It’s quite rare to get insights into games that are unfinished; however, indie developer Adam Gryu, known for A Short Hike, decided to give players a glimpse into his new project, a game inspired by the classic Paper Mario. While he has put the development of the untitled Paper RPG on hold, he has made a demo available for players to try.

The idea for this project emerged after the announcement of Paper Mario Color Splash in 2016, which motivated Gryu to create something reminiscent of the older Paper Mario titles. Nonetheless, as he focused on his hit game, A Short Hike, he paused work on the Paper RPG in 2018.

In a post on Itch.io, Gryu mentioned, “After releasing A Short Hike and the subsequent updates and ports, I didn’t really want to go back to this game? The development for the RPG had become difficult, which was why I took a break from it originally. I might return to this project someday, but I’ve been busy with other work.”

Gryu shared his sentiments on the challenges encountered during the project, citing an overwhelming scope and a lack of enjoyable mechanics which contributed to his decision to step back. He expressed a desire to spark joy in his work again and hopes to keep viewers updated on his future endeavors.