Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

 DS
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 242 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 203 out of 242
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 242
  3. Negative: 9 out of 242
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  1. Webosxdxdxddd
    Aug 30, 2023
    10
    By far the best Mario & Luigi game. Original bosses, colorful yet dark backgrounds and story, adorable cutscenes with the babies, and just a solid Mario & Luigi game overall.
  2. RVamp101
    May 14, 2023
    9
    Mario and Luigi: Partner's in time is an amazing game. Perfect? Hell nah. The use of items is definitely something i would prefer over how the other games in this series does it. But the strategy that comes with those games are FAR better then how partner's in time does it.
    The bosses are unique, the cutscenes are amazing. Fantastic game over all!
  3. subspace87
    May 10, 2023
    10
    This was such a wonderful game to play as a kid. It was one of my first ever exposures to a wonderfully crafted story with exciting and absolutely incredible plot twists. For a Mario game, this game really hits the bell for me. I absolutely adore this game even to this day. The battle gameplay is super innovative and really fun as well. Also, the art and graphics are amazing for a DSThis was such a wonderful game to play as a kid. It was one of my first ever exposures to a wonderfully crafted story with exciting and absolutely incredible plot twists. For a Mario game, this game really hits the bell for me. I absolutely adore this game even to this day. The battle gameplay is super innovative and really fun as well. Also, the art and graphics are amazing for a DS game! It looks absolutely stunning! This is a must play for anyone who enjoys a good RPG, and especially for anyone who's played the other Mario RPG games and hasn't picked this one up yet.… Expand
  4. SatinFoil
    Feb 16, 2023
    10
    Really fun Mario and Luigi game! Highly recommend! The baby mechanics are really fun as well! Also, remember all those attacks like fire flower, and green/red shell? Well in this game, you can deal more damage to enemies if you press the X or Y button right before the shell hits the enemy. There's also more mechanics added to other bros attacks in favor of the baby feature. I DID mentionReally fun Mario and Luigi game! Highly recommend! The baby mechanics are really fun as well! Also, remember all those attacks like fire flower, and green/red shell? Well in this game, you can deal more damage to enemies if you press the X or Y button right before the shell hits the enemy. There's also more mechanics added to other bros attacks in favor of the baby feature. I DID mention fire flower as well, so I guess I'll say what that does in this game too. Well, pressing X or Y instead of A and B makes it shoot higher and get farther enemies..? I'm not 100% sure, so take that with a grain of salt (which I think is the correct saying).… Expand
  5. hector_bcn98
    Nov 7, 2022
    8
    A mi modo de ver, la entrega de la saga más interesante. La inclusión de los bebés ofrecía una mayor variante de ataques. Todo un acierto.
  6. TheDuner13
    Aug 6, 2022
    9
    goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood
  7. greninjaX
    Jan 28, 2022
    8
    a great adventure all around, but doesn't quite live up to super star saga due to a few issues. special moves are now items, and the babies are quite annoying. there's also some pacing issues. still a fun adventure, but i can see why the remakes skipped this one in favor of the superior "bowser's inside story"
  8. Bcshiguemichi
    Jan 14, 2022
    9
    One of my favorites Mario and Luigi. The pixel design if fantastic with several visual effects. The ways to improve power are fantastic and the story has always some pivoting.
  9. WhoDaDev
    Aug 6, 2021
    10
    Easily the best in the Mario & Luigi RPG series. Much better than Bowser's Inside Story.
  10. Shroobit
    Aug 2, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. El juego está muy infravalorado, su OST es hermoso y la historia también:((… Expand
  11. JavierFR
    Mar 4, 2020
    9
    Aunque la mayoría no piense lo mismo,en la saga RPG de Mario & Luigi,es uno de los mejores,por no decir el mejor de ellos:
    -Una trama más seria,y no se centra en salvar a Peach,como la mayoría de los juegos.
    -Una jugabilidad diferente,permitiendo cotrolar a 4 personajes simultaneamente,tanto fuera como dentro de los combates. -Muy buena banda sonora,consiguiendo establecer el tema del    Aunque la mayoría no piense lo mismo,en la saga RPG de Mario & Luigi,es uno de los mejores,por no decir el mejor de ellos:
    -Una trama más seria,y no se centra en salvar a Peach,como la mayoría de los juegos.
    -Una jugabilidad diferente,permitiendo cotrolar a 4 personajes simultaneamente,tanto fuera como dentro de los combates.
    -Muy buena banda sonora,consiguiendo establecer el tema del momento.
    -Es el juego más corto,durando aproximadamente unas 10-15 horas.
    -Unos gráficos mejorados comparándolo con su anterior entrega.

