Summary
The arrival ofPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Dooron the Switch is exciting, but there’s one problem with the release that’s plagued too many Nintendo games for too long. Originally released for the GameCube in 2004,The Thousand-Year Dooris a common favorite in the series thanks to a pairing of engaging gameplay with unusually memorable writing for aMariogame. Although having it on store shelves again should make it a lot easier forPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorto convert new fans, it might not be able to win over as many as it should.
Up to this point, the main problem withPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorhas simply been availability. Although GameCube discs work on a Wii with the right controllers, they also aren’t compatible with the Wii U or the Switch, soit’s been a while since there’s been any console on the market that can play the game. Like a number ofthe best GameCube titles,Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door’s resale value also spent years climbing to uncomfortable heights, so even those with a system to play it might have often felt locked out by the investment required.
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Is Too Expensive
A $60 Price Tag Is A Lot For A 20-Year Old Game
Getting to playPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Dooron Switchdoes lower the barrier to entry, but not by as much as it should.A $60 price tag brings the game to the same cost as many new Nintendo releases, even if it still slides in under the $70 thatThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomcommanded. It’s not the first remake, remaster, or re-release on the system to be priced like a new game, but every successive release only emphasizes how expensive it is to curate a library of classic Nintendo games on the Switch.
The work that went into the new version ofPaper Mario:The Thousand-Year Doorshouldn’t be downplayed, as the game’s been remade rather than simply ported and upscaled. On the consumer end, however, it’s hard to argue that the quality-of-life features and redone art feel like a $60 redux. The original cartoon style of the GameCube version has held up well, and the fundamental difference between the two doesn’t feel as substantial as the Switch’s overhaul to a game likeThe Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
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The overall approach to bringing older titles to the Switch hasn’t stuck to any one strategy.Super Mario RPGreceived a similarly faithful remake at a $60 price point, rendering its original isometric style with true 3D graphics.Mario Kart 8 Deluxethrew in the original DLC to maintain a $60 tag.Metroid Prime Remasteredhit a lower MSRP of $40 thanks to being a remaster instead of a remake, although the difference feels generally minor in these cases.Super Mario 3D All-Starspacked three classic gamesinto one for $60 but left them generally unchanged.
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All of these methods have their merits, even if the ones that ask $60 can end up feeling too steep. What really makes things frustrating, however, is how limited Nintendo’s approach to discounts is. Some of these titles might be available on Black Friday or similar sale events for as low as $30, butthey spend almost all of their time at full price in perpetuity, while most widely available games from other publishers fall to $20 or so over time.
Nintendo’s stuck with this basic strategy for many years, butit used to be balanced by a Nintendo Selects line, which made certain titles available at a $20 price pointafter enough time had passed. A tastefully employed red border on the new packages might still have irked serious collectors, but it helped make the games easier to access, especially for children without disposable incomes. No Nintendo Select titles have ever appeared for the Switch, and the label’s loss has definitely been felt.
Nintendo Selects are usually introduced late into a console’s lifespan, so it’s not impossible that they could return in 2024 or 2025.
A $60Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorremake is definitely better than not getting one at all, and it’s easy to look at it and see the love that’s gone into bringing it back. The game is a classic for a reason, and time doesn’t change how much fun it is to play. When all is said and done, though, the price that Nintendo is charging for a twenty-year-old game just isn’t something that’s ever going to sit right.
