Fans Unite to Push Nintendo to #RemasterThousandYearDoor

If you’re a relatively young gamer, you might not understand why so many people are so attached to the Paper Mario series, which in recent years has been little more than a series of lackluster papercraft jokes with some lame RPG mechanics. But before the Sticker Stars and Color Splashes – heck, even before the Mario & Luigi series – they were pretty much sole source of true JRPG Magic from the big N. The first Paper Mario is an appreciated gem, but its sequel, Paper Mario and the Thousand-Year Door, is not only seen as the height of the series, but also one of the best RPGs ever made.

But Nintendo has routinely opted to ignore it.

However, in a recent YouTube video, one fan has tried to get Nintendo to change their tune and finally get around to remastering this classic. His name is Arlo. He uses a puppet.



Now, normally, this wouldn’t warrant much attention. Nintendo historically – perhaps even famously – refuses to bend to the wills of their fans, and has routinely remained completely unmoved by their efforts. But there are two factors that make this newsworthy: the first is that Nintendo fans have fully rallied to this call to arms, as the #RemasterThousandYearDoor quickly became the number-one trending topic on Twitter in the following hour, and the number-nine topic worldwide. That is an enormous response.

The second reason why this is a bigger deal is because in a 2016 interview, the assistant director of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Risa Tabata said that if there was a strong enough fan demand, they would consider remastering the game… which would probably be the first time Nintendo ever said fan interest was the key difference in their decision-making process (looking at you, Mother series).

Will it amount to anything? Probably not. But it’s cool to see so much outpouring of support anyway.