Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga: Difference between revisions

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In addition to being the first installment in the [[Mario & Luigi (series)|''Mario & Luigi'']] series, this game is also the third ''Super Mario'' RPG following ''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'' and ''[[Paper Mario]]'' respectively. It would itself be succeeded by ''[[Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time]]'' for the [[Nintendo DS]] in 2005. Notably, the game takes heavy inspiration from ''{{wp|Tomato Adventure}}'', AlphaDream's first Game Boy Advance RPG, featuring very similar graphics, sound effects, and even allusions to certain characters. This game features rumble support if played on a [[Game Boy Player]]. The remake of the ''[[Mario Bros. (game)|Mario Bros.]]'' arcade game featured in the [[Super Mario Advance (series)|''Super Mario Advance'']] series of games was also included with ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''.

Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi are at [[Mario Bros.' House|their house]] when [[Toad]] runs by to alert Mario to the ordeal; Mario runs off to [[Peach's Castle]] while inadvertently dragging [[Luigi]] behind him. Inside, the Bros. run into [[Bowser]] trying to kidnap Peach. After Mario defeats Bowser, a Toad then tells them that Peach's voice was replaced with an explosive vocabulary. Bowser, scared the princess might wreck [[Bowser's Castle|his castle]] if kidnapped, reluctantly agrees to help Mario retrieve Peach's voice.

Mario and Luigi crash land in the [[Stardust Fields|Beanbean Borderlands]]. They soon meet the [[Border Bro]]s, who let them pass after they play the [[Border Jump]] game. Mario and Luigi soon find Bowser stuck in a cannon; its operator, [[Tolstar]], tells the Bros. to get 100 [[Beanbean coin]]s in order to secure Bowser's release. While doing that, they learn the [[High Jump]] and [[Spin Jump]] from the [[Starshade Bros.]] After getting enough coins, Tolstar decides to attack the brothers, but is soon defeated. Soon after, one of the Starshade Bros. arrives and lights the fuse of the cannon Bowser is stuck in, [[Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions|shooting him across the kingdom]].

The brothers soon make it to [[Hoohoo Village]], where some [[Beanish]] soldiers mistake them for foes. Tolstar tells the soldiers the brothers are not lying, and they are permitted entry to the town. They soon leave to find Fawful tormenting a soldier. He mocks the brothers by placing a rock statue in front of them, blocking their path to [[Beanbean Castle]]. They decide to visit the [[Hammerhead Bros.]] back at the village to obtain [[Hammer]]s from them. However, the Hammerhead Bros. cannot make hammers because the material that they have is too brittle. They need a Hoohoo Stone, so the brothers climb up the [[Hoohoo Mountain]] to retrieve one from the summit.

Later, the Mario Bros. make it to [[Chateau de Chucklehuck]] to find the reserve. They end up in an unexpected fight with [[Popple]], the shadow thief, and his partner, [[Rookie]], who are both defeated. The brothers soon meet [[Cork and Cask]], the owners of the brewery, who teach them [[Mini-Mario]] and [[Dunk Hammer|Luigi Dunk]]. Mario and Luigi later retrieve three [[Chuckola Fruit]] to give to [[Chuckleroot]]. When they reach Mother Chuckola, they find the creator of [[Chuckola Cola (Mario & Luigi series)|Chuckola Cola]], Bubbles, who is busy telling jokes to the Chuckola Reserve. The soda then transforms into the [[Chuckolator]]. After a battle with the Bros., it is defeated and reverts into normal soda, causing an enraged Bubbles to create a tremor that sends the brothers and the soda underground. Mario lands in the soda and Luigi heads back to Beanbean Castle by doing a barrel run.

