Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

 MARIO & LUIGI: PARTNERS IN TIME

Today, we cover the sequel to Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. You know, the one that got skipped by the remakes for some reason. The game features a Mario and Luigi tag team once again, this time working in tandem with not only each other but with their baby selves as they get entangled in a complex time-travel plot involving evil alien invaders called the Shroobs.

Mario and Luigi can do a lot of their basics, like jumping and using hammers, and together they can perform their spin jump like in their previous game, and can roll up together into a ball and move through tight spots Samus-style. The babies can do a lot of that too, carrying hammers of their own, but they have their own special moves like spinning to drill into the ground (also similar to the last game), and Baby Mario can drink up water that he can then spit like a projectile. As a foursome, they also have a few moves going on, like carrying the babies piggyback then throwing them up to reach higher places, rolling over them to make them flat as pancakes, or spin jumping into them to make them float through the air. (Oh sure, but if I do all this to real babies . . . {insert standard joke here}). They can also use items in battle like fire flowers and green shells.

We have a handful of recurring characters running around, like both a baby and adult version of Princess Peach, filling the role we've come to expect from Peach by this point. We also have an old and young version of Toadsworth and Professor E. Gadd. The Toadsworths mostly inadvertently teach you new techniques you can use while trying to entertain Baby Peach, while E. Gadd supplies both the time machine that causes the plot and your living suitcase named Stuffwell. We also have a number of Toads, like the scientist Toadbert, Yoshis, and a pushy Koopa reporter named Kylie Koopa.

Bowser and his own baby form also appear here, and of course you have a couple of fights with them. Bowser stomps, spits poison, breathes fire, spins in his shell, and causes shockwaves. Baby Bowser breathes fire as well, uses a hammer and his Koopa Klown Kar, and has his own version of the Koopa Cruiser. The baby form is accompanied by Kamek throughout the game, doing his normal thing of flying on brooms, casting spells, splitting into multiples, and summoning enemies to battle. Fawful, having survived the end of Superstar Saga, has a very brief cameo running a shop and ranting about his FURY!!!

Our main villains are the Shroobs, an alien race attacking Earth in the past. They are led by Princess Shroob, although their leader turns out to be her elder sister, Elder Princess Shroob, although this doesn't really add much to the story outside of being a surprise twist ending where you have to fight a bigger version of the character. Princess Shroob flies around in a hover throne, directs both flying saucers and Shroob soldiers themselves, shields herself, fires lasers, call down a beam from above, shoot electric orbs at you, sprout spider legs from her throne, and teleport. Her sister also shoots lasers, rides the flying saucers, stomps, charges, throws meteors at you, grow even bigger, spew a poisonous cloud, and swing tentacles at you. At the end of the game, her essence possesses Bowser, because you can't end a game not on a Bowser battle, I guess.

The Shroobs themselves have quite a bit of variety. Regular Shroobs pull off a variety of moves, such as flying around in their flying saucers, shooting laser guns, firing a massive laser blast, calling in saucers to shoot lasers, swim around in sand, throw spike balls and fish, swing giant hammers, summon flames, throw Shroob-ombs, throw meteors, and send others into battle. They even have scientist versions who use remotes to control saucers and eat mushrooms and other health items. There are also a couple of mini-boss versions called the Shrooboids who throw fireballs and lightning, spin to throw a mace, trap you in crystals, spit up saucers, and throw lollipops.

Other bosses include the giant dinosaur Yoob, who likes to eat Yoshis with his long tongue; Sunnycide, a shroob egg thing that throws eggs, stomps, and sucks in; Petey Piranha, our boy, eating, burrowing, stomping, flying, and divebombing like it's nobody's business; and Mrs. Thwomp, a large round Thwomp who stomps . . . around, spits up rocks (huh), and splits herself into multiples. She even has arms she can use . . . wait a minute. No way. Let's see, spit up rocks, the big up and down thing, Thwimps, slamming forward like a Whomp, arms, a basis for regular movement . . . no way. No f**king way. Um, I guess we'll be talking about this more in depth later. I'm not smiling. You're smiling.

So, um, besides Thwomps being an unexpected but welcome surprise, let's go over the other enemies, shall we? Regular returning characters, we have Goombas, Boos, Shy Guys, Piranha Plants, Hammer Bros, Wiggler (who spouts a poison cloud), Pidgits, Dry Bones, Bullies, Pokeys, Bob-Ombs, Tanoombas, Thwacks, and Rexes. New enemies include Koopeleons who turn invisible; Spiny Shroopas who leap; Coconutters who carry around spears; Egyptian Snifits called Snifaros; robotic Shroobs called Shroids; Love Bubbles; Skeleton Pokeys; shadowy hands that hold up signs depicting other enemies; literal Piranha Planets (big orbs of pipes with Piranha's sticking out of them and one of my favorite enemy designs ever); and Snoozorbs, big rolling balls who sleep a lot.

