Mario & Luigi: Brothership was just released, so I thought it would be fun to rate all the Mario & Luigi games that have come out so far.  There might be some slight spoiler warnings here and there, but I’ll keep you posted on those.  We’ll start from the worst in the series to the best.  OK, let’s begin!

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (3DS)

I really hate calling this the worst Mario & Luigi game because it’s really not a bad game at all.  There are some things about it that I really like.  And it’s not a clear case of being a bad game like how the Paper Mario ones would be listed (Sticker Star, I’m looking at you).  The premise is that Mario & Luigi travel to an island that is connected to a dream world, and they discover that Luigi’s strange sleep patterns let him fall asleep instantly on these special pillows and then Mario can enter the dream world and have Luigi help him in special ways.  I really like how much this game features Luigi, in fact I think it came out during the “Year of Luigi” that Nintendo promoted back then.  When exploring the island, you view the action in a top down perspective, but in the dream world, it’s 2D side scrolling.  It’s very similar to Bowser’s Inside Story, just more of it.  Which sounds like a good thing, but in this case, less is more.  This game was just way too long in the tooth, and there was one boss battle that took me an entire lunch hour to beat, which is ridiculous.  In fact, this is the only Mario & Luigi game I’ve never finished.

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS)

This was a crossover game between the Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario games, although it had more in common with Mario & Luigi titles.  The paper aspects really don’t add anything, and the game is decidedly average.  But I did see it all the way through and beat it, so I had to rank it higher.  This game confirms that the Paper Mario series takes place in a magic pop up book in the Mushroom Kingdom library!  I also liked how when Bowser Jr. meets his paper self, they become fast friends.  One of the few times I actually liked Bowser Jr.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership (Switch)

This game just came out, and I’ve been playing it as of this writing.  I’m about 2/3 of the way through it.  Once I beat it and think about it for a while, I might rank it higher or lower.  But right now it sits at above average.  Aside from the new 3D graphics, it really doesn’t add anything significant to the gameplay.  But that doesn’t mean it’s not fun!  A lot of reviewers panned this game at first, but I’m here to tell you that it’s really not THAT bad.  They changed up some of the controls, which took me a bit of getting used to.  And some parts can be a bit annoying and tedious.  But otherwise I’m really enjoying it.  Mario & Luigi are transported to a world where evil has disconnected a land into separate islands, and you must travel to them via a floating island that acts as a ship.  The characters and themes have a sort of electrical plant vibe to them, and the game has an underlying theme about making connections and keeping them with friends and family, which is a good message that I like.  In fact, one of the things I like about all the Mario & Luigi games is how the two brothers always work together and get along and care for each other.  Which I think is a good message, too.

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (DS)

This was the second game in the series, and used four buttons instead of two in the battles since it was on the DS, which had more buttons than the GBA.  Aliens have invaded the Mushroom Kingdom, and it’s up to Mario and Luigi to go back in time to stop them.  In the past they meet their baby selves and they all work together.  The babies were so adorable in this game.  SPOILER: At one point in the game, Luigi takes a cookie from the Yoshi Cookie factory and saves it for later.  And at the end of the game when Mario & Luigi has to say goodbye to their baby selves, Baby Luigi doesn’t want to leave and starts crying.  So Luigi gives him the cookie he saved to comfort him.  So sweet! END SPOILERS

Mario & Luigi: SuperStar Saga (GBA, 3DS)

The first game in the series started out strong!  The idea of using the A button to control Mario and the B button for Luigi in battles and the overworld was such a clever idea.  And the game was very humorous to boot!  Alpha Dream made this and most of the other Mario & Luigi titles.  I would like to play the game they made before this, Tomato Adventure, but it’s Japan only.  Sadly, Alpha Dream went out of business.  In fact, another company did Brothership.  But hopefully Nintendo hired most of the Alpha Dream staff like what they did with Hudson Soft.  There is a remake of this game on the 3DS, but either way you play this game is fine.  The 3DS remake adds a new side game called Bowser’s Minions where you control a Goomba and other Mario enemies in a strategy style game.  I finished it, but it really doesn’t add anything to the main game.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS, 3DS)

This is the best Mario & Luigi game overall.  In fact, I’d say it’s probably the second best Mario RPG period (only Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door beats it).  If you’ve ever wanted a game starring Bowser, this is probably the closest thing you’ll get right now.  You can play as Mario & Luigi AND Bowser, and the two brothers can shrink down and secretly go inside Bowser, which is where the game shifts to a 2D sidescrolling perspective.  There are some times where you control all three in battle, too, with Bowser on one screen fighting enemies outside while Mario & Luigi are on another screen fighting things inside Bowser!  There’s also a remake of this game on the 3DS, but again, you’re fine with any version.  Like before, the 3DS remake adds a side game that plays similarly, but this time you control Bowser Jr.  I did NOT finish this one, though, because Bowser Jr. was such an unlikeable brat that it annoyed me too much.

And that’s all the Mario & Luigi games!  In the comments section, let me know what you think of my list, and tell me how YOU would rank them.  Later!  –Cary

Tags: Game Reviews