With the release ofMario & Luigi: Brothershipfor Nintendo Switch, theMario & Luigiseries may be finally making a long-deserved comeback. A lot was riding onBrothership’s release, as it not only had to revive a series that had been without an original entry for almost nine years but also needed to prove thatMario & Luigihas the potential to evolve with future entries. Luckily,Brothershipwas able to achieve this, but the question of how it compares to otherMario & Luigientries remains.
TheMario & Luigiseries is known for its unique take on the RPG genre.The best entries in the series successfully embrace a wacky, offbeat tonethat the series is known for and ensure that tone carries through in all aspects of the game. From traversal to combat to narrative, every aspect of the franchise comes together to craft a strange, albeit charming adventure that’s unlike what players would typically see in the mainlineMariotitles.
6Paper Jam Was A Huge Disappointment
AlphaDream’s Final Entry Was Wholly Unoriginal
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jamwas thedefinition of wasted potential.The idea of a crossover betweenMario & LuigiandPaper Marioopens up a huge world of interesting possibilitiesto explore. Both series are home to a range of iconic locations and characters that could have been brought together to make for a grand nostalgia-filled adventure.
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However, developer AlphaDream seemed to have other ideas. Rather than borrowing from the long history of either series,Paper Jammade players trudge through the same tired Mushroom Kingdom and its all-too-familiar range of biomeswhile fighting against the typical enemies that make up Bowser’s army. The potential for a grand story was traded in for yet another princess rescue mission like the ones that already made mainlineMariotitles feel redundant. There’s a sense thatPaper Jam’s story, a core part of both RPG series, was an afterthought, proving to be a detriment to the title’s overall quality.
Paper Mario’s unique moveset and the introduction of Trio Attacks helps to freshen up the battle system that was beginning to show its age by the fifth entry.
Paper Jamdoes make some use of the bros' new paper companion. Paper Mario’s unique moveset and the introduction of Trio Attacks helps to freshen up the battle system that was beginning to show its age by the fifth entry. Yet this still doesn’t make up for how littlePaper Jamuses the ideas at its disposal to craft something original, making foraMario & Luigientry that lacks any sense of identity.
5Partners In Time Failed To Utilize Its Time Travel Premise
The Game Made Great Use Of The New Hardware
Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time’s own unique time travel premise starts off promising. The addition of Mario and Luigi’s baby counterparts falls in line with the series' signature wackiness and off-the-wall ideas that are used to great effect in gameplay.The ability to control both pairs together or separately makes for some unique puzzle scenariosfor the player to solve, and theadditional screen provided by the DSis used to great effect. Combat is also given a fresh coat of paint, with more challenging moves to master that serve as a great shake-up to the system established inSuperstar Saga.
Partners In Time’s biggest fault also comes with the lack of an ambitious story. Once the foursome gets going with their task of collecting the shards of the Cobalt Star, the story comes to a grinding halt up until the game’s final act. What could have been a grand time-travel escapade instead becomes a simple collect-a-thon, preventingPartners In Timefrom reaching its full potential. Mario and Luigi’s interactions with their past selves are certainly highlights, butPartners in Timecan still leave a lingering feeling that it could have offered a little bit more.
4Dream Team Can Be Occasionally Frustrating
The Game’s Pacing Threatens To Ruin An Otherwise Great Adventure
In contrast toPaper JamandPartners In Time,Mario & Luigi: Dream Teammakes effective use of its unique premise. The world of Pi’illo Island is truly dreamlike, brimming with the sense of personality and charm that theMario & Luigiseries is known for. The introduction of the Dream World also came with some interesting changes to the series' core gameplay, as players are asked to experiment with Dreamy Luigi’s range of new abilities in both traversal and combat, including Luiginary Attacks that deliver devastating blows to the more vicious Dream World enemies.
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On that note,Luigi takes center stageinDream Team, a decision that makes for a better experience overall. The brother who is all too often pushed to the sideline is given multiple chances to shine, making forsome of the series' funniest and most heartwarming moments. It’s all encapsulated by a story that expertly mixes that offbeat humor with a range of memorable characters and emotional moments, making for another charming tale that onlyMario & Luigican achieve.
