Paper Mario: Color Splash is another delightful trip into a bizarre crafty world

Paper Mario Color Splash feels more like walking through a board game or a diorama than like playing a video game on Nintendo’s Wii U console. The fifth game in this side-series, Color Splash also feels no less authentic a Super Mario Bros. experience for how radically it messes with the traditional formula.

Toad, Princess Peach, and Mario arrive on Prism Island to discover that Slurp Guys (read: Shy Guys with straws) have been sucking the color out of the island. The Slurp Guys have been so successful that the six Paint Stars that keep Prism Island vibrant have run dry. It’s up to Mario to return Prism Island to glory by recovering the Paint Stars hidden throughout the game’s course levels.