Mario & Luigi

***Mario & Luigi: Scrambled Eggs*** (also known as ***Mario & Luigi RPG x 2!*** in Japan) is an RPG developed by AlphaDream and Crash Co. for the Nintendo Switch, Onyx, Pharo, and GhostDrive. It is the sixth game in the *Mario & Luigi* series, succeeding *Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam*, and is notable for having Yoshi and Birdo as playable characters in addition to Mario and Luigi.

## =Introduction

The game opens in a strange, space-like area called the Time Zone. Here, inside a large shrine, a group of large, fairy-like creatures are talking with each other. In front of them is a crystal ball, showing the Mushroom Kingdom, exploding. The smallest of these creatures, a young red fairy named Jiko, promises to head for the kingdom and warn them of the upcoming apocalypse. Grabbing the Time Shards, she bids farewell to her fellow fairies and enters an odd, rainbow Warp Pipe, which launches her into space. While traveling however, she hits a meteorite, which causes her to lose the Time Shards as she careens toward the Mushroom World.

Meanwhile, at Mario's House, Luigi is sitting in his hammock, relaxing. A Toad runs towards him however, waking him up from his sleep, causing him to tumble onto the ground. After regaining footing, the Toad apologizes and says that the Mario Bros. are due to be at Peach's Castle today. Luigi wonders why, but Toad reminds him that it is the kingdom's 1000th anniversary since it was established. Luigi then panics, with Toad upset at him forgetting such an event. He runs inside the house and finds Mario looking into the mirror, adjusting his cap. The Toad sighs in relief, thankful that Mario didn't forget at least. He tells the brothers to meet at the castle, where the opening ceremonies will begin.

Mario and Luigi make their way to Peach's Castle by going through Toad Town. They reach the castle gates, where they meet up with Starlow, Yoshi, and Birdo. The five exchange greetings and enter the castle. While Yoshi and Birdo head out to the buffet, Mario, Luigi, and Starlow take front row seats at the stage. Peach soon appears from behind a star curtain, thanking everyone for coming to celebrate the kingdom's 1000th anniversary. Roaring is heard however, and Bowser crashes down onto the stage, with Bowser Jr. and Kamek following him. The Koopa king expresses his anger for not being invited to the party, considering he played a big part in the kingdom's history. As Luigi hides under his seat, Mario and Starlow jump on the stage to face off with Bowser. After he is defeated, Mario tosses Bowser away, as Jr. and Kamek follow.

After Peach congratulates Mario for his heroism, Birdo is then seen pushing a large, plump Yoshi from the buffet. Something then crashes into Yoshi, causing him to spit out all the food he ate and reverting himself to normal. The time fairy Jiko then lands on Yoshi, wakes up, and greets the heroes. Peach asks where she came from, and the time fairy answers that she comes from a far-off land called the Time Zone, which is responsible for foreseeing events in the universe and protecting it. She explains that they found out that the Mushroom Kingdom is about to be victim to an apocalypse, sending everyone in a frenzied panic. Starlow asks what will happen to the kingdom, but Jiko says she can't remember, thanks to her losing the Time Shards while traveling. She does, however, know that they must find the Rainbow Mountain, and escort everyone there for safety. The team then decides to go on a new quest: Mario, Luigi, and Starlow set out to find the missing Time Shards to restore her memory, while Yoshi, Birdo, and Jiko travel to find the Rainbow Mountain. Peach, meanwhile, says that she will warn all neighboring kingdoms of the apocalypse.

## Characters

### Playable Characters

 **Yoshi** | A loving couple of dinos who have helped Mario and Luigi on occasion. When Jiko arrives to tell the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom about an upcoming apocalypse that will bring the whole world in destruction, Yoshi and Birdo are eager to help. While Mario and Luigi head out in search of the Timeshards to help restore Jiko's memory, Yoshi and Birdo travel with Jiko to find the Rainbow Mountain in hopes of forming it into a safe area for the kingdom's citizens.

