Mario & Luigi: Bananas Split

Mario & Luigi: Bananas Split is the sixth entry in the Mario & Luigi series (eighth if remakes are counted), developed by Lone Planet and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DSGo, and is also the first game in the series to be in full 3D, as opposed to sprites. It is a crossover with the Donkey Kong franchise, and as such contains characters and elements from that series, most notably the introduction of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong as playable characters, with gameplay often swapping between the Kongs and the Mario Bros., with each duo having their own skillsets.
==Story==
===Introduction===
The game's story begins with a cutscene depicting an island with a large watermelon-shaped volcano, labeled as "Isle Fructus". The camera then zooms in on a town which looks to be burning, with boar-like individuals ransacking it and taking the goods within. Strangely, Starlow can be seen flying out of the town, across the street, as the boar-like individuals chase after her. While they try to go after her as well, she ends up picking up speed and flying along the ocean, the boars watching from the coast. A voice can then be heard ordering for them to transport the Star Spirits to Mt. Lavamelton.
The camera then cuts to Mario and Luigi in their house, playing Super Smash Bros Ultimate on a Nintendo Switch. Mario, playing as himself, KOs Luigi as he hits the screen: right as Starlow hits the window of the house. The brothers, in shock, run outside to Starlow, who looks visibly injured and exhausted. She tells them that she barely escaped from Sprite Village on Isle Fructus due to the sudden attack on it. Believing that the Mario brothers can help her, Starlow asks them to come to the island with her. While Mario nods, Luigi seems visibly nervous about it, with Starlow glaring at him. He then nods and laughs nervously as the trio proceed onwards.
On the way to Toad Town's harbor, where they'll be taking a boat, a duo of Goombas ambush Mario, Luigi, and Starlow, with Starlow treating it as an opportunity to give the Bros. a refresher on battles (or get straight to combat if the player already knows how to fight). After the Goombas are defeated, the trio continue along their merry way as the camera pans over to Bowser, who's in his Koopa Clown Car, and Kamek next to him on his broom. Bowser pounds his fist on the edge of the clown car in anger as Kamek tells him that he can simply follow the trio to where they're headed. Bowser responds by saying Kamek always thinks of the best ideas, and returns to his castle to prepare his troops for battle.
The Mario Bros. are given some time to wander around the harbor and speak with the Toads there, before the boat to Isle Fructus is ready. On the way, the trio can see a helicopter in the distance, with Starlow wondering what's going on. At that point, the camera shifts to a view of the helicopter, now identified as the Flying Krock, where Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong are confronting King K. Rool. K. Rool comments that they've impressively made it far, but he'll be sure to defeat them this time. A battle then breaks out between the Kongs and K. Rool. Despite the Kongs defeating K. Rool however, he laughs and tells them that he's packed more in his arsenal this time than his crown. Pulling out his blunderbuss, he sucks in the Kongs despite their best efforts to run away, before spitting them out across the ocean. He then chuckles before motioning for General Klump, who's just arrived on-deck, to bring the ship to the nearest island and ensure that the Kongs didn't survive.
Mario and Luigi eventually arrive in Pear Port on Isle Fructus, finding themselves within the harbor town. However, two of the porcine beings from the beginning can be seen harassing a Toad shopkeeper, with the Bros. springing into action almost instantaneously. After defeating the duo, they begin to retreat out of town, into the nearby Appol Jungle.
As the Bros. chase their porcine foes into the jungle, Luigi ends up tripping on a vine, which ends up snapping a chain of vines that awaken the knocked-out Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, who are in an isolated area of the jungle away from the plumbers. Exploring the area around them, they end up finding that the foes the Bros. were chasing had come their way, and are harassing a parrot who gave away their location. A battle quickly breaks out, with the Kongs winning and chasing away their enemies. Squawks, impressed and also recognizing them from their previous adventures, joins the Kongs and suggests that they pay a visit to the Bananabana Ruins north of the jungle.
