Nintendo’s latest title,Paper Mario: The Origami Kingfeatures the Mushroom Kingdom being laid siege to by the evil King Olly. The ruler of the Origami Kingdom seeks to destroy every Toad in existence using his deadly folding skills. Defeating him is one of the biggest challenges Mario has ever faced. Luckily, he has help on this adventure.
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Olly’s sister, Olivia, joinsMarioin order to stop her brother’s evil plans. Even thoughOrigami Kingwasonly recently released, players have already grown to love the character. However, they may not know everything there is to know about her.
Spoiler Warning: The last two entries contain certain spoilers for various parts of the game.
10She Was Meant To Be Memorable
Many games are plagued with uninteresting and boring characters. However, the developers ofPaper Mario: The Oragami Kingstrived to create a character that players would love long after the credits roll.
Her love of adventure and discovering the Mushroom Kingdom makes her a unique character in theMariouniverse. While most characters of the beloved characters from that world are used to the wackiness of their home, it’s nice to have someone with a unique perspective. That’s certainly the advantage of having a spin-off likePaper Mariowhere the world can be explored in more depth.
9Why We Haven’t Seen Her Before
A feature fans miss in other recentPaper Mariotitles is the beloved side characters. There used to be characters like Koops and Goombella that were fun plays on classic enemies. But fans reacted negatively as the series began to have every classic Mario enemy as generic as their non-paper counterparts.
It seems like its an issue out of the developer’s hands sinceinterviewshave stated that it was Nintendo’s choice to make the characters blander (at least design-wise). From what they’ve said, if a major character is introduced they have to be an entirely new archetype and not an iteration on a classic character type.
8Her Predecessors
It’s a rarity if the main character in aNintendo gamehas a speaking role beyond a few grunts or catchphrases. Because of this, there’s been a long line of partner characters that can act as the character’s mouthpiece. Some of them are beloved (like Midna) and others have left gamers with mixed opinions.
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Luckily, Olivia seems to be one of the lovable Nintendo sidekicks. However, even in thePaper Marioseries, she isn’t the first partner character. Earlier entries had a large cast of sidekicks that tagged around with Mario. However, the two most recent entries,Sticker StarandColor Splashnarrowed the list down to just two main partner characters.
7Every Silent Protagonist Needs A Chatty Sidekick
As outlined in thisScreenRant article, there are a few references toThe Legend of Zeldafranchise scattered throughout Olivia’s travels. At one point a Toad attempting to climb a cliffside tells Mario that he’s happy it"isn’t raining"which is a reference to players' frustration at not being able to climb inBreath of the Wildwhen it was raining.
There’s anotherZeldaeaster egg when Mario is asked to conquer trials of"Power, Wisdom, and Courage"so he can get “sacred orbs.“It can be construed as a reference to multipleZeldatitles, but it lines up withOcarina of Timethe most (in that game, Link had to prove his worth to gain sacred items). It isn’t clear, but maybe this specificZeldatitle was chosen since Navi and Olivia are both talkative sidekicks paired with silent protagonists.
6Maybe We’ll Meet Her Again?
In the previously mentioned interview, Tanabe states that it’s up in the air if Olivia will ever appear in another game again. However, it isn’t unheard of for supporting characters in theSuper Mariouniverse to get their time in the spotlight. Luigi, Wario, Yoshi, and even Captain Toad have all gotten solo adventures across a number of Nintendo systems.
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There is another place that Olivia might show up. Nintendo loves to throw in the occasional wildcard into theSuper Smash Bros.roster. To be fair, it is highly unlikely Olivia would ever become a playable character. However, if she becomes popular enough among fans she could pop up as an assist trophy someday.
5A Connection To The Past
Even though it’s over twenty years old, many considerA Link To The Pastthe best game that Nintendo has ever created. Its sprawling world was what drew gamers in, but its story is one of the many things that stick with people to this day.
Likewise, many people consider writing in thePaper Mariogames to be some of the best writing in the gaming world. So it’s no surpriseOragami KingandA Link to the Pastshare a scriptwriter. Tanabe, a developer on the game and the aforementioned scriptwriter, is an unsung hero in the world of Nintendo storytelling. The quirky style of humor he cultivated in that game can be seen at its apex in a game as wacky asOragami King. Olivia has some of the best lines in the game, so gamers have Tanabe to thank for such a fantastic character.
4She’s Real! (Kind of…)
Typically, if a player wants to have aNintendocharacter in their home they have to fork over hard-earned money to get a toy or figurine. However, if players want to have Olivia the only thing they need is hard work and determination. Some paper (and origami skills) won’t hurt either.
In anofficial Nintendo tweet, the company shared how players can make their own Olivia. Other characters, like Blooper, a Hammer Brother, and Princess Peach were also included in the video. If players want any additional guidelines, thisunofficial fan videogoes more in-depth on how to craft an origami figure.
3Another Connection To Hyrule’s Hero
At first glance,Paper Mariois the only franchise that has ever made its characters literally two dimensional. However, there is another Nintendo series that sent its protagonist onto the 2D plane.
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After fighting Yuga for the first time inA Link Between Worlds,the sorcerer trapsLinkon a wall as a painting. Luckily, a bracelet he was gifted earlier allows him to escape. Similarly, when Mario first finds Olivia she’s been trapped on the wall as well. It likely isn’t an intentional reference, but it’s a neat coincidence either way.
2Easter Egg For 100% Completionists
SPOILER WARNING: This content spoils the ending of the game.
Once Mario defeats King Olly, the malevolent patriarch begins to fade away. However, he realizes the error of his ways and uses his 1,000 cranes technique to help fix the world. While the day is saved, Olivia fades away as well because she was a creation of King Olly.
It’s an especially bittersweet ending to aMariogame since most, if not all, of them end with him rescuing the princess. However, if players decide to beat the game 100% they’ll find a memorial of Olivia crafted by the Oragami Craftsman.
1Stop Mario! It’s Hammertime
It’s natural that Olivia changes during her adventure with Paper Mario. What isn’t natural is when she becomes a giant hammer.
Paper Mario and Olivia will occasionally find items called “Bibliofolds.” They’re books that contain instructions that teach Olivia how to fold herself into different forms. Her biggest transformation is a hammer during the final battle when she becomes a one to defeat King Olly. This, and the fact that Mario uses hammers throughout the game, is all a fun reference to his first-ever powerup in the originalDonkey Kongfrom all the way back when Nintendo only madearcade games.
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