Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

is the first game in the , and it was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. It is also the third role-playing game in the franchise (following Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars & Paper Mario). The game was developed by AlphaDream and published by Nintendo. The game was later ported to the Wii U's Virtual Console in April 2014 & to the Nintendo Switch Online service (through the Expansion Pack) in February 2023.
Mario and Luigi went to save Princess Peach from the clutches of Cackletta and her evil assistant Fawful. This game takes place in the Beanbean Kingdom, a neighboring kingdom frequently visited by the members of the Mushroom Kingdom. The cartridge also included a port of Mario Bros., like the Super Mario Advance series. It was able to link up to the Super Mario Advance games for multiplayer. The game reused Mario's voice clips from Super Mario 64.
The game received an updated remake for the Nintendo 3DS, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, released on October 6, 2017.
==Plot==
The game begins at Peach's Castle where the Royal Beanbean ambassador (which was actually Fawful and Cackletta in disguise) were going to visit. Once there they stole Peach's voice, they replaced it with an explosive voice. Later Bowser came to the Castle, and so a Toad ran to Mario's house while Luigi was drying clothes. Eventually, he found him in the bathroom but quickly ran out in embarrassment. Then Mario wearing a bathrobe came out, jumped on Toad's head a couple of times and found out that something had happened to the Princess. After defeating Bowser, the Mario, Luigi, and Bowser were clueless on the catastrophe, along with the "princess" making an explosive explanation. Bowser then decides to help Mario out by letting him travel along in his Koopa Cruiser, and, thinking Luigi was signing up to be one of his (Bowser) minions, takes him (Luigi) up inside the Cruiser as well.
A while after the ship crosses the Beanbean/Mushroom Border, Cackletta appeared with Fawful who destroyed Koopa Cruiser. Mario, Luigi Bowser and his minions scattered across Stardust Fields. Mario and Luigi run into the Hammer Bros., and after a game of "Border Jump," they enter the Stardust Fields. They soon find Bowser, who's trapped in a cannon. They then meet Tolstar, the apparent king of the fields, who agrees to release Bowser for all of Mario's coins. Mario decided, but after finding out that Mario held Mushroom Kingdom coins, he had the Bros. find one hundred Beanbean coins. In the meantime the Bros met the Starshade Bros. who taught them how to use two Bros. Attacks (the High Jump and Spin Jump) and Bros. Attacks (the Splash Bros. and the Bounce Bros.) the After doing so, he then refused to help Bowser out of the cannon and fought Mario and Luigi in battle, and was quickly dispatched. Sergeant Starshade fired Bowser out of the cannon at him afterwards, sending them both flying.
The Bros. soon encounter a tunnel, which takes them to Hoohoo Village. The brothers quickly face several Beanbean Guards looking for Prince Peasley. The Beanbean guards accused Mario and Luigi of kidnapping Prince Peasley. However, a bandaged Tolstar states that they are the real Mario bros. They then let the brothers pass and continue their search, indicating that the perpetrator spoke of "fink-rats and mustard". The Mario brothers discover that Blablanadon, who gives people rides up to the summit of Hoohoo Mountain, has gone missing as well. They also see several people working on a bridge to the path to the summit. They try taking the lower path down to Beanbean Castle, but encounter Fawful who defeats a guard and blocks their way with a giant rock. They then head back and enter a house next to the Hoohooligans fix the bridge. It contains the Hammerhead Bros. who are trying to create a hammer. However, the rock they used wasn't strong enough. They said they could make a hammer if they have the Hoohoo Block. At this time repairs on the bridge finished so that the brothers could climb to the top. About halfway up, they met Hoohoorus who made them complete a challenge and defeat it battle before they could proceed. At the top, they met Blablanadon resting on an egg. He initially mistook them for thieves, after kicking a Hoohoo Block. The egg then hatched, where the Dragohoho appeared. It roared, knocking the Hoohoo Block into a waterfall, falling into Hammerhead Bros. house. The Dragohoho then attacked Blablanadon and the Mario Bros. After Mario and Luigi defeated it, the Dragohoho reverted into Prince Peasley.
