Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

 3DS
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 148 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 115 out of 148
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 148
  3. Negative: 11 out of 148
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  1. Pilest
    Jul 3, 2023
    9
    This series had been a part of my early childhood for quite a while so being able to play the first game after so long felt really good. It differentiates itself from other games in the series by its take on bros. attacks, world traversal moves, and its more comical style of humor. It’s fun, bowser’s minions sucks cock. 8/10
  2. RVamp101
    May 14, 2023
    8
    Mario and Luigi: Superstar saga is a great way to start a series. I played the 3ds remake so i don't have the issues with how the games looks compared to it's original. But i liked my experience with the main story, have to lower it's score because of it's whack side mode "Bowser's Minions". Not fun, not original.
  3. DrRobotnik
    Mar 20, 2023
    10
    The absolute BEST JRPG of 2017!! Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions is a perfect remake of the Game Boy Advance title that has completely redone visuals, a ton of quality of life features, new content in the form of Minion Quest and new secrets to be found. This game also allowed every Mario & Luigi game to be played on the Nintendo 3DS which makes being able to play all ofThe absolute BEST JRPG of 2017!! Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions is a perfect remake of the Game Boy Advance title that has completely redone visuals, a ton of quality of life features, new content in the form of Minion Quest and new secrets to be found. This game also allowed every Mario & Luigi game to be played on the Nintendo 3DS which makes being able to play all of the games much easier unlike other RPG series, like Persona, which require you to own multiple consoles to play all the games. Pretty much, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions is better than Persona 5… Expand
  4. Icefang
    Mar 19, 2023
    10
    Remake of my favorite childhood game and no complaints whatsoever. Thank you for this masterpiece and I hope this company is magically revived.
  5. Halkem
    Feb 26, 2023
    7
    Didn't play much of the Superstar Saga back in the GBA, so this was definitely a great opportunity to experience it for the first time. The game is good, but it has its up and downs. Sometimes i love the pacing and others it feels like the game is too boring. Hard to describe it. The combat system is fun and the boss battles are the BEST part of the game. The story and characters are good,Didn't play much of the Superstar Saga back in the GBA, so this was definitely a great opportunity to experience it for the first time. The game is good, but it has its up and downs. Sometimes i love the pacing and others it feels like the game is too boring. Hard to describe it. The combat system is fun and the boss battles are the BEST part of the game. The story and characters are good, but not Mario RPG good. Overall if you like RPG and Mario, you will have fun with this one.… Expand
  6. JasonPrivy
    Feb 24, 2023
    8
    This is a very nostalgic game for many people sadly I wasn't able to be on the craze when it started but it is still a solid game would play again and recommend it
  7. FunkyPopMan
    Jan 14, 2023
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is absolutely incredible. It reaches the same level of quality as the original smoothly. The game tries to make itself more understandable than the original but it doesn't really change a lot from the original. On top of that, you have health blocks as opposed to being healed completely and automatically after every boss fight. Now you can heal yourself completely without items in many areas. The game also has marker points and is now more useful when switching bros. Unfortunately Luigi cannot switch with Mario in the same way as the original, but the move sets are laid out more simply and you can access one by just a press of either shoulder button. This is faster than the original, and is even faster with the touch screen. It doesn't have those funny retro-sound effects but it definitely gets the job done with some stat changes and a new side-story that is pretty boring but at least there's something extra.… Expand
  8. hector_bcn98
    Nov 4, 2022
    8
    Remake de un juego que ya era brillante en su original. Lavado audiovisual y poco más que añadir. Contenido adicional poco relevante.
  9. TheDuner13
    Aug 6, 2022
    8
    goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood
  10. YokoHugo
    Jul 30, 2022
    7
    Jijojojojojojojojojojojomojommomomomomomomomomomomomokokmomojomomokomokomou
  11. DolphinReviews
    Jul 20, 2022
    8
    A fantastic RPG. The newly added Bowser's Minion is nothing great. Very forgettable and plays like a mobile game. The main game, however, is amazing. The game is filled with so much life and charm. Not many turn based RPG's find a way to make the gameplay fun, this one delivers.
  12. TSNintendogamer
