# Paper Cut

> A native port of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door built from its decompilation, with online co-op, versus battles and a randomizer, from your own disc.

Web page: https://emulationking.com/nintendo/gamecube/games/papermariothethousandyeardoor/ports/papercut/
Page updated: 2026-11-07

- Developer: LLCOOLT
- Port type: Decompilation (The game's code was rewritten by hand as source code that builds back into the same game, then made to run natively on PC.)
- Game: [Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door](https://emulationking.com/nintendo/gamecube/games/papermariothethousandyeardoor/index.md)
- AI use: AI-assisted. An AI coding tool is credited as co-author on 38 of the repository's 38 commits.
- Source code: /opt/buildhome/repo/content/nintendo/gamecube/games/papermariothethousandyeardoor/ports/papercut/index.md
- Runs on: Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS

What you need: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for the GameCube as an `.iso`, `.rvz` or `.gcm` image made from your own disc: the US (G8ME01), Japanese (G8MJ01) or European (G8MP01) release. The computer builds play any of the three; the Android and iOS apps each play one, so pick the one for your disc. Windows 10 or 11 (x64), macOS on Apple silicon, Linux x86-64 with glibc 2.39 or newer (Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40, Debian 13 and later), Android on 64-bit ARM, or iOS and iPadOS with a sideloading tool.

Paper Cut is a native port of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The game's code is C from LLCOOLT's decompilation of the GameCube release, and the console underneath it (graphics, sound, controllers, disc and memory card) is replaced by the Aurora platform layer, which draws through WebGPU and SDL3, so no emulator is involved. It plays the US, Japanese and European releases and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

The port goes well beyond the original. A second player can control the partner in the field and in battle, at home or online with a room code, players three and four take the follower and companions, and Brothers mode adds Luigi as a second hero. Versus battles put Mario's side against Luigi's on the game's own stages, against a friend or a computer opponent, and a title menu of modes covers a quiz party, a boss rush, battle puzzles, an action-command dojo and more without touching a save file. Luigi, Peach or Bowser can stand in for Mario through the whole story, and there is an item randomizer with an open-world mode, Archipelago multiworld support, Master Quest and a Director's Cut of content the game left out.

The picture fits 4:3, 16:9, 16:10, 21:9 or 32:9 screens with the HUD placed to suit, and at 120 Hz and above frames are drawn between the game's own 60 while the game keeps its original speed. A Wardrobe recolours Mario and his partners, texture upscaling and Dolphin texture packs are supported, and the settings live in the game's own Start menu. Paper Cut contains no game data and reads everything from the player's own disc image.

## How to set it up

1. Download the build for your system and unpack the zip to a folder of its own. On Linux, the AppImage runs once it is allowed to run as a program.
2. Windows SmartScreen warns the first time because the program isn't signed: choose More info, then Run anyway. On macOS, try to open it once, then use Open Anyway under System Settings > Privacy & Security.
3. On a phone, install the APK or IPA for your disc's region. The iOS app is unsigned and needs AltStore, SideStore or Sideloadly to install.
4. Start Paper Cut and add your disc image in its launcher, then choose the disc to play. Options are in the game's own Start menu.

## Latest builds

Download these from the web page: https://emulationking.com/nintendo/gamecube/games/papermariothethousandyeardoor/ports/papercut/#download

- for Windows: 0.4.1 (2026-11-07)
- for Linux (AppImage): 0.4.1 (2026-11-07)
- for Android (Japanese disc): 0.4.1 (2026-11-07)
- for Android (European disc): 0.4.1 (2026-11-07)
- for Android (US disc): 0.4.1 (2026-11-07)
- for iOS, unsigned (Japanese disc): 0.4.1 (2026-11-07)
- for iOS, unsigned (European disc): 0.4.1 (2026-11-07)
- for iOS, unsigned (US disc): 0.4.1 (2026-11-07)
- for macOS (Apple silicon): 0.4.1 (2026-11-07)