Screenshots & trailers
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 80 | 20 |
| Creator reviews (4 tracked) | – | 71 | 4 |
| All-time Steam reviews | – | – | 0 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | 73 | 750 |
| Backloggd ratings | – | 73 | 750 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (116)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 90
“Paper Mario: The Origami King is a wonderful addition to the series. While the battle system isn’t my favorite, it’s challenging. The overall game is hilarious with an engaging story and fun gameplay.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“Paper Mario: The Origami King is a full-fledged, large and very beautiful adventure with role-playing elements, which pleases with an abundance of gameplay mechanics, a great sense of humor, an interesting plot, a well-developed world and a huge number of entertaining puzzles. The game will give you dozens of exciting hours in the paper world and is just a must-buy for all owners of Nintendo Switch.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“The Origami King has so much exuberance and confidence in all of its designs that even if you’re not completely sold on the combat, and there are modifiers that allow you to get rescued Toads to help solve it for you, the game will still win over all but the most puzzle-phobic and pun-hating players.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Paper Mario: The Origami King tries to do something different with its combat system and, to be honest, we aren't feeling it. That doesn't mean the rest of the game isn't thoroughly entertaining, however, and while the puzzle-based battles aren't quite what a new Paper Mario game needed, they aren't so awful that everything else shouldn't be experienced as a result. It still isn't the new Thousand-Year Door fans will have been hoping for, but it's still one of the funniest games in the series and it's got a truly likeable companion character, and while the combat is far from ideal the fact that we still thoroughly recommend the game regardless speaks volumes about every other aspect of it.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“I wish this game lived up to the slogan „A new paper-crafted Mario adventure unfolds on Nintendo Switch!“. The storytelling really does not unfold enough making this insufficiently interesting game. Beautiful to the eye but empty.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Paper Mario: The Origami King is a great title that proves bouncing back from a low point in the series isn’t an impossible task. While not the perfect Paper Mario title, it certainly enshrines itself as one of the best. While the lack of traditional leveling may turn off some players, those who are willing to dive in and see what the game offers will be rewarded with a largely satisfying 30-hour experience with plenty to do. If nothing else, The Origami King does show there’s an identity to be had between the core RPG experience of the Mario & Luigi series and the platforming experience of the mainline Mario titles.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Both better and worse than I expected, but I don't regret my time with it at all. If you can get past the gameplay getting a little bit stale, then the wonderful characters should win you over.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The genuinely thought-provoking Ring Battle system, engaging puzzle design, and care given to Olivia's characterisation all make The Origami King the best Paper Mario since the series' Wii outing, but that wasn't a high bar to begin with and the series is still struggling to come up with an engaging gameplay loop in light of the lessened RPG elements. Without experience or levelling, random battles lose their lustre fast. ”
read full review ↗ - 80
“The Origami King is a fun adventure game with a charming story and clever dialogue. Sadly, it suffers from an identity crisis due to an battle system that is not for everybody.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“I liked playing Paper Mario: The Origami King. It has such high points with the music, the visuals, the comedy, and the willingness to try new ideas. I love how experimental the adventure is with the large variety of situational humor and mini-games. This world was such a treat to journey through, and it was nice to have more then one meaningful emotional moment again in a Paper Mario game. It’s so clear that The Origami King is trying to have its cake and eat it too when it comes to its combat system. It’s so strange to me how optional the game is to play. I did go for completing every challenge presented to me, but I can definitely foresee players skipping ahead because of the lack of incentives. I applaud Paper Mario: The Origami King for trying something new, but am worried that the friction between its ongoing genre identity is going to keep the series running around in circles.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Despite being charming and oftentimes funny with some great set piece moments sprinkled throughout, Paper Mario: The Origami King’s repetitive combat and dull sense of progression hampers an otherwise enjoyable journey.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Paper Mario: The Origami King is a fun, colorful JRPG that trips itself up by either overthinking or underthinking one of its core elements. Besides the highly entertaining boss fights, the unsatisfying, puzzle-based combat system misses the mark.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
GameMAG
Slant Magazine
Nintendo Life
PLAY Zine
RPGamer
FourFaceButtons
Cubed3
LevelUp
NintendoWorldReport
ZTGD
PCMag…and 104 more tracked reviews.