Summary
The Switch version ofPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorhas received a classification from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), indicating that it might hit the market sooner than expected. Nintendo originallyannounced the Switch port of the second-everPaper Mariogameback in September 2023.
On that occasion, the Japanese gaming giant said that the new and improved version ofPaper Mario:The Thousand-Year Doorwill be released sometime in 2024. That vague launch window and the fact that the original game will have its 20th anniversary in July 2024 made some fans suspect that the enhanced edition ofThe Thousand-Year Doorwon’t reach the Switch until the second half of the following year.
However, that assumption is no longer looking safe now thatThe Thousand-Year Doorhas been treated to anESRB classification, as originally spotted by Twitter user Stealth40k. Although the sole existence of this rating doesn’t necessarily suggest that the game is on the verge of hitting the market, Nintendo titles have historically been classified by the ESRB fairly close to their launches. For example, theESRB classifiedThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomabout four and a half months prior to its debut, and most other Switch exclusives in recent memory had even shorter gaps between rating and release.
As for the contents of the classification at hand, there’s nothing particularly surprising about them, with the ESRB rating the Switch port ofPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doorwith an E For Everyone label. That category matches the rating bestowed upon the original version of the game for the GameCube. Nintendo’s original announcement of the rerelease indicated that the Switch version ofThe Thousand-Year Doorwill blur the line between a remake and remaster, offering not just improved graphics, but also at least one new gameplay feature called the Tattle Check, as well as a revisited English localization.
More Details About Paper Mario: TTYD Switch Version Are Likely To Arrive by February 2024
In light of this turn of events, the notion ofThe Thousand-Year Doorreaching the Switch in the first half of 2024 no longer seems unlikely. Given how Nintendo has been consistently holding February Nintendo Direct broadcasts for the past half a decade, it’s plausible that more concrete availability information about the game will emerge come early next year.
The Thousand-Year Doorisn’t the onlyupcoming Switch remasterthat was recently rated by the ESRB.Luigi’s Mansion 2 HDreceived the same treatment in mid-December, inspiring hope among the fandom that it will release sooner rather than later, much likePaper Mario: TTYD.