Gameplay Note: From this point on, the Bros. and Kongs can be freely controlled separately from each other. However, the group which needs to be controlled to progress the story is marked as such on their screen via a simple ! icon. For example, at this point, the top screen (which has the Mario Bros.) is marked as such.
===Embarking on a Journey===
Meanwhile, Mario, Luigi, and Starlow have lost sight of their enemies, unaware that the Kongs had taken them out already. However, they did end up stumbling across a temple shaped like a pineapple, heading inside. As they explore the temple, strange stone-like monsters resembling Goombas roam the halls, but the Bros. persevere and reach the center, where a large golem resembling a bee can be seen.
As they step closer to the golem, a familiar enemy comes down on a floating platform. Boom Boom, assisted by two Amazing Flyin' Hammer Bros., tells them that "the boss man" (Bowser) sent him to the island to take them down. Just as they are about to begin their fight, though, the bee golem's wings break free from the stone they have been in encased in, and its eyes begin to glow a bright yellow. The golem reveals its name to be Lord Beezwaki, an old ruler of the Zinger species. Boom Boom swiftly retreats to a safer area, but not before ordering the AFH Bros. to deal with Mario and Luigi. Lord Beezwaki calls him out for being a "coward with a shell", and proceeds to fight the Bros. himself as the AFHBs left behind attempt to distract them.
After completing the boss battle, Lord Beezwaki's eyes slowly turn to a subtle green, and his speech becomes calmer. After Starlow asks what happened to him, he explains that his people were once a peaceful species, until an army of "hoggish warlords" known as the Boaradillos took away everything they had, forcing several of them to turn to the Kremling royals for assistance. Lord Beezwaki disagreed with their decision, but his own subjects blamed his poor leadership for their misfortune and encased him into his golem-like prison. He states that it is a miracle that he can fly again, but his resentment of the Boaradillos and the Kremlings remains. The Mario Bros. recall their earlier encounters with the Boaradillos and offer to help Lord Beezwaki bring them to justice, and he accepts their offer gladly, requesting that they search the island for the Crystal Coconut before they can find it themselves. The Bros. proceed on this quest, knowing that Bowser and his troops may also be interested in snatching it up. As they move along, though, it is revealed that Boom Boom was spying on their conversation with Lord Beezwaki, and decides to relay the details to Bowser, hoping to impress him in a way he's never done before...
More coming soon.
==Characters==
===Playable===
Characters 	Characters
Mario 	Mario
 	The well-known hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario is always there when evil is apparent, and ready to save the day alongside his brother Luigi, fighting all sorts of villains and going to all sorts of places. Compared to Luigi, Mario has stronger attack power and speed, but is a bit more fragile defensively.
Luigi 	Luigi
 	Luigi, Mario's younger brother, is more of a scaredy-cat, but is known for always pulling through and proving to be a powerful hero in his own right, even saving Mario from danger a few times! Luigi has a larger health pool and more defense than Mario, but is a bit slower and weaker.
Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong
 	Donkey Kong is the renown hero of Donkey Kong Island and a lover of bananas, often fighting for them against King K. Rool. This time, he and his pal Diddy Kong are in for an adventure unlike any other on Isle Fructus! Donkey Kong has more attack power and defenses than Diddy, but is slower and has a smaller health pool.
Diddy Kong 	Diddy Kong
 	Diddy Kong is Donkey Kong's smaller, more nimble companion, who's proven himself to be just as powerful as his bigger uncle. Diddy is faster and has more HP than Donkey Kong, but takes more damage from attacks and can't hit as hard.
===Supporting===
Characters	Characters
Starlow 	Starlow
 	Starlow, Mario and Luigi's usual companion, provides them with info on their surroundings and battles, always being chipper and helpful, if not a bit annoying towards Luigi. However, this time, the stakes are personal for Starlow due to what's happened to Sprite Village, and she seeks to see what's truly going on.
