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> Results: Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time
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Professor E. Gadd, the Mushroom Kingdom's inventor of contraptions like Luigi's vacuum cleaner ghost buster and Mario's high-powered water squirter has just completed his latest creation: a time machine! Princess Peach goes on the time machine's maiden voyage to visit the Mushroom Kingdom of the past. But when the time machine returns to the present, the princess isn't inside, and weird time holes start popping up around the castle! It's up to Mario and Luigi to go back in time to find out what's up. Turns out that aliens have taken over the Mushroom Kingdom of the past and now the brothers must team up with their baby selves to stop the invasion and rescue the princess!
Even though it's a sequel to the GBA's Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, you don't need to play the first to enjoy Partners in Time. Only the gameplay in both games is similar, the stories are completely different. While in the field, you control Mario with Luigi following, and if the babies are around, they're riding piggyback. Keeping in tradition with other Mario role-playing games, this one features quite a bit of hop and bop action. Each brother is assigned a button, and pressing it will make him jump. Time your button presses to get Mario and Luigi past crevasses and other obstacles. If you can hop on an enemy before they attack on the main map, you have the advantage in the battle phase. Mario and Luigi can also team up for special moves on the field. For instance, Luigi can hop on Mario's head for a spin jump that can carry them long distances. If the Mario babies are nearby when the older brothers are doing a spin jump, the babies will be caught up in the twister and be propelled even higher in the air. There are many other special moves to master helping our heroes explore the many areas of the Mushroom Kingdom.  Like many other RPGs, you have to battle enemies where you and your foes take turns exchanging blows. But in typical Mario RPG tradition, timed button presses deliver more powerful blows to the enemy. Also, when enemies attack, timed button presses may help you avoid their blows entirely, and you may even be able to counterattack. Watch your foes' actions to find the animation clues for who and how they will attack. Usually Mario, Luigi, and the babies will hop on their foes in Mario Bros. fashion, but sometimes you have to use the babies' hammers on spiky enemies. Use ﾑBros. Items' in battle to really put a spin on teamwork. With these items, Mario, Luigi, and the babies will kick turtle shells, throw fireballs, and blast out of cannons. All these actions require timed button presses that will keep you on your toes in the battles. Earn experience points to level up after battle and coins to buy equippable items to enhance your stats. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time doesn't make use of most of the unique functions of the DS, like the touch screen or microphone, but it sure puts those dual screens to good use. When all four of the brothers are on the bottom screen, the top displays a handy map of the area. But when the babies split up to do some exploring themselves, the top screen will show the babies while the bottom screen is reserved for the big boys. You split up often to solve the many puzzles in the game. Also, in battle sometimes you need to keep watch on the top screen for aerial attacks.  Graphics haven't been improved much from the Game Boy Advance game, but the visuals are still fluid and colorful, as is the bouncy music. The game is also chock full of humor, and the antics of the Mario babies will warm your heart. If there is any problem with this game, it's that the play control is a bit confusing sometimes. It was tough enough in the first game to keep track of Mario and Luigi with the A and B buttons, but now with the babies being controlled with the X and Y buttons as well, it is even easier to press the wrong button in the middle of an important jump or attack. Still, Partners In Time is charming enough to warrant a playthrough for fans of Mario and whimsical adventures. 
Lighthearted, cartoony violence is the norm here, with Mario and Luigi hopping and bopping silly bad guys. Pretty harmless stuff. This is an RPG with quite a bit of text, so reading skill is definitely required. However, the many tutorials in the game are so thorough and helpful that you don't even need to read the instruction booklet. Younger gamers may get a little confused at the complicated controls, though. Other than that, this charming game will please most any child.
Nintendo may not have intended it, but I think that the Mario & Luigi games have a special message for kids as well. In the first game, the brothers had to get along and cooperate to overcome their obstacles. In this game, not only do they have to do that, but they also have to take care of their baby counterparts. I think this helps show kids that it is important for them to get along and help their siblings out, even if their brothers or sisters are much younger than they are. This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Mario and Luigi: Partners In Time |
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