I didn’t get excited about collecting new cards since their bonuses are small, but I eagerly took advantage of them during fights. With three characters, fights can get confusing, but it never feels unfair.Ī new system adds an additional layer to the core Mario & Luigi combat as you have a deck of cards on the lower screen that can be redeemed without sacrificing a turn for assorted bonuses. The Mario & Luigi series (the lead source of combat mechanics in this mash-up) blurs the turn-based/real-time combat line, with each fighter controlled by a separate button for both selecting attacks from menus, and dodging and countering attacks in real time. This accessibility is welcome, since you are managing three characters on the battlefield with the addition of Paper Mario. Battle plays it safe without going too crazy with bizarre timing or impossible dodging. The dialogue is consistently funny no matter what characters are on screen.Ĭombat has always felt similar between the two franchises, so combining them instantly feels comfortable. Bowser stands out as being particularly funny as he struggles to get along with himself both Bowsers have to discipline their Bowser Juniors and they try to double-cross each other with literally the same secretive plans. The moment-to-moment plot isn’t particularly compelling, but the paper-thin conceit is welcome as an excuse to have two different Marios, two different Peaches, and more familiar faces interact with each other. The premise for how these two Mario worlds meet is unsurprisingly silly and can all be blamed on Luigi. The combination works so well that I can’t believe it took so long for the worlds to overlap. Despite their similarities in humor and the way combat plays out with timed button-presses in a turn-based setting, Paper Jam marks the first time the two franchises have merged.

The Mario & Luigi and Paper Mario franchises have existed side by side for more than a decade, separate branches of Super Mario RPG’s family tree.

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