History VideoGame / MarioAndLuigiPaperJam

* IHaveTheHighGround: Bowser Junior loves the view on top of Mt. Brrr, and even states he has absolutely no fear of heights. This is something of a LampshadeHanging, as Junior has been doing insanely risky things like standing on the bowsprits of airships and on the rim of his Clown Car throughout the series.

* TheCheerleader: When Mario and Luigi use a Bros. Attack, Paper Mario will cheer them on off to the side, giving a different reaction depending on how well the attack went, ranging from jumping for joy for an Excellent to looking dejected if the attack fails.

* VendorTrash: Downplayed with the Silver Statue and Gold Statue items. While they can be sold for a good amount of coins, they can also be equipped to provide minor boosts to the Bros.' stats.

** Thanks to the ability to copy himself, Paper Mario can dish out far more damage to foes than Mario and Luigi. However, being paper in a world not made of paper, understandably he can't take as much punishment, and thus has far lower HP than Mario and Luigi.

* BodySled: The Mega Thwonk has Mario do this if all the commands are done and an Excellent is earned; after Mega Luigi slams the enemy across the battlefield with his hammer, Mario (who was riding on the hammer) jumps into the air and stomps on the enemy four times, forcing them onto the floor with the final stomp, then continues to put pressure on them on them as they slide across the floor and take several hits in the process.

* SuddenlyVoiced: This is the first official Mario installment to give the Koopalings spoken lines.

** The Chargin' Chucks have been upgraded from individual mooks to a WolfPackBoss that uses effective sports-based team attacks in order to battle Mario and the gang, complete with an attack that involves them chasing the Mario brothers and [[TurnsRed Turning Red]] when you dwindle their numbers enough.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: After the trio defeats them, [[spoiler:the Bowser Jrs. disappear from the story]], despite the story making a big deal about their friendship and eventual separation. Their papercraft appears in the ending credits.

* ButtMonkey:
** Luigi is once more the butt of jokes. It's so bad some of the normal Toads can't imagine there being a Paper Luigi.
** It's perhaps even worse for the unseen Paper Luigi himself, as a paper Toad comments on the normal Luigi actually looking "capable" compared to him.
** Ironically, [[spoiler:Paper Luigi can appear should you beat the game and play the Music Player Mode...[[SubvertedTrope and he's relaxing on a beach listening to music, apparently on vacation.]]]]

* BubblyClouds: There is a cloudy area above Sunbeam Plains which must be accessed upon the second visit to get to Gloomy Woods. Mt. Brr also has a cloudy summit which is used to reach floating Bowser's Castle.

** Mt. Brrr is a mixture of DeathMountain and SlippySlideyIceWorld. The second trip adds BubblyClouds.

** Cards that buff the Bros.' stats (power, defense, speed, etc.) have a green background.
** Cards that decrease enemies' stats or otherwise negatively affect them (turning them into Goombas, making their attacks heal you, decreasing their level, etc.) have a blue background.

** Cards that deal out more cards have a green background.

* DeathOfAThousandCuts: Paper Mario's attacks don't deal that much damage, but he compensates for this by [[MesACrowd creating copies of himself]] to attack in rapid succession.

* DropTheHammer: As per usual for a ''Mario'' RPG. However, when initiating a Trio Attack, Paper Mario summons a giant papercraft hammer that he, Mario, and Luigi use to turn enemies into paper before attacking. [[spoiler:The final boss can do the same thing, and will even counter Trio attacks with it as long as his helmet is intact.]]

* BigBallOfViolence: [[OtherMeAnnoysMe Bowser and Paper Bowser]] start off this way after insulting each other, dragging Kamek into the fight. In the Wendy and Roy battle, if you manage to counter Roy's attack onto [[TheDarkChick Wendy]], she'll get mad and beat up Roy, taking damage while he sheds a tear. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain She can quite easily finish him off for you, too.]] Of course, there's also the chance that she'll just brush off her anger and give Roy a DeathGlare instead, much to his relief.

