Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time review

Game_Name: Mario and Luigi: Partnets in Time
Platform: Nintendo DS
Developer: AlphaDream
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Action RPG
ESRB Rating: E
GamePlay Rating: 9
Graphics Rating: 8
Replayability Rating: 7

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Twice the Mario Bros equals twice the fun in this sequel to 2003’s Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. The dual screen title Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time sends the plumbers duo on a trip through time itself where they meet up with their younger selves. Italian quartet anyone?

The Low Down

The game opens on an odd looking mushroom shaped planet. A creepy alien race has been looking for a new home and they have their sights set on the Mushroom Kingdom. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi arrive at Peach’s castle for a play session with the baby princess. Everything seems to be going normal until the Bros find that Peach is nowhere to be seen, several palace guards have been attacked, and Toadsworth says “Hullabaloo.” Suddenly, Prince Bowser drops from the sky, Peach in tow, and announces his plans to kidnap the princess. As always, the Bros quickly save the day and order is momentarily restored in the mushroom kingdom. Suddenly, out of nowhere (well the sky, I would guess), UFOs surround the castle and open fire! Cut to the present! Professor E. Gadd (from Luigi’s Mansion fame) has invented a time machine powered by the mystical Cobalt Star! The Princess loves it so much that she quickly commandeers it and whisks away to visit the Mushroom Kingdom in the past. Toadsworth faints. A doctor actually says “The Prognosis is grim.” I crack up! After a little tutorial scenario where you fetch a refresheroom for Toadsworth, the time machine returns, full of cracks and looking more-or-less completely and utterly broken. Toadsworth leaps out of bed and is ready to greet the Princess with open arms when a giant alien creature pops out of the time machine. After Mario defeats the creature, the professor uses his DS Time Radar to figure out that the Princess is trapped in the past. With the time machine out of commission, it seems that all hope is lost, until a mysterious portal opens up in the castle garden. Using his knowledge of science, Professor E. Gadd declares “IT’S A TIME HOLE!” He explains that it leads to the past, and without further ado, Mario and Luigi jump in with hope rescuing the princess. Along they way, they encounter several famous Mario characters, including baby versions of themselves. Now, I realize that that intro was long, but I wanted to properly clarify the time, care, and utter insanity that went into Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time to help you understand what a beautiful creation this game is.

Gameplay

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time would fall under the category of action RPG. It seamlessly blends RPG elements such as EXP points and turn-based battles into a wonderfully constructed platformer. Developers Alpha Dream and Nintendo have also found ingenious ways to incorporate traditional Mario Bros elements into an incredibly fresh adventure without making them seem stale or tacked on. For example, when you jump on an enemy’s head, a staple of all Mario games, you get a free hit in the opening of the battle. Also, when battling enemies, you’ll use famous weapons such as turtle shells and fire plants, as well as hammers from the hammer bros. The controls for Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time are simple. Each face button is assigned to make a specific individual jump. When baby Mario and Baby Luigi join your party, you’ll utilize all four face buttons. In battle, the controls are the same, with an emphasis on timing.

Visuals and Audio

The Low Down

The game opens on an odd looking mushroom shaped planet. A creepy alien race has been looking for a new home and they have their sights set on the Mushroom Kingdom.

Baby Mario and Baby Luigi arrive at Peach’s castle for a play session with the baby princess. Everything seems to be going normal until the Bros find that Peach is nowhere to be seen, several palace guards have been attacked, and Toadsworth says “Hullabaloo.” Suddenly, Prince Bowser drops from the sky, Peach in tow, and announces his plans to kidnap the princess. As always, the Bros quickly save the day and order is momentarily restored in the mushroom kingdom. Suddenly, out of nowhere (well the sky, I would guess), UFOs surround the castle and open fire!

Cut to the present! Professor E. Gadd (from Luigi’s Mansion fame) has invented a time machine powered by the mystical Cobalt Star! The Princess loves it so much that she quickly commandeers it and whisks away to visit the Mushroom Kingdom in the past. Toadsworth faints. A doctor actually says “The Prognosis is grim.” I crack up!

After a little tutorial scenario where you fetch a refresheroom for Toadsworth, the time machine returns, full of cracks and looking more-or-less completely and utterly broken. Toadsworth leaps out of bed and is ready to greet the Princess with open arms when a giant alien creature pops out of the time machine. After Mario defeats the creature, the professor uses his DS Time Radar to figure out that the Princess is trapped in the past. With the time machine out of commission, it seems that all hope is lost, until a mysterious portal opens up in the castle garden. Using his knowledge of science, Professor E. Gadd declares “IT’S A TIME HOLE!” He explains that it leads to the past, and without further ado, Mario and Luigi jump in with hope rescuing the princess. Along they way, they encounter several famous Mario characters, including baby versions of themselves.

Now, I realize that that intro was long, but I wanted to properly clarify the time, care, and utter insanity that went into Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time to help you understand what a beautiful creation this game is.

Gameplay

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time would fall under the category of action RPG. It seamlessly blends RPG elements such as EXP points and turn-based battles into a wonderfully constructed platformer. Developers Alpha Dream and Nintendo have also found ingenious ways to incorporate traditional Mario Bros elements into an incredibly fresh adventure without making them seem stale or tacked on. For example, when you jump on an enemy’s head, a staple of all Mario games, you get a free hit in the opening of the battle. Also, when battling enemies, you’ll use famous weapons such as turtle shells and fire plants, as well as hammers from the hammer bros.

The controls for Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time are simple. Each face button is assigned to make a specific individual jump. When baby Mario and Baby Luigi join your party, you’ll utilize all four face buttons. In battle, the controls are the same, with an emphasis on timing.

Visuals and Audio

The visual style of Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time is very similar to that used in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga. It has a very cartoon style that looks beautiful on the DS. The dual screen is used wonderfully, whether it's showing a layout of the area you're currently in, or merely an extension of the bottom screen. The sound is used wonderfully, especially all bits of dialogue spoken by the brothers.

Wrap-up

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time isn’t just one of the best games of 2005, it’s one of the best games for the Nintendo DS, period. It’s a thoroughly satisfying adventure as well as one of the most hilarious games you’re likely to see. Whatever genre you prefer, I can’t think of any gamer that wouldn’t benefit from adding this to his or her collection. This is Nintendo at it’s finest.