    Apr 28, 2022
    10
    This game is great. I love how this game has an easy mode too but I remember getting the game when I was a kid to give it too a friend but I only got to play it alittle bit. However years year, I got the game in 2017 and beat it a couple years later due to losing the game. The game was mostly easy but the final boss was no joke. The puzzles were fun but easy too. There was one timeThis game is great. I love how this game has an easy mode too but I remember getting the game when I was a kid to give it too a friend but I only got to play it alittle bit. However years year, I got the game in 2017 and beat it a couple years later due to losing the game. The game was mostly easy but the final boss was no joke. The puzzles were fun but easy too. There was one time where I didn't know where to go because I didn't know where to upgrade the hammers and there should've been an indication for it. However other then that, the game is flawless and alittle short but then again it was a gba game. As for the story, I really like how funny fawful is. There's a reason he became a force to be reckoned with. The game can also get alittle dark with peach losing her voice. However I can't help but feel alittle bad for bowser because he is just a joke in the game. Lastly I love how the developers put in an extra game mode which completely changes genres. That section relied a bit on luck but it was really fun and I loved how it explored things from the enemies perspective. It was a fun game and it's too bad that alpha dream went bankrupt because the games weren't on switch. I felt like it was good enough on the 3ds.… Expand
  13. SuperClaudio64
    Mar 20, 2022
    7
    Inizialmente ero molto colpito da questo gioco. Superstar saga introduce un nuovo regno adiacente a quello dei funghi, nuovi bizzarri personaggi e un sistema di battaglia molto originale e particolare, ma purtroppo nella seconda parte della storia si cade in sezioni filler su sezioni filler, e questo lo ha reso un gioco meno interessante e più noioso da finire. Un buon gioco, ma si perdeInizialmente ero molto colpito da questo gioco. Superstar saga introduce un nuovo regno adiacente a quello dei funghi, nuovi bizzarri personaggi e un sistema di battaglia molto originale e particolare, ma purtroppo nella seconda parte della storia si cade in sezioni filler su sezioni filler, e questo lo ha reso un gioco meno interessante e più noioso da finire. Un buon gioco, ma si perde in inutili prolungamenti nella seconda parte che lo rendono meno speciale. .… Expand
  14. Resetto
    Sep 8, 2021
    8
    This game is just a ton of fun. It may be easy, and some of the second half of the game can drag, but the game is just overall pleasing to play and pleasing to look at. This is in my opinion, the prettiest looking Mario and Luigi game.
  15. EasyGamerBoi
    Jun 10, 2021
    5
    I know this game is held in high regard among Mario games, but I seriously don’t know how. Aside from interesting characters like Fawful & Cackletta I don’t know what people come to this game for. I know it’s all subjective, but after the first quarter of this game I wasn’t having fun anymore. Game was an absolute slog for the rest of the playthrough. Music is good until you have to hearI know this game is held in high regard among Mario games, but I seriously don’t know how. Aside from interesting characters like Fawful & Cackletta I don’t know what people come to this game for. I know it’s all subjective, but after the first quarter of this game I wasn’t having fun anymore. Game was an absolute slog for the rest of the playthrough. Music is good until you have to hear it 10,000 times during the game & with it being only on 1 minute loops, it gets hyper repetitive. I’m baffled as to how this game started a franchise. It makes me hold the rest of the franchise with higher regard that’s for sure, even Dream Team which I have a lot of the same problems with!! As someone who really couldn’t stand Dream Team & didn’t play Paper Jam as a result, I struggle to think more than 2/5 of the games in the Mario & Luigi series (Partners in Time & Bowser’s Inside Story) are worth my time or anybody’s time in 2021 & beyond. Sorry?… Expand
  16. somedude14
    Apr 10, 2021
    7
    I really liked the battle system. Game feels really slow while going from A to B sometimes. Final battle is a surprising difficulty spike, but obviously manageable. I didn't like some areas, like the Chuckola barrel room. Most of the minigames are bad, the story is awful. Music is good but is overall low quality audio due to being made for a handheld (I play with earbuds and theI really liked the battle system. Game feels really slow while going from A to B sometimes. Final battle is a surprising difficulty spike, but obviously manageable. I didn't like some areas, like the Chuckola barrel room. Most of the minigames are bad, the story is awful. Music is good but is overall low quality audio due to being made for a handheld (I play with earbuds and the compression is really obvious).… Expand
  17. BeeSting1
    Jan 1, 2021
    9
    The perfect marriage of turn-based combat and QTEs.

