Paper Mario: Sticker Star 3DS
  • Publisher: Nintendo
  • Release Date: Nov 11, 2012
User Score
7.2 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 132 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 95 out of 132
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 132
  3. Negative: 25 out of 132

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  1. maxsonnage
    May 16, 2013
    5
    It should be a good game however, it has caused me to look at guides too much.
    It's baffling as what to do in places. A game should challenge you right? This one has puzzles that you can't logically figure out, you just wander about for an hour then give up and google the guide. Very poor. It's the first Paper Mario game I'm not going to bother completing due to the annoyance.
  2. PostmortemEP
    May 6, 2013
    4
    I just don't get it... The first two paper mario games were absolute masterpieces. The third was very much a good idea, which I don't think was executed very well. Here's the thing... Paper Mario games had a way of getting me hooked and never wanting to stop. I almost had that with this game, but just couldn't simply because the design of it is horrible. Cutting up the world into stages wouldn't be such a bad idea if it was just a simple sidescroller, but it isnt. It's got all of the frustration of an RPG overworld that forces you to backtrack and do things you've already done and are TIRED of doing again, and to no avail, you are forced to repeat and repeat. You can get to the second and third world of this game and realize that this is going to be a continuous thing. That's where I'd recommend stopping if you picked this game up, but don't. It's not worth it. Do yourself a favor and use your money on one of the other fantastic 3DS titles.… Expand
  3. SuperLeo
    Apr 30, 2013
    8
    The puzzles are quite hard to figure out but don't worry you will figure them out. When I get to the bosses it is frustrating because I use up most of my stickers. It is a really good adventure game and you need to think about your strategy.
  4. Resonance
    Apr 24, 2013
    0
    This was the worst showing for Paper Mario since release. Nintendo has removed all of the RPG, all the humour and all of the more interesting settings. Besides that, progression in the game itself is slow, with countless save/load screens and arbitrary nonsense and busywork designed to lengthen game-play in an otherwise unremarkable game.
  5. cleanplayer
    Apr 16, 2013
    6
    This is by far my least enjoyable Paper Mario game. The premise behind using a battle system that revolves around no leveling up or learning new abilities is a travesty for an awesome RPG series like Paper Mario. For the first couple hours, I liked using the stickers and thought it was a cool idea. Then I ran out of them and I literally couldn't attack or do anything. Talk about a buzzkill.....As my frustration mounted from this stupid sticker system, I would run away from enemy encounters to stave my stickers. That is pathetic, and a painful flaw in the game design.

    The story is funny, but I had to use a game guide to get through it. I do not know how this game is intended for kids based off how many times I got stuck. The lack of side quests too and the linearity really bothered me. Kristi is your only party member which is incredibly disappointing. Doesn't help too Kristi is kinda of a debbie-downer throughout the whole game.

    The graphics and sound are superb tho. I loved how vivid each environment looked and it really had the Paper Mario charm in the looks department. This game definitely disappointed me, but I still managed to have fun with it    … Expand
  6. Midnalink
    Mar 29, 2013
    0
    For me it's a big disillusion. Except for some musics, there is no reason to play this game. No story, no companions, wasted combat system, no badges, no interesting npc, nothing.
  7. GoombaJMR
    Mar 24, 2013
    7
    It was unfortunate that the formula was really screwed up on for this Paper Mario Game...as my favorite series of all time, I wasn't happy about this game. Fortunately, the ok battle system and good dialogue+places can secure this game a solid 7. I will say that I am disappointed with this game though...especially the lack of rpg elements and a world map
  8. SFX64X
    Mar 14, 2013
    2
    The reason this game is poor is because there is simply no 'reward' for playing this game... The story is non existent, so there's no reason to play it for that. The characters are forgettable, so they don't keep your attention. The battle system is basic and hardly challenging or interesting. The boss battles are either impossible, or annoyingly easy, since they each have a very specific weakness that renders them dead in a matter of seconds. Then there's the platforming and puzzles. neither are interesting or engaging... Basic and tedious...