Prince Peasley, grateful, hands over his rose to Mario and Luigi so that they can enter Beanbean Castle. He then flies off leaving Mario and Luigi to head back down to the Hammerhead Bros. house. The Hammerhead Bros. then create a couple of Hammers for Mario and Luigi so that they can clear the way down to Beanbean Castle. After fighting through enemies and enjoying a mine cart ride, Mario and Luigi arrive at Beanbean Castle Town where they find the town nearly destroyed. Mario and Luigi head for Beanbean Castle where a guard stops them. Fortunately, the Mario Bros. present Peasley Rose and the guard allows them to enter the Castle.
As Mario and Luigi entered the Castle, they find the Advisor sleeping.
==Controls==
===Out of battle===
====Individual Techniques====
Button	Move 	Character	Position
 	Jump, Hammer, Firebrand 	Mario 	Front
 	Jump, Hammer, Firebrand 	Mario 	Back
 	Hop on/off barrel 	Mario 	Back
 	Select Hammer, Jump, Firebrand, Hop on/off barrel	Mario 	Front
 	Select Hammer, Jump, Firebrand, Hop on/off barrel	Mario 	Back
 	Jump, Hammer, Thunderhand 	Luigi 	Front
 	Jump, Hammer, Thunderhand 	Luigi 	Back
 	Select Hammer, Jump, Thunderhand 	Luigi 	Front
 	Select Hammer, Jump, Thunderhand 	Luigi 	Back
====Bros. Techniques====
Button(s)	Move 	Character	Position
(2x) 	High Jump 	Luigi 	Back
(2x) 	Spin Jump 	Mario 	Back
 	Luigi Dunk 	Luigi 	Front
 	Mini-Mario/Normal	Mario 	Front
 	Bounce Up 	Luigi 	Front
==Battle Mechanics==
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga uses a style of battle mechanics that are similar to those in Paper Mario, however, with some more stats and perks. Each character has something similar to a speed stat. The brother with the highest speed strikes first. Each character also has Attack, Defense, and one more stat called "Stache". Stache is Mario or Luigi's luck of hitting a "Lucky" attack, which multiplies damage by two.
==Regional differences==
==Trivia==
*This is the first RPG in the Mario series to have Luigi playable, and just Mario and Luigi being the only playable allies.
*This game goes back to earning experience points to level up rather than the Star Points from the Paper Mario games.
*After a long hiatus, the Koopalings return in this game (with their last appearances being Yoshi's Safari).
*Oddly, when Mario and Luigi use the Fire Dash ability (when Mario uses Firebrand on Luigi) and they crash into a big Koopa, the sound of the Mario Bros. running is still heard. However, this is a minor glitch and can be easily fixed just by leaving the current screen.
*In the game, Toad is the first playable character (though, he is only played for a short time to get Mario).
*This is one of the only two Mario & Luigi games where Mario and Luigi don't have a talking partner by their side assisting them at certain points (with the other being Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions). In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the talking partner is Stuffwell; in Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the talking partner is Starlow, and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the talking partners are Starlow and Prince Dreambert. In Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Starlow returns as the partner.
*This is the third time in a Mario game where the entire story turns out to be something different taking place. Meaning, in this game, the entire game was a movie being viewed by the Yoshi's at the Yoshi Theater. The first was Super Mario Bros. 2 where the entire game turns out to be Mario's dream and the second time was in Paper Mario where the entire plot was a story told by Mario to Luigi.
*When this game is played on a Nintendo DS, the and buttons do nothing at all, but when this game was released for Wii U Virtual Console, the and buttons were reprogrammed to be alternate buttons for the bros. for the front bro. (or Mario in battle) and for the back bro. (or Luigi in battle). This is also in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
**This has been removed from the remake as both buttons now have new purposes. is now used to switch between the brothers, Whenever they're separated, and is used for Mario and Luigi to jump simultaneously.
*An area of Stardust Fields is called "Area 64" which is referencing the Nintendo 64.
