The Paper Mario series began as a spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG . While it is a distinct series, it often references SMW:
"Paper" in the context of Super Mario World (SMW) most commonly refers to the classic game's hand-drawn development process, the Paper Mario RPG spin-off series, or collectible physical memorabilia like maps and posters. Development on Graph Paper Super Mario World
: Each course was drawn square by square on specialized grid sheets before being handed to programmers to be coded into the game. The Paper Mario series began as a spiritual
: Paper Mario was heavily based on the art style established by SMW. the Paper Mario RPG spin-off series