Adds just enough action to the console RPG format to up the fun level into the stratosphere.
The story is a variant on the typical Mario formula. Princess Peach's voice get stolen and it's up to Mario to track it down. Through a series of coincidences and bad luck, Luigi ends up tagging along rather than staying home to protect the homefront, which is apparently what he's doing in other games where he's not featured. The two character setup becomes an essential gameplay component and Mario and Luigi are much more interdependent than characters in a standard RPG party.
As the game progresses, they both obtain various and differing abilities that help them navigate various obstacles and puzzles in the overworld as well as the areas that serve as dungeons. Additional, during enemy encounters, they have a variety of "Bros. Attacks" which require both characters and can deal an extra heap of damage to various baddies.
There are no random encounters in Superstar Saga, which is especially nice when retracing your steps later in the game. Monsters are visible on the map and can generally be avoided if you want. In most games, this would leave you woefully unprepared for boss battles but encounters in Superstar Saga have an action element that lets those who wish to rush through win tough battles even if they are underleveled. Every enemy attack is avoidable by pressing the A and B buttons at the right time. This not only prevents enemy encounters from devolving into a just repeadedly-press-the-confirm-button situation towards the end of the game but really helps to avoid situations where you have to go meander around for a few hours in order to gain levels. Also, it is really just satisfying to get to a point where you can beat formerly tough opponents w/o taking a single hit-point of damage--not because you leveled up but because you got better at avoiding their attacks.
The combination of this active combat system, the mild to moderately difficult puzzles and the Mario universe never fails to charm. Superstar Saga offers around twenty hours of gameplay on the first playthrough but virtually none of it feels like padding, making it a joy to play straight the way through. The ability to beat tough baddies using special techniques rather than leveling up your characters makes this a great vehicle for speedrunners as well. From top to bottom, this is a unique and fun RPG style that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy.