Game #1321: Mario & Luigi - Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

 The adventures of Mario and the green Mario. 

 Good news, I think, since Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions is practically identical to the GBA original in gameplay and story, so I'll write mostly about the differences between the original and this remake.

 For starters, the game sports a completely new look, which is probably gonna be quite a divisive element of the game. On one hand, the animation is undeniably smoother in this one, however... the artstyle is completely different. The original was very bright and colorful, and the character sprites had these thick black outlines that made characters look like caricatures, it was a gorgeous game. These sprites are more tame in comparison, they don't have outlines, and they went for a more natural looking lighting, which does look more realistic... but why would you want Mario to feel realistic? So yeah, it's a give and take. Smoother animation, for sure, but it doesn't look as pretty. That said, I'm sure some people might prefer this art-style.

 The game added a ton of shortcuts to make the experience easier. Cycling through environmental actions, such as the high jump or the spinning jump, is done with L and R, or by using the touchscreen, which is very easy and comfortable, you don't even need to bother with formations. The X button now makes both brothers jump at the same time, so you can have another environmental action selected without losing the ability to jump. You can also use the bottom-screen as a map, which is quite convenient. When using Special Moves, now the game shows you the order of the inputs on the bottom screen, which is very useful.

 The game felt way, way easier than before. There are a ton of Heal Blocks near save spots that completely restore both brothers' HP and BP, for free! Apparently, the Japanese version of the game had them and they were removed for the international version. That said... I didn't die once in the entire game... up until I reached the second form of the final boss. It felt way harder and more brutal, to the point that... maybe because I was tired, I'm not sure, but the game offered me a new "Easy Mode"... and I took it, why not? I already finished the original. But yeah, I feel as if the entire game is way easier, but the final boss way harder.

 On another note, there were two times in which I was absolutely stumped and had to resort to a guide to check where I needed to go.

 The entirely new addition is Bowser's Minion, a campaign that unlocks pretty early into the game. It's a fully fledged strategy-sort-of mini-game in which you make an 8-member team comprised of Goombas, Bobombs, Shyguys, Parakoopas and the such and have to face off against other enemies following a rock-paper-scissors type of weaknesses and strengths. I didn't care for it, but it's got about 8 worlds.

 Overall? I liked revisiting Superstar Saga, very little has changed... and very little needed to change considering the game was fantastic from the get go. If anything, the combat is so involved that I was a bit tired of it by the end, but I still had fun.

 8.0