    So if the story isn't interesting, The gameplay is dull, and the platforming is tedious,... Why play this game? There is no reason... There is no story to grab your interest and keep you going, it is bare bones 'Bowser kidnapped the princess and stole some power'. You may say 'well isnt that EVERY mario game?" Well, more or less, yes... but every Super Mario platformer has amazing platforming and fun levels to hop around and explore. This game does not have that redeeming quality.

    "Well, isnt the turn based RPG elements still here?" Not really... it doesnt seem to be a Roleplaying game... It's just a turned based card game... but instead of elegant and amazingly designed characters with awe inspiring attacks... you have a variety of shoes, hammers, and miscellaneous items... you dont level these attacks up over time, you simply find more powerful stickers in the more higher leveled areas... rendering the dozens of basic attacks you stocked up on in previous levels useless. When you're playing you dont ask yourself "Okay, which attack would be best to use against this enemy?" You ask "Where the heck did i put that shiny sticker i just found under a rock?" and occasionally you consider the fact of whether the enemy is flying or has a spike on his head...

    This is a very basic game... maybe something a young kid would enjoy and flourish in. the pretty colors and enviroments would catch their attention and the light story element might keep them entertained so they dont lose interest in the walls of text. but anyone who appreciates a good story, deep and enriching gameplay, or just having fun probably should skip this game... It doesnt technically do anything that doesn't work, it just doesnt do anything that makes this game entertaining... which is why you would play a game in the first place, right?    … Expand
  9. CannonBlaster
    Mar 13, 2013
    9
    If you're a Paper Mario fan, you're either going to love it or hate. Of course just by looking at my score i loved it. The sticker system, while out of tradition, is fun to use, and great use of resource management. The puzzles are more engaging than in any other title. Not to mention the backtracking is not as dreadful as the previous titles, THANK GOD. My only gripe is the boss battles can be really annoying, forcing you to run away in order for you to find the 'right sticker'. Although I miss the old Paper Mario mechanics, this is certainly worth checking out.… Expand
  10. indoGAMER
    Mar 13, 2013
    8
    Yep, I'm really enjoying sticking stickers for this Paper Mario sequel. And not just that, this Paper Mario sequel features a new RPG-looking that much like a paper.
  11. DaveDynamite1
    Mar 9, 2013
    10
    I am a big Paper Mario fan and I have kept up with the series since it ever came out. In my opinion I think this is one of the best Paper Mario games in the franchise. I have to admit that some of the RPG elements are gone but to me this game was fantastic with it's game play and fun ways in using different stickers. This game also was also harder than the other game, giving me a challenge on what stickers I need to defeat each enemy. I think this also had great 3D visuals and I loved how this Paper Mario game made the world more paper like than any of the other games in the series. This game is fun and well made and is a great game for the Nintendo 3DS. Long live Paper Mario!… Expand
  12. TheHomebrewGuru
    Mar 3, 2013
    2
    The game had little to no character development, had a generic story, was not very interesting, had a broken battle system, and was sort of tedious. I will say that it was better than "Super Paper Mario," in that at times I did not even feel like I was playing a Mario game when playing "Super Paper Mario," but ultimately I did not feel that I was really immersed into the Mario world very deeply with Sticker Star either. I didn't really "get to know" characters very well. Some of the new Mario characters are sort of annoying. Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door is still by far my favorite. I wonder if Nintendo is still capable of making genuinely memorable games?… Expand
  13. Yulo303
    Feb 19, 2013
    7