[[File:Woohoo Hooniversity MLSS.png|frame|left|Mario and Luigi in the Woohoo Hooniversity]]

Mario and Luigi land at [[Oho Oasis]], where they learn the [[Firebrand]] and [[Thunderhand]] moves in the [[Fire Palace|Fire]] and [[Thunder Palace|Thunder]] temples. Meanwhile, Fawful finds the injured Bowser lying on the ground and implants Cackletta's soul inside, turning him into [[Bowletta]]. The Mario Bros. soon meet Peasley again, saying that Princess Peach is arriving at the [[Beanbean International Airport]]. They arrive and find that [[Piranha Plant]]s led by [[Mom Piranha]] are infesting the runway, and set out to take care of this problem, allowing the [[Toad Express]] to land safely.

They arrive at the only known route to Little Fungitown, [[Teehee Valley]]. Before reaching the town, they are confronted by the rock creature, [[Trunkle]], whom they overcome. At Little Fungitown, the Bros. decide to go to the arcade, where Mario plays [[Star 'Stache Smash]] and wins an "[[Invincishroom]]" - which is actually a misidentified [[Poison Mushroom]]. He eats it, but ends up in the hospital, where he has contracted [[Bean Fever]]. The only cure for this disease is [[Crabbie Grass]] from [[Guffawha Ruins]]. Luigi intends to travel to the area to find the grass, but loses his nerve when he finds out about [[Guffawha Ruins monster|a bone-crushing monster]] living there. To try and calm himself, he goes to [[Psycho Kamek]] ([[Dr. Toadley]] in the remake), who hypnotizes him into thinking that he is Mario. The newly-emboldened Luigi goes to Guffawha Ruins.

Mario and Luigi go out to get the first Beanstar piece, which is in the [[S.S. Chuckola]] back at Teehee Valley. After the ship is sent into the Oho Ocean, the Mario Brothers follow the floating Beanstar to [[Gwarhar Lagoon]]. Here, they learn [[Dash (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga)|Dash]] and [[Tickle]] from the [[Jellyfish Sisters]]. They later discover that the Beanstar piece is being used as an ornament for [[Hermie III]]. The brothers soon receive the piece after a battle with Hermie.

The next piece is from the fashion stylist [[Harhall]], who gives Mario and Luigi the piece after they [[Splart|color fabric]] with [[Designbomb]]s. The third piece is back at Chucklehuck Woods, where they have to play a game in the [[Winkle Colosseum]] and surpass the [[Winkle]]s. They soon find Popple again, and defeat him to retrieve the third piece of the Beanstar. The last piece comes from [[Boddle]] after they get [[Neon Egg]]s for his [[Yoshi Theater (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga)|Yoshi Theater]] sign.

At the castle, Mario and Luigi meet the [[Koopalings]], along with Fawful, who possesses some new gadgets. After trumping them and several other foes with the ranks of Bowletta's new army, the Bros. make their way to Bowletta herself; she reveals her plan to take over the Mushroom Kingdom after she is done gaining control of the Beanbean Kingdom. The brothers fight her and supposedly win, until a [[Time Bob-omb]] comes and suddenly takes them out. Bowletta reveals that she had been only faking her defeat, and eats them alive. In her body, the Mario Bros. fight Cackletta again, this time in her [[Cackletta's Spirit|spirit form]]. Mario and Luigi soon manage to defeat Cackletta once and for all. She spits them out of Bowser's body and vanishes, reverting Bowser to normal. Peasley then comes to address the brothers, saying that he has planted a detonator in the castle, and it will explode shortly. The brothers escape the castle via Blablanadon in time, but Bowser crashes into [[Oho Ocean]], only to be later rescued by [[Prince Peasley]].

Later on, Peasley drops by with a huge present for the brothers. As the heroes return to the Mushroom Kingdom via Peach's airplane, Peasley's present turns out to be Bowser, who is dropped off at his other castle. The plane lands at Peach's Castle, and fireworks erupt. It is then shown that the adventure was made into a movie being shown in the Yoshi Theater, where the screen zooms out to show the Yoshis sitting in the theater and applauding.

*[[Mario]] - The well-known hero.

*[[Toad]] - Sent to deliver word to Mario. Only briefly playable at the very beginning of the game.

