GENRE
	RPG
	DEVELOPER
	Alpha Dream
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	LOCAL WIRELESS MULTI-PLAY
	No
	Wi-Fi/GLOBAL ONLINE MULTI-PLAY
	No
	MICROPHONE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time is an RPG. For those needing confirmation, a quick check of the genre label on the sidebar will confirm this fact. If that's not enough proof, a routine search of Nintendo's own website will provide further evidence. Yes, the game is definitely an RPG.

So why is it that this feels almost nothing like a traditional role-playing game? From the added platforming aspects to the insane battles to the non-traditional storyline, Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time defies genre at nearly every turn. Were it not for the more orthodox leveling-up system, the game could in theory be pigeon-holed into three or four separate categories, perhaps belonging in all of them at the same time.

So, the real question is, does this mishmash of play styles work? Anyone who's played the original Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga on the GBA already knows.. For those who haven't, the short answer is yes. The long answer follows.

visuals

The graphics in Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time are barely upgraded from its GBA predecessor, if at all, but this is in some ways welcome--it's kind of a throwback to the Mario days of yore. While most recent games featuring the plumber (and, lest we forget, his younger brother, err...what was his name, again?) use rendered or pre-rendered 3D models of the Mario characters, this game utilizes 2D sprites to animate them to life. Most old-schoolers will love this, but it's conceivable that the strict 2D style might alienate some gamers who weren't weaned on NES or SNES games.

The top screen of the DS will generally be used as a map of whatever region Mario and Luigi and their younger selves are visiting at the current time. Should the two sets of brothers need to split up, each pair will get one screen to itself. In combat, both screens are used to display the battle. Some enemies will hover in the top screen, but in general, combat takes place on the lower one.

audio

The game's sound effects are filled with traditional boingings and bonkings, and voice acting is kept to a minimum, mostly consisting of the Mario bros' pseudo-Italian gibberish and occasional short phrases. Hilariously, rather than having a female actor or actual children provide the voices of Baby Mario and Luigi, the Nintendo localization department simply had Charles Martinet perform the voices as normal, then heightened the pitch artifically, the result of which is that the babies sound like their grown-up selves on helium. This fact alone can deliver several hours' worth of belly laughs throughout the game.

Background music tends to gravitate towards traditional Mario themes with some quotes occasionally included. As in the previous title, the music can make itself a character in the game at times, especially when something pivotal is going on. One negative is that the battle music doesn't seem quite as catchy as in the original Superstar Saga. This doesn't seem like a big deal until one realizes that nearly half of the game is spent in combat.

gameplay

It has to be said first that the plot is appropriately ludricrous. The doom, gloom and angst traditionally found in RPGs would feel out of place in a Mario game, and rightly so, so the people at Alpha Dream went out of their way to turn the story in an opposite direction. The Princess is kidnapped by Shroobs, evil alien invaders, after using Dr. E. Gadd's time machine to journey into the past. There is a reasoning behind this. Always before, it has been hard to explain how Baby Mario and Baby Luigi could interact with their adult selves, as they have in a few previous games. Now that they've introduced both aliens and time travel into the mix, any other plot point will seem sane by comparison, no matter how contrived.

This logically-inconsistent team-up makes for some interesting gameplay. Each brother, baby or adult, is assigned a button (read the manual to find out which) for action throughout the quest. The button remains the same in the field and in battle. Sometimes each brother or set of brothers will have specialized actions which are needed to get around certain actions, such as Baby Luigi knocking Baby Mario underground with his hammer so a hidden switch can be reached.

This sort of teamwork is requisite for navigation throughout the game's stages. At times, the quartet of brothers will be forced to split into two duos, as mentioned above. Each team will have to help the other move along, until both can be reunited later. The level design here shows a lot of thought by the developers, and sometimes getting the four Mario bros through a level can be as challenging as any of the fights they get into.

Battles are similar to Superstar Saga, especially if only two brothers are involved. Timing is key, as in timing the button press just as an enemy in landed upon, or just as a hammer strikes. The brothers also have the chance to dodge enemy attacks. The game rejects a MP-based series of special attacks for the new items. This simplifies things a bit, as it is now perfectly clear how many of each particular attack can be executed. If all four brothers are fighting, things can get really interesting. Some attacks will take dozens of button strikes before completion. It sounds like this might complicate things, but, in fact, it turns what might have been overly-repetitive battles into complex minigames. This helps keep the player focused on the experience instead of spacing out and cycling through menus, which can happen during combat in substandard RPGs. Some battles will require a little bit of thinking as well as reflexes, such as a caterpillar-shaped foe whose drink must be laced with Poison Mushrooms (spilled by Shroob scrubs) before he can become vulnerable to damage.

Some mention also has to be given to Nintendo of America's fantastic localization, which may have even surpassed previous standards set by the department. They have taken what was undoubtedly a funny and interesting Japanese scipt and amplified it (to the EXTREME!) for American audiences. Characters do more than talk; they have their own voices which are distinct and unique, including two Hammer Brothers who are TEH ROXORZ.

Continuing a tradition for the series, the game supports Rumble Pak functionality through the DS Rumble Pak (the original supported it through the Game Boy Player). The addition of tactile feedback for the DS makes a surprising difference, and the Rumble Pak doesn't seem as noticeable (or as loud) in this game, although it may just be that prolonged exposure makes the rumbling SEEM less noisy.

multiplayer

N/A

overall

Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time defies genre in a lot of ways. This gives the game broader appeal than it might have otherwise possessed. Sure, there are a lot of in-jokes and references to earlier Mario games, but there is a lot in here for hardcore RPG fans who don't particularly like Mario, too.

It's clear that Alpha Dream focused on one aspect of DS functionality only-- the two screens. Touch control, microphone support and wireless multiplayer are all absent from the game. On the whole, it was probably better to leave them out completely rather than try to include any of those in some peripheral fashion which wouldn't have mattered and might only have served as an annoyance.

To summarize, Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time is fantastic. With an insane plot, goofy characters and some incredibly well-designed gameplay, this is a game which should be on the must-buy list of any DS owner who does not hate fun.

9.6/10