Paper Mario

Paper Mario is an RPG that was released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64. In the game, you play as a Mario turned into paper, and fight through seven areas freeing the Star Spirits.

Plot
Directly from the instruction booklet-

Far, far away beyond the sky, way above the clouds, it's been said that there was a haven where the Stars lived.

In the sanctuary of Star Haven there rested a fabled treasure called the Star Rod, which had the power to grant all wishes. Using this wondrous Star Rod, the seven revered Star Spirits watched over our peaceful world carefully... very carefully.

Then one day, a terrible thing happened... The evil King Bowser appeared in Star Haven and stole the Star Rod! Using its incredible power he quickly imprisoned the seven Star Spirits!

Completely unaware of the trouble in far-off Star Haven, Mario was back home in the Mushroom Kingdom, eagerly reading a letter from Princess Peach. It was an invitation to a party at the castle! With much anticipation, he and his brother Luigi set off for the party, oblivious to the chaos that lay ahead...

Playable

 * Mario
 * Goombario
 * Kooper
 * Bombette
 * Parakarry
 * Bow
 * Watt
 * Sushie
 * Lakilester
 * Peach
 * Twink

Other Characters

 * Bowser
 * Kammy
 * Yoshi
 * Chief Yoshi

Gameplay
On the field, Mario can walk and jump around with one of his partners. He can activate their special power by pressing down on the C-Stick to solve puzzles, initiate battle, and more. All enemies (except for bosses) can be seen on the field making most battles optional, and battle will begin if Mario touches the enemy, jumps on the enemy, hits the enemy with a hammer, or uses Kooper's or Bombette's special powers. Conversely, an an enemy may have the first hit and initiate battle allowing it to attack Mario. In battle, Mario always takes the first turn, although he may let his partner act first by pressing the Z button. Battle is turn-based, so the player can take as long as he or she wants to decide Mario's and his partner's actions. Possible actions include Jump, Hammer, Items, Star Power (rewarded by the Star Spirits upon release), Change Partner, Run Away, and Do Nothing. After successfully completing a battle, Mario is rewarded with Star Points which, if Mario collects 100, gets a level up where he decides to increase his HP by 5, FP (Flower Points for special attacks) by 5, or BP (Badge Points to equip more badges) by 3.

Trivia

 * Upon learning that Princess Peach has been kidnapped, one character exclaims "Princess Peach as been kidnapped...AGAIN!?" This is a running gag in the Mario series.
 * If you jump in the pot in one of the rooms in the Boo mansion, you will change into 8-bit Mario accompanied by the original music and sound effects. Re-entering the pot or leaving the room changes you back.
 * The hammer originated in Donkey Kong.