Early technical analysis suggests that a thousand-year-old Paper Mario game might run at 30 frames per second

It looks like the visual upgrades in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for Nintendo Switch may come at a cost. Early technical analysis by Nintendo World Report It looks like the gameplay of the remake of this classic RPG will target 30 frames per second.

This analysis is based on Nintendo Direct video uploads. This is part of what was mentioned:

“Based on what we’ve seen, the Switch version of Thousand-Year Door is targeting 30 frames per second, which is a downgrade compared to the original GameCube version’s 60 frames per second… This doesn’t appear to be correct There’s an issue with the trailer being rendered at 30 frames In the second, where we actually see a brief moment of 60 frames per second in the one-shot trailer, but that particular shot appears to have doubled in speed — resulting in a noticeable higher frame rate, the rest of the trailer never goes above 30.”

As mentioned, the frame rate halving may come as a surprise to fans of the original GameCube classic, as the 2004 version targeted 60fps. Saying that, it might not be too shocking if you’ve played the recent Paper Mario: The Origami King, which was capped at 30fps.

NWR also claims that the change in frame rate may lead to latency issues when pressing the timed button during battles. As for other parts of the Switch version, the resolution is said to be 900p in docked mode, and the handheld mode is estimated to be around 720p.

In further analysis, it was mentioned how Switch’s Thousand Year Door appears to use subtle reflections, ambient occlusion, and global illumination. The only thing that may be missing is refinement. In addition to the changes made, there is obviously an updated art style and textures.

It’s worth noting that this game won’t be released until sometime in 2024, so there’s no guarantee that anything Nintendo showed in the trailer for the Paper Mario Thousand-Year Door remaster necessarily reflects the final product. It is subject to change prior to launch and this includes the title’s performance and accuracy on Switch.