* BigBallOfViolence: [[OtherMeAnnoysMe Bowser and Paper Bowser]] start off this way after insulting each other, dragging Kamek into the fight. In the Wendy and Roy battle, if you manage to counter Roy's attack onto [[TheDarkChick Wendy]], she'll get mad and beat up Roy, taking damage while he sheds a tear. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain She can quite easily finish him off for you, too.]] Of course, there's also the chance that she'll just brush off her anger and give Roy a DeathGlare instead.

* BigBallOfViolence: [[OtherMeAnnoysMe Bowser and Paper Bowser]] start off this way after insulting each other, dragging Kamek into the fight. In the Wendy and Roy battle, if you manage to counter Roy's attack onto [[TheDarkChick Wendy]], she'll get mad and beat up Roy, taking damage. [[NiceJobFixingItVillain She can quite easily finish him off for you, too.]]

Quite possibly one of the oddest ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' cross-overs to date, ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'' is a {{Crossover}} RPG between two different Mario RPG series, ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' and ''VideoGame/PaperMario''. Gameplay is mostly based on the ''Mario & Luigi'' series, with Paper Mario himself having a lot of gameplay elements of his home series, and as a result this is typically classified as the fifth and final original installment in the ''Mario & Luigi'' series (which was unexpectedly cut short by [=AlphaDream's=] closure in 2019) than either a ''Paper Mario'' game or an independent entity.

* SequelDifficultyDrop: Similar to ''Partners in Time'' and ''Superstar Saga'', ''Paper Jam'' is somewhat easier than ''Dream Team''.
* SequelDifficultySpike: Since you are now controlling three characters instead of two, quite a few attacks become much harder to dodge and enemies still hit like trucks.

** Expert Challenges make a return. In addition to returning challenges like "get an Excellent with a Bros. or Trio attack" and "dodge moves from this type of enemy multiple times in a row", there's several new ones like "use Battle Cards", "get a large number of First Strikes", "defeat Paper enemies with fire", and "get an Excellent with a Bros. or Trio attack multiple times in a row". Additionally, the Attackathon and Battle Ring minigames, rather than awarding their own prizes, now have Expert Challenges tied to getting high ranks in them. Instead of the rewards being given to you as loot drops when you reach the required number of points, you exchange the points at any gear shop for your rewards.
** The Star Coins that are earned from missions. Getting enough Coins would net some rare cards, and extra coins are obtained by replaying some missions in Hard Mode.

* ActuallyFourMooks: Most encounters with the Paper enemies have them actually utilizing Paper Mario's Copy Block ability.

** If you fail a required quest enough times, the game will give you the option to skip it. However, you don't get the Star Coin for completing it. It's not [[PermanentlyMissableContent gone for good]], though, as you can return to the Lakitu Info Center to try again later.

** After their lackluster reception in ''Dream Team'', the Gyro Controls are completely absent in this entry, to the point that the Dropchopper from the same game has you control it with the Circle Pad instead.

** King Boo can use a variation of an attack [[spoiler:the Dark Star]] from ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'' uses, namely the ability to split themselves up, send their own clones to Mario and the gang, and turn invisible partway in an attempt to throw them off.

** One of the Challenges is rather simply titled [[VideoGame/SuperPaperMario "Super Paper Mario!"]]

** On the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' side, meanwhile, if a character wasn't in ''[[VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar Sticker Star]]'', they're not in this game. Even among those characters, Paper Wiggler[[note]]although normal Wiggler has a similar personality and role to him[[/note]], Gooper Blooper, and [[spoiler:Mizzter Blizzard]] are absent. [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg Kersti too]]. Most importantly, [[spoiler:Paper Luigi]] is absent until [[spoiler:the Music Player is unlocked, where he makes TheCameo]]. Even some Paper Mooks are not safe. Paper Buzzy Beetles, Paper Cheep Cheeps and Paper Pokies don't get a chance to fight alongside their "real" counterparts.

** Two of King Bob-omb's three attacks have him grab and throw one of the Bros and throw normal Bob-ombs at them. The former was his only attack in his ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' battle and the second battle with him in its remake, while the latter was added for his first fight in the remake so Yoshi could hurt him.
** The Battle Cards that {{Toys/amiibo}} give feature artwork from previous ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games.