    Además,este juego se encuentra en la consola virtual de WII U a 9,99 €,aunque recomiendo jugarlo en la Nintendo DS por la portabilidad.    … Expand
  12. vincethelegofan
    Mar 1, 2020
    9
    personally, this game is my least favorite in the series. don't get me wrong i love all of the M&L games! it's just that the basic formula is completely differrent and it worked out for the worst. however, where it lacks in gameplay, it makes up in everything else. if it wasn't for bowser's inside story, i'd say that partners in time has hands down THE best story. the music, OOOH, THEpersonally, this game is my least favorite in the series. don't get me wrong i love all of the M&L games! it's just that the basic formula is completely differrent and it worked out for the worst. however, where it lacks in gameplay, it makes up in everything else. if it wasn't for bowser's inside story, i'd say that partners in time has hands down THE best story. the music, OOOH, THE MUSIC. whoever composed the music deserves a RAISE. like, seriously, after playing the game again, i just wanna listen to the entire soundtrack. but enough about music. the game is worth your time, just not as good as the others.… Expand
  13. robertoiglesias
    Nov 10, 2019
    10
    I love the gameplay, story, characters, and the humor of this fun game. Mario and Luigi is truly fantastic
  14. Meepmorp
    Sep 23, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. THIS IS THE BEST MARIO AND LUIGI GAME sure Dream team and super star saga are great games but in my opinion this is my favorite … Expand
  15. Ghost_the_ds
    Aug 17, 2019
    10
    Mario and Luigi: Partners in time is without a doubt one of the greatest games on the DS and if you haven’t picked it up yet, you are missing out, it has fantastic controls and pacing and playing as the baby’s are a ton of fun, the puzzles are a great mix of repetitive and new and the final boss kept me on the edge of my sit the whole way though. The length of the game is perfect and it’sMario and Luigi: Partners in time is without a doubt one of the greatest games on the DS and if you haven’t picked it up yet, you are missing out, it has fantastic controls and pacing and playing as the baby’s are a ton of fun, the puzzles are a great mix of repetitive and new and the final boss kept me on the edge of my sit the whole way though. The length of the game is perfect and it’s got a great sense of humour. Overall if you haven’t played it before you owe yourself...… Expand
  16. SuperInkLink64
    Dec 2, 2018
    9
    I simply do not understand the hate for this game. I love it. Being my second favorite of the Mario and Luigi series, it definitely has a lot. The music is phenomenal, especially considering it's a DS game. The story is hands down the darkest of any Mario game, and actually had me trying to guess what to happen next. While the whole time travel thing is a BIT confusing, it still broughtI simply do not understand the hate for this game. I love it. Being my second favorite of the Mario and Luigi series, it definitely has a lot. The music is phenomenal, especially considering it's a DS game. The story is hands down the darkest of any Mario game, and actually had me trying to guess what to happen next. While the whole time travel thing is a BIT confusing, it still brought the babies, which are a great addition to both the combat system and puzzles. The biggest complaint I've heard is that Bros. items are consumables, but I found that easier to handle than the BP system personally. Overall, Partners in Time is a fantastic entry in the Mario and Luigi game series, with its own set of quirks and humor.… Expand
  17. Diegochocho
    Jul 6, 2018
    8
    Primero juego que jugué de la saga, buenos escenarios con buen acompañamiento de músicas, y buena cantidad de jefes con buenas mecánicas.
  18. TheUberMann
    Jul 6, 2018
    10
    A fantastic game. By far one of my all-time-favorites. The look is so nice to look at and gives you nostalgic chills if you look at it every time. The story is excellent, in my opinion. The gameplay is pretty much alright. Near the end of the game it feels like there was a small lack of gameplay mechanics and new stuff overall, but that's something I can live with. The soundtrack is alsoA fantastic game. By far one of my all-time-favorites. The look is so nice to look at and gives you nostalgic chills if you look at it every time. The story is excellent, in my opinion. The gameplay is pretty much alright. Near the end of the game it feels like there was a small lack of gameplay mechanics and new stuff overall, but that's something I can live with. The soundtrack is also really good, especially if you come closer to the ending of the game. The difficulty of the game is pretty good actually. Sometimes it's harder, sometimes it's too easy. Overall enjoyable. I prefer it that you can buy/find the special attacks. I personally really hated this whole "BP-points"-stuff.… Expand
  19. MovieReviewer45
    Jul 4, 2018
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game differs from other critically-acclaimed Mario games due to it's consistent and memorable story, exciting boss battle scenes, and it's super great, epic, final boss battle at the ending.