    Good - I really like how the game does the tutorials. They do it and I really funny and amusing way, such that it didn't feel like a chore like most other games do. - the use of the a and b buttons was really clever. It felt so natural to control Mario and Luigi separately both while navigating the world and during battles. -    The perfect marriage of turn-based combat and QTEs.

    Good

    - I really like how the game does the tutorials. They do it and I really funny and amusing way, such that it didn't feel like a chore like most other games do.

    - the use of the a and b buttons was really clever. It felt so natural to control Mario and Luigi separately both while navigating the world and during battles.

    - Mario and Luigi games has the perfect balance between turn based command and real time action. I never fully enjoyed 100% turn based command games, because it just felt like a chess game. It got boring.

    - Mario and Luigi's Italian mumbling voices makes the cut scenes charming. Combined with the music and the funny little animations, and the art style just makes the whole package charming

    - the dialogue is great

    - the Mario RPG and the Mario & Luigi series are probably the only games that gives the world of super Mario context, a universe, and life to the IP.

    - the extra abilities like sucking in water, the different kinds of jumps, hammer all add so much variety to the gameplay. It's a perfect harmony of platforming action and wild encounter battles.

    - the puzzles built around the mini and dunk abilities are so well made. These abilities are so unique and fun to play with. I expect nothing less from Nintendo, the master innovators.

    - I like how the game doesn't tell you directly who the enemy is aiming for. Rather you have to figure it out based on what they say, or looking at the shadow the projectile casts on the ground. It really made me pay attention to the animations.

    - funny how they keep undermining Luigi

    - I like the anime archetype inspired characters like Prince peasely and the chuckola reserve old man.

    - I like how I can retry battles immediately. No unnecessary step retracing and no loading time wasted. Just straight back in the fight. More games need to do this.

    - the matching enemy in hoohoo hooniversity was cool

    - this is the only rpg where I actually enjoy wild encounters, cause the battles are so fun

    - save point right before bosses is great. As well as restarting at the start of battle after death, and small Mario puzzle deaths. Its great to get back right into it and master the timing instead of having to do unnecessary reloading and back tracking.

    - the retro side scroll small Mario is really cool

    - being able to practice executing supers is wonderful.

    - the map is layed out well. The white links prevent any cluttering. And the marker is useful.

    - the double blocks is a clever way using the separate character mechanic to solve puzzles

    Bad

    - the map is too simple. At times it appears I can cross to the other section on the map, but in actuality I'm blocked by something that's not shown on the map.

    - there's an over abundance of currency.

    - there needs to be location names on the map. Maybe an on off button wouldve helped.

    - the overworld map lacks way too much detail. When trying to navigate to a new area, it's difficult to tell exactly where I am. Perhaps they intended this. But still frustrating at times when it looks like an area connects but in reality it doesn't exactly. Misleading visually. - A lot of the enemy attacks intended for the player to react to a specific animation to see which bro the enemy attacks ends up being pointless because the game allows the player to hit X to make both jump at the same time, which allows both to dodge or counter the attack. If the game only allowed on to jump for these attacks, it would've made fixed the issue and forced the player to counter with the intended challenge. I felt more enemies should've had attacks that punished the player for using X to dodge or counter.    … Expand
  18. Staven_Byrne
    Nov 16, 2020
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I am disappointed with several factors.

    1) Player must exit Hoohoo Mountain to unlock Bowser's Minions
    2) Player must see all credits to unlock final stages in Bowser's Minions
    3) Worst of all, game crashes in credit

