The visuals look lovely and fit the idea of a paper world better than what it could do on the N64/GCN. I don't think anyone can deny that the visuals are a major increase from Sticker Star.
And really the major reason I'm excited for the game is because it seems they're trying something NEW for once instead of more of the same, and it seems this game could very well fix the flaws that dragged sticker star down and make a fun experience for all. Just as long as there's no heavy backtracking or boring puzzles, I think the game will be fine. As I said, PM N64 will likely stay as my go to PM game, but this is looking to be a more enjoyable and creative adventure for me. Certainly not worthy of a childish petition to cancel the game.
It should also be noted that in an interview with Gamexplain, one of the devs working on the game stated that Paper Mario is pretty much going to be exclusively a series where new things are being tried out in terms of gameplay, with the goofy story bits being saved for the Mario and Luigi series. This seems to be a full decision that will affect the two series forever. Having Sticker Star sell extremely well in Japan probably helped in that regard as well (Even if that game was rather dull and boring IMO)
Selling well means nothing. The reception to Sticker Star is what matters.
Sticker Star took a massive shit on everything we knew to love about Paper Mario. The story, characters, great writing, memorable areas, partners, etc. Sticker Star was boring, nothing noteworthy about it, and was bland. White bread was more exciting than Sticker Star. Color Splash looks like it aims to the same. Cookie-cutter, copy paste Toad NPCs. Boring areas. No partners minus a paint can. There's no love to the game, it feels so slapped together and uninspired. The writing quality seems stagnant as ever, and changing the gameplay like this is stupid. This isn't a game built for "innovative" gameplay like this. What respective RPG strips away a proper battle system for shitty gimmicks?