As for our stages, we have Peach's Castle, a Christmas-themed Toad village called Hollijolli Village, Bowser's Castle and the Koopa Cruiser, Toadwood Forest, Yoshi's Island, Gritzy Desert and the Koopaseum, a literal volcano made of Thwomps (FINAAAL SMAAAASH!), the Shroob Mothership and a Shroobified version of Peach's Castle, and Star Hill leading to the Star Shrine.

Items in the game are very similar to the previous game, with beans, mushrooms, peppers, and so on.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Paper Mario: run, jump, hammer, flowers, confetti bag, 1000-fold arms, pull, punch, boot car

Mario & Luigi: jump, hammer, fire and lightning, spin jump, high jump, mini Mario, Luigi dunk, dash, tickle, Swing Bros, Cyclone Bros, Bros. Ball, throw babies

Luigi: Mario Kart

Baby Mario & Baby Luigi: drill into ground, fill up with water, flatten, float, hammers, jump, ride shell

Princess Peach: explosive vocabulary, Baby Peach

Bowser: folded, breathe fire, grow giant, stomp, throw hammers, spit poison, spin in shell, shockwaves

Baby Bowser: fire, hammer, Koopa Klown Kar

Bowser Jr.: Koopa Klown Kar

Kamek: spell, broomstick, multiples, summon enemies

Birdo: blow kiss

Olivia: all origami based moves, Vellumental transformation

King Olly: fold, Vellumental, grow giant, paper airplanes, hammer fists, sword arms

Prince Peasley: floating pillow, rose, hair, slash with rapier, turn into dragon (other bean-related stuff, easily best gimmick rep)

Popple: steal, dash, failed Bros. Attacks, throw items from bag, run away

Cackletta: lightning, transform, flying chair, lasers, curses, bat duplicates, possess, fireballs, shooting stars, suck you in, essence.

Fawful: flying hat, bean gas, laser blasts, suck up, antenna lightning, dome, laser ring

Princess Shroob/Elder Princess Shroob: hover throne, flying saucers, Shroobs, shield, fire lasers, beam from above, electric orbs, spider legs, teleport, ride flying saucers, stomp, charge, throw meteors, grow bigger, spew poison clouds, swing tentacles, possess Bowser.

Toad: a lot of basics, dig up coins

Toadsworth: Bros. Ball, Spin Jump

E. Gadd: Stuffwell, time machine, water pump machine (time paradox)

Koopalings: spin, stomp, multiples, breathe fire, shell spin, time bomb, pipes, rings, ping pong

Petey Piranha: eating, burrowing, stomping, flying, divebombing

Shroobs: flying around in their flying saucers, shooting laser guns, firing a massive laser blast, calling in saucers to shoot lasers, swim around in sand, throw spike balls and fish, swing giant hammers, summon flames, throw Shroob-ombs, throw meteors, and send others into battle, throw fireballs and lightning, spin to throw a mace, trap you in crystals, spit up saucers, and throw lollipops

Koopa Troopa

Goombas

Shy Guys: spears, laser Snifits

Hammer Bro, Boomerang, Yo-yo, Chain Chomp, and Limbo versions

Spike

Dry Bones

Buzzy Beetle: laser beam

Monty Mole

Cheep Cheep

Thwomp: move, multiples, volcano, cough up rock

Chain Chomp

Ninji

Pokey

Boo

Piranha Plant

Mechakoopa

Blooper

Chargin' Chuck

Wiggler: stomp

Virus

Lakitu

Magikoopa

Bosses:

Earth Vellumental

Water Vellumental

Fire Vellumental

Ice Vellumental

Colored Pencils

Rubber Band

Hole Punch

Tape

Scissors

Stapler

Gooper Blooper

Handaconda

Tolstar

Hoohooros

Dragohoho

Chuckolator

Trunkle

Hermie III

Jojora

Yoob

Sunnycide

Stages:

Peach's Castle

Overlook Mountain

Shogun Studios

Scorching Sandpaper Desert

The Great Sea

Shangri-Spa

Bowser's Castle

Hotfoot Crater

King Olly's Origami Castle

Beanbean Kingdom

Koopa Cruiser

Hoohoo Mountain

Beanbean Castle

Chucklehuck Woods

Woohoo Hooniversity

Oho Ocean

Teehee Valley

Winkle Realms

Joke's End

Hollijolli Village

Toadwood Forest

Yoshi's Island

Gritzy Desert

Thwomp Volcano

Shroob Mothership

Star Shrine

Items:

Mushrooms

Flowers

Beans

Chuckola Cola

Peppers

Yoshi's Cookies

Various Incidental Items

Thanks for reading! Next up, we dive deep into the big bad bruiser himself in Bowser's Inside Story!