I've only recently gotten into the Mario & Luigi series, I first played Superstar Saga about 2 months ago, and now I've finally gotten around to playing its sequel, Partners in Time. And while I had a whole lot of fun with this game, I don't think I enjoy it as much as Superstar Saga.
Partners in Time's combat is as good as the original I'd say. Action Commands have always been really fun to pull off, finding the right timing to make your moves even better. Once you're in the groove of things, combat is so damn fun. And with the introduction of Baby Mario and Baby Luigi as playable characters, you have to focus on 4 buttons, instead of 2 like in Superstar Saga. While most enemies can be beaten rather quickly, when you get to the boss fights, that rhythm becomes so more noticeable.
One big change to the combat is the removal of the Bros Attacks, and in place of them are the Bros Items. Bros Items are really fun! Working in tandem between the characters to power up attacks is really good. Though with that in mind, I think the Bros Items tend to be too powerful. The Mix Flowers, though the final Bros Item you can obtain, can easily do between 300-400 damage normally, which destroys practically anything that comes in your way. I wouldn't say they absolutely break the game, but they give you a noticeable advantage.
The world is rather linear in comparison to Superstar Saga, and I personally miss the more open design of Superstar Saga. There isn't anything wrong with the game's level design though, this is just what I prefer. Though, I really like how each area is connected to Princess Peach's Castle, as a form of a hub world. And the main areas of the game have some really fun puzzles! The puzzles where Mario and Luigi are separated from the Babies are really fun, especially as some require use of both the top and bottom screens.
The story of Partners In Time is an interesting change to that of Superstar Saga. While still goofy with some charming characters, Partners In Time takes a bit of a darker approach. Not only is Time Travel a major aspect of the story, but there's also the worry of alien invasion. I think though that Superstar Saga had more memorable characters to me. But characters like the major villain of Partners In Time is still a memorable character, and I like how they characterize her.
All in all though, I absolutely had a blast with Partners In Time! I've said it many times before, but I still prefer Superstar Saga over this game, but Partners In Time is still a really damn good game.
Partners in Time's combat is as good as the original I'd say. Action Commands have always been really fun to pull off, finding the right timing to make your moves even better. Once you're in the groove of things, combat is so damn fun. And with the introduction of Baby Mario and Baby Luigi as playable characters, you have to focus on 4 buttons, instead of 2 like in Superstar Saga. While most enemies can be beaten rather quickly, when you get to the boss fights, that rhythm becomes so more noticeable.
One big change to the combat is the removal of the Bros Attacks, and in place of them are the Bros Items. Bros Items are really fun! Working in tandem between the characters to power up attacks is really good. Though with that in mind, I think the Bros Items tend to be too powerful. The Mix Flowers, though the final Bros Item you can obtain, can easily do between 300-400 damage normally, which destroys practically anything that comes in your way. I wouldn't say they absolutely break the game, but they give you a noticeable advantage.
The world is rather linear in comparison to Superstar Saga, and I personally miss the more open design of Superstar Saga. There isn't anything wrong with the game's level design though, this is just what I prefer. Though, I really like how each area is connected to Princess Peach's Castle, as a form of a hub world. And the main areas of the game have some really fun puzzles! The puzzles where Mario and Luigi are separated from the Babies are really fun, especially as some require use of both the top and bottom screens.
The story of Partners In Time is an interesting change to that of Superstar Saga. While still goofy with some charming characters, Partners In Time takes a bit of a darker approach. Not only is Time Travel a major aspect of the story, but there's also the worry of alien invasion. I think though that Superstar Saga had more memorable characters to me. But characters like the major villain of Partners In Time is still a memorable character, and I like how they characterize her.
All in all though, I absolutely had a blast with Partners In Time! I've said it many times before, but I still prefer Superstar Saga over this game, but Partners In Time is still a really damn good game.