    If you loved paper mario:the thousand year door and think its an amazing game, and you're like "this game is its sequel I'm expecting so much", a friendly advice: forget it, this game is average at best unfortunately. No new characters other than Kersti,. Bowser the awsome villain doesn't say anything, and the changes in this game are too great. Don't get me wrong, changes aren't bad, but taking everything that was good in paper mario(partners, leveling, badges, playable characters etc) and replacing them with just stickers is like paying 10 bucks just to receive 2. I mean, just go to Wiki once and see differences between this game and its previous titles, and you'll get a WHOLE lot of "this is the first game in the series NOT to have (that)".The areas are too simple- snow area, desert, forest, unlike the usually unique places of previous paper mario games. One thing that i'd love to say is good but unfortunately didn't turn out that well is that this game is based on puzzles a lot more than other mario rpg's which would be a good thing, but it is very likely that you'll miss whatever you need to solve the puzzle and you'll have to backtrack to get it., and there are tons of stages. Sometimes the solutions don't make sense either. It is very likely that you'll be frustrated/stuck here and there:p The battle system is done entirely by stickers. No stickers=can't attack. At all. The battles feel and are pretty much unrewarding as you have no experience points/level. When you win you get coins, which you use to get stickers, but in order to win you have to use stickers, which is kinda..you know. But in the end they did revert back to turn based battle system-the only good change to the game imo. Although I did list tons of negative aspects compared to positive ones, this is by no means a bad game, but is far inferior to other mario rpg's.… Expand
  14. GenoTS
    Feb 16, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really don't know what to say about this game. This game can hardly even be called an RPG. The only "RPG" about it is that you meet enemies and engage combat with them in a turn-based battle. You get no experience points and when you run away from battle, the enemy disappears on the map like you actually defeated it. There is also no real point to combat other than getting coins, but those are pretty much only spent on the overpowered Things that you need to get in order to make Thing Stickers that you sometimes have to apply to the real world using your annoying sticker fairy partner's "paperize" ability. Sure, maybe you will need to buy a few mushrooms here and there but you can actually get all of these things EVERYWHERE in every level. The battles against a wave of enemies can get extremely annoying because you can't actually choose which enemy you are attacking: you will always attack the first one in the row. You need to use the Battle Spinner in order to attack enemies in the second row too, and it's extremely annoying. Bosses are unbalanced and can pretty much only be defeated by Thing Stickers. Some of them have certain weaknesses but these are never stated unless you've died about three times for not knowing something that was never hinted to. At a certain point I started to avoid combat altogether because I didn't want to waste the stickers I actually needed and either traverse previous levels to get some stickers again or return to Decalburg a billion of times in order restock on stickers(This may seem like it condradicts my previous statement but please keep in mind that this is still not a good thing no matter how you look at it.) Puzzles in the real world never have any real hints either: at a certain point in the game you have to freeze lava by pasting a certain Thing in the background. This could be a handful of Things: Shaved Ice, AIr Conditioner, Fan, etc. So yeah, it turned out to be the Air Conditioner but I only discovered that after failing numerous times with the other things it could possibly have been. There's too much trial and error like this throughout the whole game. But even with all these horrifying flaws, the game can still be fun. I had fun with the game and blasted through it quickly, but only because I had(with GameXplain's advice) watched some playthroughs a few weeks before it was released in Europe. I also have to praise the graphics: they look amazing. It's like the entire game was handcrafted and handdrawn by some sort of amazing artist: I had a lot of fun just watching the environment alone, ESPECIALLY World 4 and 5. But even then the environment is nothing that you won't find in the countless New Super Mario Bros. games: it's exactly those kind of worlds. Anyways, short summary: they could have done WAY better on pretty much everything in this game, but regardless of that it's still pretty fun and I reccommend it if you liked the previous Paper Mario games.… Expand
  15. iloveFFC
    Feb 15, 2013
    8
    This game was my least favorite in the paper mario series, it is extremely hard to finish without a game guide, it doesn't communicate with the player enough, the boss battles require specific hidden thing stickers that if the player doesn't find or use in battle, they will not be able to finish the boss fight, the availability of stickers is good though, and the levels (most of them) are nicely done and sometimes pretty fun, but i dont see a use to the run away button if its a 50/50 chance to actually run away from a battle, it should be 100% if you tap A repeatedly.
