Paper Mario: Color Splash Abstracted

Paper Mario: Color Splash Abstracted is a cross genre game developed by Intelligent Systems and released by Nintendo on the Nintendo Switch on July 12th 2024 worldwide. It is an enhanced port of the 2016 Nintendo Wii U game, Paper Mario: Color Splash. The game itself contains all of the base content from the original game with new characters, improvements on the story and a new battle system with RPG mechanics. 
== Gameplay ==
Like the original game, Paper Mario: Color Splash Abstracted places an emphasis on being a cross genre game, with the focus originally being based on solving puzzles to progress. Unlike the original game, RPG rules are also touched upon in the game, with the battle system being changed from collecting Hammer Scraps to increase the paint supply, to gaining experience points to Level Up. 
=== Battles ===
Battle-wise, the game is like most in the series, using a turn-based system. The way in which a battle begins will depend on a few factors: simply walking into or being approached by an enemy on the overworld will start a battle normally, but if either Mario or an enemy successfully attacks the other on the overworld, the battle will begin with a 'first strike' and will grant the attacker a preemptive turn before the fight starts properly.
Unlike the original game, Mario has two ways of attacking the enemies, his Boots/Hammer, and his Battle Cards. The Boots/Hammer attacks are permeant, with the existing cards based on Mario's jump and hammer attacks being linked to the Boots/Hammer option and being accessible in the form of badge upgrades that cost Coins to use and can be toggled on and off. 
The Battle Cards are sorted into their own separate stacks based on their own specific kind. Each stack has a counter below it to show how many cards it has. Therefore, more cards are shown on-screen at a time. The first and last cards will go off-screen when not viewing the ends of the hand. There is also a scrollbar to use for quick scrolling, with clickable triangles pointing to different sections of a sorted hand: Thing Cards, Recyclable Cards, Basic Cards, and Enemy Cards, from left to right. 
80% of the cards are pre-painted and can be reused at least ten times before they wrinkle. The 20% that isn't pre-painted are the Thing Cards and Enemy Cards.
Hammer Scraps serve the purpose of Experience Points for Mario when he wins a battle. For every 100 Hammer Scraps he collects, Mario will level up and upgrade one of the two stats, Health Points or Accessory Points. When Mario wins a battle, any cards in play that he has not used will return to his hand.
Every time Mario gets hurt, he starts losing paint from the bottom up, but the ink outlines remain. If his HP reaches 0 in battle, paint particles will fly out of him and concentrate on the ground and the Slurp Guys will suck away his paint. If Mario is running low on the paint used for his Paint Hammer and to power up cards, Huey's color will drain on a color-specific basis if he is in paper form; so using a lot of yellow paint will leave Huey looking more purple. 
== Other Changes ==
* Loading times have been cut down significantly.
* When sad, characters do not droop quite as much.
* Shouting is rendered as large text in the typical Hey Gorgeous font, rather than diagonal bold white black-outlined text in the font used for the logo.
* When Toads are drained of their paint, they will still have their outlines. However, some are found flipped over, with the visible side giving the same impression as the Toad being blank. 
* Bowser's role in the story changes from a villain to a victim, with a new character taking his place as the villain. 
* The Koopalings remain unpainted following their respective defeats, until the ending sequence and credits.
* Luigi's role in the story involves him travelling across Prism Island to find different parts for his Kart's engine, with him meeting Mario and giving him hints about Things that he would've seen on his travels. All of the Luigi Spots in the game have been removed to reflect this change.
* Things are not required to beat any of the bosses following the rules of the battle system's change in rules. 
* The overworld map is omitted in favor for an open world style of progression akin to Paper Mario: The Origami King, with Mario being able to travel to any of the game's locales completely on foot or access fast travel points like the first two games. Following this change, Mini Paint Stars are removed, with any character being involved with them serving a different purpose.
* The game is segmented into Chapters that have intermissions, like in the first three games. 
== Story ==
=== Prologue: A Bleak Composition ===
Toads and Brushies host an event on Prism Island, celebrating the beauty of color relationships. As they throw buckets of paint at each other, with a majority of Bowser's minions joining on a holiday, Bowser observes everyone from the roof, and is encouraged by everyone to jump down and give them a good show. He jumps into the fountain and spins around, hoping to create a rainbow shell. However when his shell turns into a rainbow color, however from the bottom of his feet, he ends up get submerged in black paint and is possessed. Watching from an airship in the sky, Slurp Guys attack Port Prisma, with hundreds falling from airships to slurp the paint out of it. Jumping down from the airship is Wart, who takes a straw himself, grabs a Toad and sucks up its color, folding it into an envelope writing "BEST WISHES FROM UR BEST FRIEND" on the bottom and placing a stamp of the island's flag on the top. 
