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MARIO & LUIGI: SUPERSTAR SAGA

Introduction

As someone who has always been a huge fan of the Mario RPG games, Superstar Saga was high on my backlog. It was not a matter of if I would play it, but rather when. As someone who was not even close to being conceived when the game originally came out, I started out my Mario RPG journey with the much less-liked Partners in Time, and although I still have a place in my heart for it, SS really impressed me and I wish I had experienced it first.

What I liked

Gameplay

For those new to the Mario RPG series, they are like ordinary JRPGs but actually fun because there is gameplay beyond picking and choosing the right options. Battles are made fun and engaging through the use of various action commands. Jumping to attack is not only characteristically "Mario" but also adds challenge by requiring you to time it properly. You can also attack with your hammer or hand powers when you get those, which are also their own timing-based mini challenges. Lastly, Bros. Attacks offer even more challenge for a high reward. However, the game also allows you to dodge or counter basically every attack. Learning each enemy's tells and clues as to what brother they are targetting and how they will attack is part of the fun and encourages the player to really pay attention during battles.

(images provided by rpgfan.com and mobygames.com)

However, the game is a blast even outside of battles. I often find most JRPG overworlds to be bland and uninteresting. There may be some puzzles to solve, but it often feels like 90% of the effort went into the battles with the overworld gameplay feeling like an afterthought. However, Superstar Saga strikes a delicate balance between overworld and battles such that I do not get too bored of either by the time it moves on to the next thing. There are puzzles, but in true Mario fashion, there are plenty of platforming challenges that require you to use your hammer, hand powers, and Bros. abilities to proceed. It offers a good challenge away from battles that really make the game feel more distinct compared to other RPGs.

Overall, the game is fun. Really fun.

Humor and Story

The humor is obviously a staple of many Mario games, especially the RPGs. Superstar Saga does not disappoint in this regard. Overall, although it could get serious at times, the game maintains a goofy and silly tone that allows for fun gags and jokes to land really well. Rather than focus on an overarching story, the game takes the approach of an episodic journey. Mario and Luigi journey through the Beanbean Kingdom to get Peach's voice back and stop the evil witch Cackletta, and everything in between feels like different episodes. Just look at some of this!

(toad embarrassed after seeing mario's mushroom UvU)

Ok, I don't have many lines right now, but still! It's funny! Play it!

As far as the story goes, it is pretty strong as well. A simple premise starts it but it evolves throughout the course of the game. It's nothing to write home about but also nothing to complain about.

Music

The brilliant and talented Yoko Shimomura of Kingdom Hearts fame returned to compose for Superstar Saga after her previous work on Super Mario RPG, and it really shows. This game's soundtrack is very, very good. The area themes are the most obvious, with Teehee Valley, Oho Oasis, and Bowser's Castle being my favorites. However, the battle themes are also pretty iconic and never get old. Cackletta's theme is great as well. The sountrack definitely enhances the game by a significant amount, and the remake's soundtrack has all of these tracks in even BETTER quality! Sorry bit-crunch fans, but I think HQ soundfonts got you beat this time...

What I didn't like

Cackletta's Soul (SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!)

A lot of my opinions about difficulty seem to put me in the minority compared to other game fans, but for once it seems like people actually agree with me. The final battle with Bowletta and Cackletta's Soul is needlessly difficult and frustrating. After playing through the entire game where the difficulty curve was smooth and enjoyable, this spike comes out of nowhere. It is not as bad as it could be, but still jarring to see in an otherwise well-crafted experience, leaving a sour aftertaste once completing the game.

To start with, Bowletta is not an easy fight and very likely to take your HP down a significant peg, if not even kill one of the Bros. However, once you've finished that portion, she sucks you into her belly to then fight Cackletta's Soul......... where Mario and Luigi both start with 1 HP. You have to not get hit by the jankiest attack in the game, which was where most of the difficulty in this fight arises. The arms attack she does is TERRIBLE! It is so hard to dodge it because they come at you fast, the low quality of the GBA makes it hard to see whether an arm is raised or lowered, and the amount of damage done is insane. Top that off with the fact that if you get hit once, you're fucked!? Yeah, this is stupid. But instead of fixing it in the 3DS version, apparently they doubled down and made the attack even harder????? WTF????

But once you get past that first attack, you can heal up your Bros. and slog through the most pain-in-the-ass fight in the entire series, and I am NOT exaggerating. Cackletta can just attack whenever the fuck she feels like it and do big numbers to your HP because why not. Her telegraphs are hard to read and get used to in such a short timespan. Every attack just feels like a punch to the balls. Furthermore, if you weren't lucky and didn't figure out how to actually damage her quickly, you're sitting there for even LONGER just trying to find out how to make progress in the fight. Even when you do expose her heart, you only have like three or so attacks before it gets hidden again and you have to go through the boring, tedious process of getting rid of her limbs and head ALL OVER AGAIN!!!! UGHHHH!!!!

But whatever... at least it was a epic moment thematically, right? Right?