Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

 3DS
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 384 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 294 out of 384
  2. Mixed: 67 out of 384
  3. Negative: 23 out of 384
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  1. xZippy
    Jun 18, 2015
    7
    Is Dream Team a very good add to the Mario RPG series? Yes. Does it live it up to the previous games? Not really. The graphics are fantastic and presented beautifully on the 3DS, the music is amazing, the classic Mario-game humor and silliness is there and the whole real world/dream world features are well done.

    What the game lacks however, is good pacing, as the game's progress is    Is Dream Team a very good add to the Mario RPG series? Yes. Does it live it up to the previous games? Not really. The graphics are fantastic and presented beautifully on the 3DS, the music is amazing, the classic Mario-game humor and silliness is there and the whole real world/dream world features are well done.

    What the game lacks however, is good pacing, as the game's progress is slowed horribly by repetitive and unskippable tutorials and cutscenes, which are even worse when playing the game in Hard Mode (since the game relies purely on game saves on that mode). Another downside is the story, and though it can be interesting and original at times, is not very engaging overall and feels loosely stitched together.

    It's a game worth buying, but it's not as clever of a game as it's prequel, Bowser's Inside Story.    … Expand
  2. CyberRobotnix
    Mar 5, 2018
    6
    This game could have been so much better, but Nintendo being Nintendo ruined it:
    -The story outright sucks.
    -The concept is bad, it's like the concept of M&L inside Bowser story. -The level design is just outright **** but atleast it's not empty (unlike Paper Jam). -The enemy variety... what is enemy variety? I am Miyamoto and I like putting Goombas and Koopas in muh Meyro games. -Too    This game could have been so much better, but Nintendo being Nintendo ruined it:
    -The story outright sucks.
    -The concept is bad, it's like the concept of M&L inside Bowser story.
    -The level design is just outright **** but atleast it's not empty (unlike Paper Jam).
    -The enemy variety... what is enemy variety? I am Miyamoto and I like putting Goombas and Koopas in muh Meyro games.
    -Too much backtracking.

    Now it has redeeming qualities too:
    -The boss battles are creative and original.
    -The music and graphics are not half bad.
    -The new bro-attacks are creative and original.    … Expand
  3. DarthSidious63
    Dec 30, 2013
    7
    Although Dream Team is not as good as Bowser's Inside Story it has the unique feature of Luigimation. I agree with previous posts that there is too much hand holding tutorials. Another downside is the story. It starts off real slow which may be a turnoff to younger players or gamers playing the series for a first time.
  4. EvilChicken
    Jan 26, 2014
    6
    I dont recommend this game
    the only reason i got it is because it came downloaded on my 3ds.
    so many cutscenes and too much dialogue. Its predecessors did much better.
  5. tjprescott
    Nov 28, 2013
    6
    Pros: Imaginative attacks, fun battles (usually), dream world is creative (usually)

    Cons: Humorless, bland scenario, some very pointless dream areas, "Expert Challenges", far too long I signed up for a Metacritic account JUST to review this game. I have loved all of the Mario and Luigi games. They are vastly superior to the Paper Mario series. Considering this is the "Year of Luigi"    Pros: Imaginative attacks, fun battles (usually), dream world is creative (usually)

    Cons: Humorless, bland scenario, some very pointless dream areas, "Expert Challenges", far too long

    I signed up for a Metacritic account JUST to review this game. I have loved all of the Mario and Luigi games. They are vastly superior to the Paper Mario series. Considering this is the "Year of Luigi" and Luigi is my favorite Mario character, it seemed like a no-brainer that I would love this game. Unfortunately, that is NOT the case. I've had the game since its release date and have yet to finish it (I'm at the final castle). The best way I can describe this game is that it is a VERY LONG exercise in frustration.

    First of all, this game is missing the terrific humor that previous games did so well. Mario and Luigi rarely do anything except listen to some of the most boring characters ever created talk. Prince Pillow and Starlow are stupid characters. They aren't funny... I don't care about anything they say... which is good, because at least 50% of it is obnoxious tutorial text. In previous M&L games, characters recognized the bros and much of the humor was their reaction (positive or negative) to them. In this game, no one seems to recognize the superstar duo, or if they do, they don't care or comment about it. The script is just boring. REALLY REALLY BORING.

    Right now I'm at 41 hours of "official" game time, yet this doesn't even come close to the time I've put into this game due to the incredibly stupid, infuriating "Expert Challenges." Thanks to the try-fail-reset-retry treadmill this terribly conceived "feature" puts you on, you too will log countless hours of scream-inducing frustration should you venture down this path. DON'T.

