Paper Mario: Color Splash is an action-adventure, turn-based role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and released in 2016 for the Wii U. It is the fifth installment in the Paper Mario series, and holds the distinction of being the twentieth and final Super Mario game released for the Wii U.

As a successor to the Nintendo 3DS’s Paper Mario: Sticker Star, it expands on that game’s mechanics — replacing stickers with a deck of paintable Battle Cards and introducing the paint hammer, which lets Mario splash colour back into a world that has been mysteriously drained. Its own sequel, Paper Mario: The Origami King, followed on the Nintendo Switch in 2020.

The game is set on Prism Island, a paradise shaped like a paintbrush whose colour is being stolen. After receiving a colour-drained Toad in the mail, Mario travels to Port Prisma to investigate, teams up with a talking paint can named Huey, and sets out to recover the six Big Paint Stars — the source of all the island’s colour — each guarded by one of the Koopalings. Behind it all lies a darker mystery: a sinister black paint that has possessed Bowser.

Background

The events that set the game in motion are revealed gradually through the Big Paint Stars’ memories, each unlocked as Mario rescues them. At some point before the game begins, a group of Toads were playing with paint at the Prisma Fountain in Port Prisma. Bowser, watching from atop a building and imagining himself with a magnificent rainbow shell, leapt down into the fountain — but as he spun, he mixed all the colours together and created black paint, which promptly possessed him.

Shortly after, a fleet of airships carrying paint buckets arrived at Port Prisma, deploying a swarm of Slurp Guys to drain the town of its colour. They siphoned the red, blue, and yellow paint into the buckets aboard the airships, scattering the Big Paint Stars across the island and leaving Prism Island steadily losing its colour.

Prologue — The Blank Toad

One night at Peach’s Castle, Mario, Peach, and Toad receive a strange parcel in the mail: a folded-up, completely colour-drained Toad. Concerned, the trio sail to Prism Island to investigate, arriving at the eerily desaturated Port Prisma. There, Mario discovers the dried-up Prisma Fountain and meets Huey, a sentient paint can who emerges from it. Huey explains that the six Big Paint Stars that fuel the fountain have been stolen, and joins Mario — imbuing his hammer with the power of paint — to recover them and restore colour to the island.

The core of Mario’s quest is recovering the six Big Paint Stars — the source of all colour on Prism Island — each scattered to a different region and guarded by one of Bowser’s Koopalings. They can largely be tackled across the island’s sprawling, interconnected levels, with each colour’s arc culminating in a boss fight. Here is how the adventure unfolds, colour by colour.

Color Splash blends overworld exploration with turn-based, card-driven battles. Everything is rendered in the series’ signature papercraft style, and the unifying mechanic is colour.

Overworld & the Paint Hammer

• The paint hammer — Huey imbues Mario’s hammer with paint, letting him fill in colourless spots dotted across every level. Painting them restores scenery, reveals hidden items, and is needed to progress. Paint is a finite resource refilled by painting, hitting Blocks, or buying Prisma Juice.
• Cutout — a technique (introduced by Huey) that uses scissors to snip away sections of the paper world, removing obstacles or revealing new paths.
• Things — oversized, photo-realistic 3D real-world objects (a Fire Extinguisher, Hair Dryer, Washing Machine, and more) that can be found, squeezed into Thing Cards, and deployed to solve puzzles or unleash huge attacks.
• Hidden secrets — Prism Island is fully 3D despite the paper look, packed with hidden Mini Paint Stars, Rescue Toads, and the recurring hidden-Luigi gag.

Battle System

Enemies roam the overworld; touching one starts a turn-based battle. Striking an enemy with the hammer or a jump first grants a “Nice!” opening advantage, while being hit lets the enemy strike first. In combat, enemy HP is represented by how much paint is left on their body rather than a number — attacking literally drains the colour out of them. Mario’s own HP is a number, and the music distorts dramatically when he’s in danger.

Battle Cards are the heart of combat — the evolution of Sticker Star’s stickers. Every action Mario takes in battle is a card, and a key twist is that cards can be painted on the GamePad touchscreen to boost their power before you flick them up to the TV to attack.