As great of an adventureDream Teamstrives to be, it’s ultimately brought down by some horrendous pacing.
The game’s opening hours arriving at Pi’illo Island are admittedly a drag, and from then on,the player is continuously stopped in their tracks by near-endless tutorialsor reminders of the objective that quickly become tedious.Mario & Luigiis no stranger to guiding the player through the adventure, butDream Teamtakes it to a level that almost feels condescending, threatening to ruin an otherwise great entry to the series.
3Brothership Is The Most Ambitious Entry To Date
This Game Proves The Series Still Has Places To Go
Mario & Luigi: Brothershipwasmore than a return to form, setting an ambitious path forward for theMario & Luigiseries.The latest entry doesn’t pull any punches in restoring the series' signature tropes, as players follow the brothers on a huge sea-faring adventure across the many lands of Concordia. The continent is filled with a variety of distinct locations, each filled with a range of unique landmarks and lively characters that make every area feel memorable. The thrill of the adventure is encapsulated by an engaging narrative about relationships that reflect the bond of the series' title characters.
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Boss battles in Mario & Luigi: Brothership can be a lot of fun with Luigi Logic, Bros Attacks, and Battle Plugs at the brothers' disposal.
Moreover,Brothershippushes the series by giving players more to do than previousMario & Luigientries. The addition of multiple side quests not only adds a sense of variety but also encourages the player to connect with the world of Concordia and its residents in a way that previous entries never achieved.Brothership’s more personal, emotional approach is a breath of fresh air for theMario & Luigiseries and makes up for the game’s admittedly slow pacing and lackluster battle system.
2Superstar Saga Started The Series Strong
The Original Remains One Of The Series' Best Entries
Superstar Sagaremains a prime example of the makings of a truly greatMario & Luigigame.The title introduced many of the series staples, not least of which is theseparate button commands for Mario and Luigi. Having each bro assigned to their own button forces the player to consider each character’s available actions and how they can work in tandem with each other. It results inSuperstar Sagaproviding a fresh take on both overworld traversal and turn-based RPG battles, with the addition of Bros. Attacks rewarding a player’s mastery of button commands with some powerful moves.
Mario and Luigi’s adventure through the Beanbean Kingdom is chock-full of silly and lively characters that often draw the brothers into a range of wild and hilarious scenarios.
Superstar Sagawas also responsible for the series' strange yet charming storytellingand offbeat sense of humor. Mario and Luigi’s adventure through the Beanbean Kingdom is chock-full of silly and lively characters that often draw the brothers into a range of wild and hilarious scenarios. The game is never afraid to take any opportunity to make the player laugh, givingMario & Luigithat unique identity that makes the series so beloved.
1Bowser’s Inside Story Remains The Series' Best Entry
Bowser Steals The Show In Mario & Luigi’s Greatest Outing
No other entry in theMario & Luigiseries has taken a direction as unusualBowser’s Inside Storydid. An adventure taking place primarily inside Bowser’s body hardly sounds like agreat idea for an RPG, yetBowser’s Inside Storycommits to its wacky premise, and it pays off in spades. AlphaDream takes full advantage of Mario and Luigi’s unique predicament,turning Bowser’s body into a complex mazefilled with locations modeled after certain bodily functions or organs and forming a distinct world that surpasses the creativity seen in otherMario & Luigientries.
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Of course, it’s the Koopa King himself that ends up stealing the show.Making Bowser a main playable character is another example ofBowser’s Inside Story’s major risks paying off. Bowser’s unique moveset in both traversal and combat provides a fresh experience from the typical Bros. Moves that fans are used to. Moreover, the game often asks the player to consider Bowser’s abilities and the surrounding environment to make areas accessible for Mario and Luigi, resulting in a plethora of challenging and engaging puzzles beyond what the series had shown before or since.
Bowser’s Inside Storyfollows a narrative that perfectly encapsulates the unique charm ofMario & Luigi. The brothers' quest to save the kingdom and Bowser’s revenge against Fawful are both in service of a story filled with the series' signature humor and warmth, althoughBowser’s Inside Storynever takes focus away from the unusually menacing threat. The game’s final act remains the series' most emotional climax and is proof of the love and care that went into makingBowser’s Inside Storythe bestMario & Luigigame to date.