Quite possibly one of the oddest ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' cross-overs to date, ''Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam'' is a {{Crossover}} RPG between two different Mario RPG series, ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' and ''VideoGame/PaperMario''. Gameplay is mostly based on the ''Mario & Luigi'' series, with Paper Mario himself having a lot of gameplay elements of his home series.

** Paper Mario first gains the ability to fold his body into origami shapes, such as a paper airplane, or turn on his side to fit through thin spaces, in ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', in which Black Chest Demons "[[CursedWithAwesome curse]]" him with the abilities.

** The players are able to save the game anytime by touching the save button on the touchscreen rather than finding a save block in the gameplay (Note: In ''Dream Team'', the player could also save anytime by tapping the save button; Paper Jam is the first of the series to completely eliminate the save blocks, though.)
** There isn’t any bonus after either Mario or Luigi level up.
** The first battle isn't against a Boss (usually Bowser, although the last game had Antasma instead) but against a pair of Paper Goombas.

** The location names in the Japanese version, as well as the Korean and some European translations, are themed after terms for splitting images (Pair Plains, 50-50 Desert, Look-alike Mountain). This follows up on the laughter-theme in ''Superstar Saga'', the anatomical and sickness-related theme in ''Bowser's Inside Story'' and the sleeping theme in ''Dream Team''. However, in the English versions, this is mostly forgone in favor of more traditional location names (Sunbeam Plains, Doop Doop Dunes, Mount Brrr). The only English location name that seems to follow this theme is Twinsy Tropics.
** One of the things Starlow says to psyche Luigi up while he's on his own in the second trip to Gloomy Woods that it's "Luigi RPG" now, while the intent of the joke still comes across in English, it's a reference to the fact that the series is called "Mario & Luigi RPG" in Japan.

* MinigameZone: The Latiku Info Center, where most of the game's missions, that are like minigames, are accessed. There's even a second receptionist that allowed you to play some of these missions in a harder difficulty. Furthermore, after returning from Twinsy Tropics, the second floor is unlocked, where the Attackathon, BossRush, and Papercraft rematches are available.

** Starlow apparently knows an attack called "Supernova Sparkle" which she promptly uses on Ludwig and Larry via an OffscreenMomentOfAwesome (after they started pummeling Mario and the gang due to them not having a pass to Bowser's castle). This is the first time her offensive capabilities are shown.

* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Two Marios from across dimensions unite! [[RunningGag Also, Luigi's there too, I guess.]]
* MythologyGag: Starlow directly refers to Advertising/TheYearOfLuigi when she's alone within Gloomy Woods.

* NinjaLog: Ninjis use these to make themselves immune against attacks. The trick to hitting them is to use an attack the opposite of what they're expecting (represented by a speech bubble above their heads).

* NoodleIncident: Kamek gets Starlow to let go of the castle wall (when everyone else is hanging from her) by saying that she has very nice teeth, upon which Starlow thanks him for it and consequently lets go. She says that her beautiful teeth are her downfall again. So what happened the first time round, then?

** It is very possible to be insanely overleveled by the time you face Bowser Jr. It involves the Paper Boomerang Bros at Bowser's Castle (grounded). It takes quite a while, but some of them will throw themselves, meaning that they'll spawn new ones every time they attack you. This can result in them spawning about 8-9 at a time, which is quite insane, but each of them will give you more EXP.
** At the final dungeon, two specific areas are suddenly swarmed by groups of enemies: some of those enemies give you a chance to serious level grind, and some others help to accumulate Star Points to use experience multiplier cards. The only downside is that you have to beat some other enemies outside those areas to make them respawn.

* PowerTrio: The three heroes serve this role. Mario is a powerhouse and Luigi a defensive wall as per normal, with Paper Mario serving as a MechanicallyUnusualFighter. Because of how the battle formation is laid out, Paper Mario is often attacked in different manners to Mario or Luigi. Outside of battle, Mario serves as a confident JackOfAllStats (to the best of his ability), Luigi serves as the CowardlyLion, and Paper Mario as TheSmartGuy, the character responsible for figuring out all of the Trio moves.
* PrecisionGuidedBoomerang: Averted in regards to the Boomerang Bros.' Boomerang. If they hit Mario or Luigi while being thrown or coming back, the Boomerang will bounce off the brother and land on the ground, causing the Boomerang Bro. to go and fetch it. If said boomerang's a folded up Paper Boomerang Bro., it will instead unfold itself to fight alongside the others while the original thrower switches to their standard boomerang.

