Battle Guide

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The Battle Guide is a guide that appears in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey. It gives the player information on how to perform Battle Basics and Battle Actions, such as Jump, Hammer, and Bros. Attacks. The Battle Guide also includes a demo on how each action is performed, and allows the player to practice the action themselves. Anything not yet viewed will have a "!" displayed next to it.

In the former two games, during battle it can be accessed by tapping an icon in the bottom right of the touch screen. In the latter game, the guide is accessed by hitting a Command Block known as the Guide Block.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions

Battle Basics

• Basics #1: Command and Attack: There are fixed buttons to control Mario and Luigi. Move Mario with the Button and move Luigi with the Button. When it's Mario or Luigi's turn to act, select a Command Block to perform an action. Select a block by moving the Circle Pad right or left. Press the character's button to confirm. Battle and defeat all of the enemies to win. You can start by selecting the JUMP block to begin attacking.
• Basics #2: Damage and Defeat Foes: Attack enemies with commands like JUMP and HAMMER to inflict damage. Victory is yours when their HP goes down to zero. Deal additional damage when attacking by pressing the right button and moving the Circle Pad at the right time. The button you need to press for this varies depending on the attack. Read the explanation on the bottom screen after selecting an action. The timing of your button presses will earn one of four possible ratings. Try to aim for the highest rating: Excellent!!
• Basics #3: Watch Mario & Luigi's HP: Mario and Luigi lose HP when they are damaged by attacks. If either of them reaches 0 HP, they will faint and be unable to move. If Mario's and Luigi's HP both reach 0, it's game over! If that happens, you will have the option of retrying that battle from the beginning, or you can restart from your last save. If a bro's HP gets low, or if they pass out, choose the Item block and use an item to recover. Restore HP by using a Mushroom. If Mario or Luigi faint during battle, use a 1-Up Mushroom to help them recover. Using items will eat into your supplies. You can acquire more items by defeating enemies or by purchasing them at shops. If you encounter a foe that you can't defeat, use the Run block to flee. Run too often, however, and your team won't get any stronger!
• Basics #4: Win Battles, Get Stronger: Defeat all enemies to win a battle and earn EXP for Mario and Luigi. Earn enough and their Levels will increase. As they grow in level, they will deal additional damage and their HP will increase, all of which will make defeating enemies easier. If you feel that enemies are getting too strong, fight foes that are easy for you to defeat, and proceed once you've increased your level.
• Basics #5: Status Attributes: You can see Mario's and Luigi's various stats by checking out Status on the menu screen. Attributes are separated into HP, BP, POW, DEF, SPEED, and STACHE. HP shows a character's health. Taking damage causes it to decrease. Characters will faint if their HP reaches zero. BP shows how many Bros. Points you have. These are necessary for Bros. Attacks and will diminish as you use them. POW shows a character's strength. The bigger that number is, the more damage that character will deal in battle. DEF shows a character's defense. The bigger that number is, the less damage that character will receive in battle. SPEED shows a character's quickness. The bigger that number is, the sooner a character can act in battle. STACHE shows a character's lucky mustache power. A bigger number means more lucky hits and better deals when shopping.

Battle Actions

• JUMP: Press ( for Luigi) after you land. If your timing is right, you will score an extra attack! Time all of your attacks well and aim for an Excellent rating.
• HAMMER: Press the ( for Luigi) Button when the Hammer is above Mario's (or Luigi's) head! Time it perfectly to earn an Excellent rating.
• HAND: Press the (or ) Button when you're fully charged! Try for an Excellent rating.
• Splash Bros.: Press the Button before Mario jumps on Luigi. Press the Button when Mario is directly over Luigi. Press when they smash into the enemy. Time button inputs well for an Excellent rating!
• Super Splash Bros.: This can be used to attack spiky enemies. When Mario climbs on top of Luigi, press -->--> to the rhythm. Finish by pressing the Button! Press it when you jump on the enemy to get an Excellent!
• Bounce Bros.: Press before Luigi jumps on Mario. Press when both are directly above the enemy! Press the Button when jumping on an enemy. Time all jumps well to get an Excellent rating!
• Super Bounce Bros.: This move can hit two enemies. Press the Button before Luigi jumps on Mario. Press the Button before hitting the ground to preform a big jump! Gen an Excellent rating by jumping on enemies using --> in the correct order!
• Chopper Bros.: Press the Button when Mario swings his Hammer over his head. Press the Button when Mario jumps on Luigi to pop up. Tap the Button once Mario descends to the same height as the enemy!
• Super Chopper Bros.: This won't affect flying enemies. Press the Button when Mario swings his Hammer over his head. When Luigi is directly under the enemy, press to knock them into the air! If you knock Luigi back into the ground, you can hit your foe into the air again. To knock Luigi back underground, press the Button when Luigi hits the ground. Then, press when the foe hits the ground to make submerged Luigi knock them sky high! ... Continue this rhythm eight times to earn an excellent rating!
• Swing Bros.: Press when Mario and Luigi hold hands! Keep holding the button to make them spin around. They will keep spinning faster. The faster they spin, the more damage they will deal. When Mario and Luigi reach top speed, let go of the Button! Press when Luigi collides with a foe! Pull it off flawlessly to earn an Excellent rating!
• Super Swing Bros.: Successfully earn a Good rating or better to cause an item to drop. Press when Mario and Luigi hold hands! Keep holding the button to make them spin around. They will keep spinning faster. The faster they spin, the more damage they will deal. When Mario and Luigi reach top speed, let go of the Button! Press when Luigi collides with a foe! Nail all button inputs to earn an Excellent rating! Press the Button when Mario and Luigi touch to make them join together! Press and at once when you stomp on a foe. Don't let go to earn an Excellent rating!
• Fire Bros.: When Mario throws a fireball, press the Button quickly to make it grow. When the fire gets close to Luigi, hit it by pressing the Button! The bigger the flame, the better your chances of an Excellent! And the more damage you'll deal!
• Super Fire Bros.: When Mario throws a fireball, press the Button quickly to make it grow. When the fire gets close to Luigi, hit it by pressing the Button! Press when Mario and the fire are the same height! A larger flame may earn an Excellent!