It looks like at least some of those circulating Nintendo rumors were true, as today’s Nintendo Direct indeed announced a new Paper Mario game for the Wii U. It’s called Paper Mario: Color Splash , and as you’d expect from the title, has heavy themes around pigments and art in general. Of course, this is Mario, and has the erstwhile plumber ever used the usual tool for a job? Instead of a brush, he’s gotten himself a paint hammer, and he’s going to bring the color back into our lives if he has to beat us over the head with it. So violent, Mario.
Paper Mario: Color Splash takes place in a land called Prism Island that has been drained of its color. He’ll be saving this paradise with his usual semi-turn-based combat and various paper-based tricks, as well as with a whole lot of paint. Parts of the sticker system introduced in Paper Mario: Sticker Star appear to have carried over into this game, though we don’t yet know if all Mario’s attacks will be tied to consumable stickers (please, please no). This game will be released in 2016, but no exact date has been announced.