPG game like PM64/TTYD more people will warm up to what the game actually is. To me it is part platformer, part adventure, and a game that fully rewards taking your time and searching every corner of the level for things. Even if that means whacking every stationary object you can find with your hammer to see if you can knock it over or destroy it.

I've been looking forward to being able to play this for a while and was worried because of how let down people generally seemed to be, but I can say I'm definitely going to enjoy this game.

 

[AniHawk]

Then spread your own message. What would you prefer PM fans who are disappointed in the game to do, keep quiet?

Me, I will not keep quiet. If it is true that fan opinion of SPM's story caused SS to be the vacant NSMB-ized shell that it is, then I will make my opinion of this game as loud and as clear as possible to avoid future missteps.

well hey at least sticker star has level design and effort and stuff.

 

[Nekofrog]

Kind of stinks how the people who don't like the game are doing such a good job of spreading their message. People who haven't played the game just assume its bad now. That "Miyamoto needs to sit down thread" and how SS is thrown under the bus is sad.



Got any examples of TTYD great level design. Haven't played it in a while but I'd say SS easily bests TTYD in that area.

Glitz Pitz, Great Train Murder Mystery, the (awful) Puni Tree area (but at least it's not generic desert world #6), deserted isle/ghost pirate area. The list goes on. TTYD had the best environments of any Mario game.

 

[Ydahs]

I got the game for Christmas and having seen it in action plenty I knew beforehand what I was getting into as far as gameplay and mechanics. I knew in advance it wasn't Paper Mario 64 or TTYD. I knew that the story was thin and that the gameplay and adventure/exploration was pretty much the meat of the game.

Having just finished with the intro to Persona 4: Golden, I was ready for some lighthearted fun that I knew this game would provide.

After nearly 2 hours, I can safely say this game, for what it is, has blown me away. I thought it was going to be one thing, and it went above and beyond that. Seeing someone else play it doesn't do the game justice at all. If it wasn't for the fact that it is 5am and I need to get some sleep, I'd probably be hammering, stomping, and sticking my way through the rest of world 1.

First of all, the battle system while simple, is perfect. I don't get bogged down with too much that detracts from what I really really enjoy about the game. I love the exploration aspect. I've only played a few levels in the first world but I hope the game keeps up with the exploration. Not only are stickers a genius idea for exploration, but I wish that 3D could be incorporated more, sort of like those bonus areas in 3D Land where you'd flip the 3D effect on and could see through the optical illusion. I get the feeling that things aren't that advanced since you seem to not have any control of the camera, but something like that would have been really cool.

The stickers themselves are cool. I know I'm early in the game, but some of the stickers I have no idea what they do so getting the timing down is a lot tougher than saying ok I leveled up this much so I learned the next spell in this list so I can use that to beat enemies quicker. I also made the mistake of going into 1-2 with apparently too few stickers and ran out near the end. Luckily enough for me I realized that if I let an enemy hit me I can get a basic sticker to attack and was able to make it through to the end.

I just can't express enough how satisfied I am with the game for what it is and not what I wanted it to be. I think that once people get over the fact that we didn't get a true RPG game like PM64/TTYD more people will warm up to what the game actually is. To me it is part platformer, part adventure, and a game that fully rewards taking your time and searching every corner of the level for things. Even if that means whacking every stationary object you can find with your hammer to see if you can knock it over or destroy it.

I've been looking forward to being able to play this for a while and was worried because of how let down people generally seemed to be, but I can say I'm definitely going to enjoy this game.

Pretty much how I feel after a couple of hours in. It's certainly different than other Paper Marios, but I've come to realise that's not really a negative. The game is brilliant and charming in its own way.

What I like about the stickers is the layer of strategy they have. With most RPGs, you can abuse stronger attacks and ignore the weaker ones, though you can't do that with this game since once a sticker is used, it's gone. Every battle has to be thought out and every sticker has to be chosen wisely or else you're left with a vast imbalance of sticker types.

My biggest disappoint was the omission of levelling up, but I'm not really missing it early on because of how well the stickers have been implemented so far.

 

[Social]

I really loved the game but then again, I also loved the Wii Paper Mario.

There hasn't been a bad one or me.

 

[XaosWolf]

Finished this over the Christmassy days, also got it for my mum for her present. (She's an adventure game fan)

I enjoyed it after all was said and done. My main gripe was like a lot of others in that it can get pretty convoluted at points. First boss's need is mean as it's weaknesses are used by force on the way. (If I'm wrong, let me know)

Kirsti is no help in this regard unless you run away or kill it with difficulty.

The Sticker Museum is helpful for keeping track of where Things are, as it lists where they were found, including if they were behind secret doors.

But I'd still recommend it even if it isn't an RPG. Really enjoy the longer levels, but Insta-Kill Fish can go die in all the fires.

