Since the early 2000s, two Mario RPG series have battled it out for the number one spot in fans' hearts. First, there's , a series in which 's brave plumber hero takes on the appearance of a 2-D paper figure, sometimes in a 3-D world. The series currently includes five installmentꦯs, with a sixth game, , arriving on in July.
On the other hand, there's Mario & Luigi, which finds the two beloved Mario brothers on unique adventures across se🌞veral kingdoms. This series has five titles as well, though two wꦗere remade for in 2017 and 2019, respectively. So, which is the superior Mario RPG?
10 Paper Mario: Gaꦛmeplay Variety
Paper Mario has gotten creative over the years in terms of gameplay, keeping fans on their toes. The first three games feature a variety of partners that Mario can take on with special abilities for exploration and battles. Though the first two games were 2-D,168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Super Paper Mario added a 3-D "flip" element.
When Paper Mario: Sticker Star came along, it took on a whole new format, now excluding elements like special moves points, badges, and partners. The focus on this game became stickers instead of paper, while the follow-up Color Splash was about paint.
9 Mario & Luigi: Two Remakes Already 🧸
Unfortunately, the major changes that Paper Mario endured over the years caused the series to decline in popularity after Super Paper Mario. Mario & Luigi has seen much more success, so much so that it received remakes of its most popular titles, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
The Superstar Saga remake featured updated graphics, quality-of-life improvements, and an additional story called Bowser's Minions. Likewise, the remake of Bowser's Inside Story brought improved gameplay and Bowser Jr.'s Journey. Both remakes received critical acclaim.
8 Paper Mario: Better Stories 𓂃
No two Paper Mario stories are alike, and each of them feature unique collectibles related to Mario's paper journey to stop the latest villain. Star spirits, royal stickers, and big paint stars are just a few of the coveted items⛦ Mario must recover throughout the series.
Paper Mario ev🔥en turns some of the franchise's belo🏅ved characters in enemies, albeit temporarily, in two different games, Princess Peach and Luigi are both possessed and mind-controlled, respectively. The twists of each saga and the frequent introductions of new master plots keep players on their toes.
7 Mario & Luigi: Better Humor ꦬ
The entire Mario & Luigi series is filled with one-liners from characters like Bowser, Fawful, the Koopas, and more. In Partners in Time, all the♔ L33T HAMM3R BROZ can talk about is noobz getting pwned. Plus, what Mario fan doesn't love watching Bowser pull out his best comebacks?
Paper Mario certainly has its witty moments, but that series focuses more on art than dialogue. Mario & Luigi take the cake here.
6 🍃 Paper Mario: Clever Puzzles
In the earl𒀰y games, Mario gathers with different skills and abilities required to unlock new areas. For example, there's Bombette, who can detonate near cracked walls to make them collapse, opening up new passages and sometimes revealing secret treasures. The 𒉰puzzles in each chapter often revolve around the skills of the partner acquired in that chapter.
Though Mario can only have one partner present with him at a time, the partners are interchangeable. Some puzzles require the use of more than one partner, forcing the play✤er to take a look at every one from a unique perspective and assess which will partner will provide the solution.
5 🦋 🀅 Mario & Luigi: Stronger Battle Mechanics
Both Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi feature turn-based combat, though many players have agreed that the Mario & Luigi series has better and more creative battle mechanics. While Paper Mario does employ partners to assist in combat with special abilities, the options are still fairly limited and quickly become repetitive. Plus, dodging attacks in Mario & Luigi is much more effective than Paper Mario.
In Mario & Luigi, the 🃏brothers learn various combat moves along the way. Some moves are performed as solo attacks, while others use Bros. Points for powerful combination attacks. The new moves and wide array of options keep battles fresh.
4 ꦯ Paper Mario: More Secrets ൲
In early Paper Mario games, there is always an excuse to head back to previous areas once you add another partner to your roster. In both the "main" land and the story worlds, there are plenty of hidden secrets that are only accessible when you obtain a certain partner. You may need Bombette to find 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:power-ups behind a wall, or Madame Flurrie to reveal a h🐎idden♒ switch.
Even in later games when there is only one partner💟, there are still collectible stickerඣs and paints that give Mario new abilities and opportunities to explore.
3 Mario & Luigi: Better Villains 🌠 ✨
Mario & Luigi introduces quite a few powerful and some downright creepy bosses. There's Cackletta, for example, who is even capable of possessing the all-powerful Bowser. Some bosses in this series prove to be extra challenging, such as B🔯owser X, Princess Shroob, and her sister Dark Fawful,🙈 and plenty more.
Plus, the enemies and bosses in each game fi🐼t the game's overall setting—for example, Cackletta and Fawful are beans belonging to the Beanbean Kingdom—so everything flows together nicely.
2 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Y🌞ear Door
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door might be great enough to declare the series a winner. The 2004 GameCube title follows Mario on a quest to find crystal stars and save Princess Peach from the X-Nauts. The game format closely follows the original Paper Mario, though it has been lauded for its page-turning plot and challenging gameplay. TTYD is widely regarded as the top game in the♛ series.
1 ꧂ Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Ins🍷ide Story
Of course, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story also did great things for the Mario & Luigi series. In this interesting tale, Bowser i꧟nhales the Mario brothers, who work inside his body to help hi💝m fight their common enemy, Fawful. Fans praised the game's story, mechanics, and humor.
This title is the best-selling Mario RPG, with more than 4 million copies sold by April 2011. That's certainly a point in Mario & Luigi's favor.