    Final Score: 7.5, but there's no halfway scoring option T.T    … Expand
  16. catswithtophats
    Feb 9, 2013
    6
    Oh this game. This cute little broken game. I really tried to like it, I really did, but there is so many game breaking issues in it (from cheap bosses, confusing levels and 3D perspective gone wrong) that as soon as I tried warming up to it, i'd have to put it aside in frustration. It's really cute, charming and beautiful and I replayed from levels just to look at how amazing it really was. But the average gameplay and serious issues make it seem like it was never play tested.… Expand
  17. Cale
    Feb 8, 2013
    2
    I really tried to give this game a chance. I really did. However, it rivals "Sonic: The Dark Brotherhood" in sheer crap factor. Sticker Star is just barely better in that you aren't forced to use the touchscreen to control the whole game. Sadly, where such touchscreen support would have been nice, it is glaringly absent, seemingly almost ignored. The plot is a bit too standard to a mario game, lacking any major twist to the plot that the previous entries in the series had. The complete lack of a development system makes the game fall very flat, as combat becomes nothing more than tedium, lacking real reason to exist. The sidekick you get is the most annoying since Navi herself and is even more useless than she is. All it needed to surpass her in raw annoyance was a sound effect telling you to listen like she does. For some reason, I found the constant use of the word 'sticker' to be very rapidly aggravating, and given it's said by almost every character in the game world, it was intolerable in less than 15 minutes or so. Once I hit a road block that had no obvious and immediate solution, I found myself feeling that I didn't like the game enough to bother looking at a game guide. I just shut it down, and went on to the next game I wanted to play. This game is an insult to the series, and the entire genre of JRPGs as a whole. Do yourself a huge favor: don't buy it. You aren't missing anything but compounding irritation.… Expand
  18. Jirokun
    Jan 27, 2013
    9
    The game was fun, beautifully designed and the RPG element is a kicker. I've never played the previous paper mario series so really I've got no complaint about "changes" and "improvement". I bought the game expecting a great Mario experience and I definitely got my money's worth. Two little things I wish were better: it could use more playable characters to enhance the RPG feel, and it probably could use a difficulty slider--the game was a tad too easy, despites the abundance of secrets and mysteries in it.… Expand
  19. Guile147
    Jan 15, 2013
    9
    Paper Mario: Sticker Star is a hard game to review. As a Paper Mario game, it's very unexpected and different than the past console games in the series. However, it does a superb job as a handheld take of the series, and I feel that is the most important part. The visuals are done with love and care, and look great. The dialogue is great, as the series is reputed for having. The removal of some of the RPG elements of the game will no doubt disappoint many, but to be honest, they wouldn't really even be necessary in a game like this. It's a good game that all 3DS owners, fans and non alike, should at least try.… Expand
  20. marioaddict
    Jan 14, 2013
    2
    I don't understand why this game is getting such good reviews. It's terrible. The combat system is completely broken, requiring you to waste valuable time and materials (stickers) for absolutely no gain. With no leveling up, the turn based combat is pointless and time-consuming, serving no purpose but to collect money, which can be obtained far more quickly and easily by collecting "Things", turning them into stickers, and selling them. Worse yet, if you run out of stickers in combat, you are forced to run away, making the whole ordeal even more pointless. The boss battles are atrocious, requiring you to use specific stickers at specific times or else waste far too many of your stickers. To make matters worse, the specific stickers you have to use are always "Thing" stickers, which you can only ever have one of at any given time. Therefor, if you use the sticker at the wrong time, you're screwed. Worse still, if you fail to beat the boss the easy way, your partner will ridicule you for using too many stickers. The puzzles in the game can also be challenging, but too much so for my taste. Admittedly, the game looks very nice, and the music isn't terrible. But that doesn't excuse the horrid gameplay. (As I always say, gameplay before graphics.) Overall, this is a terrible game and I am sorry for buying it.… Expand
  21. Darkresurrect
    Jan 12, 2013
    10
    Im a huge fan of Mario and even more the original Mario RPG on Snes, this game is awesome in a single word, spectacular. I love this game in all aspects.