 

[zroid]

The Sticker Museum is helpful for keeping track of where Things are, as it lists where they were found, including if they were behind secret doors.

After a certain point I just stopped bothering to go back for them, and I purchased all my Things

Needed to spend 10000 coins somehow!

 

[Sadist]

Completed it two days ago;

OH NO NO MORE RPG!! But it's a adventure game now! And I liked it. Two complaints to start with; first, the Thing sticker system is wonkey. At certain parts in the game it wasn't clear at all what I needed to do to continue the level. But that's mostly because I needed to rebuy the things and those were expensive Other complaint would be the fact I couldn't choose which character to attack during battlescenes.

Everything else I liked. The level design is fun (dem cardboards) and clever at times with the whole paperization move. Had a lot of fun with this mechanic while

Spoiler

searching for Boo's during 4-3

. Btw, the return of turnbased battles made me happy. One of my favourite aspects about the series is the battle system and it's still charming. The inclusion of stickers works, although I suspect that people who tend to "hoard" in videogames will be absolutely frustrated during Sticker Star. It's all about smart management hehe.

Dialogues were okay. There are several funny moments, but not as memorable as other Paper Mario installments. I did laugh out loud about one Toad though standing next to the entrance of Decalburg; "Hey Mario, you returned from your trip? Did you save the Princess? No? What's wrong with you!?" That has to be a Reggie reference

 

[Velcro Fly]

The fact that I can't level up is fantastic. If I wanted to level up and grind, I'd play Dragon Quest or something. Not saying leveling up or level grinding is a bad thing because I certainly love the Dragon Quest series. But the fact that I don't have to level grind means I can play and battle at my own pace.

 

[Brainiac 8]

I really loved the game but then again, I also loved the Wii Paper Mario.

There hasn't been a bad one or me.

Agreed. So far I've loved all the paper marios for different reasons. In fact I'm currently replaying SPM. Still a fantastic game.

 

[squid]

So I beat the game a few hours ago. Here are my final thoughts:

Essentially, its Paper Mario without the creative characters, story, art design, move set, level design (To an extent), and RPG system. All of that stuff is missed greatly. However, once I accepted that the game is NOT an RPG, but rather an action adventure title with turn based combat, I was able to find enjoyment is Paper Mario: Sticker Star. It *is* a good game.

The sticker concept is alright. I just wish there was more to it. Half of the stickers are standard jump or hammer moves. Only a few are really creative. And they all control nearly exactly the same, with little variation. More depth here would have been appreciated. In terms of combat, I wish you could do more than just block. There are defensive stickers, but none of them last more than one turn. They were however fun to use. The slot machine mechanic was interesting, but leaving the number of stickers you can used mostly up to luck is slightly cheap. Granted, being able to pay to slow the machine down was a nice touch.

Enemy variety was also lacking, but this is due to Miyamoto's request to only use standard Mario characters. An odd request. Boss battles suffered greatly due to this. I will say as a side note, there is something very satisfying about collecting shiny stickers, and better yet, BIG shiny stickers. Battles were easy, but definitely fun. Only occasionally would I go out of my way to avoid battles.

Level design was surprisingly great, but the world design was not nearly as creative as in TTYD. Standard grass level, ice level, fire level, sand level. The two forest levels were highlights in terms of asthetics. Graphically the game shines - they really took the paper concept to a whole new level. I just wish artistcally the game matched its graphical prowess. The level design itself is not nearly as creative as TTYD either, but there were still some very clever moments. World 3 and the Boo Mansion level were highlights. The fact that the game was not strictly linear was good, and I liked the world map. Very Super Mario World esque.

The missing story is perhaps my biggest disappointment. Yes, Super Paper Mario had too much text. but to remove the story and side characters entirely? What? Bowser does not say even one line in this game. What a disappointment - it is in the Mario RPGs where Bowser has truly shined! His personality was so endearing in the Mario & Luigi games. And replacing the side character with Kertsi (Or however you spell her name)? Bad idea. She isn't as bad as Phi from Skyward Sword, but she was pretty annoying. The side characters from TTYD were much better. Thankfully the game retains its humor in the few cutscenes that it has.

The paperization of the world was a pretty neat idea. Led to some interesting puzzles. Didn't mind this gameplay mechanic at all.

Finally, the thing stickers. What an awfully implemented idea. Having them required for some segments of the game/boss fights was so stupid. They are hidden randomly in the world and the game never even hints at which one you need. Awful game design. I would say they should have just been uber-powerful stickers, but the game is so easy they are almost never needed. This should have been cut.

I didn't hate Sticker Star. It may sound like I did, but it was pretty fun actually. A solid 7 out of 10. Maybe even a little higher than that. It just isn't what I wanted, and I do hope they go back to the standard Paper Mario formula. As it stands though, it was a fun adventure game that I am glad I played through.

