Ranking Every Mario & Luigi Game
The first RPG Mario played was Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, which came out in 1996. The best Mario game is Mario RPG.
The best Mario game is Mario RPG.
The first RPG Mario played was Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, which came out in 1996. After that, Nintendo made Paper Mario, which was like Super Mario but had its own storyline. It came out in Japan in 2000 and in the West in 2001. After that, there was a third RPG series that really made Luigi stand out.
Those are the Mario and Luigi games. Superstar Saga, the first game, came out in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. In 2016, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam came out for the 3DS as the last major game. However, there were two remakes that came out after that. The company that made them, AlphaDream, shut down in 2019. As of now, there are no plans to bring any more Mario and Luigi games to the Switch, so now is a good time to rank them all.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey
Since Bowser’s Inside Story is one of the best Mario & Luigi games, you’d think the 3DS version would be just as good, right? Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey doesn’t feel like the big return the Mario & Luigi series needed; instead, it feels like an attempt to keep the 3DS alive.
There are a few small changes that make the game better overall, and the images get a new coat of paint. The main strategy hasn’t changed at all other than those. You can spend a couple of hours having fun in the new side mode called Bowser Jr.’s Journey, but the real-time fighting system gets old fast and doesn’t have as much depth as the story mode. Not a bad game, but there’s not much reason to pick it over the first one.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions was a big deal when it came out for the 3DS in 2017 because it was the easiest physical copy of the GBA favorite to get. However, since the 3DS is no longer being made, this version has lost its best feature. Now the question is: what does it have that the first one doesn’t? Not very much, is the answer.
The game is pretty much the same as before. The touch screen is a nice addition because it makes it easy to get to the map and other choices. The game has never looked better after the graphics were changed so much. Bowser’s Minions, the new side campaign, has a surprising amount of content and humor, but the fighting is too simple and gets old quickly. The remake is pretty good, but the Mario & Luigi series deserves better.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
There were two important things about Paper Jam. It came out in 2016 for the 3DS and was the last new game in the Mario & Luigi series. It merged the two ongoing Mario RPG series into one big crossover. It wasn’t as big of a connection, though, as something like Kingdom Hearts.
During the adventure, the worlds of Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario came together. Each series is known for its great stories, unique characters, and interesting settings, so Nintendo should have had no trouble with this idea. Unfortunately, the game has a boring plot about Bowser stealing Peach, boring Mario settings, and a supporting cast mostly made up of Toads. It’s not bad, but it’s not Even Mario and Luigi’s Best Game.
Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time
The first follow-up to Mario & Luigi was released in 2005 for the DS. It’s called Partners in Time. Time travel is added to this game, as the name suggests. It works a bit like Chrono Trigger. It has ports that let the plumbers go back and forth between two different generations. Figuring out puzzles from the past will have an effect on the present.
The most important change in this sequel is that Baby Mario and Baby Luigi have joined the party. This leads to some amusing mix-ups and dialogue in a cute adventure where the boys go through time to stop mushroom aliens from taking over. This is the most straight Mario & Luigi game, but it’s still a good one.
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team came out for the 3DS in 2013. It was one of many games made for Nintendo’s “Year of Luigi” campaign. Nintendo even made a special anniversary model of the 3DS that came with the game and a mark carved on it to honor Luigi’s year of being on his own.
In the story, Mario and Luigi go on an adventure on a strange island that has doors that lead into people’s dreams. Anything is possible in the Dream World. You can make Luigi into a 50-foot-tall monster, or you can copy him over and over to make a huge army. However, Breakout Game is one of the most creative games in the series, even if some parts drag on. It’s still one of the best Mario & Luigi games, though.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
Who would have thought you could look through Bowser’s guts? Bowser’s Inside Story came out in 2009 for the DS and told a fun and strange story about Bowser eating the Mario Brothers. Don’t be fooled by the silly concept, though. If you like RPGs or 2D Nintendo games, you have to play this Mario & Luigi game.
On one side, you play as the plumbers as they try to get out of the Koopa King’s insides, and on the other, you play as Bowser in a top-down battle for the Mushroom Kingdom with the charmingly evil scientist Fawful. Some things you might not expect to see in a Mario game are muscle tissue and red blood cells. That makes it even more special. The best game in the Mario & Luigi series.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
The follow-ups are mostly good to great, but Superstar Saga is still the best Mario & Luigi game of all time. The first game in the series came out in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance. It’s an epic tale about the Mario Bros. and Bowser working together to stop a witch from taking over the country.
This GBA game really shines thanks to the brother’s broken English, Fawful’s antics, the music, the sprites, the RPG system, and everything else. Even though the series is over, it’s too bad that this game will never get a big platform release to make it better. You can always play this game again.
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