*[[Prince Peasley]] - Beanbean Kingdom hero.

*[[Queen Bean]] - The Queen of the Beanbean Kingdom.

*[[Cackletta]]/[[Bowletta]] - The primary villain and final boss.

*[[Fawful]] - Cackletta's minion, secondary antagonist, second tutorial boss, and penultimate boss.

*[[Popple]] - Recurring villain and boss.

*[[Bowser]]/[[Rookie]] - Minor villain who, for the first half of the game, suffers from amnesia and works for Popple. During the second half, Cackletta's spirit possesses his body.

The game also has several secret caves which can only be visited by either Mario or Luigi acting separately from one another. These areas start as 2-dimensional, side-scrolling levels in the traditional platforming style. A rare item can be obtained from a [[Presenter]] if the caves are completed.

*HP (abbreviation of Heart Points) is the amount of life that Mario and Luigi have. When an enemy hits either of them, they lose HP. When their HP reaches zero, they die, but can be revived with a [[1-Up Mushroom]] or [[1-Up DX|1-Up Super]].

|Luigi can hit Mario with his hammer, squishing him into [[Mini-Mario]]. Using this technique, Mario can move into small openings. He can also sense hidden Chuckle Beans and other treasures buried under the ground.

|[[Beanbean Castle Sewer|Beanbean Castle Sewers]]

|align="center"|[[File:MnL_Oho_Ocean_Pestnut.png]]

![[Hammer Bro#Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga|Hammer Bro]]

|[[Peach's Castle]]

|Obtained from a Border Bro. after Mario and Luigi complete the first stage of the Border Jump minigame

|The Winkle Colosseum after battling Popple for the third time.

|Obtained after winning the minigame in the Winkle Colosseum.

There are various sidequests Mario and Luigi can complete outside the main story. These quests vary in results. Certain sidequests become unavailable at a certain point in the game. There are a few sidequests available in Toadtown Square before they leave the Mushroom Kingdom, after which they cannot be completed.

|Near the start of the game, while [[Mario]] is exploring [[Toadtown Square]], there is a [[Mushroom]] atop a hedge next to a [[Toad (species)|Toad]] in the southeast corner of the plaza. If Mario jumps onto the hedge and collects the Mushroom, the Toad asks for it. If Mario refuses to give it back, the Toad starts to panic. Mario can talk to the Toad again and again and refuse to give it back over and over. If Mario decides to return the Mushroom, the Toad decides to let him keep it and gives him a [[Super Mushroom]] as a going-away gift before wishing him luck in the [[Beanbean Kingdom]].

*Hundreds of [[bean]]s are hidden throughout the overworld that Mario and Luigi can find and spend at the [[Starbeans Cafe]] in the castle town. There are four different kinds of beans: Woo beans ([[File:BeansWoo SS.png]]), Hoo beans ([[File:BeansHoo SS.png]]), Chuckle beans ([[File:BeansChuckle SS.png]]), and Hee beans ([[File:BeansHee SS.png]]). Depending on which kinds of beans Mario and Luigi spend, different blends will be produced. When Mario and Luigi produce a blend, Professor E. Gadd will give them a prize. When the Bros. drink the blend, they will also gain a stat boost. The possible blends, beans required, stat boosts, and prizes are listed below.

*Some caves near the Beanbean Castle Town are underground courses that resemble those found in ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' There are three such caverns; two of them are north of Beanbean Castle, while the third is found to the west of Beanbean Castle. At the end of each course is a Monty Mole who gives him a rare item such as a [[High-End Badge]] or the [[Iron Pants]].  

*There are [[Ankoopa]]s in some caves; Mario can use his [[Firebrand]] power to knock them over, allowing Mario and Luigi to pass and reach Monty Moles that give them a special item, such as a Golden Mushroom.