### Non-playable Characters

 **Jiko** | A young time fairy that comes from the Time Zone. Her race foresees time, and does whatever they can to help protect the universe. She is sent to let the Mushroom Kingdom know that an apocalypse that will destroy the world is on the horizon. However, she loses her memory and forgets the specifics of the epidemic. In order to restore her memory, the six Time Shards that have been scattered across the kingdom must be found. While Mario, Luigi, and Starlow look for them, Jiko travels with Yoshi and Birdo to find Rainbow Mountain in the hopes to evacuate everyone there to safety. Similar to Starlow, Jiko will help Yoshi and Birdo by offering advice.

## Battle System

The battle system for *Mario & Luigi: Scrambled Eggs* is similar to that of previous installments of the series. Players will battle enemies and bosses as either Mario and Luigi or Yoshi and Birdo, with both teams playing fairly similarly.

### Stats

Each character has their own HP, POW, DEF, SPEED, and STACHE or EGG stats. By gaining experience from defeating enemies and bosses, the characters will level up, allowing the players to boost their stats. Mario and Birdo generally favor POW and SPEED while Luigi and Yoshi favor HP and DEF. The stats and their functions are listed below:

* **HP**, short for Heart Points, is the amount of life the character has. If they are hit by an enemy, they will lose HP. Losing all HP will cause the character to faint, forcing the remaining character to pick them up, making counterattacks harder. If both characters faint, the Game Over screen appears. The only way to revive a fainted character is with a 1-Up Mushroom or a 1-Up Deluxe.
* **POW**, short for Power, is how strong the character is. The higher their POW stat is, the more damage they will deal to enemies and bosses.
* **DEF**, short for Defense, is how much damage the character can lessen from an enemy or boss hit. The higher the DEF stat, the less damage enemies and bosses will deal to them.
* **SPEED** is how fast the character is. The higher the SPEED stat is, the sooner the character can attack an enemy at any given turn.
* **STACHE** and **EGG** are special stats exclusive to Mario/Luigi and Yoshi/Birdo respectively. The higher a character's STACHE or EGG stat is, the higher the chance is to get a Lucky Hit, which doubles the damage. It additionally gives the players discounts when purchasing items at shops. Unlike the other stats, STACHE and EGG will not increase after a level up; the only way to increase this stat is to use the level up bonus.

### Battle

As mentioned, players will battle enemies and bosses as either Mario and Luigi or Yoshi and Birdo. Both duos have six different options for battle.

To attack, Mario and Luigi are either able to jump on an enemy or use a hammer. When jumping, if the action command is pressed correctly, they are able to jump on an enemy twice in a row for more damage. When using a hammer, they will charge up for a swing. If the action command is pressed at the right time, they will deal more damage, as well as create shockwave that can damage other enemies. Otherwise, the head of the hammer will fall off, only lightly damaging the enemy. Yoshi and Birdo have different attacks; using a Ground Pound and throwing eggs at enemies. The Ground Pound is similar to Mario and Luigi's jump, though the timing of the action command is different and, if successful, creates a shockwave on impact that lightly damages other enemies. When Yoshi and Birdo throw eggs at enemies, a cursor will appear that slides across the arena, similar to the *Yoshi's Island* games. If the action command is timed correctly, they will throw the egg at the enemy for damage. Otherwise, it hits the ground and cracks, missing the enemy.

All of these attacks are also incorporated into counterattacking, which can dodge enemy attacks and potentially damage them back. All characters are able to jump over enemies, though Yoshi and Birdo have an added Flutter Jump ability that allows them to stay in the air longer if the button is held. Mario and Luigi are also able to use their hammers to whack enemies, deflect projectiles, and avoid damage. Likewise, Yoshi and Birdo can throw eggs at enemies and projectiles to avoid attacks.

Bros. Items, now rebranded as Duo Items, make a return from *Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time*, effectively replacing special attacks from more recent games. These items can be bought and purchased, and require both characters of the duo to use; if a character has fainted, then a Duo Item cannot be used. Both teams have their own specific Duo Items that they can use.

Regular Items can also be used to support the team, ranging from replenishing HP, to giving them stat boosts, and to reverting negative status ailments. Scan allows either Starlow or Jiko to scan an enemy, unveiling their stats, attacks, defenses, and weaknesses to the player. This feature is similar to the Tattle ability in the *Paper Mario* series. Lastly, the player can Flee from battle, where they will lose Coins as a result. During boss battles, the Flee option is not selectable.