Paper Mario World Demo from late 2001 found.

[Vitiman]

The greatest irony of Paper Mario World is that in its unique ability to stand out by a perceived lack of quality (which yes, realistically speaking, the game isn't particularly good on its own merits), it has managed to have a legacy that far outlasts the majority of weird oddball fangames that it was contemporary to. Who is talking about Dodge the Shy-Guys in 2024? How about Yoshi Gone MFGG? Games that are far more broken and unplayable than PMW but mostly blown away by the sands of time. Oh, how cruel is fate to be to our creative pursuits.

I love Paper Mario World. Nearly completely unironically. What does it even mean to like something "ironically"? Like you like it because you hate it? You hate that you like it? Nah man, I'm running the Paper Mario World fanclub. Nobody else will. I'd eat a Paper Mario World sandwich if they made one. I tried remaking it once to prove that underneath its amateurism was the potential for a fun little platforming challenge, but then I got a job and forgot about that for way too long. Oh well. Maybe one day, if the stars align.

I'm glad I wasn't the only person who noticed PMW's only record online appears to be an adjusted/updated version. This is in dire need of correction. Somebody contact Lost Media YouTubers, maybe they'll go find it for us. While you're at it, also ask them about "Mario & Luigi's Two-Man Circus". That isn't a joke. That's another real lost fangame. It sounds incredible. I give any of you permission to personally PM me a copy of that if you happen to stumble upon it. I need it so badly.