He sends this to the Mushroom Kingdom.
The following night during a heavy rainfall, Princess Peach and Toadsworth arrive at Mario and Luigi's house to tell them about the envelope. Mario, who is initially shocked by the revelation that it's a Toad's corpse, remembers from winning a sponsored lottery that the stamp on the letter points to Prism Island, where the four travel to, with Luigi going because he's had a deal with a merchant over getting new parts from his Kart. Upon arriving, they find Port Prisma deserted and full of spots drained of color. After some exploration of Port Prisma, They activate the fountain, which releases a 3D paint can. After Mario tries hammering the paint can, it wakes up and is revealed to be Huey, who is initially annoyed by Mario hitting him in his sleep. Huey calms down shortly after, but he, Mario, and Princess Peach are then startled by the sound of Toadsworth screaming. 
The three head to the yellow district of Port Prisma, and find Toadsworth being drained by a Slurp Guy. Before being fully sucked dry, Mario attacks the Slurp guy, with Mario performing his usual routine. After winning, Huey offers to turn into paper to squeeze some paint onto Toadsworth in restoring his color. Forming an alliance, Mario and Huey set off around the port to repaint the town, with Luigi following suit. 
Reaching the town square, Huey discovers that Big Paint Stars at Prisma Fountain are gone. Luigi remembering that his Kart is somewhere on the island rushes off on his own telling the two to keep going. Mario and Huey then set off to find the Paint Stars.
=== Chapter One: Fat, Scary and Mainly Cherry ===
After restoring Port Prisma, Mario and Huey set out to find the red Big Paint Star. First, they pass through Ruddy Road and Cherry Lake, learning the Cutout ability and collecting 3D real-world objects called Things, with Huey being one of them. Mario initially comes to the conclusion that Bowser might be the one behind everything, however his suspicions are proven wrong when he notices Wart piloting an airship in the sky. Initially having a mild panic attack, Huey asks Mario what's wrong, to which Mario explains that the frog in the sky is similar to a frog he dreamed about a very long time ago. Further explaining that Wart was once a leader to all the Shy Guys, everything is put into perspective for Huey. 
Watching the ship head towards Crimson Tower, Huey remembers that the door cannot be opened without three specific "chosen ones" and remembers that one resides in Bloo Bay Beach. Heading over there, Mario and Huey learn that the specific chosen ones are dead and their decedents are great great grandchildren of them, who live in Cherry Lake, Bloo Bay Beach and Daffodil Peak respectively. After finding all three through wacky shenanigans Mario learns about the Unfurl ability and assembles the green and purple Rescue Squads at Indigo Underground and Ruddy Road to help him out with reaching the top of Crimson Tower. 
As Mario reaches the top, he learns that Morton and the rest of the Koopalings left Bowser in favor of doing whatever they want and are hungry for revenge. Defeating Morton, he releases the Red Paint Star. 
In Bowser's Castle, Bowser gets the black paint extracted from his body, with him being held captive in a theatre being operated on. As Wart watches the black paint form into something of his glory, he hears from a Slurp Guy that Mario and Luigi are on the island. He punches the wall in anger.
=== Chapter Two: Pets of Privilege ===
At Sunglow Ridge, Mario watches a black missile cover an area with black paint, Luigi arrives at the scene of the crime with his Poltergust 3000 to tell Mario that he forgot he gave the machine to a "friend of his" and offers to suck up the black paint. To which he does, heading on his way to keep searchin for parts of his Kart. Getting a text from Princess Peach, Mario learns from her that she was abducted by Wart and that he needs to collect all of the Paint Stars to build the Rainbow Road to Bowser's Castle, according to his instructions. Shocked to hear this, the two head on their way.
Mario and Huey search for Prof. Kinopio at Château Chanterelle, and find him at Mondo Woods. The professor gives Mario an Excavation Site Permit, which he uses to enter Marmalade Valley. Here, Mario finds the professor's pet Chain Chomp, Princess, and brings her back to Château Chanterelle. The professor is happy and gives him the Sharp Spike as thanks. The spike unlocks the door to Kiwano Temple, which Mario must pass through to reach the Golden Coliseum, where Iggy is holding the yellow Paint Star. Mario defeats Iggy in a stadium battle and the Big Paint Star repaints an oversized coin in Mondo Woods.
Back in Bowser's Castle, Bowser escapes out of the theatre and decks Wart in the nose attack him for stealing his minions. However he's dragged by his bigger minions back into the theatre, but not without threats of harm.