Pretty much how I feel. It's a pretty good game, I enjoyed it, but there's a few things that frustrated/disappointed me and I don't want them to continue to make Paper Mario games like this one.

I hope everyone complained about the lack of story in the club nintendo surveys!

 

[Green Mamba]

well hey at least sticker star has level design and effort and stuff.

Super Paper Mario has it's own slew of serious problems, I wouldn't dream of excusing them.

The fact that I can't level up is fantastic. If I wanted to level up and grind, I'd play Dragon Quest or something. Not saying leveling up or level grinding is a bad thing because I certainly love the Dragon Quest series. But the fact that I don't have to level grind means I can play and battle at my own pace.

In what previous Paper Mario game was it ever necessary to grind?

 

[JoeFu]

Just beat world 3... Don't get the hate. Loving the game the the music is seriously amazing. I had no idea this game was getting so much hate.

I'm one of the weird people that really liked SPM so I dunno....

 

[vagabondarts]

I hope everyone complained about the lack of story in the club nintendo surveys!

I like the fact that there's not a banal story to sit through and it's more of an actual game.

I complained about the low localization rates and thanked them for translating this one and releasing it here.

 

[stuminus3]

Enjoying this game so far. Feels very 80's Nintendo to me. Like some old dude in a cave has said "it's dangerous to go alone, take this!" and then left me alone to go take care of business.

 

[AniHawk]

Super Paper Mario has it's own slew of serious problems, I wouldn't dream of excusing them.

i find super paper mario's problems far more severe. there's so much text, it would make fi blush. but in addition to that, the game has a very very great premise behind the level design, and it's executed like an afterthought.

sticker star severely reduces the time i'm clicking through text, while still having some humor. the 2d mario layout is a pretty great way to split up areas and challenges too. it works well in this game, and probably wouldn't in the thousand-year door or any other rpg. the music is pretty good too. i actually can remember the kamek theme, unlike a lot of recent mario music.

 

[Neuromancer]

Quick question.

I've turned a few things into stickers, like the fan, and the scissors. Generally do I want to hold onto those for puzzle solving or are they for use in battle?

 

[Father_Brain]

Running a bit low on coins before the final boss fight. What's the easiest way to get more?

 

[AniHawk]

Running a bit low on coins before the final boss fight. What's the easiest way to get more?

i found that 4-1 had a lot if you have enough stuff that could do 7 points of damage to everything on the screen. snowballs do the trick, and so do red shells. getting a perfect bonus on the 4 or 5 goomba fights would get you around 70-80 coins each time. red shells cost 40 though.

 

[Vibed]

Running a bit low on coins before the final boss fight. What's the easiest way to get more?

Go fight the shiny goombas at the beginning of World 4.

 

[XaosWolf]

Quick question.

I've turned a few things into stickers, like the fan, and the scissors. Generally do I want to hold onto those for puzzle solving or are they for use in battle?

I think it forces you to use them once each, but the items will reappear back where you found them once you've use it's sticker so you can get and use them again.

But yes, them ones are both necessary. Go back and get one of them at least.

Running a bit low on coins before the final boss fight. What's the easiest way to get more?

Not sure which level has the most coins. Can recommend trying to get the Coin jackpot if you're in battles though. As often as possible.

EDIT: ^^^ Those guys know their stuff. The 5 Goomba's vs Shell/Snowball I know for certain is an easy chunk of coins.

 

[Spieler Eins]

I'm close to the finale of this game and can't really agree that it is unfair. It was in fact super easy for me to find out each weakness of the boss fights (in fact, it has only gotten easier with each one) and while you are surely gonna be stuck at one point or another, there's usually hints (sometimes more subtle than usual) and if you figure shit out on your own, it feels really rewarding. Same goes for puzzles that require thinking ouside the box, but it's never impossible.

It's no Paper Mario 3, but rather Super Paper Mario done right. And also the complete opposite of Skyward Sword and its ,,lol Nintendo handholding''-complaints.

 

[Neuromancer]

I think it forces you to use them once each, but the items will reappear back where you found them once you've use it's sticker so you can get and use them again.

But yes, them ones are both necessary. Go back and get one of them at least.

OK I'll hold onto them then, thanks.

 

[Neuromancer]

Is the sticker museum worth doing? It seems like a pain in the ass.

edit: enemy view room and sound test room? eh

 

[Sadist]

Or, hoard things and turn them into stickers. World 4-3 has like four things worth 20 coins each.

 

[Jo Shishido's Cheeks]

So how do you 100% this game?

If you have:
All flags unrolled at the Sticker Festival
The museum complete
Grabbed

Spoiler

Luigi

five times
All five pages in the Wiggler diary

then is that everything?