** In the fight against Paper Petey Piranha, should you topple some of his copies to the ground, there's a chance that one of them is the real deal. The real Piranha is told apart from his copies where he can still move slightly when sprawled on the ground.
** On the return to Twinsy Tropics Dungeon, the Bowser Medal that you need to enter Bowser's Castle gets stolen. You have to find the one Fire Bros that stole it among dozens of others, using clues given by defeated Fire Bros to figure out where it is. The less Fire Bros you fight in this mission before finding the real one, the bigger the coin reward.

* SizableSnowflakes: Six-branched snowflakes occasionnally fall in the foreground in Mount Brrr.

** Many of the Paper Toad rescue missions involve this, especially the Hard Mode missions available at the Lakitu Info Centre.

** Several mooks are reimagined in this game as to allow them to fight better. Ninji, for example, are now portrayed a lot more like actual ninjas than just star-shaped creatures that jump up and down. On the inverse side, Mario and the gang can now defeat enemies which couldn't normally be defeated via direct attacks within other Mario games, like Bullies, for example.

* VendorTrash: Downplayed with the Silver Statue and Gold Statue items. While they can be sold for a good amount of coins, they can also be equipped to provide minor boosts to the Bros. stats.

-------

* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome:
** On the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' side, the Elite Trio[[note]]Corporal Paraplonk, Private Goomp, and Sergeant Guy[[/note]] never show up in the game, nor are they ever referenced. Their absence is baffling, as they were still working for Bowser at the end of ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam Dream Team]]''. In addition, this is the first ''Mario & Luigi'' game to not feature Toadsworth.
** On the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' side, meanwhile, if a character wasn't in ''[[VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar Sticker Star]]'', they're not in this game. Even among those characters, Paper Wiggler[[note]]although normal Wiggler has a similar personality and role to him[[/note]], Gooper Blooper, and [[spoiler:Mizzter Blizzard]] are absent. [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg Kersti too]]. Most importantly, [[spoiler:Paper Luigi]] is absent until [[spoiler:the Music Player is unlocked, where he makes TheCameo]]. Even some Paper Mooks are not safe. Paper Buzzy Beetles, Paper Cheep Cheeps and Paper Pokies don't get a chance to fight alongside their "real" counterparts.
* ColorFailure: All paper enemies turn gray and become shreds when they are defeated or, in the case of [[BossBattle bosses]], before the typical boss-exploding animation.
* ContinuityNod:
** At one point, Princess Peach asks Paper Princess Peach if she has any ideas for styling her hair. Paper Princess Peach suggests a ponytail, saying "It's good for playing sports, but it's hardly a new look." This is a reference to the Mario sports games, in which Peach has her hair in a ponytail.
** Toadette often reminiscences on her appearance within ''VideoGame/CaptainToadTreasureTracker'', to the point of even referring to that game by name.
--->'''Toadette:''' I've tracked many a treasure, gentlemen.
** Two of King Bob-omb's three attacks have him grab and throw one of the Bros and throw normal Bob-ombs at them. The former was his only attack in his ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' battle and the second battle with him in its remake, while the latter was added for his first fight in the remake so Yoshi could hurt him.
** The Battle Cards that {{Toys/amiibo}} give feature artwork from previous ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' games.
* CrosshairAware: To accommodate Paper Mario standing behind the M&L Bros in the battle screen (he's positioned where he'd be on a battle screen in his home games), an optional crosshair can show up when enemies are attacking, indicating if the attack is targeting Paper Mario's row, Mario and Luigi's row, or both.

* CardboardPrison: Standard prison cells are these to the paper characters, due to them being able to fit through the bars that are evidently not designed with characters as thin as paper in mind.