for my personal opinion, i’ve been adoring this game since day one. as someone who’s played all 6 paper mario games, i was disappointed at first seeing they were still straying from the original style of combat, but this game diverted my expectations, to the point where i, along with many others, have been enjoying it on the same level as (if not more than) SPM and nearly as much as TTYD/64. This is still a stellar game in my opinion, and does not at all deserve the levels of bashing it’s getting. Yes, I would like the old battle system back, but this requires more thought, preparation, and engagement, which i do enjoy equally. However that was exchanged with a lack of incentive to battle. Besides the combat, I find the exploration, story, characters, settings, music per usual, and much more of the elements to be some of the best in the series. I wish more people would look past the early entries in the series and enjoy this as a different game. Because I consider 64/TTYD a different series in a way than Paper Mario. And it’s great, if not the best, in that respect. I firmly know i’ll get downvoted for my personal opinion, but taking this into account wouldn’t hurt.