In the game, Mario and Luigi can collect [[Bean|Chuckle Beans]] by coming across beanholes -- Xs or other distinguishing features on the ground -- all throughout the Beanbean Kingdom. There are 197 Chuckle Beans from beanholes. Beans can only be collected out of the ground after the player learns the Luigi Dunk move at Chateau de Chucklehuck. Chuckleroot's granddaughter also explains how to drill into the ground and pick up beans.

==Presenter locations==

[[File:MLSS-Gold Monty Mole Screenshot.png|frame|left|A [[Presenter]] giving [[Mario]] and [[Luigi]] a [[1-Up Super]] in Bowser's Castle.]]

{{main|Presenter}}

In the game, Mario and Luigi can find Monty Mole-like Presenters throughout the Beanbean Kingdom that will reward them with items, clothing, or badges when found.

|image1=MSSToadQuest.png

|caption1=Japan

|image2=MLSS Toad in Mario Bros House.png

|caption2=Overseas

In the Japanese version, when Toad has entered the Mario Bros.' House, a directional pad appears on-screen to the bottom-left.

|image1=MLSS starting BP Japan.png

|image2=MLSS starting BP.png

|caption2=Overseas

In the Japanese version, Mario and Luigi respectively start out with 14 and 16 BP. In other releases, both start with 10.

|image1=MLSS Japan Mario level up.png

|image2=MLSS Mario level up.png

|caption2=Overseas

In the Japanese version, whenever Mario or Luigi level up, a {{button|GBA|pad}} in [[Lakitu]]'s speech bubble indicates that up or down is used to select a stat. If one is selected, a {{button|GBA|B}} appears in the speech bubble, indicating that said button cancels the selection. These controls remain functional in overseas releases, but are no longer shown in a speech bubble.

|image1=MLSS JP Hammerhead Bros tutorial.png

|image2=MLSS Hammerhead Bros tutorial.png

|caption2=Overseas

In the Japanese version, the [[Hammerhead Bros.]]' tutorial shows Hoohoo Mountain setting, but Beanbean Castle grounds in all other versions. The button sprites in the dialogue box are also different.

|image1=MLSS Japan Sign screenshot.png

|image2=MLSS Sign screenshot.png

|caption2=Overseas

In the Japanese version, the sign found directly north of Beanbean Castle Town does not give directions for Beanbean Castle Town, and it only has one arrow for Hoohoo Mountain. The arrow signs are smaller in overseas releases to accommodate for more directions.

In the Japanese version, there are three [[Heart Block]]s, which are found in the [[Beanbean Castle Sewers]], [[Oho Oasis]], and [[Teehee Valley]] respectively.

|image1=Star Stache Smash MLSS JP.png

|image2=StarStacheSmash.png

|caption2=Overseas

Mario and Luigi's heads in [[Star Stache Smash]] are different for the Japanese and overseas releases.

|image1=MLSS JP Starbeans Cafe Menu.png

|image2=MLSS Starbeans Cafe Menu.png

|caption2=Overseas

In a [[Starbeans Cafe]] menu, there is a red E. Gadd icon next to each drink that Mario and Luigi have already made.

*[[Trunkle]] has a different battle strategy between the Japanese and overseas releases.

The Japanese video game development studio [[AlphaDream]] developed ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''. Both of ''[[Super Mario RPG]]'' co-directors were involved with the game, as they left [[Square]] alongside various other former employees to join Alphadream, Yoshihiko Maekawa was director while Chihiro Fujioka is listed under Special Thanks. [[Satoru Iwata]] was the executive producer, while [[Takashi Tezuka]] was the production supervisor. The music heard in the game was produced by [[Yoko Shimomura]], like in ''Super Mario RPG''.

