Serving as the third ever take on a Mario-themed RPG, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga would go on to spark its own beloved spin-off series that survives to this day, and for good reason. Superstar Saga manages to both fit in perfectly with the foundation laid by Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario while also providing an experience that feels irreplaceably unique. Seriously, the Mario and Luigi series might just hold some of the most engaging RPGs I’ve ever played, and this first entry serves as an excellent first foray into the concepts future games would continue to iterate upon. What I mean to say is that for a game treading new ground, Superstar Saga falters surprisingly little.
Gameplay-wise, platforming, exploration, and light puzzle-solving in the overworld is accompanied by turn-based battles that place greater emphasis on action than strategy. Bros. Attacks and the Advance system in particular are satisfying to pull off (the few instances where you’re forced to play as Mario or Luigi solo highlight just how barebones combat is without them), and the ways in which your overworld abilities translate into combat give a nice sense of connectedness to gameplay. In reality though, the focus of combat is not on you, but rather on the enemies. The ways in which you attack will change slowly across the course of the game—you’ll still be spamming Splash Bros. Advance against the final boss—but the pace at which new enemies are introduced is much faster; the relatively simple dodging mechanics really get a lot of mileage, making a lot from a little. There are a few moments here and there where certain bosses are a little too spongy for their attacks to stay interesting throughout the fight, but all things considered, it’s a minor issue.
(As a side note, I thought the final boss was a particularly egregious example of this sponginess as I attacked it forever with seemingly no progress, only to realize that Mario’s attacks were healing it. Okay, yes, the “damage” text was the same color as the healing text, but it still played the damage sound effect, so I always thought that just meant the attack was weak against the enemy (like the opposite of critical), rather than healing of all things. Maybe I was stupid, maybe the game was stupid, but either way, I would’ve appreciated some clearer communication. I also had no clue how to do Advance attacks until looking it up for this playthrough, so clearly my cluelessness is not an isolated incident. Make of this what you will.)
Overworld gameplay introduces new mechanics and sends you traveling across new areas frequently enough to stay interesting as well. The new mechanics in question can start to get a little unruly controls-wise near the end, though—Superstar Saga wants to give you lots of overworld actions without thinking very hard about the lack of buttons the GBA has. Switching your actions becomes more manageable once you learn that pressing L and R at the same time sets both bros back to jump, but if you miss that dialogue, you’re going to find yourself a little annoyed trying to traverse near the game’s end.
As for the Beanbean Kingdom itself, it’s always stood out to me as far as Mario settings go—much like Superstar Saga in the context of other Mario RPGs, the setting of the Beanbean Kingdom fits in so well with the established Mario universe while also holding its own unique identity. And unlike certain future games in the series, the Beanbean Kingdom feels very cohesive—even if you spend much of your time exploring area-by-area, everything remains fairly connected, and more open-ended exploration in the area surrounding Beanbean Castle Town is rewarded with special items and equipment. It’s the sort of game where I feel like there’s still secrets waiting for me to discover. There’s a sense of adventure permeating it all.
There’s a slew of colorful characters to meet, and the game is masterful in both written and visual comedy. Simply put, it’s a funny game. It’s entertaining to travel across the Beanbean Kingdom and meet all the weird people across it; there’s no shortage of memorable moments. Spritework is wonderfully expressive, the music is infectiously catchy and always suits the mood well even when fairly simple, and there’s so many tiny little details showcasing the amount of love and care put into the game.
Bursting with personality at every turn, Superstar Saga is the perfect kickstart to an RPG series with a lot of potential. Minor annoyances in combat and overworld gameplay aren’t enough to diminish the simple fun of the formula. Future entries would iterate upon the original’s ideas, though there does remain quite a bit special about this first entry. If you’re interested in trying out a unique approach to turn-based RPG gameplay or simply want to embark on an entertaining, lighthearted adventure, Superstar Saga is a great game to pick up and play.