  22. fuchikoma
    Jan 9, 2013
    4
    The game shows off 3D well. The dialogue is funny. There's hardly any skill involved though. Mainly you're just walking around and hoping not to get into another tedious, pointless battle that will neither harm you nor make any significant gains. Then, after you clear the first world, the second starts by gating you based on a rare sticker. So go explore all the levels in the first world again, turning them upside down looking for it and grinding (but not earning XP or anything) for hours just so you can take the next step! Seriously, who thought of that?

    The game starts off with a hearty dose of charm, but the gameplay turns it into a slow, plodding chore that wears out its welcome as you retread already overly simplistic stages again and again looking for rare stickers.    … Expand
  23. Luigibarqs
    Jan 7, 2013
    7
    Paper Mario: Sticker Star is the first Paper Mario RPG game to appear on a portable game console. Compared to its prequels "Paper Mario" for the Nintendo 64 and "Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door" on the Nintendo Gamecube, this game is much smaller in scope and highly stripped down. Although the Paper Mario series is notably known for having a big emphasis on its story, in Sticker Star, this is not the case. King Bowser Koopa causes chaos and captures the princess Peach Toadstool, its up to the famous "Jumpman" himself Mario to solve the problems caused by Bowser and save the princess, that pretty much about it, no major plot twists and a lack of character development for most of the characters, friends and enemies alike (Especially Bowser, who although is the main villain, doesn't utter a single line of dialogue in the whole game). The RPG game mechanics are incredibly stripped down from the other RPG enteries in the series, since you can't gain experience or level up through battling at all, the only real point in battling is to get more money, gather unique "enemy attack" stickers if you don't like the more traditional ones available to you and some specific mandatory ones that are required to progress the plot such as cutscene battles, mini-bosses and main bosses. Instead of Badges, Items and Regular Attacks (Hammer & Jump) from the prequels, almost all of your possible actions (attacking, healing, countering, special abilities, ect.) are determined by the stickers you currently have in your inventory, if you don't have a specific kind of sticker, you can't do that action, the only actions that don't require utilizing stickers is attempting to run from battles, attempting a First Strike (hitting an enemy on the overworld before battle begins) and blocking attacks. There are many puzzles and situations throughout the game and although some can be ridiculously easy to figure out, there are a select few in which the solutions are extremely vague. These disrupt the game's flow since your helper Kersti usually doesn't give useful advice thus leading to trial and error to find a solution. The only ways to upgrade your character is to gather Maximum HP upgrades by finding secret rooms, completing levels in a specific way or by doing side-quests. The Music is quite the joy to listen to and the writing in the game, although as rather limited as it is, is still rather humorous and amusing. The game is still fun overall, although it is pretty short and has some questionable design choices, its a pretty good game.… Expand
  24. unluckygamer
    Jan 6, 2013
    9
    Now paper mario had rough road it had to really good games then super paper mario which was a platformer but not a very good one. Now we are at paper mrio sticker star came out on portable system. So before I begin the review I have to say people sure like to compare this to quest 64. So it start out with the genric plot of bowser stealing peach and the the game begins and your collecting toads and sticker with the navi of this game kersti who from sticker place where they grant wishes and if this sounds familar it is because it is really simalr to super mario rpg except no geno and then after you save town you are sent out into the world where you collect comet pieces and with little to no story. So in the end it a good game but lacks paper mario normal orignality and exploring mario universe maybe it should stay on consles but still a very solid rpg on the 3ds… Expand
  25. TheGalaxiaMaste
    Jan 5, 2013
    7
    The things sticker puzzles are annoying, there's too little movement in the field, the story is boring and why are there only toads and old Mario enemies? Miyamoto, I like the sticker battle system and the paperising is a great idea (music and graphics are awesome too), but next time let Intelligent Systems just do their job alone. It's also far too short. However, I still liked it. Sticker Star still has some charm and there are a lot of secrets and awesome boss fights. The battle system isn't perfect (were's my EXP and why can't I choose which enemiy I want to attack?) but it's actually a lot of fun. I give it a 7; good, but it could have been much better!… Expand
  26. MasterColonico
    Jan 4, 2013
    9
    "Waaaaa, they took out all the RPG elements, waaaaaaaa, no XP or levelling-up, waaaa"

    Shut up, and enjoy a fantastic game. The humour and the use of stickers is great, the 3D looks awesome, and the environment was cleverly thought out. I love how the shiny stickers use the systems gyroscope to make them shimmer!
