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Mario & Luigi

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This article is about the video game series. For the game franchises, see Mario (franchise) and List of Luigi video games. For the characters, see Mario and Luigi.
Mario & Luigi
Logo since 2013
Genre(s)Role-playing
Developer(s)AlphaDream (2003–2018)
Acquire (2024)
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Platform(s)
First releaseMario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
November 17, 2003
Latest releaseMario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
December 27, 2018
Parent seriesMario
Luigi

Mario & Luigi is a series of role-playing video games published by Nintendo and originally developed by AlphaDream prior to their bankruptcy. The series is a spin-off from Nintendo's trademark Super Mario series and stars the titular characters Mario and Luigi. The games' stories typically follow the two exploring locales unique to the series on a quest to defeat an original antagonist. It began in 2003 on the Game Boy Advance with Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, with the latest original installment being Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, releasing for Nintendo 3DS on December 3, 2015.[1][2] A sixth game, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, is set to be released on November 7, 2024 for the Nintendo Switch. Two titles in the series, Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story, were remade for the Nintendo 3DS with extra content, with the latter being the final game in the series developed by AlphaDream before they declared bankruptcy in 2019.

Gameplay

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The gameplay of the Mario & Luigi series consists of mostly role-playing elements; however, the Mario & Luigi games do differ from most other RPGs in its focus on controlling Mario and Luigi simultaneously. During overworld sections, the player controls Mario's movement with Luigi following closely. Mario and Luigi's other actions are controlled individually with the A (Mario) and B (Luigi) buttons respectively in both the overworld and battle sections. These controls are also used to explore the overworld to solve puzzles and find collectibles using various special moves that often have Mario and Luigi working together. Like many other RPG series, the Mario & Luigi series contains a traditional turn-based battle system. It also uses Action Commands, similarly to the Paper Mario franchise. These actions consist of Mario's and Luigi's signature jumps, as well as hammer attacks. Unique to the series is the use of real-time commands while an enemy is attacking so that if the player uses successful timing, they can completely avoid an attack or even do damage to the enemy instead of getting hit. This mechanism encourages the player to learn enemy's attack patterns and proper timing. Some titles in the series feature additional characters alongside Mario and Luigi; these include Baby Mario and Baby Luigi in Partners in Time, Bowser in Bowser’s Inside Story, and Paper Mario in Paper Jam.

Development

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Release timeline
New main series entries in bold
2003Superstar Saga (GBA)
2004
2005Partners in Time (DS)
2006
2007
2008
2009Bowser's Inside Story (DS)
2010
2011
2012
2013Dream Team (3DS)
2014
2015Paper Jam (3DS)
2016
2017Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (3DS)
2018Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey (3DS)
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024Brothership (Switch)

2000–2003: AlphaDream founding, conception and first game

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The Mario & Luigi series is based on the foundations of Super Mario RPG.

"Because I don't want to end up in a situation where my mind is too clouded by nostalgia for old games, and I can't focus on how to best explore new avenues and new ways of bringing fun and surprising experiences to people."

Producer Akira Ohtani, IGN, 2013 interview[3]

AlphaDream was founded in 2000 by former employees from Square including Chihiro Fujioka, director of Super Mario RPG, and Tetsuo Mizuno, Square's second president.[4][5][6] Square had previously developed Super Mario RPG, the first role-playing game (RPG) starring characters from the Mario series. After a number of smaller games, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was their first game to be released outside of Japan.

The Mario & Luigi series took inspiration from Super Mario RPG when it came to turn-based combat. Yoshihiko Maekawa, a producer at AlphaDream who also co-directed Super Mario RPG, noted how the latter was inspired by a children's toy in Japan where the player had to press buttons in time with music. From there he conceptualized turn-based mechanics that blended action with general RPG gameplay, where the player had to make timed button presses to be more successful. It was there the developers knew they were creating an RPG game that had a Mario feel. Transitioning to the Mario & Luigi series, AlphaDream revisited the timed button pressing combat system, making additions for the first game in the series, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. Each game following, they experimented more with the buttons available, making further additions as the series progressed.[3]

When it came to characters in Mario franchise at the time, they were generally underdeveloped. Since Mario & Luigi is mainly based on a text-based story, AlphaDream approached Nintendo with the mindset of revamping characters such as Luigi. With Nintendo's approval and support, the characters and their depth were developed from scratch.

