Paper Mario: Color Splash is a role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, and the fifth game in the Paper Mario series. It was released throughout October 2016, and is the last Mario game to be released for the Wii U.
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 When Paper Mario was like Splatoon...
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Why It's Colorful
- The game as a whole is a much-needed improvement over Sticker Star, despite not being a full return to the series' roots.
- The graphics are well-done for Wii U standards, looking like something out of a high-budget animated TV show, and the designs for characters and backgrounds are nicely-made as well.
- Mario's new ally, Huey, is a lot more likable than Kersti from the previous game, and many other characters (including Mario, Peach, Bowser, etc.) are also their usual likable selves.
- The story is an improvement over Sticker Star, but... (see BQ #2).
- Tight and fluid controls, even for Paper Mario standards. Selecting Battle Cards with the Wii U GamePad is also a nice touch.
- Catchy soundtrack composed by Takeru Kanazaki and Fumihiro Isobe that fits in well with each scenario in the game, such as the encounter with the bent Shy Guy.
- This game introduces the Koopalings to the Paper Mario franchise after they were hinted at by their real-world counterparts in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, and they are just as full of personality as ever.
- As the title suggests, the main mechanic of this game is to restore color to Prism Island using the paint loaded into Mario's hammer, making it like the Paper Mario version of Splatoon. You can also paint your Battle Cards to make the attacks printed on them stronger.
- Luigi makes a return in this game after being absent from Sticker Star, and his role in driving his big brother and Huey along Rainbow Road is a clever reference to the Mario Kart franchise.
- There is a lot of humor that one could expect from a Mario game, and many funny moments, such as:
- The scene where Mario encounters a bent Shy Guy (despite being a little creepy, see BQ #6).
- Morton's quote "MORTON? MORE LIKE...LESTON."
- The Piggy Bank Thing literally breaks itself...by break dancing.
Uncolorful Qualities
- Many criticized elements from Sticker Star return here, including:
- Battles lack EXP and you only win Coins if you complete a battle without taking damage.
- Paper-centered elements are abundant here, including how characters have a white outline around them, although the Paper Mario series wasn't actually about said elements.
- The only friendly NPC's are Toads and most enemies are variations of older ones.
- The battle system is almost identical to that of the previous game (Battle Cards are consumable attacks that one must constantly collect more of, just like the stickers in Sticker Star).
- The game heavily relies on backtracking to collect certain Things or items to progress the story.
- While the story is an improvement over the previous game, it's still bland, as it uses the "character goes to an island to save their friends" cliché.
- Missed opportunity: Bowser Jr. does not appear in this game (even though his siblings do), despite his debut game (Super Mario Sunshine) focusing on his painting Isle Delfino with graffiti, which could work well in Paper Mario.
- Each of the Koopaling battles require certain Things to defeat them, but the Know-It-All Toad only gives vague hints on which ones you need. Even worse, they have to be used at a very specific time or else the battle will be unwinnable, and you can get Replica Things (which are exactly like the Things, but have a "REPLICA" watermark on their card) which the Koopalings will taunt you for using.
- For Morton, you need a Fire Extinguisher to put out the flames on his hammer.
- For Iggy, you need a Bone to crush the Chomp Chariots using a giant Chomp of your own.
- For Ludwig, you need some Balloons to lift his Super Ludsub out of the harbor.
- For Wendy, you need an Instant Camera so that your photo can act as a decoy for her giant golden ring's bind attack.
- For Larry, you need a Cork to plug up his train's smokestack.
- For Lemmy, you need a Disco Ball and an Ice Pick, the former to distract him while using the latter to pop his Wonder Ball.
- For Roy, you need a Washing Machine to clean the black paint off the battlefield.
- While on the topic of boss battles, the fight against a steak can be hard to figure out at first due to the specific steps required to grill it within three turns.
- First, you must hit it with Hammer cards until it bends.
- On the second turn, you must (in this order) sprinkle it with Salt and Pepper, place it on the grill, and finally use Lemon juice on it.
- After these are followed, the final turn requires you to exit the battle or else you will need to pay 100 Coins just to try again.
- On top of that, using Replica Things will result in a failure, just like the Koopaling battles.
- The bent Shy Guy scene, while funny, is somewhat creepy and feels out of place in a Mario game.
- Shy Bandit, who runs to a random spot on the map and sucks the color out with a straw, is sometimes hard to reach within a specific time frame.
- During the final battle with Bowser, Huey needs to be used to catch his black paint, but he can only take 10 hits; thus, the player has to time the paint catching perfectly or else Mario will take heavy damage and it will be difficult to recover from.
Reception
Paper Mario: Color Splash received "generally favorable" reviews from critics (scoring a 76/100 on Metacritic) and mixed-to-positive reviews from users (scoring 7.1/10), with many seeing it as an improvement over Sticker Star. It was praised for its graphics, soundtrack and improved dialogue, but criticized for its lackluster combat system and lack of character variety.
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