Paper Mario: Color Splash — Episode 3: Infiltration!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Secret Base on the Blue Sea!

We would like to interrupt the introduction to this article to point out how handsome I look.

Now that we've finished (personally, I've just started) appreciating that, Nintendo and Intelligent Systems would like to present the third episode in the Rescue V series. This one features Rescue Blue, as you can see from the thumbnail.

...More importantly, it features YOURS TRULY, so pay attention, because this will probably be my last time starring in a video on Nintendo's channel in a very long time:

Now, very quickly, let me summarise the non-me parts: Rescue Blue and his squadron passed themselves off as a pack of stealthy ninjas. They infiltrated the Secret Base in the Blue Sea, alongside Mario, though it's not entirely clear how helpful they are to him. However, they did find the secret weapon in the secret base, and its weak point, which they communicated to Mario.

Meanwhile, Rescue Purple was enjoying Ocean Fest and the Five Fun Guys by taking a nice break after the work his squad supposedly did last episode. Rescue Blue got angry that Rescue Purple was having a nice time at the beach, and became so angry that his hat turned purple (blue + angry red = purple).

GUESS WHO HAD THAT SECRET WEAPON IN THE ENEMY BASE? No, not Andross... but another insane guy! ...ME! MWAHAHAHA! ...Oh, you guessed that correctly? Thought it was too predictable? You think Paper Mario: Color Splash has a bland story without even knowing what it's like? Well, I will prove you wrong!

Blue Toad is pretty much acting as a ninja.

This isn't him trying to be a Metal Gear reference. Look how he's dressed! Ninja!

Meanwhile, I look SUPER COOL as a partial silhouette on top of the secret weapon — which turns out to be a pirate ship. That makes me the pirate captain, and I apparently have a bunch of Shy Guys as crew. Personally, I'd prefer Koopa Troopas, but I suppose I'll have to make do.

YAR HAR HAR. It's Captain Ludwig Von Koopa!

Quick review: Toads are ninjas. I'm the pirate.

If you weren't around a year ago, I wrote an article about the Pirates vs. Ninjas Splatoon Splatfest. I sided on Team Pirates — good decision by me, since Team Pirates won. I outlined reasons why pirates are better than ninjas, and why I, Ludwig Von Koopa, sided with pirates over ninjas.

Intelligent Systems paid attention, and now we have Paper Mario: Color Splash where I'm on Team Pirates against Team Ninjas (Mario and Toads).

Everything else we've seen so far from Paper Mario: Color Splash shows that very high attention to detail. That is a very good indicator of the overall quality of the game. Plus, you cannot say that Paper Mario: Color Splash is doing a bad job with characterisation when we clearly see characterisation happening before our eyes.

Well, this Rescue Blue twerp's eyes are closed, as he's smugly predicting that my water-based Doomship is about to be destroyed.

It's not only clear characterisation, but it's also consistent. This is very different than Paper Mario: Sticker Star, where they just threw out prior, series-established characterisation in favour of being...um... bad.

Well, I see there is agreement between Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam and Paper Mario: Color Splash
in me having a “HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT!” pose with my eyes closed when I'm defeated.

I declare... The era of bad Paper Mario games is over. I will see personally to that. That is what my SECRET WEAPON is for!

Just do me a favour and never use any Tanooki or Super Leaf cards or anything like that.


Ludwig's articles on KoopaTV are usually about his opinions and thoughts on games, not his opinions and thoughts about his presence in games. So he was giddy writing this. Did you pick up on that? Follow Ludwig on Miiverse at NNID PrinceOfKoopas. Over 500 other people already have, and he plans to create a Miiverse-exclusive drawing/screenshot based off of Rescue V: Episode 3 in the very near future.


Here are Ludwig's thoughts on him being playable in Mario Kart 8.
Ludwig's thoughts on his official trailer for Super Smash Bros. For Wii U were him thinking Sakurai has something against him.
Watch the first episode of the Rescue V Toads here.
Read KoopaTV's crazy live reaction to the first Koopaling confirmed to be in Paper Mario: Color Splash: Morton Koopa Jr.
KoopaTV staffer Kamek is in this game, too! As is Prince Iggy! And they're acting appropriately as well.
The formal Episode 4 article is here, along with Ludwig's dad.
Pirates show up in Episode 6 as well, but they're Toads.
The Paper Ludwig avatar appears once more in Ludwig's review of the secret base: Fort Cobalt! Yes, he reviews his own fortress.