Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

One button for each brother

Controlling each brother with a separate button gives the partnership a physical presence. A shared leap across a gap and a coordinated attack ask for related kinds of attention, so the battles feel connected to moving around the Beanbean Kingdom. Enemy wind-ups matter because a well-timed response can avoid damage and sometimes return it. The comedy depends heavily on poses, pauses and the brothers reacting differently to the same indignity. Some tasks interrupt the momentum, but the expressive animation makes spending time with this pair a substantial part of the reward.

Practise the basic timing of each brother’s attacks before spending resources on complicated moves. Watch which character an enemy is targeting. In exploration, allow space for the second brother’s jump instead of treating the pair as one sprite.

AlphaDream’s partnership

AlphaDream’s first Mario & Luigi RPG arrived on GBA in 2003. Assigning a button to each brother makes cooperation something the player performs, joining the battle system to the pair’s movement and comedy. The 2017 Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions adaptation revisits the adventure with changed presentation and an additional campaign.