This is the game to which I've been devoting the most attention during this holiday season. Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time is the sequel to the popular GBA game, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, and although the game bears many similarities to its predecessor, it also bears many differences. For one, you now control four characters. Mario, Luigi, and their baby selves. Also, there are no Bros. Attacks or Bros. Points. So, how do battles work out? Well, instead of learning Bros. Attacks, Mario, Luigi, and the babies gain access to various items, or weapons if you prefer, that allow all four of them to attack enemies as a team. We'll get into all that more deeply later in the Review, though. So yeah, read away.
I've decided to experiment with a different scoring system. I'll use numbers instead of stars. and categories will be rated on a scale of 0 to 5. Obviosuly, the higher the number, the better.
Story: 4/5
Many have already been able to determine
that this is probably one of the darkest stories in a Mario game. What
with all the ruined towns, the Toads getting abducted by the Shroobs to
then get their lives sucked out of them... Creepy stuff. Anyway, here's
how the story goes.
Professor E. Gadd, famed inventor,
has managed to create a time machine, and overjoyed by it, Princess Peach
promptly goes to try it out, and embarks on a little trip to the Mushroom
Kingdom's past. But when the time machine returns, no Peach emerges from
it. Instead, a creepy alien comes out! Mario quickly trounces it, but Peach
is still stuck in the past with all those creepy Shroobs, who plan on taking
over the planet in order to make it their new home, so Mario and Luigi
jump into a wormhole and travel to the past in order to stop the Shroobs
and rescue the captive Princess. Eventually, they stumble upon their baby
selves, and they decide to team up in order to save Peach and the Mushroom
Kingdom. But to do that, they must first retrive the pieces of the shattered
Cobalt Star.
So yeah, the story isn't as in depth
as that of other RPGs, but it gets much more interesting later on. There
are various unexpected plot twists, and some familiar characters manage
to blend in well with the story. I docked a point because Aplhadream just
didn't dwell to deeply on the whole time travel thing, since most of the
game takes place in the past. You only go to the present in order to travel
to different sectors of the past. And why can't we go the future? Some
time machine E. Gadd built.
Graphics: 5/5
Nothing much has changed here. The
graphics are very similar to those of Superstar Saga, but there are some
improvements. The backgrounds are much more colorful, and the character
designs have changed. I especially loved what they did with Peach's design,
'cause she looked pretty ugly in Superstar Saga... Other aspects, such
as background details and shading, were very nicely done. They're still
very cartoonish, but that's good considering that this is a Mario game.
Overall, the graphics are a very nice thing to look at.
Sound/Music: 4/5
Most of the background music consists
of remixed tunes from classic Mario games, so it's something that any classic
Mario fan will enjoy. I really loved the boss music, and the remixed Yoshi's
Island theme is very nice. I'm also quite fond of Baby Bowser's theme.
It fits him perfectly, in my opinion. Sure, it's cheerful, but it also
shows that he's up to something. Anyway, I had to take away a point because
of the sound. The babies' crying is pretty painful to listen to, especially
Baby Peach's. And since Baby Luigi's a crybaby, you'll have to deal with
his constant tears.
Controls: 2/5
I'm already at the final boss, and
I still get confused with the controls. Each character uses his own button,
and it can be pretty difficult to remember that you have to use X and Y
for the babies. Also, during battles, you have to do all these button combinations
just to do something as simple as a jump or a hammer whack. I like how
the babies can help out during battles, but still... Also, there's the
Bros. Items. You're gonna have to practice with most of them quite a lot
before you can get the hang of them, especially since they use all four
of the buttons.
Characters: 3/5
I think that Alphadream relied a little
bit too much on the Shroobs in this category. Sure, you do get to see some
familiar faces, such as Kamek (I thank you deeply for squeezing him in)
and Petey, but that's about it. Most of the new faces are Shroobs, and
we never learn much about them either. Oh yeah, there are Pidgits. Um,
yay. So, here's a list of all the important characters.
Mario and Luigi: If you don't know
who these guys are, then stop living under a rock! Well, ok. Mario and
Lugi have the honor of being the first (and probably last) stached plumbers
to ever star in an RPG. This time, they're teaming up again in order to
defeat the Shroobs and save the kingdom.
Baby Mario and Baby Luigi: These are
Mario and Luigi as infants. They were visiting the castle in order to play
with Baby Peach, who was longing for playmates, but Baby Bowser and the
Shroobs had to ruin all the fun.
