The game seems to be torn between wanting to please both fans of the original games, and the fans of the newer series. There are some extreme difficulty spikes at points in the game, and the game does have a few glitches (some more severe than others, look up the game breaking glitch so you don't ruin 20-30 hours of gameplay and lock yourself out of the ending).
Its a fun game that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. Its 50% RPG and 50% Adventure Puzzle Platformer. If you enjoyed the original Paper Mario games for their RPG elements, this is not the game for you. If you are interested in a puzzle platformer within the Paper Mario Universe, this is a decent entry in the franchise. Certainly better than the last several entries.