Fold, Flip, Stick

Paper Mario, 2.5-Dimensionality and the Media Mix

Abstract

Nintendo's Paper Mario franchise is aesthetically and mechanically centered around the interactions between the flat and the solid; at its core is a playfulness with dimensionality that consistently highlights not only the 2D or 3D, but the 2.5 dimensional. Through this lens, I examine each of the four Paper Mario video games, as well as their predecessors and related merchandise. The 2.5 dimensionality that is consistently thematized in these games enables us to think about a more holistic conception of the "media mix" that not only actively breaks down the distinctions between different media, but also between the worlds "within" and "outside" of the game.