    This is one of my favorite Mario game, I repeated playing this game 3 times already in the past. The graphics are okay, the addition of new power-ups are good. The locations and new places presented in this game are colorful and vibrant which adds credit to the graphics quality.

    A notable feature this game delivers is it's addition of a character stat level. Just like Pokemon games, Partners in Time have included stat levels in the four main characters of the game such as defense, attack, cache, and others. This is a great installment because it provides users' enjoyment in upgrading the 4 character's strength, speed, and vitality in defeating bosses much like Pokemon games can provide.

    The ending music of the battle with Elder Princess Shroob is super fantastic. I never heard that of a epic background music of all the games I played. Her transformation image, HP levels, and her stat upgrades are a blast. Considering her seemingly immortal evolved-form into a tentacle creature has an awesome design. Not to mentioned, the creators have added a feature in defeating here by destroying a certain part of her body just to remove that sort of immortality within here is also unique and great. Without destroying that portion of her transformed form, all damages are equal to 1 totally independent of Mario company's attacks,

    One other thing that gives me excitement in playing this game is the scope of the destruction that the antagonists, which are the Shroob aliens, shows us throughout the game; this gives a sort of realism of the destruction, loss of life, and mayhem when an extraterrestrial invasion happens to a peaceful land. The endings are nice as well. The time travel concept here is a great addition to the plot.

    Rating: 4.5/5 -> 9/10 stars    … Expand
  20. CyberRobotnix
    Mar 5, 2018
    10
    This is the best game in the M&L series. It has the best musics, it has the best story, it has the best mechanics and it is overall a very fun game.

