mario and luigi: partners in time

Partners In Time is already the fifth incarnation in the long-running Mario rpg franchise, which started its life on the SNES. I pretty much liked that first outing, though it played more like an introduction to the rpg genre. PiT is no different. Even though most basic elements of the (console) rpg are present, it is tweaked in such a way that it still owes a lot to platform gameplay. Both its strength and its weakness.

Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time artwork

Most notable element of the game is its battle system, blending turn based rpg basics with platform action. Even though each character has its own turn to attack, actual attacks are performed by button actions and require solid timing. Similarly, when enemies attack they can be dodged if you time your counter moves precisely. In the whole game, I found only one attack to be unstoppable. So even though you have the relative ease of battling turn based battles, you're still stumping quite a few buttons while taking on enemies.

As for the map view, enemies are visible and don't reproduce unless you quit/enter the current timezone. This means you can easily clear out whole segments of the game without having to worry about any unsuspected battles. Getting around the place usually requires you to solve a few puzzles, though they are often related to newly mastered techniques. The chance of getting stuck in the game is made pretty minimal.

While the battle system is fun for a while, it can become quite repetitive and sometimes a tad confusing. Most of the time you're controlling four characters (one button for each character) at the same time, and finding the right button quickly enough to evade enemy attacks can become pretty messy. Luckily you can use extra items to battle enemies, which adds a little tactics (and fun) to the battles, though they can just as well mess up your whole attack plan if you hit the wrong button.

screen caps from Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time

Visually the game is cute, though I would've preferred a little more detail in the presentation. The graphics are cartoony but lack a little depth. More fun is the audio of the game, filled with utterly cute voices for all characters (though usually they're talking just gibberish). One of the first games where I actually preferred to turn up the volume on my DS. The overall presentation of the game is decent enough, but it could've been a bit better.

Sadly, there are a couple of points where PiT fails as successful rpg/platform hybrid. For one, the level structure in the game is too dominant, with usually just one place to go to and very little to gel everything together. There's practically no exploring, just separate levels (places in timezones) to finish. The game is also way too easy. It wasn't until I reached the final boss that I finally witnessed the Game Over screen. Apart from the final battle, killing each enemy you encounter is more than enough to finish the game without running into too much trouble.

One final issue is the addition of the badges, which grant you extra benefits. Coupled to it is a whole sub quest where you dig up beans to trade for rare badges. All nice and well, but the effect of these badges is almost neglectable and I ended up ignoring the whole beans affair and just went on to defeat the game. The idea was good, but the execution pretty flawed.

PiT is a fun game, it entertains well enough and has a few interesting ideas which it develops pretty well. But ultimately its a little too easy and a little flawed to work as a real rpg. It packs about 20 hours of gameplay but if you're hoping for any replay value, this game might not be the best choice. Once finished, the game has shown you everything there is to see. Still, fun while it lasts and a good introduction to the basics of rpg gaming.

There's a nice trailer showing you the basics of the game.