Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars was an unforgettable game with a well-done story and battle system on the Super Nintendo. SquareSoft and Nintendo really worked hard to make the game what it was; an instant classic. SquareSoft (now Square Enix) stopped supporting Nintendo during the next generation but the demand for a sequel to the hit RPG was still huge. Nintendo teamed up with Intelligent Systems—known for such GBA games as Advance Wars or Fire Emblem—to create Paper Mario. Its visuals were criticized but it later turned out to be one of the greatest games on the Nintendo 64. But to this day, gamers want the true sequel to Super Mario RPG. Could the answer be on Nintendo’s little but big-selling handheld? Nintendo has brought us Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, a visually cute game with a strange plot and great characters. The game follows in the footsteps of Paper Mario with similar visuals and combines both old and new Mario music. Superstar Saga isn’t an exact mirror though. Luigi, who was left behind in Paper Mario, is now Mario’s faithful partner. Together, they can combine their attacks to create a force that cannot be reckoned with. The game starts at the Mushroom Kingdom where Princess Peach receives some guests in her castle home. The visitors – to the naked eye – look like that of the royal heir of the Beanbean Kingdom, a land far away from the Mushroom Kingdom. The visitors weren’t part of the royal family at all, and instead of the usual kidnapping of Princess Peach, the criminals stole her voice and replaced it with explosive vocabulary. In fear, Toad went over to the Mario house and told Mario that Princess Peach is in trouble. When Mario and Luigi reached the castle, Bowser was in the middle of kidnapping Peach, but as she spoke, she caused explosions throughout the castle and the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser thought twice about kidnapping Peach, and he decided to help Mario on his quest to get her voice back. What about Luigi? Due to his unpopularity, one of the Hammer Bros. mistook him for a koopa, and he was put onto Bowser’s cruiser. You now assume the roles of Mario and Luigi simultaneously. Can you help the two find Peach’s voice and uncover the secrets in the Beanbean Kingdom? What sets the Mario RPGs apart from all others is the fact that you can jump off and about anywhere within the screen. In Superstar Saga, not only can Mario jump whenever he felt to, but so can his brother Luigi. Using the A button, Mario can perform his actions, and Luigi will assume his actions with the B button. Luigi will follow Mario at all times, but when hitting Start, Mario and Luigi will switch positions, and so will the button commands. As you progress through the game, Mario and Luigi will learn brand new abilities that will help them on their main quest, a lot like how Banjo and Kazooie learned their moves in the Banjo games. With nice Mario esque controls outside, the game also features a unique battle system. Veterans of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Paper Mario will know what the system is about. What it is is that you start out with choosing your commands, or to use an item, like any other battle system right? Wrong. Not only do Mario and Luigi rely on their level or their abilities to take down foes, but they also have to rely on the reflexes and true skill of the person playing. Finding the skill relies on mastering the timing system. The timing system is what’s made the Mario RPG games great across the years. When attacking, Mario and Luigi can press the action command right before the action made, and the end result of damage to your foe will be increased, often by double the normal attack stat. New to the timing system is timing defense. When the opponent is coming at Mario and Luigi, the two can either jump or use their hammer to defend themselves and make a counterattack. Winning a fight will give both Mario and Luigi experience points to get closer to their next level-up. When leveling up, a character’s stats will grow, and a special die will show up to add bonus stat points to the requested stat. Better yet, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga doesn’t contain any of those “Random Battles” a lot of gamers find irritating and boring. With great controls, Superstar Saga should be bound to have great visuals. Once again, the game doesn’t disappoint. It gives a vast look into what Cel-Shading can do to a GBA game. It’s no Golden Sun, but its visuals are unmatched when compared to any other game. You’ll know when to jump at certain areas, and you’ll see enemies in areas waiting to give Mario some trouble. The closest thing you can compare Superstar Saga’s visuals to is Paper Mario itself, and the game is in fact a Nintendo 64 game. The soundtrack of the game contains music from past Mario games and quite a few songs never heard before. Not many pure video game soundtracks are as catchy as Mario’s but it’s just icing on the cake when compared to the sound effects of Mario or Luigi grumbling, the sound when the two hop, or when the two plumber brothers jump. Whether you’re a Mario fan or not, you’ll grow to love the sounds of Superstar Saga. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was a real unexpected treat for the GBA this year. Whether you’re a six year old experiencing some Mario action for the first time or a Nintendo veteran who’s been behind Mario since day one. The game’s dialog is exceedingly funny and has a sense of anime-style jokes that Mario veterans are likely to understand more than any others. To top things off, Nintendo has added a feature to the game that allows the Nintendo GameCube controller can start to rumble. The resolution of the game on a TV isn’t half bad either, and it should keep Cubers without GBA’s happy to know that they can still play one of this year’s best titles on their GameCube. If you and a friend are tired with either part of the quest, this – and like all others – has the original Mario Bros. available to play on it. All in all, Mario & Luigi has superstar graphics, stellar sound, outrageous gameplay and a hilarious story. This is the true sequel to Square’s Super Mario RPG, and those words can mean a lot to loads of Mario fans.
Other Helpful Reviews for Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario has had an ongoing streak of awesome RPGs, starting at the end of the SNES' lifespan and continuing through today. Mario & Luigi is the main handheld franchise of the Mario RPGs, starting with 2003's Superstar Saga... Read Full Review
Besides Pokemon games, I never had any really good games for the Game Boy Advance. All of that changed when I got Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. It's easily my favorite game on the Game Boy Advance. I find the stor... Read Full Review