Card Types

• Painting cards — filling a card with more paint makes its attack hit harder; running low on paint weakens your options
• Battle Spin — a slot-machine mechanic to buy extra cards mid-battle
• Cards are consumed on use, so deck management between fights matters; more cards unlock at Prisma Cardware as you progress
• Action commands — timing button presses on attack and defence (a Paper Mario staple) boosts damage and reduces incoming hits

One of Color Splash’s most memorable features is the Things — hilariously out-of-place, photo-realistic 3D objects that contrast with the flat paper world. Found hidden across the island, they’re squeezed into Thing Cards and used both to solve overworld puzzles and to unleash screen-filling attacks in battle.

Notable Things & their uses

• Fire Extinguisher — douses Morton’s flaming hammer in the red boss fight
• Washing Machine — cleans up the black paint Roy creates in Black Bowser’s Castle
• Hair Dryer — melts an ice block in the Tangerino Grill freezer
• Magnifying Glass — enlarges a shrunken pipe in the Sacred Forest
• Bone — used with Princess to wreck Iggy’s chariot in the yellow fight
• Tail — reflects Ludwig’s projectiles back at his battleship

Protagonists

Mario

The hero. Arrives at Port Prisma, meets Huey, and collects the Mini and Big Paint Stars to restore Prism Island and stop the black paint.

Huey

Mario’s companion — a sentient paint can able to absorb black paint. He powers Mario’s paint hammer, teaches the Cutout technique, and gives hints. His heroic sacrifice ends the game.

Allies

Princess Peach

Travels with Mario to Prism Island, then is kidnapped by the possessed Bowser after the red star. She sends Holo-Peaches with intel until she’s captured and drained.

Holo-Peach

Holographic messages Peach leaves for Mario, revealing Bowser’s plans throughout the adventure.

Luigi

After the green star is rescued, Luigi drives to Port Prisma to give Mario a lift up the new rainbow road to Black Bowser’s Castle in his repainted kart. Also hidden in six secret spots.

The Toads & Rescue Squads

Toads are everywhere in Prism Island — many drained of colour and needing Mario’s help. The colour-coded Rescue Squads are recurring teams of Toads that aid Mario in clever ways throughout the quest:

• Toad — accompanies Mario and Peach at the start; his colour is drained and Mario must recolour him after he fends off a Slurp Guy.
• Blue Rescue Squad — fold themselves up to replace the broken train tracks at Kiwano Temple.
• Red Rescue Squad — make up half the audience at the Emerald Circus and assist in the Lemmy showdown.
• Green Rescue Squad — build a bridge to a Mini Paint Star and the Lemon Thing.
• Yellow Rescue Squad — pull out the giant turnip clogging a pipe in the Sacred Forest.
• Purple Rescue Squad — build a staircase to reach a Mini Paint Star and the Fire Extinguisher Thing.
• Chosen Toads — including the superhero Justice Toad, needed to open the Crimson Tower.
• Know-it-All Toad & Rescue Squad Chief — helpful NPCs at Port Prisma.

Each Big Paint Star is guarded by one of Bowser’s seven Koopalings, with the possessed Bowser himself as the final boss. Color Splash is notable for giving every Koopaling a distinct, puzzle-flavoured battle.

Morton

Red · The Crimson Tower

Guards the red Big Paint Star. Calls in two Shy Guys and fights atop a pedestal; once knocked off, he wields a flaming hammer that must be doused with the Fire Extinguisher Thing.

Iggy

Yellow · Golden Coliseum

Fought in a “Battle Royal.” Iggy rides a chariot and flees from attacks; Mario uses the Bone Thing and Princess to wreck the chariot and his Chariot Bro and Chariot Snifit escorts.

Ludwig

Blue · Fort Cobalt

Pilots the invulnerable Super Ludship. Mario must reflect Ludwig’s projectiles with the Tail card to destroy it — then Ludwig resurfaces in the Super Ludsub, hiding in the water.

Larry

Orange · Sunset Express

Hijacks the Sunset Express train, leading to a confrontation aboard the speeding locomotive for the orange Big Paint Star.

Lemmy

Green · The Emerald Circus

Stages a circus act and makes the green Big Paint Star vanish. Mario uses the red Rescue Squad and freed Yoshis to turn the performance against him.