    4) BP cost increased too much
    5) Bros. attack power nerfed too much
    6) Boss battle unreasonably difficult and long (especially Cackletta's Soul
    7) Bean monsters rarely drop Woo Beans (far less than original
    8) Bowser's Minions mode force players to grind for levels    … Expand
  19. livelovelaugh22
    Apr 20, 2020
    9
    This game was a phenomenal remake to a phenomenal game. Period. M and L SS was the game that started it all. A fun yet clumsy storyline, with funny and sometimes dark characters, fun places to visit, and a fun battle system with unique attacks. Not to mention bosses, and a great soundtrack. Now imagine that, but with much better graphics, much smoother gameplay, and a whole new side gameThis game was a phenomenal remake to a phenomenal game. Period. M and L SS was the game that started it all. A fun yet clumsy storyline, with funny and sometimes dark characters, fun places to visit, and a fun battle system with unique attacks. Not to mention bosses, and a great soundtrack. Now imagine that, but with much better graphics, much smoother gameplay, and a whole new side game that is honestly great on its own. The only noticeable con is that the game can be way too easy. Other than that, one of the best Mario and Luigi games.… Expand
  20. ORHUN
    Feb 7, 2020
    10
    En iyi oyunlar listme giriş yapan bir oyun oyunun taşınılabilir bir konsolda olması onu heryerde oynayabileceğınız için iyi oluyor
    Farklı mekanlar zamanlar düşmanlar ise iyi yanlarından sadece bazıları 2 karakter olan mario ve luiginin farklı kostümlerle gezmeleri süper bulmacalar rekabetlerle süper bir single player bir oyun
  21. B-Bog
    Jan 9, 2020
    5
    Fun and charming game with some typical RPG problems like repetitive and boring turn-based combat, but the difficulty curve is TOTALLY out of whack. 90-95% of the game is suuuper easy, then at the very last minute Superstar Saga suddenly decides that it wants to be a hard game and throws a bunch of unfair BS at you that you're in no way prepared for because the rest of the game was such aFun and charming game with some typical RPG problems like repetitive and boring turn-based combat, but the difficulty curve is TOTALLY out of whack. 90-95% of the game is suuuper easy, then at the very last minute Superstar Saga suddenly decides that it wants to be a hard game and throws a bunch of unfair BS at you that you're in no way prepared for because the rest of the game was such a piece of cake. This really soured me because it was so unnecessary and took the rating down from an 8 to a 5.… Expand
  22. robertoiglesias
    Nov 10, 2019
    10
    A port of Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga was necessary imo. After all it was on the GBA. But what really makes this fantastic is the new Bowser’s Minions Story.
    This port was needed unlike 50% of Switch ports from the innocent Wii U
  23. Mario_Tierra
    Sep 25, 2019
    9
    Un maravilloso remake del que es mi juego favorito de Gameboy Advance. Mantiene toda la esencia y lo que más deslumbra es un apartado artístico precioso. Ya se veía bien el de Gameboy Advance, pero este lo hace aún más.
  24. new2dsxl
    Sep 8, 2019
    9
    Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is a classic, and this new version is arguably the definitive version. Yes, Bowser's Minions is a harmless but shallow add-on, but the Superstars are the real attraction.

    This is a series that has a distinct and special place within Nintendo gaming, and after experimentation and not-always-popular approaches in the 3DS era of games, this takes us back to    Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is a classic, and this new version is arguably the definitive version. Yes, Bowser's Minions is a harmless but shallow add-on, but the Superstars are the real attraction.

    This is a series that has a distinct and special place within Nintendo gaming, and after experimentation and not-always-popular approaches in the 3DS era of games, this takes us back to the IP's roots. What a treat it is, too - funny, smartly designed and pure unpretentious joy, this is a great start point for those that missed the original in the Game Boy Advance era, and should also be tempting to those with fond memories of the adventure.    … Expand
  25. amphgodvgod
    Feb 24, 2019
    10
    Underrated game: Superstars is great and beloved sure but mroe people need to know this remake, which is that game, plus additions, a better look and the whole deal with the koopa minions adventures
  26. SirAwesomeness5
    Jan 30, 2019
    9
    Having not played the original, I thought it was so nice, I played it twice! (really!) 9 out of 10.
  27. 1x1ismath
    Apr 8, 2018
    10
    Best Game! This game is outstanding because of the quality and story. It is exciting to level up and collect items. So much to do in this game. However, one problem, once I complete the game I end up in the last save spot.
  28. CyberRobotnix
    Mar 5, 2018
    7
    Pros:
    -It fits the standards of graphical quality and the game has excellent musics.
    -It has a new playable mode, that is quite interesting to be honest (the minions mode), however the game mode feels lacklusting and could have had more developments put into it, infact the plot of that game mode could have been done properly, because the original didn't have a single plothole, this    Pros:
    -It fits the standards of graphical quality and the game has excellent musics.
    -It has a new playable mode, that is quite interesting to be honest (the minions mode), however the game mode feels lacklusting and could have had more developments put into it, infact the plot of that game mode could have been done properly, because the original didn't have a single plothole, this remake adds plotholes to the game. Sad.
    -The block button from paper jam returns and to be fair, this game has a better use of the block button than Paper Jam (since 70% of the bosses could kill you in one hit, even with parying), however I feel like that at the same time, it makes the game kinda too easy.
    -The story is great (Well, it's a remake and the original had an excellent story to begin with), however the remaster has plotholes.

    Cons:
    -Many of the problems that were in the original game aren't fixed in the remaster.
    -It is easier than the original (reasons stated above).
    -It has plotholes (because of the new game mode which is good on its own, but is underdeveloped).
    -The dialogue in the minions game mode feels dumbed down. I sometimes cringed when I read certain paragraphs.

    Overall, a good game, but it's not a masterpiece either.    … Expand
  29. Andrevus
    Mar 1, 2018
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Have to say, i went into this game with high hopes since i have played all of them up until Dream Team and....i was sorely disappointed.

