E3 2012: Paper Mario: Sticker Star is a turn-based action-RPG; coming out in time for the holidays

Nearly five years have passed since the release of Super Paper Mario for the Wii, and many of Nintendo's faithful fans have wondered where the franchise would go from there.

At E3 last night, Nintendo confirmed that the next iteration of Paper Mario will arrive on 3DS in time for the 2012 holiday season, and that it will be called Paper Mario: Sticker Star.

This turn-based action-RPG Paper Mario title relies heavily on stickers that you collect during gameplay to propel the game forward.

In combat, you will need to use the stickers to dictate commands to Mario (a 'jump' sticker is used to execute a jump attack, for instance). These stickers will also provide solutions to puzzles in the overworld in a Scribblenauts sort of way.

To jumpstart a stalled windmill, for example, you will need to place a giant fan sticker in front of the windmill blades.

Additionally, you will use stickers in the new "paperize" mode, which turns the game screen into a two-dimensional sheet of paper ripe and ready for some stickers.

By adding the correct stickers to a paperized screen, you will be able to complete quests for NPCs, and earn levels and power-ups throughout the game.

In a similar fashion to Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, Paper Mario: Sticker Star will be available during the holiday season from bricks-and-mortar retailers and as a download via the Nintendo eShop.

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