Wendy

Purple region

One of the Koopalings encountered in the game’s mid-to-late regions, guarding access to a key area on the way to the paint stars.

Roy

Black · Black Bowser’s Castle

Ambushes Mario in the castle, steals his paint and fires it back from a cannon, then mixes all the paint into black paint — defeated using the Washing Machine Thing.

Black Bowser

Black · Final Boss

Bowser, possessed by the black paint he accidentally created in the Prisma Fountain. The multi-phase climactic battle atop the castle, after which Huey seals the black paint away forever.

Color Splash’s enemies are drawn from the wider Mario world, all rendered colourless until painted — and many with a fresh, comedic personality.

Key Enemies & Mini-bosses

• Slurp Guys — the Shy Guy variants that drain Prism Island’s colour with straws; the foot soldiers of the whole crisis.
• The Shy Bandit — a recurring world-map mid-boss who throws a calling card and slurps the colour from an area; catch him first to start a battle and reclaim it.
• Big Spiny — an oversized Spiny fought in Kiwano Temple.
• Petea Piranha — a Petey Piranha hiding in the Teapot at Plum Park.
• Black Shy Guy — a cloaked Shy Guy who speaks in haiku and ambushes Mario in Violet Passage.
• Steak — a live-action slab of meat “battled” (cooked) at the Tangerino Grill.
• Big Lava Bubble — a giant Lava Bubble in Redpepper Crater, with a Shy Guy translator.
• Kamek — casts hindering spells on Mario in the Sacred Forest.
• Banzai Bills & Mega Bob-ombs — black-paint weapons manufactured in Black Bowser’s Castle.

The game is set on Prism Island — shaped like a paintbrush — and the nearby smaller islands shaped like drops of paint, all drained of colour. Locations are organised by the six main colours, with five courses for each colour (one containing a boss), plus Port Prisma for the primary colours and Black Bowser’s Castle for the tertiary black. The map gradually fills with colour as Mario collects Mini Paint Stars.

Notable Locations

• Port Prisma — the harbourside hub town, home to the Prisma Fountain, Super Flags, shops, and the districts colour-coded by region.
• Ruddy Road & Cherry Lake — the opening red-region levels where Cutout and Things are introduced.
• The Crimson Tower — the red region’s boss tower (Morton).
• Bloo Bay Beach & Dark Bloo Inn — a sunny beach and a haunted hotel full of Toad ghosts.
• Violet Passage — a harbour traversed by pirate ship.
• Sacred Forest — a shrinkable woodland where Kamek attacks.
• Fort Cobalt — the blue region’s fortress (Ludwig).
• Tangerino Grill & Sunset Express — a cooking restaurant and a desert train line.
• Redpepper Volcano & Crater — ridden through atop the Draggadon.
• The Emerald Circus — the green region’s big top (Lemmy).
• Kiwano Temple & Roshambo Temples — ancient ruins and rock-paper-scissors mini-game shrines.
• Black Bowser’s Castle — the floating final dungeon.

Port Prisma and the wider island host a handful of services that help Mario on his quest:

• Prisma Cardware — the shop where Mario buys Battle Cards. More cards stock as the story progresses, and a red Toad outside flags when something new arrives.
• Prisma Café — a chain of restaurants across Prism Island selling Hearty Lattes (restore HP) and Prisma Juice (restore paint). Some branches sell extras like the Magma Burgers at Fort Cobalt. A Mustard Café also appears.
• Know-it-All Toad — stationed near the Red District; offers cryptic hints about which Thing you need next (“You must seek a red Thing on a red road…”).
• The Wringer — where Mario can wring out collected Things and cards.

Beyond the main quest, Color Splash is packed with optional content and collectibles — a hallmark of the comprehensive RPG experience.

Prisma Museum

Hidden inside the Action Command Dojo, the Prisma Museum lets Mario deposit Battle Cards to unlock concept art in its gallery. Fully repainting an area unlocks that level’s music in the sound gallery. Collect every card type and the museum lights up, drawing visiting Toads.