Squawks 	Squawks
 	An ever-helpful parrot who's guided the Kongs through past adventures, Squawks has found himself on Isle Fructus due to it being migration season for him and his parrot buddies, choosing to aid the Kongs as something to do on his time on the island. He's also something of a chatterbox, often spewing out useless knowledge and advice.
===Antagonists===
Characters 	Characters
Midbus 	Midbus
 	Formerly a servant of Fawful, Midbus has returned to his homeland of Isle Fructus, now bearing a mysterious tiki mask and being in control of the rest of his Boaradillo species. No longer is he the brawny, stupid servant he once was. With the mysterious mask, he's defied the ancient laws of Isle Fructus and desires to utilize the power of its ancient inhabitants.
Bowser 	Bowser
 	The King of the Koopas and frequent enemy of the Mario Bros., Bowser is pursuing them to Isle Fructus, alongside the rest of his minions, to see what exactly they're up to. Eventually however, Bowser calls for an invasion of the island, and soon finds a rival in King K. Rool, with the two tyrants attacking each other just as viciously as they attack the heroes.
King K. Rool	King K. Rool
 	The leader of the Kremling Krew and rival of the Kongs, King K. Rool is a demented tyrant who often switches between various disguises and personalities. Seeking to capture the Kongs and eliminate them once and for all, on top of securing Isle Fructus's fruit supply, he's launched an invasion, but also has to contend with Bowser and the Koopa Troop as well.
==Gameplay==
Mario & Luigi: Bananas Split is a turn-based role-playing game in which the player controls either the Mario Bros. or the Kongs as they navigate Isle Fructus, using their various abilities to navigate the world. The Bros. are on the top screen and controlled via the (Mario) and (Luigi) buttons, while Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong use and respectively, with these buttons being used for both the overworld and battles. Each duo is in a separate area, and can be seamlessly switched between by simply pressing buttons. While each duo also has areas only they can visit with their skillset, events in the story caused by one duo may open up the path for the other. The pairs can also learn a variety of moves that allow for easier navigation of the overworld as well as the ability to reach new areas entirely. When you hit an enemy, a battle begins.
Battles consist of the duo attacking with either regular attacks or stronger, costly Bros. Attacks or Kong Attacks, choosing their options via Command Blocks. By timing button presses correctly, more damage can be dealt by these attacks, thus requiring active engagement besides simply choosing the command. This also applies to defending from attacks, as you can dodge or even counterattack by timing button presses correctly. These are known as Action Commands, and the ones for offensive use have four tiers: "OK", "GOOD", "GREAT!", and "EXCELLENT!!".
Being the first three-dimensional Mario & Luigi game, Mario & Luigi: Bananas Split has several notable changes. For one, you can freely rotate the camera and see your surroundings, as well as movement no longer being eight-directional. Secrets are also more prevalent than past titles, with small caverns all across Isle Fructus that contain puzzles and treasure.
===Overworld Moves===
Below is a table of overworld moves that can be performed by the characters. Moves are cycled through via the trigger buttons.
