The Paper Mario series had some of the most imaginative RPGs around, but it has unfortunately lost its way in recent years. Later installments place Mario in scenarios that pale in comparison to those of the first few entries, and they ditched the simple, effective battle systems in favor of more gimmicky alternatives. Exactly why Nintendo has doubled down on the series’ new unpopular direction remains unclear, but fortunately, fans of the earlier entries have stepped up to fill the void they left behind. Back in 2019, developer Moonsprout Games impressed classic Paper Mario fans with its critically-acclaimed RPG Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling. Now, developer Sleepy Castle Studio has shown off its own take on Paper Mario in the form of the upcoming game Flynt Buckler Wakes the Sleepy Castle.
According to the Steam page, Flynt Buckler features a world filled with characters from old bedtime stories that can interact with each other and live in harmony. Unfortunately, a curse has caused hordes of monsters to pop out of the storybooks and create all sorts of mischief. Protagonist Flynt Buckler and his companions must step up to free the storybooks of this curse and return the world to its former glory.
What about the game itself?
As you would expect, Flynt Buckler boasts a battle system that emphasizes timed action commands for boosted attack damage. Additionally, the game’s storybook worlds see players engaging in all sorts of wacky scenarios, one of which involves “fleeing Lovecraftian terrors while solving a noir murder mystery.”
Judging by the Steam page, Flynt Buckler certainly has all the trappings of a Paper Mario-style game. Hopefully, the game will satisfy old-school Paper Mario fans while still maintaining its own identity. The game has a projected release window of 2024, so it will take a while before RPG fans get to experience it.
