22 Years Later, This Nintendo GameCube RPG Is An Untouchable 10/10 Masterpiece

The Nintendo GameCube era isn’t underrated, but it’s undeniably overlooked far more often than it should be. Those who had the great pleasure of owning the legendary console at the time will know all too well just how phenomenal its line-up of games was, how revolutionary so many of its best titles proved to be, and how frustrating it is that its aesthetic didn’t live on. The GameCube was arguably Nintendo at its most creative, and it is a shame to have lost so much of what it had to offer all these years later.

Like many of the best games on the GameCube, one title remains a must-play classic to this very day. Despite releasing during a time in which Nintendo was still discovering its passion for the RPG genre, this game not only set the bar rather high for future RPGs, but also helped establish an entire sub-genre that continues to be immensely popular to this very day. Indeed, this plucky Nintendo GameCube game may very well have been the best of the entire era, and is certainly a Nintendo masterpiece that absolutely everyone should play, at least once.

This May Be One Of The All-Time Great RPGs

One of the greatest Nintendo GameCube RPGs was Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. While Nintendo had previously dabbled in RPGs (Fire Emblem and Super Mario RPG being standout examples), it never felt like it quite managed to figure out the formula. Games like Quest64 flopped, and even Fire Emblem, for all its many strengths, lacked the narrative chops of its contemporaries. Paper Mario was somewhat of a response to all of that, an N64 game that managed to deliver a clever and unique combat system, novel exploration mechanics, and a fun story to tie it all together.

However, it wasn’t until Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door that Nintendo and Intelligent Systems truly showcased the series’ potential and that both studios finally fundamentally understood what an RPG needed to be successful. The Thousand-Year Door’s story was more mature, more emotionally gripping, and certainly more memorable than its predecessor, with the assorted new companions proving to have as much depth as one would expect from a Final Fantasy or even, perhaps to a lesser extent, Xenogears.

The combat, which was sadly retired after TTYD, built upon what its predecessor had almost perfected, delivering the best iteration of it that would then go on to inspire a whole generation of Paper Mario-clones. The world design, music, writing, and all other elements also came together perfectly to offer a practically unparalleled experience. There’s a reason The Thousand-Year Door was one of the best-selling GameCube games of all time, and a must-have for fans around the world. It is just a shame it doesn’t quite get as much respect as its fellow revolutionary GameCube titles.

Is This The Best Nintendo GameCube Game Ever?

Luigi delivering a letter to Mario in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

It is hard to say whether Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the very best Nintendo GameCube game ever made, as that is, naturally, very subjective. However, I’d argue that it is, and that it remains one of the few games from that era that not only holds up visually and mechanically, but was way ahead of its time. The remake, which did a phenomenal job of updating its visuals to better fit the theme and aesthetic, largely kept the gameplay intact beyond some quality-of-life improvements, which should indicate just how refined and revolutionary it was back in 2004.

Of course, there were inarguably more profoundly impactful Nintendo GameCube games that better shaped the industry as we know it today, as well as titles that fans perhaps have a greater sense of nostalgia for, simply due to their prevalence or being part of a mainline series as opposed to being a spin-off. However, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door feels like a perfect masterpiece, an experience designed without compromise, one that fully achieves its vision, in a way many GameCube games don’t.

Again, its status as the very best remains subjective and understandably a topic of much debate. However, it is inarguably one of the best, a triumphant work of art that absolutely elevated the RPG genre, spawned its own sub-genre, inspired numerous future developers, and left a remarkable impact on people like myself. At the very least, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the perfect illustration of the Nintendo GameCube era’s creativity, ingenuity, and passion for the craft.