Overworld Moves	Overworld Moves 	Overworld Moves 	Overworld Moves
Jump 	Jumping is the most basic of actions, simply allowing the characters to leap into the air and even hit enemies from above to gain a First Strike. Both duos have access to jumping, but the way they use it differs slightly. While Mario and Luigi simply leap into the air vertically, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong lunge forward slightly as they jump, at the cost of reduced jump height. This makes the Bros. better-suited to navigating vertically, while the Kongs are capable of crossing larger gaps with their jumps. However, the Kongs can also climb specially-marked walls if they collide with one during their jump, which allow them to access areas the Bros. can't.	Jumping is the most basic of actions, simply allowing the characters to leap into the air and even hit enemies from above to gain a First Strike. Both duos have access to jumping, but the way they use it differs slightly. While Mario and Luigi simply leap into the air vertically, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong lunge forward slightly as they jump, at the cost of reduced jump height. This makes the Bros. better-suited to navigating vertically, while the Kongs are capable of crossing larger gaps with their jumps. However, the Kongs can also climb specially-marked walls if they collide with one during their jump, which allow them to access areas the Bros. can't.	Jumping is the most basic of actions, simply allowing the characters to leap into the air and even hit enemies from above to gain a First Strike. Both duos have access to jumping, but the way they use it differs slightly. While Mario and Luigi simply leap into the air vertically, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong lunge forward slightly as they jump, at the cost of reduced jump height. This makes the Bros. better-suited to navigating vertically, while the Kongs are capable of crossing larger gaps with their jumps. However, the Kongs can also climb specially-marked walls if they collide with one during their jump, which allow them to access areas the Bros. can't.
Hammer 	The Mario Bros. can utilize their hammers to break objects in front of them, hit switches, and attack enemies for a First Strike. Luigi can also squish Mario with his hammer to make him mini, allowing him to navigate through small gaps. 	Hand Slap 	The Kongs can slam the ground in front of them to break objects in front of them, hit switches, and attack enemies for a First Strike. The Hand Slap can also reveal treasure from inside nearby plantlife.
===Command Blocks===
Command Blocks appear above the characters when in a battle, and are used to show what options they have available.
Command Blocks 	Command Blocks 	Command Blocks 	Command Blocks
Jump 	Jumping is a basic form of attack that hits the enemy from above, but causes the user to take damage if they hit a spiked or flaming enemy. While the Mario Bros. use their jumps by pressing the button when landing, and again after landing a second time, the Kongs instead need to hold down the button once they land for extra damage.	Jumping is a basic form of attack that hits the enemy from above, but causes the user to take damage if they hit a spiked or flaming enemy. While the Mario Bros. use their jumps by pressing the button when landing, and again after landing a second time, the Kongs instead need to hold down the button once they land for extra damage.	Jumping is a basic form of attack that hits the enemy from above, but causes the user to take damage if they hit a spiked or flaming enemy. While the Mario Bros. use their jumps by pressing the button when landing, and again after landing a second time, the Kongs instead need to hold down the button once they land for extra damage.
Hammer 	The Hammer move, used by the Mario Bros., is used by pressing the button once the hammer is held back far enough, dealing damage after impact. While it can hit spiked and flaming enemies, it can't hit flying ones. 	Hand Slap 	The Hand Slap, used by the Kongs, is used by mashing the button to fill a meter, but not overextending and going beyond the sweetspot. Careful button presses are needed to get an Excellent rating here. The Hand Slap can hit spiked and flaming enemies, but not flying ones.
Bros./Kong Attack	Bros./Kong Attacks are special techniques learned over the course of the game that dish out devastating damage. However, they require more careful usage due to requiring more advanced Action Commands as well as consuming BP or KP. 	Bros./Kong Attacks are special techniques learned over the course of the game that dish out devastating damage. However, they require more careful usage due to requiring more advanced Action Commands as well as consuming BP or KP. 	Bros./Kong Attacks are special techniques learned over the course of the game that dish out devastating damage. However, they require more careful usage due to requiring more advanced Action Commands as well as consuming BP or KP.
Bros./Kong Item 	Bros./Kong Items are consumable items that allow for the usage of weaker versions of Bros. and Kong Attacks, but don't consume BP or KP. They're good to stock up on. 	Bros./Kong Items are consumable items that allow for the usage of weaker versions of Bros. and Kong Attacks, but don't consume BP or KP. They're good to stock up on. 	Bros./Kong Items are consumable items that allow for the usage of weaker versions of Bros. and Kong Attacks, but don't consume BP or KP. They're good to stock up on.
