Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga Review
Mario and Luigi was the third Mario RPG made, following Super Mario RPG on the SNES in 1996 and Paper Mario on the N64 in 2001. This game takes the best of both of its predecessors and turns it into one incredible game on the GBA. This is also one of the few times that Mario and Luigi team up together to take on enemies. Expect plenty of cameos from many Mario games from Luigi's Manson to the original Super Mario Brothers, and there will be plenty of humor along the way. Let's see what's here.
Story: 10/10
A great story to kick things off with this
game, and it doesn't involve Bowser trying to kidnap the princess again.
Instead it goes deeper than you think. In fact the story is actually quite
solid, and has enough plot points and plot twists to make it enjoyable.
It begins when the evil witch Cackletta of the Beanbean Kingdom pays a
visit to the Mushroom Kingdom and Miss princess Peach. At first it seems
Cackletta and her
assistant Fawful would offer Peach
a gift. Then they suddenly spray her with some sort of gas! Now her lovely
soft voice is replaced with an "Explosive" vocabulary! Now it's up to Mario
and Luigi along with Bowser (who just really wants Peach's voice back so
he can kidnap her again :P ) to save her voice and later the Beanbean Kingdom
from Cackletta's evil clutches of doom!
Graphics: 10/10
Nothing much to say here but the graphics are quite impressive! For a GBA game the areas in the game are very lush and colorful. Nothing lagging or any awful frame rates. The character sprites are well-detailed, well-colored, and quite large. Very smooth like thin ice I'll say. You can even tell a character's emotions in this game very well. The almost-anime style gave it a nice look.
Music/Sound: 10/10
The music is awesome and very catchy, and will have your feet tapping whenever you play. You'll hear plenty of new songs as well as music from the older Classic Mario games. The character voices were crisp, clear, and very funny. I personally liked Luigi's voice the best. There was nothing too special about the sound effects. Just mostly your bong, clang, and gulp, stuff you'd hear in almost every Mario game.
Difficulty: 7/10
Mario RPGs typically have never been very long nor have they been hard. They kept it the same way with this game and I really have no complaints about it. The bosses seem difficult until you learn how to dodge each of their attacks. You'll need patience to beat them though. The puzzles don't require very much thinking although there are some that will leave you stumped. This game took me 20 hours to beat. Kinda long but not very long, it's just right I think.
Controls: 8/10
The controls worked very well and I had only one problem: When you are switching commands out of battle, like from hammer to jump, it gets annoying sometimes because it's confusing which buttons to press and which character you are switching commands for, but you will eventually get used to this. Otherwise no tedious or bad gridlock control.
Gameplay: 12/10
Truly this stands out from all the rest.
The battles are just like any traditional RPG --- you take turns with your
enemies taking turns attacking, using items, or running away and gain levels
after fighting many bad guys.
In addition you can dodge your enemy's
attack, not by selecting a command, but by actually dodging it. For example,
if a Paratroopea starts flying at Mario or Luigi you can jump over it to
avoid it or on it in self-defense. You have to time the moment you push
the button with the moment the Paratroopea reappears moment it appears
on screen, or it won't work and you'll end up getting hit. Another part
of the battle system that is excellent are the Bros. Attacks. Bros. Attacks
are maneuvers that Mario and Luigi use as a team to cause more damage than
with their solo attacks alone.
Once outside the battle system there's a lot to accomplish. You must explore the land, defeat bosses at certain areas, and earn coins to buy various badges, clothes (yes I said and mean clothes), and suppliess to help. The plot does turn as you progress but that's something you're gonna find out for yourself. :)
Replayability: 5/10
Sadly it doesn't have much a replay value. There's nothing else to accomplish except to get new items, level up as high as possile, or find all the beans you can use to make new coffee drinks. Or you could challenge yourself by trying to beat the game more quickly or at a lower level.
Fun Factor!: 10/10
I really loved playing this game. I
really do. There is a lot of humor in this game, from Fawful's "Fury" rage
to
Popple's getaway saying. So if you
have a sense of humor or just need a laugh, this is a good added bonus.
OVERALL: 10/10
If you have played Super Mario RPG and/or Paper Mario, it's more than likely you'll enjoy this game. I think that old and new gamers of the Mario series will enjoy this game. In fact, I recommend you buy this game NOW! Before it's too late.
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