So Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga on 3DS has lovingly updated the original GBA game for
modern audiences, in ways both big and small.
Of course, the graphics and sounds have been all been improved, but as a huge fan of the
original, there are quite a few smaller gameplay tweaks that I’ve noticed that you might
not.
So I’ve put together a list of 10 of the most important ones I’ve noticed so far.
Now this list is going to be pretty rapid-fire, so make sure to watch our full preview for
a much more in-depth look at the game and our impressions so far.
You can find a link to in in the description below.
And with that, let’s get to them.
Okay, how many times have you put down an RPG for a few weeks, only to forget what exactly
you’re supposed to do?
Well, to try and prevent that, Superstar Saga on 3DS includes a handy new feature accessible
from the in-game menu called The Story so Far that displays a brief snippet of the last
major task you accomplished, and gives you a hint as to what you should be doing next.
The Beanbean Kingdom could be a confusing place to get around in the original GBA version
of the game--but it’s a lot harder to get lost this time thanks to a brand new map you
can display at all times on the 3DS’s touchscreen.
It features 3 levels of zoom, and allows you to see how every screens connects to the others
in the local region.
And on top of that, you can mark points of interest with pins, and a yellow arrow will
often point you to your next destination.
It’s super helpful!
The Mario & Luigi series can be a bit...oh what’s the word...it’s on the tip of my
tongue...you know, when it takes more words to get a point across than it should take...oh
right!
Verbose!
Yes, the Mario & Luigi games have a lot of text--often in lengthy cutscenes.
But this time,you now have the option to fast-forward through any cutscene, simply by holding the
Right Shoulder Button.
Nice!
You’ll learn a lot of special moves as you venture through Superstar Saga, and it could
be a bit awkward--and annoying--to cycle through them in the original game.
But this time, choosing one couldn’t be easier, since every move you learn is displayed
on the touchscreen, so all it takes is a quick tap to pick the one you want!
And because of this change, you no longer have to worry about manually switching Mario
& Luigi’s positions, as in who takes the lead, and who’s in the back--the game now
takes care of this for you.
Which also means, the jump buttons for Mario & Luigi now stay the same throughout the game,
instead of switching constantly like in the original GBA version--thank god.
In the original game, selecting a Special Move would temporarily replace your standard
jump, meaning you had to switch constantly just to get around the world--it was pretty
annoying, but understandable given the GBA’s small amount of buttons.
But thankfully, since the 3DS has plenty of buttons, the game now provides a permanent
Jump button for the brothers by tapping X, which makes getting around easier--and less
tedious--than ever before.
Like in the original game, each battle begins with a Star filling the screen.
But this time, the Star will look slightly different depending on if you manage to pull
off a first-strike on the enemy, such as by displaying a shoe if you jump on them first.
And speaking of battles, if you had a tough time dodging attacks by jumping in the original
game, you were kind of screwed.
But this time, you have a brand new option to Guard with X instead--you’ll still take
damage, of course, but it’s better than nothing!
The Brother attacks in the original Superstar Saga could be tough to pull off--they required
nearly perfect timing of multiple button presses in a row in order to inflict maximum damage.
And now they’ve been completely overhauled to be much more accessible in general.
For one, the game does a much better job of giving you a heads-up as to when exactly to
time your button press.
And beyond that, the game also allows you to view a Demo or Practice the move yourself
as many times as you want before you actually use it--yep, during battle.
It’s pretty darn generous.
Oh, and if you’re still having trouble, there’s an Easy Version of each move that
makes timing them even more painless--except at the expense of costing more Brother Points.
Oh, and do you remember how there used to be 3 Different modes for each Brother Attack
in the original game, making them stronger, but harder to pull off?
Well, those seem to be all gone now.
And speaking of Easy versions, if you find Superstar Saga a little bit too tough, you
may want to try toggling on the brand new Easy Mode at any time via the Options screen.
It’ll make Mario and Luigi stronger, and the enemies weaker.
In the original Superstar Saga, you could only save at Specific Save Blocks scattered
throughout the world.
And while they’re still there in the 3DS version, you can now also save at any time
via the menu.
Nice!
And there you have--10 of the biggest changes I’ve noticed in the Mario & Luigi: Superstar
Saga remake on 3DS.
But if you want even more, make sure to check out our full preview linked in the description
below--and of course, make sure to stay-tuned for our full review coming October 4th.
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