{"id":35477,"date":"2026-08-10T00:48:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T19:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35477"},"modified":"2026-08-10T00:48:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T19:48:03","slug":"25-years-later-this-n64-rpg-remains-a-10-10-masterpiece","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=35477","title":{"rendered":"25 Years Later, This N64 RPG Remains A 10\/10 Masterpiece"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Unlike its predecessor, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/tag\/nintendo\/\" target=\"_blank\">Nintendo 64<\/a> <\/strong>wasn&#8217;t particularly well-known for its RPGs, a quirk of the console that had surprisingly detrimental effects in the long run. With Square and other prominent RPG developers of the time jumping ship for consoles like the PS1, Nintendo was left with few options to offer its fanbase. This is a problem that persisted into the following generations too, as the company struggled to catch up to its competitors and deliver an RPG franchise that could rival the likes of <em>Final Fantasy<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<p>Of course, with <em>Fire Emblem <\/em>in full swing, <em>Xenoblade Chronicles<\/em> proving to be one of the greatest JRPGs of all time, and third-party RPG developers finally returning to Nintendo platforms, the days of the RPG drought are over. However, within that period, there was one N64 RPG that managed to stand out as a classic. While it may have been released during an era in which Nintendo&#8217;s relationship with the genre was waning, it managed to somehow end up as one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/5-n64-games-10-rated-masterpieces\/\" target=\"_blank\">greatest N64 games of all time<\/a>, spawned its own genre, and continues to be a masterpiece today.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"after-25-years-this-n64-rpg-still-hits\">\n                        After 25 Years, This N64 RPG Still Hits<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/nintendo-64-logo.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/nintendo-64-logo.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/nintendo-64-logo.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/nintendo-64-logo.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/nintendo-64-logo.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/nintendo-64-logo.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/nintendo-64-logo.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The N64 logo against a red background.\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/nintendo-64-logo.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/nintendo-64-logo.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture><figcaption style=\"display: none;\">The N64 logo against a red background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hidden between the console&#8217;s very best titles, like <em>Mario 64<\/em>, and its very worst RPG offerings, like <em>Quest 64<\/em>, there were a handful of great RPGs on the N64 that became, for a brief time, household names. Several of these may not have gotten the dozens of sequels they deserved, and even more have more or less faded from existence, but their impact on the genre and the gaming industry at large, as well as their contribution to Nintendo&#8217;s continued efforts in the RPG space are nothing to scoff at.<\/p>\n<p>Among the <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/perfect-n64-rpgs-nobody-talks-about\/\" target=\"_blank\">very best Nintendo 64 RPGs<\/a> stood <em>Paper Mario<\/em>, a title that felt completely at odds with the series&#8217; trajectory at the time. Sure, there had been a previous <em>Mario <\/em>RPG beforehand, in the form of <em>Super Mario RPG<\/em>, but it wasn&#8217;t exactly a staple of the franchise, and the series&#8217; innovative push to 3D platforming looked set to be the prominent focus. Still, <em>Paper Mario<\/em> (which had originally been designed to be <em>Super Mario RPG 2<\/em>, but was changed when Square moved onto other projects), remains an iconic entry that had a huge impact on the RPG genre.<\/p>\n<p>Its novel take on turn-based combat was unlike anything fans of the genre had seen before, its stylized visuals gave <em>Mario <\/em>a whole new identity, and its unique approach to exploration was utterly revolutionary. All of this managed to influence a cohort of new developers, thus giving way to an entire sub-genre, making it easily one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/iconic-nintendo-64-games-changed-gaming\/\" target=\"_blank\">most impactful N64 games of all time<\/a>. Sure, <em>Paper Mario<\/em> is wonderfully bizarre in so many ways, but it isn&#8217;t hard to see why it managed to take off, unlike many of the failed Mario spin-offs that are lost to time.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- No AdsNinja v10 Client! --><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"paper-mario-paved-the-way-for-a-great-spin-off-series\">\n                        Paper Mario Paved The Way For A Great Spin-Off Series<br \/>\n               <\/h2>\n<div class=\"body-img landscape \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  image-expandable  img-article-item\" style=\"padding-bottom:56.25%\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/screenshot-for-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-gamecube.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n<figure><picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/screenshot-for-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-gamecube.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/screenshot-for-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-gamecube.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=500&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/screenshot-for-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-gamecube.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/screenshot-for-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-gamecube.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=800&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/screenshot-for-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-gamecube.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/screenshot-for-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-gamecube.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"1650\" height=\"928\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Screenshot for Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door for GameCube\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/screenshot-for-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-gamecube.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/screenshot-for-paper-mario-the-thousand-year-door-for-gamecube.