Items 	Regular items are kept in this Command Block. They have functions like restoring HP, buffing attack power, or even some more unorthodox uses. 	Regular items are kept in this Command Block. They have functions like restoring HP, buffing attack power, or even some more unorthodox uses. 	Regular items are kept in this Command Block. They have functions like restoring HP, buffing attack power, or even some more unorthodox uses.
Guide 	The Guide holds a handy list of all the tactics and information you've learned on your journey, and is good to consult when stuck in a battle. 	The Guide holds a handy list of all the tactics and information you've learned on your journey, and is good to consult when stuck in a battle. 	The Guide holds a handy list of all the tactics and information you've learned on your journey, and is good to consult when stuck in a battle.
Flee 	Fleeing is an option that isn't always available, and allows you to, well, escape the battle. However, you lose out on any rewards you could've obtained from the fight, and the enemy won't disappear from the map. 	Fleeing is an option that isn't always available, and allows you to, well, escape the battle. However, you lose out on any rewards you could've obtained from the fight, and the enemy won't disappear from the map. 	Fleeing is an option that isn't always available, and allows you to, well, escape the battle. However, you lose out on any rewards you could've obtained from the fight, and the enemy won't disappear from the map.
===Stats===
Various stats exist in the game that influence the characters' fighting.
Stats 	Stats
HP 	HP, or Heart Points for short, act as the characters' health, lost when they take damage. When all of it is lost, the character is KOed and must be revived by a 1-Up Mushroom or Balloon to keep fighting. You can replenish HP with either Mushrooms or Bananas.
BP/KP 	BP, or Bros. Points for short, and KP, or Kong Points for short, are used to fuel Bros. or Kong Attacks. While you can mitigate the usage of this stat by relying on Bros. and Kong Items, it's always a good idea to frequently restore your BP/KP via the use of Syrup Jars and Watermelons, respectively.
POW 	POW, or Power for short, measures a character's attack power. The more POW they have, the harder they'll hit.
DEF 	DEF, or Defense for short, measures a character's resistance to damage, thus they'll take less damage if they have more DEF.
SPEED 	SPEED measures how soon a character can attack in battle before their enemies. More SPEED means you have more opportunities to end the fight earlier.
STACHE/FUR	STACHE and FUR influence the odds of getting a Lucky Hit, which doubles damage dealt, as well as influencing the odds of getting a winning Scratch Ticket at a shop.
==Special Attacks==
===Bros.===
Red is Mario's Bros. Attacks, green is Luigi's.
Bros. Attacks 	Bros. Attacks
Spring Bros. 	Stomp Bros.
Mario begins jumping, with the player having to press each time he lands on Luigi, while using to navigate to where he's landing. After five bounces, Mario jumps towards the enemy chosen and with an press, deals heavy damage.	Luigi begins to perform a triple jump, with the player pressing each time he hits the ground. After three bounces, he'll jump to Mario, who will spring him up with the button, and then once Luigi hits the enemy, the button is free to be mashed to deal damage via continuous bouncing.
===Kongs===
Dark brown is Donkey Kong, light brown is Diddy Kong.
Kong Attacks 	Kong Attacks
Fist Kongs 	Kicking Kongs
Diddy Kong produces a barrel in front of Donkey Kong as the latter has to punch it repeatedly with . After enough punches the barrel is tossed to Diddy who needs to press to throw it at the enemy.	Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong begin to spar, with the and button presses needing to be timed carefully so that they can parry each others' attacks. After three button presses of each, Diddy backflips into the air, towards the target, with a carefully timed button press allowing Diddy to hit them with a flying kick.
==Bosses==
Coming soon.
==Sidequests==
Coming soon.
==Trivia==
*Credit to MAST3R-RAINBOW for the Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong arts.
Category:Mario & Luigi (series)
Category:Role-Playing Games
Category:Nucleo Games
Category:Mario (series)
Category:Mario Games
Category:Mario & Luigi Games
Category:Crossovers
Category:Donkey Kong (series)
Category:Nintendo DSGo Games