Like most RPGs, most of your time in Mario & Luigi is spent in battle. The team play is just as strong in battle as it is outside of battle. During battle, in order to dodge or otherwise fend off enemy attack, you are expected to control both brothers. Sense this aspect of battle is in real-time, the player is kept more involved than in most RPGs. Also along those lines are the “Bros. Attacks”. Rather than a conventional magic/special attack system, Superstar Saga uses Bros. Attacks. These attacks cost BP (Bros. Points) and while the move is being performed on the screen require the player to do a combination of button presses (A or B button depending on which brother is executing a contributing move). It’s a little hard to describe, but suffice to say it adds another unique, involving element to the game.

        Graphically speaking, this game is a good step above most Gameboy Advance games out there. I almost don’t want to try to describe the level of animation and thought put into every character. I don’t think there is actually a time when Mario and Luigi are EVER standing perfectly still, or looking mechanical. Enemies are very much the same story. The only graphical gripe I have is the viewpoint. The head-on angle the “camera” uses makes it hard to judge the height of platforms, and other things. The audio is pretty good, too. Mario & Luigi have their usual N64/Gamecube voices, as do a few other characters. This adds a lot to how animated the whole adventure feels. The soundtrack is quite good, but unfortunately a few tracks loop too much. The repetition of those few tracks can get kind of annoying, but not so much that it ruins the game. This game also features a lot of past Mario references. Enemies from the original Mario Bros (you know, before they were “Super”), a Donkey Kong level one mock-up, even Doctor Mario enemies are present. This will probably help people who don’t usually like RPGs to appreciate the game a bit more.

        Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is a bit of an odd duck. Thankfully, it’s a solid RPG to keep RPG fans happy, and a solid Mario game to keep Mario fans happy. I know everyone seems to be all excited about the idea of an original Mario platformer, but I’m glad to see a new RPG featuring Mario. The RPG is a more mainstream genre than it used to be, and while not a platformer, anyone should be able to enjoy this Gameboy Advance gem.