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[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/boxctcsmall_6931.png]]
[[caption-width-right:275:Fictional Box Art]]
''Paper Mario: Countdown to Chaos'' (Now known as ''The Rewind Chronicles'') is a fictional ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' game, set after the events of ''VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar''.

The game's storyline starts out when Mario is invited to Moonview City by famed Chronologist, Professor Koopenstein to test out his newest invention: A Time Machine. After a successful trial run, all the stars on the Moonview City Clock-Tower fade to gray and all the clocks in the Mushroom Kingdom turn to the 12 o'clock position and start counting backwards. After an investigation, this is due to the scattering of the Chrome Stars, which keep the world's time flowing by powering up the Grande Star Clock. However, the Chrome Stars are scattered not only geographically, but also in different periods of time. As such, Mario must recover the Chrome Stars across time to stop the time of the Mushroom World from stopping to a standstill. Like all Paper Mario games, there are eight chapters, but after the final boss there are 4 extra Chapters to explore for the after-game plot.

Information on the game's characters, enemies items and plot can be found in [[http://fantendo.wikia.com/wiki/Paper_Mario:_Countdown_to_Chaos here.]]

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!!This story has examples examples of:
%%* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Moonview & Sunsee Sewers
%% Who calls him this? * AccidentalMisnaming: Mario is called by different names by various characters, including but not limited to: The Red Knight, Mawyah, Luigi and Monsieur Red.
%%* AlwaysNight: Crescent Shade Village.
* BattleThemeMusic: There's a different remix of the battle theme for every Chapter's Location, as well as having different themes for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGmxGYWY71c every]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUp9b_4A2iA boss.]]
%%* BigBad:[[spoiler:Cron]]
%%* BonusDungeon: The Pit of 100 Trials in both Moonview and Sunsee.
%%* BreakingTheFourthWall: Happens a lot.
* CallBack: There are many references to the first 3 Paper Mario games.
** The whole of Chapter 7 focuses on [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor Flavio's]] Ancestors, shortly after they took the Skull Gem from Cortez.
** Dr. Booston is the exact same Boo within the painting in [[VideoGame/PaperMario64 Boo's Mansion]]
** The main hub is set in the old town of Moonview City, right next to the [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor Moonview Highway]].
* ColourCodedStones: The Chrome Stars which go in hue order (red, orange, yellow, green, teal, cyan, blue, violet, pink) and then in bronze, silver and gold.
%%* CowardlyLion: Sgt. Sniegs
%%* CowboyEpisode: The whole of Chapter 2.
%%* DarkIsNotEvil: Crescent Shade Village and its inhabitants, and [[spoiler:Katja.]]
* TheFashionista: Goombeverly: Her outfit changes depending on the location of the Chapter.
%%* GoldfishPoopgang: Sergeant Guy, Private Goomp and Corproal Paraplonk.
%%* [[GratuitousSpanish Gratuitous Portuguese]]: Ferdinand, Luis and about half the population of Portugoom.
* GreatBigBookOfEverything: Literally. Goombeverly's Tattle Log not only includes entries on enemies, but also locations, NPC's and recipes.
%%* {{Halloweentown}}: Crescent Shade Village and its surrounding areas.
%%* MeaningfulName: The Saxophonist Yoshi partner is named Chazz.
%%* MinusWorld: The second half of Chapter 10 is spent entirely in the original one.
* NoHeroDiscount: Mario is charged for everything even in places which he has saved. Subverted in Chapter 6, where when he first arrives everything is double price, but once saving the town everything is free.
%%* NonstandardGameOver: By failing any one of the minigames.
%%* OptionalPartyMember: Marianne, Chomptron V3.142 and Chazz.
* PassThePopcorn: All battles have an audience spectating which change their attire appropriately according to the time period the battle is set in.
%%* PlaceBeyondTime: The T-Dimension
%%* PlayableEpilogue
* PreviousPlayerCharacterCameo: All of Mario's partners from the first two games reappear occasionally in Moonview City.
* ProductPlacement: Mario's Mailbox V3 looks like a 3DS
%%** All the Characters in the Throwback Landing reference other Nintendo franchises and products at one point or another.
* PunnyName: Most of the Toad characters, like aspiring painter Arh T. or the chef Suee T.
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Among your party members you have a ValleyGirl Fashion Victim, a smug business tycoon who used to be a painting, a condescending and quick-tempered knight turtle, an absent minded sheriff, an over-exaggerating Pharaoh that explodes, an overly optimistic mountaineer, [[spoiler:a Ukrainian secret agent dog who was supposed to assassinate you]], a cowardly prankster Sergeant that freezes anything in contact with him, a hyperactive artist, and maybe a shadow-creature that tirelessly works with flowers all day, a lady's man saxophonist dinosaur and/or a robotic marvel in the form of a dog.
%%* RobotDog: Chomptron V3.141
%%* TheSheriff: Sheriff Shyler.
%%* StorybookOpening
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Some of Mario's partners are functionally similar or identical to previous partner's abilities, like Goombeverly to Goombella & Goombario, Koopert to Koops & Kooper, Dr. Booston to Bow, and Tutankaboom to Bombette & Bobbery.
* TimeAbyss: The Tribe of Time has been weaving the fabric of time since they started creating Time itself.
* TimeStandsStill: What happens to the Mushroom World if the Chrome Stars aren't recovered in time.
%%* TimeTravel: The whole story of the game is based on this.
* ValleyGirl: Goombeverly, but only in speech and her interest in fashion.
* VerbalTic: Several characters.
** Goombeverly sometimes ends her sentences in a questioned yeah, yeah?
** Ferdinand and Luis like their [[GratuitousSpanish Gratuitous Portuguese]]. Olá!
** Fuzzies return with their '''MEEEEEEEOOOORK!'''
%%* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:Tocc's death]]
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Much like in [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor The Thousand Year Door]], Goombeverly, Mario's first partner, sends him an email about what his partners and other characters are up to, once after beating the main story, and once more after beating Chapter 12.