This light, funny, and charming RPG will be sure to keep you entertained to the end of it's long-lasting story.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is the greatest GBA game to date. There's never a dull moment to be found in the game, and it's carefree charm help to bring out the Mario Bros. in the perfect way. It's a true gem of a game, and shouldn't be overlooked by anyone.
Gameplay:
This game takes many elements from Paper Mario, but is certainly not a sequel. Unlike Paper Mario, this is an overhead RPG. As you would expect from a game of this type, the control is superb with virtually no problems. The gameplay consists of exploring environments, visiting towns, going through dungeons, and most of the classic RPG elements you’d expect to see. Although this game follows in the footsteps of basic overhead RPGs, its interesting gameplay quirks and it's taking random battles out sets it apart from others.
Possibly it's biggest unuiqe point is something Paper Mario started, but this game perfected. The freedom of movement. Instead of moving around the world only being able to run around and examine things, Mario & Luigi let's you do many moves to use. You can do various jumps, swing your hammer, and more! This adds an infinite amount of gameplay onto the game, and is just another one of those points setting it apart as an RPG.
If you play through RPGs and get tired of every 10 seconds of story being matched by 2 hours of dungeon-crawling, don’t worry about this one. The dungeons are fairly short, and the excellent combat system and unuiqe puzzles keep them going at a pretty good pace. The stat system in this game is fairly basic, but works for the game. The skills that the Mario Bros.can have consist of Power, Speed, ‘Stache (Luck), Health, and Bros. Points. You can increase these stats by fighting battles, or getting items, such as various coffee blends from Starbeans, which includes a hilarious cameo. The battling system is unique from most RPGs, for it's added in a more interactive element. When you use your moves, such as jumping on an enemy, if you press a certain button at the right time, it will deal much more damage. That keeps the combat different from just selecting moves and watching the battle play out.
The towns are not centered around talking to people and doing side-quests. Instead, towns are mainly about visiting the various stores for upgrades and items. Items range from mushrooms to peppers, all varying in many effects. The upgrades on the other hand, are a little more interesting. You can get clothes and badges. The clothes normally boost your health and defense, while badges focus on power and Bros. Points. Each Mario Bro. can equip one badge and have one pair of clothes on at a time. Some of the badges and clothes even have unique effects, such as one lets one of the bros. jump on spiky enemies without getting hurt by the spikes. They work much like weapons and armor in most RPGs, but yet again, are a little more unuiqe. As for the difficulty, this game has very hard bosses. Other then that, the difficulty is just right, but the final boss is too hard. I just can’t seem to beat it. But even having said all this, the gameplay is so spectacular that my rundown doesn’t do it justice. If you want the full experience, you’ll have to see it yourself.
Graphics:
The graphics are superb in this game. They have a light and bright cartoon-like appearance to them that really helps the mood of the game. With virtually no flaws, these are some of the best GBA graphics I've ever seen. Mario and Luigi have a certain 3D appearance about them, and they have a perfect feel of lighthearted fun. The only problem is that sometimes they can get slightly tiring, but other then that minor flaw they’re great.
Sound:
The music in this game is amazing. It's bouncy and upbeat style defines the game. Especially the battle music, I love that song. It has a good amount of remixes, but adds in many of it’s own tunes. The sound effects include the classic Mario jumping sound, getting coins, and also has a host of new ones that are great. Some of the especially good sounds are the voice snippets from Mario and Luigi. Throughout the cutscenes, they use a handful of voice snippets and animations, and seeing them using these few actions in lots of different ways makes the cutscenes a lot funnier. The sound in this game is, yet again, a perfect fit.
Value:
This game is long. You think it’s going to end, but then it goes on much longer. Plus, there are so many clothes and badges to obtain, the game goes on for a very long time. (And if you like hard bosses, then you’ll like the final boss, because it’s HARD.) Even with the long length, this is one of those game you wish you had more of. Luckily the sequel is out on the DS, so you’ll soon be able to get more. (Although I haven't played the sequel yet, I will soon. But I can't recommend it as of now.) But in the end, for the low price it’s going for now, it’s definitely worth buying it.
Outro:
Well, that’s the rundown of my favorite GBA game. You might be wondering why I mentioned virtually no flaws. That's because, other than the slightly bland graphics and hard bosses, this game has no flaws. As I said before, you should definitely buy this game, for all of the replay, fun, and amazing times you’ll have playing it.