Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is one of my favorite RPGs featuring Nintendo’s premier mascots. Nostalgia is likely clouding my judgement; that game probably isn’t as wondrous as I remember but it must be more entertaining than Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
Nintendo and AlphaDream’s Mario & Luigi: Dream Team soured me on the whole Mario & Luigi franchise. The second of two spiritual successors to my beloved Super Mario RPG will likely stay on my blacklist for awhile because of this game. I keep hearing Bowser’s Inside Story was a superior game but I can’t bring myself to consider going back.
Dream Team embodied everything I dislike from modern Nintendo. The hand holding, the slow plodding pace and the (now) grating antics of the Italian plumbers.
The tutorials did not cease until I was within a stone’s throw from the final boss. Someone was always chiming in to remind me of a mechanic. Even after I dismissed a tutorial, they would come in and give me a condensed version of the tutorial. AlphaDream robbed me of the fun of discovering how these simple mechanics worked on my own. Why did they feel the need to spell everything out? Nintendo doesn’t put nearly as many of those hand holding moments in the Pokemon games.
I thought the map of the island was just a small slice of the full game. I thought it was Yoshi’s Island in Super Mario World. I was wrong and spent 40 hours on this uninteresting PI’illo Island. It was an amusement park and vacation destination but I wasn’t amused.
I found it tough to enjoy the story. As I progressed, my disinterest mounted and I found myself skipping dialog within the first 10 hours. I didn’t like the sleep themed story and the jokes fell flat. I also hated the anime inspired faux Italian antics of Mario and Luigi. It didn’t fit the Mario motif for me.
I’ve already traded in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. I couldn’t wait to offload it for something else. I consider myself a tolerant and patient person but games like Dream Team push me to my limit; they’re just so irritating to play. I don’t see how anyone could enjoy the interruptions in battle and the hand holding. The music was the only bright spot but it does not carry the game.. There are plenty of superior RPGs you could sink 40 hours into; don’t waste your time on this one.
Verdict:
Stay Away
For more information on Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, visit the official website.
Leave a Reply