Mario and Luigi: Dream Team Written by Angie Morrison Pros: Fun game mechanics going between the real world and the dream world Good story A lot of gameplay for the money Cons: Tutorials throughout the entire game that distract Gyroscope controls on certain attacks Replay value: Moderate, thanks to a hard mode that unlocks at the end of the first playthrough. Mario and Luigi: Dream Team is the next installment in the Mario and Luigi RPG franchise that has been around since the Game Boy Advance era, and has always been a quality franchise for Nintendo. This is the first installment on the 3ds system, and continues to provide hours of entertainment for fans old and new. The game begins with the team of Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toadsworth travelling to Pi’illo Island. When Peach runs off and Mario and Luigi stumble upon a room filled with ancient Pi’illo treasures, the story is just beginning. Luigi falls asleep on a bed with a strange pillow, Peach gets sucked into his dream, and Mario chases after her, breaking a nightmare shard along the way. This awakens the pillow, who is actuall Prince Dreambert. He tells Mario and Luigi that he has been cursed by a villain named Antasma, and Mario must enter the dream world to save the other Pi’illos also cursed. The bros and Dreambert team up to rescue the Pi’illo people, and save Peach from the mysteries of this island. One of the things that makes Mario and Luigi games so unique are the cast of characters you meet in the game. If you’ve played Bowser’s Inside Story, you’ll come across several familiar faces. The characters always bring some kind of life, they all have their own plight, and the bros gets to know them well throughout the story. Of course you can’t forget Mario and Luigi themselves. Their gibberish talking is always entertaining, and their joking actions can never be overlooked. The Mario and Luigi series has always been unique compared to other Mario games in the sense that there is always more to the story than just saving the princess. This time around, you are heavily invested in the story of Dreambert and Antasma, of the entire ancient Pi’illo people. Every pillow that Luigi uses is actually a Pi’illo that has been cursed, and in every dream, the nightmare shards must be destroyed to save the Pi’illo. Sure, Bowser is around, and yes, he teams up with Antasma, but that’s only half of the story. Having more characters, and having a deeper story really gives this game life. It makes you care more about the world you are in, and its nice not being in the Mushroom Kingdom. The only downside is the amount of tutorials in the game. They pop up everywhere, not just at the beginning, and can be a detractor when you want to work through the story. It can slow down the gameplay. Gameplay is another aspect that really makes this franchise shine. Mario always takes the A button while Luigi always takes the B button. Combat is reliant on accurately timed attacks, with higher damage being the reward. The same can be said for counterattacking and defending, where the bros can react to attacks by hitting their associated button at the best time. Out of combat there are bros moves that can be learned to help you reach new areas as the game progresses. In combat, the bros team up for bros attacks such as kicking shells back and forth, which combine the powers of both brothers for extra damage. The dream world provides a different experience for both exploring and combat. Since Mario goes solo into Luigi’s dreams, he instead teams up with Dreamy Luigi who brings a new set of fantastical moves to help Mario through the level. He can possess various items or create an army of Luigi to aid Mario. In combat, basic attacks done by Mario are amplified by several Luigi copies for added damage, and battles even come with their own Luiginary attacks, used similarly to bros attacks. The gyroscope plays a large role in Luiginary attacks, which can get troubling at times if you aren’t sitting in the perfect position to begin with, and the sensitivity is high, so one move done a little too hard can ruin the entire attack. Final Opinion: With its quirky characters, interesting story, and fun gameplay, this game is worth picking up if you’re looking for a good RPG on the 3ds. For $40, I got nearly 50 hours of gameplay, which is more than I can say for most games on the market right now. Mario and Luigi brings another strong installment to this franchise. Final Verdict: 8.5/10
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 23:24:34 +0000
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