    These "challenges" are handed out to you each time you reach a new area. While in most games, reaching a new area is a joyful occasion, in this one, it's a time of dread, because it means MORE FUN CHALLENGES to kill your enjoyment of the game. To be clear, It's the "10 dodges in a row" variety that made me want to submit this game and the 3ds its in to "Will it Blend?" These wouldn't be so terrible except that on many occasions you are fighting 20+ enemies at once. Dodging all 20 of these attacks gets you a whopping ONE point toward your 10 dodges. It makes no sense, and the reality becomes you have to dodge 200 attacks...in a row. Does that sound fun to you?

    To make it worse, the game treats the dreamworld version of an area separately, which means every new area involves twice the number of these fun little challenges. This is basically like putting your wiener in an automatic pencil sharpener. Super fun. So many times I'd ask myself why I hadn't finished the game, load my save and find myself standing in front of an enemy. Then I'd remember, "Oh yes, I just found this area and nearly Fus'Roh'Dahed my 3DS into Oblivion as I was trying to dodge these obnoxious little jumping beans for the 10 millionth time. Hmm... maybe I should go do yard work... or dishes--YES! There are dishes to be done!"

    The battle system is fun when you aren't striving for perfection and the special attacks are imaginative. My reaction to the dream areas is mixed. While they are neat in concept, they also open you up to:

    - lengthy tutorials! (YAY!)
    - MORE FUN CHALLENGES (ZOMFGLOLOLOL YAAAAY!)

    Basically side-scrolling areas a la Bowser's Inside Story, there's pretty much no story to speak of in these areas (which, since the story is awful, is actually a good thing), but so many of these areas are incredibly trivial. You will literally walk a few feet, meet no enemies, and smash the little purple rock. WHY!? Side scrolling Mario games are known for their amazing level design. It's like the designers built the skeleton of these areas and then forgot to populate them.