2004–2009: Nintendo DS era

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Nintendo revealed Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (then called Mario & Luigi 2) at E3 2005, where a playable demonstration of the game was available. The demos consisted of three levels, each accompanied with a tutorial to guide the player.[7] Each level had a different objective and represented the characters' abilities in the game, such as the use of the hammer. Between the game's unveiling at E3 and its release, Nintendo of America revealed details of the game relating to Partners in Time's plot and gameplay,[8] as well as the fact that it would be compatible with the "Rumble Pak" feature.[9] Partners in Time was first released in North America on November 28, 2005.[10] Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was revealed to be in development in October 2008 in Japan at Nintendo's Tokyo Press Event. At the time, the game was called Mario & Luigi RPG 3!!!.[11] From there, it was announced in North America and Europe at the E3 2009 event and released in the fall of the same year.

2010–2015: Nintendo 3DS era

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With the introduction of three-dimensional graphics on the Nintendo 3DS, AlphaDream was given the opportunity to change their two-dimensional sprites to 3D ones with the updated hardware. However, Maekawa believed the company not only got very good at designing sprites due to limited graphical capability on prior consoles, but they also helped convey comical expressions, so they were kept. Instead, the backgrounds were fit to 3D.[12] Akira Otani, a producer of the series, considered the animation to be the main reasoning for the extensive development process of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. He mentioned how it takes up to six people to design the animations for the characters alone.[13]

When it came to Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the underlying goal was to put emphasis more on Luigi, as Maekawa considered to be lesser in-depth even after his reworking on his character. one of the first ideas for a gimmick suggested was having a large number of Luigis on-screen at one time. Due to advancing hardware, the processing power of such a task would work well. After the idea was determined, they began coming up with ideas where having multiple Luigis would make sense, and they stuck with the game taking place inside a dream. Due to the limitless concept of a dream world, coming up with level ideas was simple.[12]

According to the developers, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam was created not to make a crossover between the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario series, but rather to introduce the gimmick of having a third character to control simultaneously. When discussing the third character to control the third set of buttons, it was brought up how two Marios would be an interesting concept. While developing the game—with supervision from Intelligent Systems, the developers of the Paper Mario series—they were keen not to sacrifice simplicity for extra content, one of the ultimate goals of the Mario & Luigi series. For example, when one of the prototypes of the game that involved rapid and sudden button presses was presented to Shigeru Miyamoto, he directly turned the concept down and asked for it to be simpler.[14]

2016–2019: Remakes and studio closure

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After Paper Jam, AlphaDream began work on remakes of older games in the series. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions is a remake of the first game that includes an additional mode, Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser, which follows Captain Goomba and features a real-time strategy battle system. The main reason why Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey was released for the Nintendo 3DS and not the Nintendo Switch was for its use of dual screens, similar to that of the Nintendo DS. In addition, timing reasons led the developers to choose the 3DS as they could easily build upon prior assets instead of creating the title from scratch. Bowser Jr. was the focus of the side story because they wanted to build the parent-child narrative between him and Bowser. They also decided to remake Bowser's Inside Story and skip Partners in Time due to the former being the most successful game in the series.[15]

"The Mario & Luigi games were on a decline - a source once mentioned to me that this year's Bowser's Inside Story remake sold so badly that Nintendo axed other 3DS plans due to it."

Writer Imran Khan, Game Informer, 2019[16]

From 2018 to 2019, AlphaDream began searching for people to hire, including graphic designers and production assistants with the intention of future games for the Nintendo Switch and smartphones.[17][18] Their most recent Mario & Luigi game, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey, was selling poorly and is one of the worst-selling Mario games in Japan to date.[18] Other release plans for the handheld were cancelled because of the low sales, also marking the last Mario game on the console. By March 2018, Yahoo! Japan reported AlphaDream was £3.5 million in debt (US$4.3 million) due to development costs. The company filed for bankruptcy in October 2019.[16] Three months later in January 2020, Nintendo filed a trademark for the series in Argentina,[19] and while most assumed Nintendo was simply protecting their IP, it also led to speculation that the series would hopefully continue on a later date.[20][21][22]