    First off some good things :

    +Mush Badges were nerfed

    +Art is nice and vibrant.

    +The minimap on the touchscreen is just as good if not better than in the DS games

    +Some of the remixed songs are amazingly good.

    +Bowser's Minions is a pretty decent idea IN CONCEPT.

    +Starbeans Cafe was buffed (As in doesn't require 25, only 10 beans total for a coffee)

    +Level up stat bonuses were made into actually obtainable bonuses instead of a random wheel where you usually get +1-s when there are +4-s on the roulette. It now stops when you press it.

    --And now for the bad things :

    -Mush Badges were nerfed to oblivion, like holy hell did they overdo it. Yes they completely broke the game originally but now they completely broke the badges, into absolute uselessnes. By the time you get even the basic Mush Badge you can buy a TWICE as good badge from the shop! This is a case of over-nerfing something.

    -The artstyle while in some parts beautiful, sorely lacks the quirky personality and charm of the original game. Some of the visual, sight and slapstick gags just simply do NOT work like this.

    -The touchscreen UI for moves while helpful is a bit clunky at times.

    -No 3D whatsoever even though this is a 3DS game.And it's not like Pokémon Moon where the art would be taxing the console...

    -No swapping Mario and Luigi uness it's move-specific, i mean come on!

    -Some songs just do NOT sound as good as the original (Looking at you Teehee Valley and Popple.)

    -The above mentioned "in concept" part of Bowser's Minions only works in that context. In practice this side-gamemode feels a bit tacked on, tries to handwavingly explain a lot of nonexistent plotholes (like why E.Gadd made Starbeans Cafe, like we REALLY needed to know that...) while creating more, and the gameplay itself is rather primitive. Just mash together a few units (8-max per team) and watch them bash heads, and wait for a few semi-random QTE's to pop up.An interesting yet shallow side-mode.

    -No option to swap between the GBA and Remastered soundtrack, even though you CAN listen to the GBA original songs IN the sound player IN-GAME!

    -The rewards for putting in the effort to 100% the game is not only lackluster, it's absolutely INSULTING. While the "turn enemy gained coins into beans" for collecting 100% of the hidden beans sounds nice, it procs WAY TOO RARELY, and the reward of "Swapping your Attack for your Speed" for finding ALL 100% OF THE BLOCKS, which DON'T COUNT IF YOUR INVENTORY IS FULL is just downright *INEXCUSABLE*. I'm not even going to bother trying to go for the "Dodge 800 enemy attacks" reward after the absolute useless trash i got for "1000 Excellent ratings when attacking" The game basically taunts you in the Records menu on what you did and did not do, then spits in your face when you actually take the effort to DO what it asks you.

    All in all it's a decent game with a lot of odd, nonsensical design changes at times, and sorely lacking endgame. Basically your best gear will come from the ruined shop at the end of the game. Avoid 100%ing it, it's not worth it, but if you're looking to relive this GBA classic, it's worth it just for the story. , and i'm giving it a 6/10 ,    … Expand
  30. dbzgt
    Nov 10, 2017
    10
    Short and to the point. Flawless game, as good as the original. Superb characters you'll love, great lore in the new Beanbean Kingdom, fun gameplay, and deep storyline! A true Nintendo gem. Well done.
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best 3DS Game of 2017
7
#7 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2017
13
#13 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 51
  3. Negative: 0 out of 51
  1. RPG Fan
    Jan 22, 2019
    85
    If you've never played a Mario & Luigi game, this is a perfect entry point. If you're coming back to re-experience a game you've played and loved, it still holds up. If the main draw is the Minion Quest side game, this might be worth a pass, but it's amusing enough if you're going to pick up the game anyway. Either way, even after 15 years, I had a blast playing this game. I can't wait to get my hands on more Mario & Luigi titles, and hope they continue the series in the future.
    Read full review
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 16, 2018
    80
    Remake of the older Marios RPG – still funny, full of possibilities and opponents. To this is added a separate war miniature game, which, however, next to Mario acts rather static. [Issue#279]
  3. RPGamer
    Nov 29, 2017
    70
    There's no strong reason to go back and play the original version of Mario and Luigi with this one around, and I had about as much fun now as I did in 2003. The interface amenities are certainly a nice touch, Bowser's Minions is a very respectable addition, and having a beefed-up role for the Koopalings as minions is something I personally delighted in experiencing. It's certainly not going to convert anyone who never cared for this style of game, but what's here is a fun romp.
    Read full review
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