Original Mario and Luigi team up for new release

Video game superstar Mario may be primarily known for his platforming prowess, but he has also made considerable contributions to the role-playing genre for over two decades.

Beginning with the acclaimed Super Mario RPG, released back in 1996 for the Super Nintendo, Mario has appeared in 13 roleplaying games spanning eight systems.

While these games have largely been well received by critics and gamers, it can be argued that some of Mario’s more recent RPG adventures have lacked the appeal of previous outings.

So this time Nintendo is giving one of its early RPG successes a fresh coat of paint and some extra features as it continues to support its handheld 3DS family of systems.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions is a remake of a popular game released in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance that kicked off a subseries of games that teamed Mario with his brother, and less famous sidekick, Luigi.

The brothers are once again tasked with aiding the oft-imperilled Princess Peach, the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. But instead of being kidnapped by usual antagonist Bowser, this time Peach has had her voice stolen by an enemy agent of the neighbouring Beanbean Kingdom. In fact, Bowser tries to help the brothers out before he goes missing when his ship is shot down over Beanbean airspace.

The Mario & Luigi games are defined by a consistent mechanic, where the player takes control of both brothers simultaneously. Luigi trails Mario on the screen as they traverse the Beanbean Kingdom, but the twins are assigned different jump buttons and can do some tasks individually. They can also combine forces to do special moves, like high jumps or spin jumps that cover long distances.