2024: Nintendo Switch era

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In June 2024, the sixth installment in the series, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, was announced, set to release on November 7 on the Nintendo Switch. This is the first game not to be developed by the now-defunct AlphaDream.[23] Nintendo nevertheless noted that "some of the original developers" from the franchise are involved in the development of Brothership.[24]

Reception

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Aggregate review scores
Game Year Metacritic
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga 2003 90/100[25]
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time 2005 86/100[26]
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story 2009 90/100[27]
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team 2013 81/100[28]
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam 2015 76/100[29]
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions 2017 81/100[30]
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey 2018 84/100[31]

All games in the series have received positive reception. According to the review aggregation website Metacritic, the first and third games in the series received "Universal acclaim", while all others received "Generally favorable reviews", with Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam holding the lowest rating.

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ rawmeatcowboy (June 18, 2024). "Mario & Luigi: Brothership heads to Switch Nov. 7th, 2024". GoNintendo. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Nintendo of America (June 18, 2024). Mario & Luigi: Brothership – Announcement Trailer – Nintendo Switch. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ a b Otero, Jose (August 13, 2013). "Where Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Super Mario RPG Collide". IGN. Archived from the original on March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  4. ^ Judge, Alysia (October 2, 2019). "Mario & Luigi RPG Series Creator, AlphaDream, Files For Bankruptcy". IGN. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  5. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (October 2, 2019). "Mario & Luigi RPG Developer AlphaDream Has Gone Bankrupt". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  6. ^ "『マリオ＆ルイージRPG』シリーズなどの開発会社アルファドリームの破産手続き開始が決定 直近では『けだまのゴンじろー フィットエンドラン』の開発も | gamebiz". Gamebiz【ゲームビズ】. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  7. ^ Eric Topf (May 19, 2005). "Mario & Luigi 2". DS Kombo.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2008.
  8. ^ Chris Playo (October 25, 2005). "Partners in Time: New fact sheet". DS Kombo.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2008.
  9. ^ Chris Playo (October 19, 2005). "Partners in Time: Rumble Compatible". DS Kombo.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved June 25, 2008.
  10. ^ "Mario & Luigi: partners in Time info". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2008.
  11. ^ "Nintendo Reveals Punch-Out!! Wii, Sin and Punishment 2, and More". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Khaw, Cassandra (August 6, 2013). "USGamer Interviews the Developers of Mario & Luigi : Dream Team". USGamer. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  13. ^ Sahdev, Ishaan (July 3, 2013). "Why Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Took So Long To Develop". Siliconera. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  14. ^ Webster, Andrew (February 12, 2016). "How Super Mario became an unlikely RPG star". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  15. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (January 14, 2019). "AlphaDream On Remaking Bowser's Inside Story And How Mario & Luigi Could Possibly Fit Inside Of Bowser". Game Informer. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Craddock, Ryan (October 2, 2019). "Mario & Luigi RPG Dev AlphaDream Files For Bankruptcy". IGN. Archived from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  17. ^ Doolan, Liam (July 8, 2018). "Mario & Luigi Developer AlphaDream Recruiting Graphic Designers For Switch And Smartphone Projects". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Liam, Doolan (February 20, 2019). "Mario & Luigi Developer AlphaDream Seeking Production Assistant". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Doolan, Liam (January 12, 2020). "New Trademark Suggests The Mario & Luigi Series Is Making A Comeback". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  20. ^ Purslow, Matt (February 14, 2020). "New Mario & Luigi Trademark Filed By Nintendo Despite Series' Studio Closure". IGN. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  21. ^ Gera, Emily (January 12, 2020). "Nintendo has filed a new trademark application for Mario & Luigi series". VG247. Archived from the original on July 4, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  22. ^ Wong, Alistair (January 13, 2020). "Nintendo Files New Trademark for Mario & Luigi Series in Argentina". Siliconera. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  23. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (June 18, 2024). "Nintendo Direct June 2024: Everything Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  24. ^ Blake, Vikki (June 22, 2024). "Nintendo won't confirm studio behind Mario & Luigi: Brothership, but says "original devs" are involved". Eurogamer.net. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  25. ^ "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 11, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  26. ^ "Metacritic score of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 31, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  27. ^ "Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  28. ^ "Mario & Luigi: Dream Team". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  29. ^ "Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 30, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  30. ^ "Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  31. ^ "Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey". Metacritic. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
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