    Definitely try it out, trust me you won't regret it.
  21. wegie125
    Nov 14, 2017
    10
    This game definitely has to be one of the most defining of my childhood. This game had just the right amount of challenge to where I didn't have to be so frustrated that I wanted to quit but also hard enough that I wasn't just breezing through the game. This game was so magical when it came out and I still enjoy going back and playing it to this day. Nothing matches the atmosphere, theThis game definitely has to be one of the most defining of my childhood. This game had just the right amount of challenge to where I didn't have to be so frustrated that I wanted to quit but also hard enough that I wasn't just breezing through the game. This game was so magical when it came out and I still enjoy going back and playing it to this day. Nothing matches the atmosphere, the music, the characters. It was all so original. I hope they one day remake this game just like they have done with the first of the mario and luigi series. The entire story of this game is so rich and original. This will definitely go down as one of the greatest games of all time for me… Expand
  22. pikminexplorer
    Aug 28, 2017
    10
    A fantastic game in the way of story, plot, soundtrack, and battle. This game is definitely worth your money. I'd rate it the 2nd best in the series, behind only Superstar Saga.
  23. StathisTsasakos
    Jul 17, 2017
    9
    Unlike the first part of Mario and Luigi Series... the second game in my opinion is one of the best parts in the series...the amazing DS graphics...the soundtrack(especially the Final Battle's music)...and the story are really attractive...It's the first time I play a game of my favourite Game Developer (Nintendo) in which i have to defeat not one...or two...or ten...but a whole Ugly andUnlike the first part of Mario and Luigi Series... the second game in my opinion is one of the best parts in the series...the amazing DS graphics...the soundtrack(especially the Final Battle's music)...and the story are really attractive...It's the first time I play a game of my favourite Game Developer (Nintendo) in which i have to defeat not one...or two...or ten...but a whole Ugly and Evil alien race...the Shroobs...and the game's finale is really unexpectable and surprising if u aren't spoiled and if u are playing it for first time...… Expand
  24. RobCAstillo
    Jul 23, 2016
    10
    This is the second game of the original Mario & Luigi Trilogy. For me, all of them were perfect. But some users try to compare it to Paper Mario, even tough this series are a sequel for the original Mario RPG game for SNES, that's appreciable due to its combat system and the original story. Even tough it has continuity despite having a different story and characters. Anyways, this game isThis is the second game of the original Mario & Luigi Trilogy. For me, all of them were perfect. But some users try to compare it to Paper Mario, even tough this series are a sequel for the original Mario RPG game for SNES, that's appreciable due to its combat system and the original story. Even tough it has continuity despite having a different story and characters. Anyways, this game is the perfect way to make an original story in a trilogy.… Expand
  25. GamecubeLover
    Jul 21, 2016
    9
    This game is amazing and I see the game's amazing story and amazing gameplay. The graphics are great and the music is amazing! This game is a little boring and is strange in the story but doesn't mean the game is bad!
  26. nintendofan08
    Apr 9, 2016
    10
    Mario & Luigi Partners in Time's plot is one of a kind. The game has outstanding boss fights, the music is amazing, and a perfect mix of action some shocking moments (I won't mention one big one. Not going to mention it because it would be a spoiler), with light moments of comedy.
  27. Gygar
    Feb 3, 2016
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Man...this is one of the best mario and luigi games i have played, next to BIS of course. The reason i like this is because it adds an new gamepaly element to it, being able to use the two new buttons the DS gave us, and worked it into the plot, which is another part i like, its darker than any of the other titles, and im not joking, the first area you go to in the past, the shroobs, KILL the mario brothers, and the forest, toads have their life force drained and drunk by a shroobified wiggler...one of the toads are drained before your eyes! But in spote of those moments we are presented with the charm that this series is known for… Expand
  28. EpicLadySponge
    Dec 27, 2015
    8
    It's not really the best of them all, but it's still decent from the series. Just hang on to your baby self and hop on to the adventure of time. You'll have fun throughout the most of the time played on this game.
  29. DubsGamer
    Dec 26, 2015
    9
    This is easily the best game in the Mario and Luigi franchise! The game play aspects are gripping, the switching between bros keeps it interesting and the puzzles make for a good challenge. The only flaw I could find would be the small flaws in the story line but overall a great game!!!
  30. sonic4president
    Nov 15, 2014
    8
    An improvement upon the first game and probably my favourite in the series although I haven't played dream team bros yet. However I feel like this series will never be worth a 9 or 10 unless dream team proves otherwise.
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best DS Game of 2005
6
#6 Most Discussed DS Game of 2005
7
#7 Most Shared DS Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 45 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 45
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 45
  3. Negative: 0 out of 45
  1. Play Magazine
    85
    I don't often get a good belly laugh from a video game, but then not many games pack the humorous charm of Mario and Luigi 2... [Nov p.99]
  2. Nintendo Power
    90
    A worthy follow-up to "Superstar Saga," and the first great RPG on the DS. [Jan 2006, p.110]
  3. Game Informer
    83
    It may not be the most emotionally complex RPG on the market, but it's solid entertainment with a quirky twist. [Dec 2005, p.187]
See all critic reviews »