Disappointingly for many long time Paper Mario fans, the latest installment in the franchise, The Origami King, still hasn’t returned to its RPG roots that made Super Paper Mario and The Thousand-Year Door so popular, instead going for a more action/adventure play style that’s reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda series.
This doesn’t mean fans can’t play their own way, as there are enough items, weapons, and powers to allow any version of Mario to save Princess Peach and defeat King Olly. Although Mario may be best known for crushing bad guys under his heavy work boots, he can also turn himself into a powerful sorcerer should he wish it, through the power of Fire and Ice Flowers.
10 Find That First Fire Flower
When starting The Origami King, Mario will be limited to his boots and hammer until he and Olivia are sent careening into the Whispering Woods. It is here that players can find their first Fire Flowers and truly embrace Mario’s calling as a magic wielder. Along the road to Toad Town is a shriveled Fire Flower that players can throw into the pond and receive the item relatively hassle-free, though there is also a more consistent– albeit tedious– source of Fire Flowers in the area. There is a matching pair game that will grant Mario various items, including Fire Flowers and Mushrooms, which resets when he leaves the area. This also resets the enemies players will have to avoid in order to do the mini-game.
9 Power Through To Toad Town
In order to get a more consistent source of Flowers, players will have to power through the game to Toad Town and beyond, as the Weapon Shop doesn’t open until Mario has saved Luigi and opened the way to Picnic Road. The Weapon Shop Toad is trapped inside the pillar to the right of Peach’s Castle, just after crossing the moat. Once Mario has defeated the folded Gomba and saved the Toad, players are free to buy all the Fire Flowers they can afford.
8 Practice Excellent Timing
Like the regular weapons, the single-use items all have a Nice, Great, and Excellent timing to deal extra damage when the A button is pressed at the right time. The boots and hammer are fairly easy to learn the timing for, but the Fire Flowers can be a little more difficult since they break after one use.
The best time to press A is when the fireball is at its largest, which can take some getting used to as the charge time is fairly quick and players will need to get this timing correct for all four fireballs. Unfortunately, the Battle Lab doesn’t have any Fire Flower practice dummies, though it does have Ring Battle challenges, which are equally as important in an item heavy playthrough.
7 Buy As Many Flowers As Possible
Unlike the standard weapons, Fire and Ice Flowers don’t increase in power as Mario gains more MAX Up hearts, meaning it will take more Flowers to deal the same amount of damage in the later parts of the game. In the first few areas, this isn’t as much of an issue as Fire Flowers deal significantly more damage than most other weapons, though it is still worth stocking up on Fire Flowers while Mario has the coin for it.
6 Get The Membership Card Accessory
After unlocking the Weapon Shop, the first thing players should do is spend at least 5,000 coins on items. This will grant Mario the Discount Card accessory, which gives players a 20% discount in any shop as long as it is equipped. Considering this playthrough will require spending nearly every coin Mario can get his grubby little hands on, this is absolutely necessary to avoid having to grind for coins later in the game.
5 Avoid Unnecessary Battles
Although it might be tempting to avoid every battle, particularly since Mario is running on limited resources, players will need to battle frequently in order to keep up a steady supply of coins so they can buy more flowers. Higher-level enemies and wave battles will reward more coins when defeated, so these should be prioritized over standard Goomba battles. Players should also turn over every stone and whack every plant to make sure they haven’t missed a coin that doesn’t require battling to obtain.
4 Check The Shop After Finding New Items
For the most part, whenever Mario finds a new weapon in the overworld, such as the Shiny Fire Flower or the Ice Flower, they will be available to buy in the Weapon Shop. If players are wanting to expand on Mario’s damage-dealing capabilities outside of Fire and Ice Flowers, they can also buy POW blocks and Tails from the Weapon Shops once they have been found.
Although POW blocks don’t appear until the Great Sea is explorable, they are valuable when it comes to this playstyle as they stun enemies for a turn and keep them from attacking while also allowing their position on the board to be reset so they can be lined up properly.
3 Keep Track Of Elemental Resistances
Certain enemies in The Origami King will take less damage from Flowers as the game goes on, specifically those enemies who wield fire and ice powers themselves. Particularly when it comes to the Vellumentals, certain Flowers won’t deal any damage and players will need to adjust their strategies accordingly.
2 Abuse Vellumental Circles When Possible
Once the Vellumental powers have been unlocked, wave battles will be the best way to get buckets of coins, as the Vellumental circles that enemies hold will allow Mario to defeat the final wave without using any weapons or items, summoning powerful monsters to do damage for him. These circles can also deal significant damage to main bosses, so they should be abused as much as 1,000 Fold Arms circles.
1 Don’t Forget About The Boots And Hammer
No matter how much players will want to complete The Origami King solely as a magic-wielding Mario, he’s going to have to use his normal weapons at some point in the game. When it comes to bosses and mini-bosses in particular, the Flowers and Tails won’t deal any damage, as some of their weak spots can only be attacked with the Boots or Hammer. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to make sure Mario is stocked up on good weapons as well as items, since he is going to need to use them eventually.
