The mechanics the game presents are simple, easy and fun to learn. Some might be worried that aspects of the original title might feel dated in this day and age, but keeping everything the same turned out to be a surprisingly smart move. Even the music has been safely arranged to replicate the original soundtrack beat-by-beat. Every puzzle, area, enemy and every line of dialogue is intact. The core campaign found in Superstar Star Saga + Bowser’s Minions has been totally unchanged. If you find yourself having any trouble, it takes no effort to grind a few levels to simply overpower anything that stands your way. It tries to employ a rock-paper-scissors system, where Flying enemies have an advantage over Melee enemies, and Melee enemies have one over Ranged enemies – but honestly, in the end, none of it matters. If for any reason this is what’s drawing you in to purchase this game, it might be best to reconsider.
It’s not particularly engaging, but hey, at least it doesn’t have any microtransactions. Heck, the majority of the time you’ll be spending here is just staring at the screen while the troops just do their own thing. It involves micromanaging troops, occasionally executing action commands, and using points to pull off special abilities in a limited quantity. The gameplay is akin to something you would likely find on a mobile app. In this mode, you control a Goomba who is on a mission to round up all of Bowser’s baddies in order to pull off a rescue mission of the big guy himself. New to the 3DS release is a brand new mode called the Minion Quest. However, that’s not accounting for all the attempts made to freshen up this near-14 year old release. Did it wind up holding up after all these years? Absolutely. I was thrilled to have another chance to revisit the game that influenced me so heavily as a child, and I was thrilled to care about another Mario and Luigi title. Even if it was just a remake of the original game, I was really excited. However, all of a sudden, Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions was announced in the year 2017. It’s been really tough seeing each new release miss the point, a little more each time.
Unfortunately, over the years, the Mario and Luigi series has lost the spark that once made it shine so brightly.