    In summary, if there's one thing I would tell you to improve your enjoyment of this game it is DO NOT BOTHER WITH THE EXPERT CHALLENGES--EVER. Regrettably, I did and it has killed my enjoyment of this game. Even if you do this, you will be treated to an extremely long game with pointless, dull characters. Save yourself the punishment and just replay ANY of the other M&L games.    … Expand
  6. iloveFFC
    Sep 3, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was really excited for this game, 4 years since Inside Story, one of the best DS games ever, and I'm treated to this abomination? Its not a terrible game, but compared to the others that came before it, its defanitely the worst of the bunch. It started out fun, but then the game got annoying and hard out of nowhere. Nearing the end of the game provided enemies that were too unpredictable and overpowered to be fair. And the puzzles? Oh please! Inside story had some really frustrating parts, but this one has puzzles that nearly had me screaming with rage! Some of those puzzles shouldn't even be in the game thats intended for little kids! The level design was rather boring for most of the game, especially for a completely 3D game. Another complaint I need to vent about are the bro attacks and the luiginary attacks, some are so hard and annoying to master that its really not worth the time! The main villian (Besides Bowser, who was so much better in Inside story) is Antasma, epic name and epic awesomeness. But he sorta took a backseat when it came to bowser, who pretty much did all the work while Antasma just carried him around and helped once and a while, which is such a shamenecause they could have done so much more with him, like they did with Fawful. The controls during giant battles are also iffy at times, and the tilt controls and horrible. The final boss is way too hard and annoying for any kids game. Overall, the Dream World saves this game from being terrible, but not by much. It's story is cute, but it's nowhere as good as the story of Partners in Time, its fun at times, especially the mountain climbing level, but not as fun as Inside Story, it has funny moments, but nowhere near as much comedy as Superstar Saga or Inside Story.… Expand
  7. sakura1441
    Oct 13, 2013
    6
    this is a good game, but there are less blocks to hit and earn items and coins. the way they changed the characters of mario and luigi to a more 3d figure does have a new look, but i prefer to not see them so 3Dish. there are not a lot of details in the games, so when you are running around looking for something, there are hardly any blocks at all to hit, and the background details arethis is a good game, but there are less blocks to hit and earn items and coins. the way they changed the characters of mario and luigi to a more 3d figure does have a new look, but i prefer to not see them so 3Dish. there are not a lot of details in the games, so when you are running around looking for something, there are hardly any blocks at all to hit, and the background details are lacking. all in all, this was fun for the first day, but then i returned it because it got boring, and i started playing paper mario for the second time.… Expand
  8. hoagie1014
    Jan 29, 2014
    6
    Good game but after awhile I just want it to finish. Story is blah which just makes me mash the A button whenever i have to listen to someone talk to me. Especially when I know what I have to do before a puzzle and they try to give me the most unecessary hints.
  9. CorazonAzul
    Jul 17, 2014
    7
    While Dream Team's reaction-based battle structure is interesting and unique, its trial-heavy process devalues the satisfaction. Throughout their rather lengthy quest, The Bros keep the player occupied in multiple ways- visiting the puzzle platforming genre in a mostly smooth effort to break the RPG monotony.
  10. PissedOffWookie
    Jul 12, 2014
    6
    Beautiful graphics, beautiful music.. but not enough variety in this game. Most of the variety is in the enemy attacks, and while this is really quite nice to have, it shouldn't mean that the player has to cash in on their variety because of it. Also the tutorials and unskippable dialogue is a real pain. I give it a 6/10, it seems fun at first but a few hours in you will begin to realizeBeautiful graphics, beautiful music.. but not enough variety in this game. Most of the variety is in the enemy attacks, and while this is really quite nice to have, it shouldn't mean that the player has to cash in on their variety because of it. Also the tutorials and unskippable dialogue is a real pain. I give it a 6/10, it seems fun at first but a few hours in you will begin to realize it's kind of a bait and switch game.… Expand
  11. wegie125
    Dec 8, 2017
    5
    I don't know if I'm just nostalgic or what but I just wasn't a fan of this kind of game. I played the first 3 mario and luigi games but this one just felt dull to me. I wasn't as attached with the characters, the art style seemed off, the 3d was pointless. I liked the old 32 bit look. I wish they had just kept that. The made some good characters but overall they just felt like they wereI don't know if I'm just nostalgic or what but I just wasn't a fan of this kind of game. I played the first 3 mario and luigi games but this one just felt dull to me. I wasn't as attached with the characters, the art style seemed off, the 3d was pointless. I liked the old 32 bit look. I wish they had just kept that. The made some good characters but overall they just felt like they were glued to the ground… Expand
  12. Ramon4567
    Sep 5, 2014
    5
    The bros are back for more RPG madness, but in comparison to Bowser's Inside Story, the polish is halfway non-existent; sound is too loud, dialogue is too pointless at times, and on rare occasions, you'll see frame rate drops. I also feel that the default visuals are too bright, making bosses look like jokes. Now, now, this game is no piece of garbage, so don't worry. I appreciate theThe bros are back for more RPG madness, but in comparison to Bowser's Inside Story, the polish is halfway non-existent; sound is too loud, dialogue is too pointless at times, and on rare occasions, you'll see frame rate drops. I also feel that the default visuals are too bright, making bosses look like jokes. Now, now, this game is no piece of garbage, so don't worry. I appreciate the difficulty rising and new Hard mode, plus the music once you have your volume adjusted. The same core gameplay is back, and some satisfying tweaks have been made to the level up process. Yet again, some of the old ideas were scrapped, like playing as Bowser or the babies for that matter. What could have been the best game in the series turned out to be a weakling; a slow, silly Goomba that does the bear minimum to satisfy its fans. For those new to the series, give it a try anyway. You might like it more than me.… Expand
  13. FreezeBlade1220
    Jul 29, 2014
    5
    This is my least favorite Mario and Luigi game. Why? well the first stages of the game were good, the rest felt confusing as heck. The music was good, the boss battles were fun, but thats about it.
  14. Kahisys
    Jan 23, 2015
    5
    Mario & Luigi is a great RPG series that I've been following for a while now. But this new installment really is worrying me on the series' future.

    On the go to save Pi'illo island (a place revolved around sleep, as the name suggests) and as usual the Princess Peach (we don't change a winning formula), Mario and Luigi gain the access to the dream world after saving the Prince of a    Mario & Luigi is a great RPG series that I've been following for a while now. But this new installment really is worrying me on the series' future.

    On the go to save Pi'illo island (a place revolved around sleep, as the name suggests) and as usual the Princess Peach (we don't change a winning formula), Mario and Luigi gain the access to the dream world after saving the Prince of a supposedly extinct population, trapped inside the dream world. The island has its own villain, Antasma, a bat fed with nightmares (?), that teams up with Bowser to take over the world.
    The plot is here very briefly summed up, it has a lot more to it, and yes it's still just as...boring.