 

[Currygan]

just started playing this and loving it so far. Sifting every inch looking for, well, whatever you can find is something I really like in games, expecially when the setting is so charming

and the music...woah. It is really incredible

 

[Allan Holdsworth]

Here's the low-down:

- the game is flawed -- if you miss an item you end up needing later, it is almost impossible to figure out where it is, so you'll pretty much have to resort to a guide or ask someone. Be thorough when exploring to avoid this.

How is that a flaw? The game has a strong focus on exploration.

I discourage using a guide.

So how do you 100% this game?

If you have:
All flags unrolled at the Sticker Festival
The museum complete
Grabbed

Spoiler

Luigi

five times
All five pages in the Wiggler diary

then is that everything?

Yup. I missed most of the Wiggler diary pages. I truly hate permanently missable stuff (at least in games that take over 10 hours to beat). Probably my only gripe with this game.

 

[XaosWolf]

Wait, so you need all the Wiggler pages to 100% this? /=,

I consider this a "flaw" because the game doesn't really make any attempt to convey to you where these Things might be.

This is the convolution I was getting from the game overall. Heck, the in-game mechanic to help you remember where Things are, the Sticker Museum, is also hidden out of the way itself for no good reason.

Not to mention that the Museum is easily accessible through a door, down a flight of stairs, through a bigger door and then into a large room that split off into 21 smaller rooms.

Easy peasy.

 

[zroid]

How is that a flaw? The game has a strong focus on exploration.

I discourage using a guide.

I don't encourage using a guide while playing through, but if you're missing a Thing you need, it's quite impractical to go back through individual levels painstakingly searching for that one item.

I consider this a "flaw" because the game doesn't really make any attempt to convey to you where these Things might be. For all intents and purposes they're randomly scattered about and you might end up needing one at any time. A game with slightly more consideration for this might give you a clue in which level you can find that Thing, or relate the Thing itself with its environment (in a broad, level-based sense, not the exact location of the Thing) so with analysis it may be possible to track it down with more than sheer luck.

I was only in this situation once: I missed the light bulb Thing. I quickly realized I needed a light bulb sticker (at one point) and I never found one. What the heck was I going to do? I looked it up.

 

[Vane_MagicCity]

Pretty much how I feel after a couple of hours in. It's certainly different than other Paper Marios, but I've come to realise that's not really a negative. The game is brilliant and charming in its own way.

What I like about the stickers is the layer of strategy they have. With most RPGs, you can abuse stronger attacks and ignore the weaker ones, though you can't do that with this game since once a sticker is used, it's gone. Every battle has to be thought out and every sticker has to be chosen wisely or else you're left with a vast imbalance of sticker types.

My biggest disappoint was the omission of levelling up, but I'm not really missing it early on because of how well the stickers have been implemented so far.

You couldn't do that with any Paper Mario game so it's not exactly a new/noteworthy feature here. Even if you used badges to pump up your hammer/jump, you are still forced to use the other.

 

[Neuromancer]

What's the deal with the leaf sticker? It says if I take it to a shop something good will happen, but I brought it to the shop in Decalburg and nothing happened.

 

[Spieler Eins]

I don't encourage using a guide while playing through, but if you're missing a Thing you need, it's quite impractical to go back through individual levels painstakingly searching for that one item.

I don't remember coming across anything like that tbh. There were certain points where I thought I was lucky for just having the right sticker with me, so I checked afterwards and guess what - mostly there are several options to solve a puzzle. Never a single, specific sticker.

I was only in this situation once: I missed the light bulb Thing. I quickly realized I needed a light bulb sticker (at one point) and I never found one. What the heck was I going to do? I looked it up.

You have to look for hints, as usual. There's a Toad right at the town entrance telling you about the light bulb until you get it, not really hard to miss tbh.

 

[Currygan]

What's the deal with the leaf sticker? It says if I take it to a shop something good will happen, but I brought it to the shop in Decalburg and nothing happened.

it's worth 50 coins but no way i'm selling it at that price. I'll just keep it forever I guess, lol


anyway: man i'm liking this. A LOT

 

[zroid]

I don't remember coming across anything like that tbh. There were certain points where I thought I was lucky for just having the right sticker with me, so I checked afterwards and guess what - mostly there are several options to solve a puzzle. Never a single, specific sticker.

You have to look for hints, as usual. There's a Toad right at the town entrance telling you about the light bulb until you get it, not really hard to miss tbh.

Sure, but ultimately, if you've missed something, you'll generally be at a loss. That indicates a lack of thoughtful design. It's a great game that could have used a tiny bit more polish (or perhaps playtesting) in certain places, but I don't mean to criticize it strongly as such. It's not like seeking help is necessarily a bad thing.

I respect Sticker Star far more for being fresh and exciting than I disparage it for the one or two things I wish had been improved.

 

[Currygan]

okay first time I'm actually stumped. I'm talking about the numbered boxes inside the windmill

gotta solve that myself! nngh