Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is a role-playing game from AlphaDream, following the brothers on a journey to recover a stolen voice. The complete campaign was finished across three sessions, from the voice theft to the ten-boss gauntlet of the closing castle.
The writing and characters are the standout, with the snarky dialogue, the Fawful food metaphors and the running gag that nobody remembers Luigi’s name. The music stands out too, with the cheery tunes and the awesome boss music carrying the mood.
The enemy telegraphing is a standout, with subtle tells revealing which of two attacks is coming and making each fight fun to figure out. The bros attacks reward mastery, with advanced commands unlocking through repeated use and hammer techniques chainable for absurd damage.
The elemental hand powers double as field and battle abilities, while the ami hammer techniques open up secret routes. The set-piece variety impresses, from the Star Beans Cafe side-quest with its seven drink brews to the Winkle Colosseum.
The closing castle is the coolest dungeon, packed with ten bosses including the Koopa Kids and their individual gimmicks. The skill ceiling is high, with the game beatable without taking damage for those who master the timing.
The final boss’s second phase is the biggest gripe, with an enormous health pool and a fight that drags on far too long. The save times are slow, the tutorials repeat for each brother and the hidden blocks demand pixel-perfect positioning.
Overall, the writing, the enemy telegraphing and the bros attacks make this a fantastic little RPG. The bloated final phase and the slow save times are the caveats.