    The game has good points : the graphics (3D environment with 2D NPCs and characters) look rather nice, the music is pretty nice as well, and the fights. Oh golly, the fights. They are awesome. While the bestiary of the game isn't too amazing, the fights got a way larger range of possibilities : going in the background or foreground, sometimes even moving around to dodge attacks, and a plethora of special moves, make the fights very enjoyable.
    But the most important part of it is the separation between the real world and the dream world : in the real world you get a casual Mario & Luigi-style fighting system. Still enhanced, but classic. However, in the dream world, it's very different: Mario goes into Luigi's dreams, so the Luigi in the dreams in not the real one. As such, he can deploy tremendously satisfying (and unrealistic of course) moves, like the Luigi Katamary ball shown in the trailer. That, and the giant fights, also very original and madly fun.

    However, the game suffers from a lot of flaws. First, the graphics cause a serious problem of perspective in the game : it's often hard to understand where you are compared to some items or enemies during fights and it will cause you trouble. Secondly, the areas of the game are very large and each region has 1 main theme, which means you'll be hearing those for a long, long time, and it can get a little annoying. Another issue is that the game is very repetitive : each region has a gimmick that you'll have to follow every time, and it'll be repeated over and over. It quickly gets boring. Mostly it goes to the range of : enter region > meet comedy-relief character > follow said character > enter the dream world for reason X > get what you wanted in the first place. The whole game. And trust me, when I say it's repetitive, it makes the game longer for no valid reason.
    And finally, my biggest complain is the total lack of "Mario & Luigi spirit" to it. Everyone who played any other game of the series knows it has its own crazy, wonky humor that made the charm of the series. Here? There's almost none. It does not have the good, enjoyable Mario & Luigi vibe you'd expect.
    The plot takes itself very seriously despite keeping everything else from the Mario & Luigi universe. Can really a serious plot fit in such a wonky world? Yes, Mario and Luigi Brothers in Time taught us that. But I can assure you it doesn't, here. There are very little moments in the game that'll come anywhere close to bring you a smile, and it's a true shame, as it absolutely lacks of the genuine (dare I say, childish) ambiance you'd want in this series.

    You can always try the game by yourself, but it's definitely not one that'd make the system sell.    … Expand
  15. Techbane
    Jul 5, 2018
    7
    A Mario & Luigi game through and through, which occasionally offers glimpses of the greatness of the first and third entries in the series and maintains tight combat throughout, but suffers horribly from ever-worsening omnipresent tutorialization and multiple overly drawn out parts of the game where the plot comes to an absolute standstill for several hours straight while you ditz aroundA Mario & Luigi game through and through, which occasionally offers glimpses of the greatness of the first and third entries in the series and maintains tight combat throughout, but suffers horribly from ever-worsening omnipresent tutorialization and multiple overly drawn out parts of the game where the plot comes to an absolute standstill for several hours straight while you ditz around with repetitive dream worlds and battle the same enemies a couple dozen times in a row.

    Basically an otherwise solid entry in the series brought down a few notches by abhorrent pacing issues.    … Expand
  16. meecca
    Mar 10, 2019
    5
    As someone who has played only a few nintendo games, but loves RPGs, I bought this game with great expectations. Maybe I expected too much but the story is awful, controls are horrible and the game holds your hand SO much its infuriating. It is so slow to play, and some platforming with both mario and luigi is so annoying when luigi misses the jump or so on.. it starts off easy, then inAs someone who has played only a few nintendo games, but loves RPGs, I bought this game with great expectations. Maybe I expected too much but the story is awful, controls are horrible and the game holds your hand SO much its infuriating. It is so slow to play, and some platforming with both mario and luigi is so annoying when luigi misses the jump or so on.. it starts off easy, then in the middle of the game the difficulty spikes up and some fights you just have to die and retry to learn the attack patterns. Which is fine in some games but the retries take forever in this game. In the end I did not even bother amd just went on easy mode. First and worst 1st party game I've played on the 3ds. It has some good points thougu, graphic style is nice and the fighting is ok at times.… Expand
  17. FireBroFilms
    Aug 15, 2022
    6
    ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎

Awards & Rankings

13
#13 Best 3DS Game of 2013
7
#7 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2013
9
#9 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 75
  3. Negative: 0 out of 75
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 7, 2013
    90
    A dreamy adventure in a dreamy world. Thankfully Mario's vacations always end in crisis, since they seem to make excellent games. Dream Team Bros is both funny and sympathetic at the same time. [Aug 2013]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Sep 19, 2013
    80
    Mario along with Luigi mash their competition by far with their new ideas, and they also manage to entertain both the young and the old ones. [Issue#232]
  3. GamingXP
    Sep 16, 2013
    90
    The battles prove your skill, the humor will make you laugh and the design of La Dormita and its dream-pendant are gorgeous.
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