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. Pilest
    Jul 3, 2023
    7
    I want to like this game but it kinda sucks. Just kinda. The bros. items are cool but too cheesable. The art style just looks off like they were trying to enhance the sprites from the first game. I didn’t get interested in the story. Do I even like this game. 5/10
  3. Yojimbo2015
    May 21, 2023
    7
    A kind of RPG/platform hybrid simplified to its basic elements for younger players, but the sense of humour and fun presentation may appeal to the nostalgic looking to rekindle the magic of the old SNES days.
  4. 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!
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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.
  8. FireBroFilms
    Aug 15, 2022
    7
    ‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎
  9. TheDuner13
    Aug 6, 2022
    9
    goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood
  10. 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"
  11. 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.
  12. WhoDaDev
    Aug 6, 2021
    10
    Easily the best in the Mario & Luigi RPG series. Much better than Bowser's Inside Story.
  13. BeeSting1
    Jan 1, 2021
    6
    Some visual issues hold it back.

    Good - transition between lower screen and top screen when controlling the two duos is fast and seamless. Unlike in Bowser's inside story where the transition takes a few seconds - the battles make use of all four buttons which makes it much more challenging, especially the Bros attack. - being able to separate the past Mario Brothers and the    Some visual issues hold it back.

    Good

    - transition between lower screen and top screen when controlling the two duos is fast and seamless. Unlike in Bowser's inside story where the transition takes a few seconds

    - the battles make use of all four buttons which makes it much more challenging, especially the Bros attack.

    - being able to separate the past Mario Brothers and the present Mario Brothers, and control them separately is pretty interesting.

    - the partner battle mechanics and puzzles were really creative. Having to hit extra buttons to perform attacks made the gameplay more challenging.

    - the dialogue is charming and funny as with all the other Mario and Luigi games.

    - enemies are very creative.

    Bad

    - having to buy bros attack means they aren't readily available for me to use if I run out while in the past world. I would have to go back into the future to buy it in a shop.

    - too much lag before the hammer counter. makes it hard to time the counter

    - shadows are difficult to see during battles making it difficult to tell which brother the attack is going for.

    - certain parts of the level is hard to tell whether it is on a higher level or lower level. This probably has to do with the limitations of the DS hardware.    … Expand
  14. 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
  15. drlowdon
    May 6, 2020
    7
    Baby Mario and his friends are forced to flee the Mushroom Kingdom when it’s invaded by an alien race known as Shroobs, meanwhile years in the future the gang use a time machine invented by Professor Gadd to defeat the threat once and for all.

    Partners in Time is well written, even funny at times, and the combat is enjoyably challenging. Some of the drawn out boss battles are a pain    Baby Mario and his friends are forced to flee the Mushroom Kingdom when it’s invaded by an alien race known as Shroobs, meanwhile years in the future the gang use a time machine invented by Professor Gadd to defeat the threat once and for all.

    Partners in Time is well written, even funny at times, and the combat is enjoyably challenging. Some of the drawn out boss battles are a pain though, and at over twenty hours in length it began to drag a little towards the end.    … Expand
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. robertoiglesias
    Nov 10, 2019
    10
    I love the gameplay, story, characters, and the humor of this fun game. Mario and Luigi is truly fantastic
  19. 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
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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.
  23. 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
  24. 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
  25. 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.
  26. 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
  27. 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.
  28. 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
  29. ooo77
    Jul 10, 2017
    0
    This was by far the worst Mario and Luigi game. The pacing was horrid and they actually make you buy the bros attacks which is absolute bull **** they should've just stuck with BP or magic or whatever. And playing as just the babies is not fun
  30. 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
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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 »