Baby Bowser: Bowser as a spoiled and
evil little child. Baby Bowser squares off with Baby Mario while trying
to kidnap Baby Peach, but he then helps them escape from the Shroobs. He
won't be your ally for long, though.
Peach: The princess of the Mushroom
Kingdom. She was on a time traveling trip to Mushroom Kingdom's past, but
got captured by the Shroobs. You also meet her baby self, who happens to
be a tantrummy crybaby.
Toadsworth: The minister of Princess
Peach's castle. He's a total worrywart, and is really protective of the
princess. You get to meet a younger Toadsworth as well, who's just as protective,
but a bit more laid back.
Professor E. Gadd: The wacky inventor
who built FLUDD, the Poltergust 3000, and the Magic Paintbrush. His new
device is the time machine. It was destoyed, but it managed to flood Peach's
castle with time holes.
Kylie Koopa: An ace reporter trying
to get the scoop on the Shroobs. She's the recurring character of the game,
so you'll meet her at various times. She'll give you helpful info on the
Shroobs.
Stuffwell: A suitcase made by E. Gadd.
Stuffwell is a bit different from most suitcases, though. He can walk and
talk, and he's pretty smart too. He's a bit annoying though, since he's
constantly teaching you stuff that you could've figured out by yourself.
Shroobs: An evil alien entity that
have invaded the Mushroom Kingdom in order to claim it as their new home.
They have taken over most of the Mushroom Kingdom's past, and they also
have a robust leader, Princess Shroob.
Bosses: 3/5
Kinda like with the characters, Alphadream
relied too much on the Shroobs for this category. Like, 98% of the bosses
are Shroobs, so the bosses aren't as exciting, although I did enjoy some
of them, like the 1337 speaking Hammer Bros. I also loved how Kamek was
a boss. And I've gotta hand it to them, they made the boss battles pretty
creative. For instance, there's this one boss battle in which you must
free Yoshis from eggs so that they may push a rolling stone toward the
boss, then you can attack its weakspot. But still, we never learn anything
about the bosses, and most of them don't even talk. The ones who talk,
though, speak in the alien tongue.
Battle System: 4/5
This is a great improvement from the
Superstar Saga battle system, since it's no longer all about Bros. Attacks
and dodging. Back in Superstar Saga, each Bro learned, like, four Bros.
Attacks, and that was it. For the remainder of the game, you had to use
the same attacks over and over. But now, you use Bros. Items instead. These
are much more fun than Bros. Attacks, but it can still be pretty hard to
master them since you have to use all four buttons, and most of them don't
follow any order. Also, the babies can cooperate in battles as well.
Bros. Items: 4/5
Instead of Bros. Attacks, you get Bros.
Items. Yay! Bros Items are like Bros Attacks, but they don't involve Mario
and Luigi spinning around in midair or batting themselves with hammers.
Instead, they use classic Mario items and enemies as weapons. Pretty cool,
eh? These items include Shells, Fire Flowers, and some classics, like the
trampoline from Super Mario Bros. I really like the Copy Flowers, which
create a horde of Mario/Baby Mario and Luigi/Baby Luigi clones. Then, you
can repeatedly pounce on opponents. What I don't like about them, though,
is that it's all about pressing A, B, X, and Y over and over, which can
result in pain for your blisters.
Length: 1/5
This is probably the only bad point
of the game. Sure, the areas are really long, but how many areas are there?
Not many at all. You can easily beat this game in no more than four days.
I myself got to the final boss in three days.
Fun Factor!: 5/5
This is a very fun game that any Mario
or lighthearted RPG fan can enjoy. Even someone who's more into Final Fantasy
or the Tales Of series can enjoy this, since it's not all about the jokes
and puns. It may be short, but it's still a fun a game that can brighten
up a boring day.
Replayability: 4/5
Once you beat the game, there really
won't be much to do, other than collecting beans and badges/clothing. Regardless,
this is definitely a game that you'll want to give a second go after beating
it, even if you have to go through those annoying tutorials again.
Recommendation:
As I said before, this is a fun little
game that almost anyone can enjoy. Sure, the game is humorous and lighthearted
compared to other more serious RPGs, but it's not all crude humor. Pretty
much anyone who enjoys Mario games and RPGs should try this out.
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