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=825&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture><figcaption style=\"display: none;\">Screenshot for Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door for GameCube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>Paper Mario<\/em> is a perfect illustration of Nintendo&#8217;s unbridled creativity and how the developer manages to routinely gain new fans and produce two of the best-selling consoles of all time. It&#8217;s packed with bizarre and utterly antithetical ideas that clash completely with the mainline series, its premise is wholly against the <span style=\"font-size:11pt; font-variant:normal; white-space:pre-wrap\"><span style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif\"><span style=\"color:#000000\"><span style=\"font-weight:400\"><span style=\"font-style:normal\"><span style=\"text-decoration:none\">tenets<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>of <em>Super Mario&#8217;s<\/em> core design, and its gameplay barely resembles what fans had come to expect from the series or even <em>Mario<\/em>-themed RPGs. <\/p>\n<aside class=\"w-promotion-offer promo-article-content-3\/4-depth w-promotion-widget\" data-popup=\"false\" data-sentinel-tracking=\"false\" data-promotion-zone=\"TmV3c2xldHRlciBBcnRpY2xlIENvbnRlbnQgV2lkZ2V0\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n                                        <link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/assets\/promotions.099cca01.css\"\/>\n<\/aside>\n<p>However, it is Nintendo&#8217;s willingness to deviate from the expected that makes<em> Paper Mario <\/em>so special, and continues to net fans with games like <em>Splatoon Raiders<\/em>, <em>Drag X Drive<\/em>, <em>ARMS <\/em>and numerous other fun experiments that, successful or not, are undeniably varied and often extremely fun. Sure, <em>Paper Mario <\/em>was designed by <em>Fire Emblem&#8217;s<\/em> own Intelligent Systems, but even that is illustrative of Nintendo&#8217;s expert delegation and accumulation of some of the genre&#8217;s and industry&#8217;s finest developers.<\/p>\n<p><em>Paper Mario <\/em>is one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/screenrant.com\/switch-2-new-mario-rpg-game-op-ed\/\" target=\"_blank\">best <em>Super Mario<\/em> spin-off series<\/a>, and one that I&#8217;d even argue ranks above the likes of <em>Mario Kart <\/em>and <em>Party<\/em>. Sure, they&#8217;re far more successful and understandably more popular, but <em>Paper Mario<\/em> has always felt like a true spin-off, a title that understands both what makes the original experience so great and what makes for an excellent experience within the new genre. The <strong>Nintendo 64 <\/strong>absolutely benefited from the presence of <em>Paper Mario<\/em>, and I sincerely hope Nintendo never lets the series die as it has so many other <em>Mario <\/em>spin-offs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"display-card type-video-game large\" data-show-streamrentbuy-links=\"true\" data-include-community-rating=\"true\" id=\"1f89-435f-a45d5e2107fb\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"display-card-main-content\">\n<div class=\"display-card-content image-column\">\n<p>                        <!--    Rating block community and brand ratings --><br \/>\n                        <!--  Image --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-img  has-image-group\" data-stnl=\"%7B%22category%22%3A%22Click%20Interactions%22%2C%22name%22%3A%22Display%20Card%22%2C%22action%22%3A%22Fullscreen%20Image%20Load%22%2C%22once%22%3Atrue%7D\" data-stnl-group-once=\"eMQEb08Bya\">\n<div class=\"body-img portrait \">\n<div class=\"responsive-img  img-article-square\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg\" data-modal-id=\"single-image-modal\" data-modal-container-id=\"single-image-modal-container\" data-img-caption=\"&quot;&quot;\">\n                                                                                                                                                            <picture><source media=\"(max-width: 480px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=300&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=400&amp;dpr=2\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 1023px)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=320&amp;dpr=2\"\/><img width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg\" data-img-url=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\" src=\"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/sharedimages\/2024\/12\/mixcollage-20-dec-2024-10-42-pm-1560.jpg?q=49&amp;fit=contain&amp;w=480&amp;dpr=2\"\/>\n        <\/picture>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        <!-- User Rating widget --><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"display-card-content info-column\">\n<p>                        <!--  Display card community and brand rating widget --><br \/>\n                                                                         <!--  Display card open critics widget --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget --><\/p>\n<div class=\"w-display-card-info main-info\">\n<dl>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Released<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFebruary 5, 2001<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>ESRB<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tE For Everyone Due To Comic Mischief<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Developer(s)<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIntelligent Systems<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<p><dt>\n                                            <strong>Engine<\/strong>\n                                        <\/dt>\n<dd>\n                                            <span><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tProprietary Engine<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/span>\n                                        <\/dd>\n<\/p>\n<\/dl><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card main info widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!--  Display card media widget start --><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!--  Display card media widget end --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play button preview --><\/p>\n<p>                    <!-- Where to play preview end --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>            <!-- Extra content section, display hidden by default --><br \/>\n            <input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"extra-content-1f89-435f-a45d5e2107fb\" name=\"extra-content-1f89-435f-a45d5e2107fb\" class=\"expand-extra-info-checkbox css-menu-checkbox\"\/> <!-- Checkbox: control the expandable behavior  of the extra info --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- Display card footer --><\/p>\n<p>            <!-- PROS and CONS section --><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unlike its predecessor, the Nintendo 64 wasn&#8217;t particularly well-known for its RPGs, a quirk of the console that had surprisingly detrimental effects in the long run. With Square and other prominent RPG developers of the time jumping ship for consoles like the PS1, Nintendo was left with few options to offer its fanbase. This is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static0.srcdn.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/n64-console-and-games.jpg?w=1600&h=900&fit=crop","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=35477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/35478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=35477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=35477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=35477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}