  27. holdmykidney
    Jan 4, 2013
    9
    I was moved to actually sign up and review a game here from the mixed reviews. It's clear this is a game that divides Paper Mario fans, but I have to say this is probably one of the best games for the 3DS. This is an turn-based battling adventure without XP or levels, instead relying on your gradual mastery over the efficient use of the limited resources which the stickers represent in battle.

    There is a little bit of backtracking, but it's nowhere near the time-wasting and stalling which put me off Super Paper Mario on the Wii. I disagree that the puzzles are random. They are occasionally obscure and could use a little signposting (hence the 9 instead of a 10) but they are always logical, given a little thought.

    This is also one of the best-looking games on the 3DS and the mix of fun platforming and turn-based combat has had me hooked from the start. I've barely even looked at another game, despite some real crackers waiting the in the queue!    … Expand
  28. maddymarie
    Dec 28, 2012
    5
    Paper Mario; The series that has had a firm grip over the past years as to what an engaging, and humorous Nintendo RPG should be like. Until now. It would be an overstatement to say that this game was just 'okay'. To be honest, I didn't enjoy this game much at all. Every now and again I find myself going back to it, when I feel as though there is nothing else to play. The sticker idea was unique, I'll give it that, but the fact that I couldn't level Mario up, was absolutely atrocious. It took away from the point of even jumping on enemies, which in most Mario games, is one of the best things to do. There was no partners either. Having to go back and forth between levels that I've already played was tedious. The 'puzzles' were tedious. Basically everything about this game, was tedious. I enjoy the graphics that Paper Mario has to offer, but after playing Paper Mario 64, or playing Paper Mario : The Thousand Year Door, this one does not live up to its predecessors. Too much change, is not always a good thing. For those who are new to the series, I recommend only picking this up if you absolutely are desperate for a Mario game on the 3DS and have played - and beaten - the others.… Expand
  29. RyanA
    Dec 27, 2012
    7
    I was disappointed with the newest entry to this series. Most of the good parts an RPG are not present. You don't level up, so when you complete a battle, it is only for coins (if you are perfect in the battle). You don't have a partner, or partners, like in all other RPGs. At least the stickers somewhat compensate this though. One part of RPG that should have definitely been kept out was the world map system, which was quite out of tune to the other paper Mario games. The score is relatively high because the humour is still present in the game. Overall 7.1/10… Expand
  30. JHH62
    Dec 27, 2012
    3
    There are so many things wrong with this game, first of all the plot is too linear you play as Mario throughout the whole game you don't get to play as peach or bowser, there are no new characters other than kersti, all the characters in the game are from the Mario platformers, there are no exp so you can't level up and if you run out of stickers you have no choice but to run away, peach only has about five lines, bowser is the main antagonist and he has no dialogue, in the previous installments the main antagonist always had dialogue, and one of this game's worst problems is that luigi went from being a playable character to a glorified cameo, I have no idea what nintendo was thinking when they made this game.… Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 69 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 69
  3. Negative: 1 out of 69
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Feb 21, 2013
    78
    Brilliant humor and an interesting world won't save Mario's latest RPG offering. Even though the stickers add a lot of variety to the turn based battles, an RPG without any character development tends to turn repetitive eventually. Unfortunately for Mario such is the case with Sticker Star. [Feb 2013]
  2. Hyper Magazine
    Feb 10, 2013
    80
    A great reinterpretation of what makes Mario work. [March 2013, p.72]
  3. DarkStation
    Feb 7, 2013
    70
    Unfortunately for it, Paper Mario: Sticker Star has to deal with being a “pretty good” entry in a series that is usually considered amongst the best games on their respective consoles. While I did have fun with it, there were times when I felt like I was just going through the motions, and very little of the innovation or character of previous entries shone through.
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