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The original Paper Mario has a fantastic cast of characters, but not all of them are equally helpful when it comes to taking on the game’s battles.
After more than two decades, the original Paper Mario is getting a rerelease through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack’s Nintendo 64 collection. Since it’s been hard to access for so long, there will likely be many gamers picking it up for the first time and experiencing its turn-based combat, badge system and fun adventure for themselves. While a simple RPG made to be accessible, there are some difficult elements that stem from Paper Mario‘s age. Luckily, the game is made easier by knowing which of Mario’s partners will be the most useful on the journey. Each one has their own abilities and purpose, but some remain more more helpful right up to the end.
Throughout Paper Mario, partners join up with Mario to assist by using their individual skills. For example, Bombette can blow through cracked walls, while Parakarry can fly short distances to carry Mario across gaps he can’t jump. They also have different abilities in battle, not all of which have to do with dealing damage. Some protect or boost Mario, which makes different partners helpful during different battles. However, these three stand out the most.
Sushie
Arriving a bit later in the game on Lavalava Island, Sushie is a great addition to the party for a few reasons. Sushie is a powerful little Cheep-Cheep who joins the party after Mario assists her with finding mischievous Yoshi kids playing a game of hide-and-seek. Her ability ferries Mario across water from certain locations, which opens up areas around the world. She can also dive, allowing Mario to grab items just below the surface and pass under bridges, making quite a few secrets and collectables reachable, particularly in the Sewers.
In battle, Sushie starts off strong and only becomes more powerful and useful with upgrades. Her first attacks are Belly Flop and Squirt. Belly Flop is easy to pull off and does quite a bit of damage, Squirt is great for striking enemies without touching them, plus it does extra damage to fire types. With the first upgrade, Sushie learns Water Block, which can boost Mario’s defense and becomes more useful as the game goes on. With the second, she learns Tidal Wave, an area attack which does a good amount of water damage. Sushie is well-rounded and can protect Mario when needed during combat, making her an asset even against Bowser.
Parakarry
ParaKarry joins when Mario arrives at Mt. Rugged, bumping into him while searching for letters he dropped in the area. After Mario helps him, ParaKarry becomes a permanent partner who comes with a fun side-quest. There are other letters all over the Mushroom Kingdom, dropped after the Princess’ castle was taken away, and Parakarry asks Mario to find and deliver them. Doing so earns the player rewards, and even some additional side-quests.
However, ParaKarry has more than that going for him. He’s also a heavy hitter who doesn’t use as many Flower Points as Bombette. ParaKarry starts off with Sky Dive and Shell Shot. Sky Dive can be a powerful single hit attack with upgrades and proper timing, but it can’t be used on spiked enemies without protection. Shell Shot is a more powerful attack that won’t be stopped unless the enemy has high defense or the player misses. Both attacks can flip shelled enemies and get stronger with upgrades.
The first upgrade gives ParaKarry Air Lift, which isn’t really useful as it only removes one enemy from battle. However, the final upgrade gives him Air Raid, which is very strong and hits all targets. ParaKarry can do the second highest amount of damage, next to Bombette, but while using much less FP.
Watt
Mario meets Watt in the Toy Box, although it’s a bit unceremonious as he simply frees her from a Big Lantern Ghost. She doesn’t have a whole lot of story — or use in the overworld outside of this area and Bowser’s Castle. Still, Watt is a powerful ally with status effects and boosts that’ll come in handy in most situations.
Watt starts out with the attacks Electro Dash and Power Shock. Electro Dash is a simple electric attack which completely ignores defense. Power Shock doesn’t do damage, but it can paralyze an enemy as long as they aren’t a boss or electric type. With the first upgrade she gets Turbo Charge which can boost Mario’s attack power for up to four turns, making it useful for boss fights. The final upgrade, Mega Shock, is the target all version of Power Shock.
While Watt doesn’t do high damage and can’t paralyze bosses, she can slow down enemies and will do consistent damage with Electro Dash thanks to its defense penetration. This makes Watt great for dealing with armored and high-defense situations.
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