I'm sure that my loyal readers (all three of you) who saw this game in the stores knew it was destined to enter my library. How many Mario games have I reviewed over the years? I think I've lost count. In particular, I've lauded the RPG-style Mario games, including Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES and Paper Mario for the N64. The traditional Mario platformers always have timeless appeal, but there's an extra special something about the Mario RPGs. Apparently many gamers agree, since Nintendo has bestowed M&L upon us. An once again, it has that little extra magic.
My chief issue with the previous Mario RPG titles was the lack of Luigi. Since the dawn of Nintendo, fans have watched Mario's little brother get shoved further and further into the dark corner while Mario himself has garnered a bigger and bigger share of the limelight. But finally, finally, Luigi is a main player in a Mario RPG! It's like a dream come true! The two brothers get more or less equal billing this time around and must cooperate in order to explore the Beanbean Kingdom (neighbor of the Mushroom Kingdom) and defeat the evil Cackletta.
What makes this game really sparkle is the humor. Some of it is a bit too silly at times, but all the jokes and pratfalls are sure to make you smile even after several plays. One of the running gags was people referring to Luigi as "Mr. Green," which seems fitting given how little of Luigi we've seen over the years--no wonder no one recognizes him! Old friends like Bowser, Peach, Toadsworth and Professor E. Gadd make several appearances, and a number of new characters are introduced, many of whom will surely enter the Mario Hall of Fame someday. Cackletta's sidekick Fawful is probably the best new character. His odd phrases and shouts of "I HAVE FURY!" will definitely be quoted by fans for years to come. And after all these years, Mario finally eats a bad mushroom! We all knew his eating habits would catch up with him eventually...
The battle engine is unique. While it still has many of the elements of the classic Mario RPGs, such as timed hits, it stands out as a truly new innovation thanks to the ability to control both brothers at the same time. The fights are basically turn-based, but when an enemy attacks, the brothers have the ability to dodge and even counter-attack if you time the button presses correctly. And instead of "magic," you have Bros. Attacks where Mario and Luigi team up to inflict extra damage. The whole system is incredibly well done and Alpha Dream deserves all the praise it can get for developing and executing the concept.
Graphics and sound are both perfect. The world is pretty and full of bright color and sharp, clean images with smooth animations. The music is somewhat repetative but not annoying, and the sound effects are all good, many of them classic bleeps and noises from various old-school Mario games. Bowser's growls and the brothers' mumblings to each other are particularly amusing. You'll want to keep the volume on your Gameboy turned up.
Really, it's hard to find anything wrong with this game. It's a bit on the short side (roughly 20 hours or so) and it's not spectacularly challenging, but it is great fun to play and very addicting. The only disappointment I had with it was the ending sequence--it was basically just a rolling of the credits and that definitely felt cheap after all the work it took to get to the end! But overall, that's a minor flaw in an otherwise amazing game. Long live Mario and Luigi, the eternal Superstars of Nintendo!