The series has received positive reviews, being praised for its paper-inspired aesthetic, writing, and characters, but changes to gameplay, such as in combat, received mixed reception. The original Paper Mario games are role-playing games, though installments in the series since Sticker Star also incorporate action-adventure elements. The Paper Mario series is developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, the first game being Paper Mario which was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. The two primary sub-series, Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi, follow conventions established in the original game. The first role-playing game in the franchise, Super Mario RPG (1996), was developed by Square for the Super NES. All games feature Mario as the protagonist, who is often accompanied by one or more playable characters, with the goal of defeating the main antagonist, primarily Bowser. The Mario franchise, which originated as a series of platform games, has inspired a variety of role-playing video games released on multiple Nintendo video game consoles. From top to bottom: The Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi and Mario + Rabbids series logos, and the logo header of Super Mario RPG