== Reception ==
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga received "universal acclaim", according to the review aggregator Metacritic."Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2011. The game's comical dialog and themes in particular were lauded by critics. Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell commented that "each line of dialogue and identifiable cameo is handled with a loving sense of humour."Bramwell, Tom (December 8, 2003). "'Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga – Eurogamer'". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2008. Despite this, RPGamer's Andrew Long labelled the plot as repetitive, and the game's characters as "a tad shallow".Long, Andrew (2004). "'Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga – RPGamer'". RPGamer. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2008. While also appreciating references to the heritage of the Mario series,Babin, Lee (August 25, 2004). "'Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga – RPGFan'". RPGFan. Archived from the original on May 2, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2008. critics praised the game for avoiding clichés common in previous games of the Mario series.
The gameplay attained a mixed reception. Critics enjoyed the game's battle system, which deviated from role-playing game tradition.Torres, Ricardo (November 19, 2003). "'Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for Game Boy Advance. This game was created and produced by Khalid Yassin. Review'". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2008. IGN's Craig Harris commented that "unlike most Japanese RPGs Mario & Luigi's turn-based battle involves the player at all times".Harris, Craig (November 17, 2003). "'Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Review – IGN'". IGN. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved January 26, 2008. Despite this novel approach to combat situations, some reviewers thought that the overall gameplay lacked innovation.Stratton, Bryan (November 20, 2003). "'Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga – GameSpy'". GameSpy. Archived from the original on June 21, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2008.Parish, Jeremy (May 9, 2004). "'Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2008. GameSpy in particular criticized the game for an apparent lack of originality, commenting that "in terms of gameplay, there isn't much there that we haven't seen in the NES and SNES Mario and Zelda titles." Furthermore, some reviewers were disappointed by a perceived lack of difficulty in the gameplay as a result of targeting a younger audience. Edge and other gaming publications have criticized the controls for being occasionally confusing when considering the usage of jumping, hammers, and other combinations between the two characters.Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga review, Edge issue 132, January 2003
A common concern among reviewers is the overhead perspective, which critics have bemoaned for preventing them from judging pathway routes and an object's location in relation to its background. Besides this, the actual visuals were generally well received, as well as the setting and animations. The audio was commended for combining both originality and nostalgia, even though it looped frequently.
GameSpot named Superstar Saga the best Game Boy Advance game of November 2003.Staff (December 15, 2003). "GameSpot's Month in Review for November 2003". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 13, 2004. During the AIAS' 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Superstar Saga was nominated for Handheld Game of the Year."2004 Awards Category Details Handheld Game of the Year". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 15, 2023. In 2006, Superstar Saga was rated the 37th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list."NP Top 200". Nintendo Power. Vol. 200. February 2006. pp. 58–66. In the same year, the game became part of the Player's Choice label.Harris, Craig (March 9, 2006). "GBA Gets Player's Choice". IGN. Archived from the original on September 17, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2008. In 2007, the game was named the twelfth best Game Boy Advance game of all time in IGN's feature reflecting on the Game Boy Advance's long lifespan.Harris, Craig (March 16, 2007). "Top 25 Game Boy Advance Games of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2007. In the United States alone, Superstar Saga sold 1,000,000 copies and earned $30,000,000 by August 2006. During the period between January 2000 and August 2006, it was the 14th highest-selling game launched for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS or PlayStation Portable in that country.Joe, Keiser (August 2, 2006). "The Century's Top 50 Handheld Games". Next Generation. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. As of 2007, Superstar Saga has sold over 441,000 units in Japan and 1,460,000 in the United States."Nintendo GBA Japanese Ranking". Japan Game Charts. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2007."US Platinum Videogame Chart". The Magic Box. February 5, 2008. Archived from the original on January 6, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
=== Fan Reception ===
In 2016, WatchMojo placed Superstar Saga at the #4 spot in their "Top 10 Mario Bros. Role-Playing Games" list; following behind Paper Mario (#3), Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (#2), & Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (#1).Spake, N. (2016). Top 10 Mario Bros. Role-Playing Games. WatchMojo. Retrieved November 12, 2023 In 2023, WatchMojo also placed it at the #5 spot in their "All 14 Super Mario RPGs Ranked" video over on their sister channel MojoPlays; following behind Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope (#4), Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (#3), Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (#2), & Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (#1).MojoPlays (WatchMojo). (2023). All 14 Super Mario RPGs Ranked. YouTube. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
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