For a month, a knock-knock joke contest was held on the game's website.<ref>Nintendo. [http://marioandluigi.gameboy.com:80/contest/home.jsp Mario and Luigi: Knock-Knock Joke Contest]. Retrieved February 5, 2022. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20031204042721/http://marioandluigi.gameboy.com:80/contest/home.jsp Archived] December 4, 2003, at 04:27:21 UTC via Wayback Machine.)</ref> Each week for four weeks, a submitted joke was chosen to advance to the Grand Prize round. The semifinalists received a [[Game Boy Advance#Game Boy Advance SP|Game Boy Advance SP]] and a copy of the game. In the Grand Prize round, the winning joke was chosen by the contest's celebrity judge, {{wp|Kathy Griffin}}. The grand prize of the contest consists of a [[Nintendo GameCube]], ''[[Wario World]]'', ''[[Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour]]'', ''[[fzerowiki:F-Zero GX|F-Zero GX]]'', [[bulbapedia:Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire|Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire]], ''[[Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3]]'', ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]'', a [[Game Boy Player]], a [[Nintendo GameCube#Nintendo GameCube–Game Boy Advance Link Cable|Nintendo GameCube–Game Boy Advance Link Cable]], a [[Memory Card]] 251, a GameCube messenger bag, and "a year's worth of online comedy-writing classes at Writer's Village". The grand prize-winning knock-knock joke was the third week's winning joke and goes as follows:

|description4=Toadsworth and Prince Peasley revealing what really happened at Peach's Castle.

*''[[Donkey Kong]]'': When the [[Border Bro]]s tell Luigi to jump and then Mario jumps again, they will say "Simmer down, Mario. Give the "Jumpman" routine a rest", Jumpman being one of Mario's development names. Also, at one point Mario rescues Luigi at the Woohoo Hooniversity by traversing a stage full of rolling barrels as well as a Skeletal Pirate that resembles [[Donkey Kong]] in charge of [[Barrel (minigame)|Barrel]].

*''[[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]'': The [[Geno]] doll returns as a cameo in the Star 'Stache Smash minigame. Additionally, Mario humming the ''Super Mario Bros.'' theme in the shower is first seen in ''Super Mario RPG'', when he is showering in the [[Marrymore]] Suite. Also, "Mario is Everyone's Star", the music played at Mario and Luigi's house as well as the Warp Pipe zones is a cover of "Super Pipe House", the theme from Mario's Pad.

*''[[Yoshi's Story]]'': [[Boddle]] uses an attack similar to the [[Yoshi (species)|Yoshis]]' [[Tulip (Yoshi's Story)|egg launch]] against his [[Boddle's assistant|assistant]]. When Yoshis eat [[Bean Fruit]], they become incredibly happy, which is based on Yoshis eating [[fruit]] to become happy in this game.

*''[[Paper Mario]]'': A type of block from this game is seen in the Woohoo Hooniversity. Also, the [[Hammer]], [[Super Hammer]], and [[Ultra Hammer]] return.

*''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'': One of the Border Jump challenges is known as the "Super Border Jump Sunshine", a reference to this game's title. Additionally when the player first controls Mario, the Toad that first speaks with Mario says, "So off on an adventure yet again! ...I just hope your long vacation hasn't left you out of shape," which is in reference to the vacation Mario took in ''Super Mario Sunshine''. In the [[Beanbean International Airport]], the infesting [[Piranha Plant]]s are removed by blasting them with water (and [[Thunderhand|electrocuting]] them), which allows Princess Peach's plane to land. This is similar to the beginning of ''Super Mario Sunshine'', where Mario and Peach land in the [[Delfino Airstrip]], and Mario fights a [[Proto Piranha|Piranha Plant creature]] by washing its [[goop]] away with [[F.L.U.D.D.|water]]. The [[Piranha Bean]] is designed after [[Petey Piranha]], who debuted here.

*''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]'': Prince Peasley appears in this game as a [[Spirit (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate)|Spirit]].

*This game was planned to release in {{wp|Mainland China}} by {{wp|iQue}}, but left unreleased due to the huge scene of piracy in China at that time. The unreleased Chinese prototype received an ISBN, meaning it was approved for distribution despite the ban on video games from the {{wp|Government of China|Chinese government}}.