Roshambo Temples

Eight Roshambo Temples across Prism Island let Mario play Super Roshambo (rock-paper-scissors) for coins and Battle Cards. They contain no Cutouts, Things, or Paint Stars — just the game — and are unlocked with tokens earned from levels. Beating a chapter boss lets Mario challenge the Rock Paper Wizard for an Enemy Card based on the Koopalings or Kamek.

Super Flags & Achievements

Six Super Flags (down from eight in Sticker Star) track major achievements, unrolling in the credits parade as you earn them. Completing all six unlocks the alternate ending — Huey returning to the Prisma Fountain:

• Excellence Embodied — perform 200 Excellent attacks
• Sizzlin’ Scissors — perform every Cutout
• Gold Bug — collect 10,000 coins
• Card Champion — buy 200 cards from Prisma Cardware
• Honorary Paint Can — repaint all colourless spots
• (plus one further achievement)

Luigi Sightings

Continuing the Wii U-era tradition, Luigi hides in six secret spots across Prism Island. Use the Cutout technique on each and Luigi looks around, faces Mario, hands over 300 coins, and dashes off. Find all six and Luigi appears at the starting area. There’s also a Piper’s sidequest and a Spinning-Door challenge among the optional extras.

Color Splash was developed by Intelligent Systems, the studio behind every Paper Mario game, as a direct successor to the 3DS’s Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

• Built on the Sticker Star template — it kept and refined that game’s card-based combat and Things, while adding the paint mechanic, HD visuals, and far more elaborate writing.
• Revealed in 2016 and shown extensively at E3 2016, including a Nintendo Treehouse live demonstration introducing Huey.
• Leaked early — the game notoriously leaked in full about two weeks ahead of release.
• Released as one of the last major Wii U titles, just months before the Nintendo Switch launched.

Official Nintendo trailers and footage for Paper Mario: Color Splash.

Paper Mario: Color Splash received generally positive reviews, and its reputation has grown over time — many now regard it as an underrated Wii U gem, even amid the ongoing fan debate about the Paper Mario series’ move away from traditional RPG mechanics.

Praise

• Stunning visuals — widely called one of the best-looking Wii U games, with a vibrant papercraft world and beautiful use of colour
• Outstanding writing — the sharp, genuinely funny script and surprisingly emotional story (especially Huey) were highlights, far exceeding expectations set by Sticker Star
• Inventive Things & puzzles — the absurd real-world objects and creative level design were praised

Criticism

• Combat divisiveness — as with Sticker Star, the card-based battles drew criticism for offering limited long-term incentive (no traditional XP/level-ups), with some fights feeling like resource management
• Series direction — longtime fans continued to wish for a return to the RPG depth of The Thousand-Year Door
• Wii U timing — released late in the console’s life to a shrinking audience, it didn’t reach the players it deserved

• The twentieth and final Super Mario game released for the Wii U.
• Fifth installment in the Paper Mario series, succeeding Sticker Star (3DS) and preceding The Origami King (Switch).
• Huey’s name and the whole colour theme make this the most colour-focused Mario game ever — enemy HP is literally shown as remaining paint.
• Things — photo-realistic 3D objects like a Fire Extinguisher and Washing Machine — return from Sticker Star and are central to puzzles and boss fights.
• Every Koopaling (Morton, Iggy, Ludwig, Roy, Larry, Lemmy, Wendy) appears as a boss — a rare full-set showcase.
• Bowser is the unwitting villain — possessed by black paint he accidentally created by mixing colours in the Prisma Fountain.
• Huey’s sacrifice gives the game a genuinely bittersweet ending, with a happier alternate ending unlocked by completing all six Super Flags.
• Six hidden Luigis can be found with the Cutout technique, each worth 300 coins — continuing the Wii U “Where’s Luigi?” tradition.
• The game leaked in full about two weeks before its October 2016 release.
• Prism Island is shaped like a paintbrush, and its surrounding islands like drops of paint.
• The Wringer and Battle Spin are among the GamePad-centric mechanics tying the game to Wii U hardware.
• Yoshi appears as “It” — an invisible object at the Dark Bloo Inn revealed by repainting.

Box art, logo, and key art for Paper Mario: Color Splash.

More on Super Luigi Bros.

Screenshots and artwork appear throughout the sections above. Additional footage is in the Videos section.