Level Up: Mario & Luigi: Partner's in Time

http://julieguy.net/levelup/PartnersinTime.mp3

I always like talking about underrated or over looked game during Level Up, but there’s one game that surprises me that’s overlooked like it is: it was made by Nintendo, stars the Mario bros and is part of the popular Mario RPG side series. I’m talking about Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. I don’t know why this game isn’t all that popular, but I can tell you why it should be.

The game opens to our heroes in Princess Peach’s castle as she hops in a time machine. When it returns, the princess is no where to be found. It ends up that Peach had gone back to the past when an alien invasion was taking place. Speaking of the Mushroom Kingdom of the past, guess who else was in the castle? Baby Mario and Baby Luigi! Luckily, right before the aliens (known as the Shroobs) attacked, Baby Bowser kidnapped them and Baby Princess Peach. Of course, the Baby brothers fight to get the Baby princess back. (Sound bite: Chili’s Baby Back Ribs) Anyways, back to the future (to reference one of my favourite sci-fi series) where a time hole to that same time has opened up. After Luigi accidentally falls in a Mario jumps in to save his brother and possibly the princess, the plumbers meet up with their younger selves and team up to save the Princess and the Kingdom of the past from the Shoob invasion.

I just have one problem with the story: it makes Swiss Cheese out of the time continuum. As someone who is intrigued by the concept of time travel and a fan of Back to the Future, this bugs me beyond reason. (Sound clip: Back to the Future) Not only was there an entire alien invasion that no one remembered, but there are many plot holes that stem from characters interacting with themselves. Although it was sometimes clever, these moments are few and far between. This is a big downside to the game that I always try my best to ignore to just have fun.

Battling is probably where you’ll have the most fun. Like in the rest of the Mario RPG series, the battles are turn based and give you a variety of choices on how you want to use your turns. However, during your opponents turn, you have to opportunity to either dodge their attacks or even counter them using a sense of timing and by studying your enemies. As a matter of fact, you’re never really sure which brother the enemies will go for unless you figure out the hints they drop. This turns the battles into a mix between classic RPG and platforming.

While you’re not battling, you’ll be adventuring around both times as, not only Mario and Luigi, but as their baby forms, which they carry on their backs. (Sound bite: Chili’s Baby Back Ribs). You’ll want to keep the two pairs together if you plan on battling, but when they go their separate ways, they get to use different abilities to reach new areas. A mastery of these skills is required to get to where you’re going and it’s this concept that really gives the exploration in all Mario and Luigi games its allure.

As for why this game is the less liked of the Mario RPG games, I have a few theories. First off, maybe it’s because it’s too childish. I’m not just talking about the fact that this game stars babies, but also that the game holds your hand and makes sure you understand everything perfectly before letting you use any of your skills. This isn’t a bad thing, but can turn off some veteran gamers. Also, the humour is pretty childish, like both young and adult Luigi constantly crying, or young Toadsworth unknowingly fighting his older self to get the baby Princess Peach back. (Sound bite: Chili’s Baby Back Ribs). (Leo interrupts) NO! That joke’s getting old. Another reason why it wasn’t liked might be because it offers too much of the same. Sure we have the babies added and it’s a new story, but otherwise most game play elements are the same as Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga which came out two years prior. Not that it’s a bad thing, it just seems like Partners in Time is trying to be a bit too much like Super Star Saga.

None the less, this is a fun game. Despite its flaws, the story is fun, a little cheesy in a good way and has a few twists along the way I was not expecting. Most of the game play elements were taken from Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga, and that’s a good thing since it was a great game (but that’s a review for another day). All and all, if you loved Super Star Saga, you should at least like Partners in Time.