=== Chapter Three: Mansion Mario Strikes Out ===
After learning from Huey that someone is selling tickets for the Sunset Express at the Dark Bloo Inn, he and Mario head over there to explore the hotel but are annoyed after learning that the owner is trapped in a teapot in the garden. Finding the teapot, Huey wrings it out, squeezing out the owner Ghos-T Bloo and Petea Piranha. Fighting Petea, the plant releases six ghosts of the owner's family members. As a matter of thanks, the owner gives Mario and Huey two tickets for the Sunset Express. 
Heading down to Violet Passage, Mario helps out the yellow Rescue Squad while on a pirate ship. The Rescue Squad goes to the shrunken Sacred Forest to unclog a pipe. Here finds a key and he participates in Snifit or Whiffit. After this, Mario infiltrates Fort Cobalt to defeat Ludwig in his Super Ludship and Super Ludsub. The recovered blue Paint Star repaints the ocean at Violet Passage.
Back in Bowser's Castle, Wart watches Bowser get tortured for his own amusement, with Peach in a headlock. Pleased at his brawny strength, he declares that Bowser should harness the power of the black paint. Not willing to hear this, Peach gets out of the headlock and attempts to break Bowser out of the theatre, but is stopped by his minions. 
=== Chapter Four: Lost in Paralleladise ===
With the ocean restored, Mario has to join a ship crew and venture to Fortune Island to find the purple Big Paint Star. Using clues left behind by Captain T.ode, they first pass through the Lost Sea. They stop at Vortex Island to calm down a whirlpool, then help out a lighthouse keeper on Lighthouse Island to light the way to Fortune Island. Mario makes use of the parallel world on all three islands to find the treasure but is confronted by Wendy on Fortune Island before he can collect it. Defeating Wendy and collecting the purple Paint Star repaints a sinkhole at Mustard Café, which the café's owner falls into.
Back in Bowser's Castle, Peach is forced to watch Bowser transform into a monster, with Wart laughing. 
=== Chapter Five: Extraction of Dire Fire ===
After rescuing the café owner from the hole, including escaping a Snifit jail, Mario hears of the Sunset Express train stuck at Kiwano Temple. The blue Rescue Squad help fix the broken tracks, only for the train to be damaged by a Thwomp. The Toads push the train to Toad Trainworks, where Mario repairs it with help from Luigi. Next, the train goes to Tangerino Grill, where Mario cooks pizza for the Toads and Brushies and serves steak to a VIP customer who is later revealed to be Larry. Larry hijacks the Sunset Express, but Mario defeats him with the help of the Conductor. The train stops at Starlight Cape, where Huey makes a wish for the orange Paint Star; once it is granted, the Paint Star restores an unpainted Draggadon at Marmalade Valley.
=== Chapter Six: Green and Mean ===
Flying through the air and attacking the station where the express stops at, Mario, Luigi and Huey jump on Draggadon through Redpepper Volcano and platform their way through Redpepper Crater to its hot spring. After returning to Tangerino Grill to get the Magnifying Glass Thing, Mario battles Kamek in the Sacred Forest. This opens a path to the Green Energy Plant, where Mario ventures into a Super Mario Bros. 3-like world to find a Mini Paint Star. He assembles the last members of the red Rescue Squad at Mossrock Theater, and visits the Emerald Circus, at which he meets Lemmy. Mario defeats Lemmy atop the circus tent and saves the green Big Paint Star, which then flies somewhere unknown and paints Luigi's kart. 
=== Chapter Seven: The Rainbow Road ===
With the Paint Star family being reunited, they create the Rainbow Road to Bowser's Castle, where Mario, Luigi, Huey and the Rescue Ranger Squad head off to via a kart ride from Luigi. Inside the group discover a factory producing Banzai Bills loaded with black paint, similar to the one dropped on Sunglow Ridge. After destroying the factory and fighting Roy, they escape the flood of black paint and find Bowser and Peach drained of their colors.
Their lament is interrupted when Wart, covered in the black paint, fights the group As Mario and the group fight Wart, Huey has himself turned back into his 3D-self to absorb the black paint off and defeat Wart. After restoring Bowser and Peach's colors, Bowser's Castle proceeds to collapse Mario, Peach, Luigi, the Rescue Squad and Bowser return to Port Prisma while Huey stays behind to contain the black paint and release it where it cannot do any more harm, to the skies. Later, while celebrating at Port Prisma, Peach comforts Mario when he laments Huey's death.
Watching his brother on the balcony of the hotel, Luigi holds up a lantern and releases it into the sky in memory of Huey.
Category:Paper Mario (series)
Category:Paper Mario Games
Category:Nintendo Switch Games
Category:Nintendo Switch