Mario X Luigi

If there’s one Mario sub-franchise that’s remained elusive, it’s the Mario and Luigi games. I’d played the Paper Mario games plenty growing up, and I’d tried bits of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, but the Mario and Luigi games…not so much. I knew they existed, and had several entries, but they never interested me. So when it was announced that the Switch was getting an entry with Mario and Luigi: Brothership, I decided to go with the most-accessible title: the original via Nintendo Switch Online. And now, two weeks later, I have some thoughts.

I should mention that the above paragraph has a caveat: I’d briefly played Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga as a teenager. My cousin let me borrow it around the time he purchased a DS Lite, and I was curious what made the game so beloved. I wasn’t impressed. Perhaps it was coordinating two characters’ movements, or the “shameless” callbacks to the Paper Mario games, but I got nowhere before calling it quits. So it’s possible my adult play-through was partly coloured by that.

The premise is that Princess Peach’s voice is stolen by Cackletta and her minion Fawful. The two plan to use it to wake a super-weapon and conquer Beanbean Kingdom. Since Mario and Luigi are aware of the implications, they team up with Bowser and travel to The Beanbean Kingdom. Along the way, they find a world filled with enemies and characters, leading to hilarious hijinks. They also learn that their special bond is needed to fight Cackletta.

This game presented me with a challenge I’d never faced in a Mario RPG: synchronized movement. I’ve made no secret that I’m terrible at video games, and that I despise games that make me feel like I’m doing homework, and this is proof of both. I’m chronically uncoordinated thanks to my learning disabilities, so playing this game tested my limits. It’s bad enough that Mario and Luigi have to work in tandem without being tethered on and off the battlefield. This goes double for avoiding enemy attacks.

I can’t begin to describe how many times I got stuck on a fight, particularly a boss, because of this. It might come easily for some to remember that Mario’s mapped to the A button and Luigi the B button, but I’m not that skilled. I frequently forgot who was who because my brain’s used to a full range of control mapped to one character at a time, and I kept getting punished for that. Yet it kept happening again…and again…and again, such that I frequently rage-quit the game. This was especially true of the final boss, Bowletta, whose second form is a nightmare. Bowletta’s underling, Fawful, might’ve been more irritating, but Bowletta’s final form tired me out.

I feel like I’m being unfair to this game. Ignoring my gripes, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga isn’t bad. It’s actually good! And it has elements and moments that are fantastic! Even the timed mini-games, which’d normally be frustrating, are eased by being re-playable with little to no consequence. Factor in how easy it is to level grind, as well as the rhythm I occasionally fell into, and I could see why this game has a fan-following. It helps that the writing and characters are expressive and funny.

I guess my frustrations are personal. But that’s not to detract from this game at all! It simply means it’s not really for me, and that’s okay. There are plenty of more coordinated gamers who’d get a kick playing this series, and I’m not judging anyone. But I’m not one of them, despite enjoying the experience.

Ultimately, the question of whether or not this game warrants praise is moot: of course it does…assuming you don’t mind the coordination aspect, that is. Putting that aside, this was an interesting RPG that took a little over 40 hours to beat. It’s not time that I regret either, even if I’d have preferred a shorter experience. But as far as this franchise goes, I think this first entry is enough. Unless Mario and Luigi: Brothership tweaks the mechanics or streamlines them, I don’t see myself purchasing it in the near future. Sorry.

*****

It’s been a while since I’ve written something, hasn’t it? My archive shows August 4th as my last Post, and that’s over 2 weeks ago! The obvious reason for that is…see above. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have ideas for pieces, because I do! I simply have to play catchup with an algorithm that doesn’t favour my mental health, as well as a hustle and bustle culture that loses interest when you’re not productive.

Irrespective of the reasoning for why I haven’t written in a while, I’m glad to announce I’m still alive and ready to make up for lost time. I owe it to myself. As always, I’ll see you all next time! And remember to check this game out yourselves, as you might disagree with my assessment!