"Double the Bros., Double the Fun"

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time is the DS installment in the RPG-based Mario Bros. games. Like the others in its lineage, gameplay relies on timed button-mashing in battles and environment interaction outside of it. The twist in this installment is time travel, allowing the player to control not only Mario and Luigi, but also Baby Mario and Baby Luigi to complete the fearsome foursome.

STORY - 6/10

Taken from a Mario Bros. game perspective, the story is nothing short of fabulous; sure, it's still rescue-the-kidnapped-princess, but there's more to it than "Our princess is in another castle!" to keep you going.

From an RPG perspective, however--or even from an SMRPG perspective--the story falls a bit flat. The time travel device is implemented solely to introduce younger versions of the staple characters. There is no simultaneous exploration of past/present or any other use of the potential multiple settings. Almost the entire game takes place either in the present-day castle or in the past of the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Furthermore, the implications of time travel are briefly referenced only when convenient and not adhered to at any other point in time. One character has a 'revelation' when the events of the past are altered, but none of the others seem to have a clue that they've been through this before. The real problem here is that time travel was invoked not as a plot device but solely as a justification for having your party be composed of four Mario brothers.

Aside from the main story of the game, there are no sidequests and only minimal interaction with NPCs. Unlike other installments in the series like the original Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario 2: The Thousand Year Door, this game is an RPG only in terms of its combat system.

However, a few twists near the end of the game does earn it an extra point in this category. If only the story had moved more quickly up until then...

LEVEL DESIGN - 7/10

Since this is a pretty short game without much backtracking, secrets within the levels aren't very common. Aside from that short-coming, however, the levels are fairly well-designed.

Since the array of actions available to the characters is more limited than it was in, say, Paper Mario 2, the player's options are limited as far as modes of exploration goes. Most of the trickiness involves the platforming element of the game, with a few extra twists thrown in from time to time. Some sections are accessible either only to the adult brothers or only to the babies, a fact which mandates splitting up the pairs and traveling separately.

Save points are just common enough to keep their absence from being frustrating (no one likes to leave a game paused forever because they need to stop playing but can't save), but there are no healing blocks or other sources of health recovery outside of Princess Peach's castle. Fortunately, the castle serves as a hub for the other game areas, so purchasing items and healing back to full is possible without too much hassle.

The areas are also set up so that some of the monster encounters are avoidable, which can be handy in a pinch.

GAMEPLAY - 8/10

The gameplay of Partners in Time is divided into two major areas: inside of battles and outside. Generally speaking, the A and B buttons control Mario and Luigi, respectively, while the X and Y buttons control Baby Mario and Baby Luigi.

During battles, the gameplay is somewhat reliant on the party composition. If all four brothers are present, the younger ones ride piggy-back on the older ones. Everyone still gets a chance to attack, but the babies' turns come along with their older counterparts', and they both must perform the same action.

Soon after the beginning of the game, the characters' attacks pan out to their grand total of two: jumping and hammering. When all four brothers are present, each attack requires both members of each pair to act. Damage dealt is greatly decreased if either brother misses their timed button-mashing target.

Bros. Items are also useable, increasing the options the player has for dealing with enemies. These items must be found or purchased at shops and take the place of flower-point consuming special attacks in this game. The action commands for these item vary according to the specific attack; some of them are very challenging until you get the knack for them, while others are just right for the occasional double-dose of butt-kicking.

Dodging/countering is the hardest part of the battle system. Some of the monsters have very quick attacks where timing is crucial, and others cannot be dodged/countered in all circumstances. Knowing your enemy is key here.

Outside of battles, platforming is the main gameplay element. This can be challenging at times, as the game seems to expect you to time the jumps of the two brothers, but it's far easier to just hit both buttons simultaneously. The other gameplay mechanics, like spin jumps and tunneling, are easy to perform.

Overall, the game-play has the same addictive button-mashing qualities as its predecessors in the series, but without quite as much to master. Once you can time a jump, the hardest part is remembering to do it differently if you have only one half of the brothers.

MUSIC/SOUND EFFECTS - 5/10

The Mario Bros. series is odd in that it has both high and low expectations for music--low in that orchestral arrangements and moving new themes are not required, but high in that the incredibly addictive songs in the series are so memorable. Unfortunately, this game is somewhat lacking in the music department.

Sound effects are so-so. On the extreme up-side, the babies' crying isn't terribly grating and annoying. Other than that and a few choice lines spoken by the principal characters (including some great gibberish/pseudo-Italian), there are a few bloops and beeps, but nothing special.

GRAPHICS/ART - 8/10

I'm still adjusting to what the DS is capable of, but these graphics look pretty good to me. Figures are clear and the action is easily discernible.

On the downside, this game lacks some of the prettiness of the recent Mario games. Specifically, there aren't nearly enough shiny rainbows.

FINAL SCORE - 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/13/06