Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga | |
|---|---|
North American box art
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| Developer(s) | AlphaDream |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Yoshihiko Maekawa |
| Producer(s) |
Shigeru Miyamoto Tetsuo Mizuno |
| Artist(s) | Toshizo Morikawa |
| Writer(s) | Hiroyuki Kubota |
| Composer(s) | Yoko Shimomura |
| Series | Mario & Luigi |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Role-playing video game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 90.66% |
| Metacritic | 90 of 100 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| EGM | 8.83 of 10 |
| Eurogamer | 9 of 10 |
| Game Informer | 9.5 of 10 |
| GameSpot | 9.2 of 10 |
| IGN | 9 of 10 |
| Nintendo Power | 4.7 of 5 |
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, known in Japan as Mario & Luigi RPG (マリオ＆ルイージRPG Mario ando Ruīji Aru Pī Jī?), is a role-playing video game developed by AlphaDream and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The game is the first in the Mario & Luigi RPG series. The game was later re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console on the Nintendo eShop in 2014.
The setting of the game begins in the Mushroom Kingdom, but progresses to the Beanbean Kingdom for the majority of the game. In the game, Mario and Luigi combat Cackletta, the primary antagonist. The quest begins when Cackletta, with the aid of her assistant Fawful, steals Princess Peach's voice after adopting the guise of an ambassador from the Beanbean Kingdom.
A role-playing game, it centers on a battle system different from that of traditional games of the genre, with emphasis on timing and more elaborate attacks. The game is whimsical in tone, with various in-game jokes and comical references to the heritage of the Mario series. Superstar Saga was generally well received by critics, and IGN named it the twelfth best Game Boy Advance game of all time in their feature reflecting on the Game Boy Advance's lifespan.
The gameplay of Mario & Luigi differs from most other role-playing games due its focus on controlling Mario and Luigi simultaneously. During overworld sections, the direction pad controls Mario's movement with Luigi following closely, while Mario and Luigi's other actions are controlled individually with the A (Mario) and B (Luigi) buttons respectively. The game begins with them being able to jump independently, though they will soon gain access to hammers and a variety of other techniques as the game progresses. For example, Luigi's hammer can be used to squash Mario into a smaller size, allowing to access small gaps, while placing Mario on Luigi's shoulders allows them to act like a propeller and hover across large gaps. Various enemies roam the overworld, and coming into contact with these enemies initiates a battle. Landing a hit on the enemy while on the overworld allows the player to deal pre-emptive damage, while the opposite is also possible.
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