Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door heading to Nintendo Switch next year

Capping off its most recent Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo announced that its fan-favourite Gamecube RPG Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door will be releasing on Nintendo Switch next year, commemorating the original game’s 20th anniversary.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was the 2004 Gamecube-exclusive sequel to Nintendo’s quirky papercraft-themed Paper Mario RPG on the Nintendo 64. This sequel saw Mario and his friends embarking on a treasure hunt to open the legendary Thousand Year Door, behind which mysterious treasure is said to be hidden. The game was highly lauded at the time for its funny writing, gorgeous visuals and engaging gameplay. The series has gone on to continue in sequels on the Wii, 3DS and Nintendo Switch, with the most recent entry being 2020’s Paper Mario: The Origami King.

This version on the Nintendo Switch is more of a remastered port than a remake; the visuals have been enhanced a bit with sharper colours and resolution, but that’s about it. That said, it’s hard to complain about another highly-acclaimed Gamecube game arriving on the Switch following the recent Metroid Prime remaster. Hopefully The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is next.

Unlike Metroid Prime Remastered, Nintendo is making us wait for this one. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door will be arriving on Nintendo Switch sometime next year.