So, I got this itch the other day, thinking about old games I loved. Paper Mario on the N64 popped into my head, specifically the partners you team up with. Man, some of them were awesome, and some… well, less so. I saw a few tier lists floating around online, but none of them felt quite right, you know? They didn’t match up with how I actually played the game back then, and even now when I dust off the old console.
So, I figured, why not make my own? A list based purely on my own experience, how useful I found each partner throughout the whole adventure. It wasn’t about complicated math or anything, just gut feeling and memories of who actually pulled their weight.
Getting Started – Remembering the Crew
First thing I did was just list ’em all out. Had to jog my memory a bit. Okay, let’s see:
- Goombario
- Kooper
- Bombette
- Parakarry
- Lady Bow
- Watt
- Sushie
- Lakilester
Yeah, that’s the whole gang from the first game. Seeing the names brought back a lot of memories of trudging through dungeons and getting into scraps.
Figuring Out What Matters
Next up, I had to decide what makes a partner ‘good’ in my book. For me, it came down to a few simple things:
- Combat Usefulness: This was the big one. How good are they at actually hurting enemies or helping Mario survive? Do they have moves that hit multiple guys, or deal big damage, or ignore defense?
- Out-of-Combat Skills: Can they help me get around? Find secrets? Some partners are needed just to get past certain spots, that counts for something.
- When You Get Them: Does the partner arrive super late when you already have a solid team? Or do they join early and stay useful?
- Just… General Feel: Sometimes a partner just clicks, right? Maybe they aren’t the strongest on paper, but they fit how I like to play.
I decided not to worry too much about personality, just pure gameplay practicality based on my playthroughs.
Making the Tiers and Ranking ‘Em
Okay, time for the actual ranking. I went with the classic S, A, B, C tiers. Simple enough. Then I started placing them, thinking back to specific moments.
Watt immediately jumped out for S tier. Seriously. That little spark ball ignores defense with her basic attack! And her Electro Dash hits everything. Plus, she lights up dark rooms. Super useful, got her reasonably early, stayed in my party a LOT. No brainer for the top spot for me.
Then I thought about Bow. Also felt like S tier. Making Mario or herself invisible is just broken sometimes, lets you skip damage entirely. Her Smack attack hits hard, especially after upgrades. She was my go-to for tough bosses where I needed to survive big hits.
Parakarry landed in A tier. His Air Lift move is essential for getting certain items, no way around it. In battle, Sky Dive hits flying enemies easily, which is pretty common. Shell Shot is decent multi-target damage too. Solid all-around, maybe not flashy, but always useful.
Bombette… hmm. I put her in A tier too, maybe high B? Her Bomb attack is strong early on, especially against grounded groups. Power Bomb hits everything. But sometimes setting her up felt a bit slow, and enemies could just move out of the way. Still, very handy for cracking walls and dealing good damage early.
Kooper ended up in B tier. His basic shell toss is okay for hitting the front guy on the ground. Power Shell hits all ground enemies, which is great early game. But flying enemies laugh at him, and his usefulness kinda drops off later compared to others. Needed for hitting switches, though, so gotta give him credit for that.
Goombario… poor guy. Started him in B, maybe nudged him down to C tier eventually. Tattle is really useful, especially first playthrough, gotta know those enemy HP stats. But his actual attacks? Headbonk is weak. Charge helps, but takes time. He just gets outclassed fast. Sorry, Goombario.
Sushie went into C tier. Yeah, you need her to swim, obviously. But in fights? Squirt is weak. Belly Flop needs timing. Tidal Wave costs a lot of FP and isn’t always amazing. I mostly just used her when the game forced me to for puzzles.
And finally, Lakilester. Also C tier. You get him SO late in the game! By then, my team was usually set. Spiny Surge hits all enemies, which is nice, but costs a lot. Cloud Nine helps dodge, but Bow does invisibility better. His main perk is riding him outside battle to avoid spikes, but that felt less essential than other field skills. He just showed up too late to the party for me.
Final Thoughts on My List
So, that’s how I landed on my list after thinking it through based on my own playtime:
- S Tier: Watt, Bow
- A Tier: Parakarry, Bombette
- B Tier: Kooper
- C Tier: Goombario, Sushie, Lakilester
Took a bit of back-and-forth, especially around that A/B tier borderline. But this feels right based on who I actually relied on when playing Paper Mario. It’s just my take, of course. Everyone plays differently, maybe you found Lakilester way more useful than I did. That’s the fun of it, really. It was cool just sitting down and thinking through my own experiences with the game like this.
