Trio Move

Trio Moves (Trio Actions in the PAL release ) are the field moves in Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. Most of these moves are invented by Paper Mario when the Mario Bros. are in a problematic situation (the only exception is the Trio Grab, which is invented by Luigi, though the idea came from Paper Mario's rescue). There are a total of five moves, and are all used (except for Trio Jump) by selecting the appropriate icon (either by touching it or using and ), then pressing,  and  in succession.

Trio Jump
The Trio Jump is technically the first Trio Move learned by the Mario Bros. (in Sunbeam Plains): however, it's learned in a calm situation (as opposed to a tricky one) and also works differently.

No matter what icon is the player selecting, they can press to activate it. The Trio Jump makes all the Mario Bros. jump at the same time, and also hover for a short while. This is useful to jump over small cliffs without having to press, and , but also to control jumping better. Ultimately, the Trio Jump can reach further horizontal distance than ordinary Jumps, but doesn't go as far vertically: this can easily be seen, as the player is unable to hit any ? Block while Trio Jumping, and is also unable to jump over certain cliffs that normal Jumps that reach.

Trio Jump shares the same button with using the Dash Socks: by holding down and also a direction on the, the player is able to start dashing.

Trio Hammer
The Trio Hammer is the second Trio Move learned (first if one does not count the ambiguous Trio Jump), introduced in Doop Doop Dunes. Mario starts using his Hammer, followed by Luigi and Paper Mario: this results in a large shockwave, that can have many effects. The main effect is breaking large, cracked, gray rocks that a single Hammer swing is unable to break. It can also send cacti found in Doop Doop Dunes's grotto in the distance, and flip papery flowers. Doing the latter awards the player Coins or 5 Gold Coins (depending on the location the player is in) per flower if all of them are flipped with a single use of Trio Hammer. Additionally, any non flying enemies are stunned for a few seconds if this move is used near them. This Trio Move can also be left unfinished by not pressing. This has little utility, except when the player wants to send just 2 cacti away in Doop Doop Dunes' grotto instead of the usual 3. This move can also hit supporting characters (such as Toads) as well.

Trio Grab
The Trio Grab is the third Trio Move learned, in Twinsy Tropics' dungeon. Luigi, Paper Mario (folding into a cylinder) and Mario form a totem and then stretch to reach faraway objects, including poles to cross a chasm, essentially replacing the Spin Jump from previous Mario & Luigi games. The player can't stretch diagonally, but only in four directions. After pressing the buttons, the Mario Bros. automatically perform the move. This can be done again by pressing, or the formation can be canceled by pressing either or.

Under the formation the Mario Bros. are significantly taller, but also move slower than normal. Examples of objects that can be reached by this Trio Move include Paper Toads stuck in a bubble, bridges to connect two pieces of land, and poles to cross over water or gaps.

Trio Drill
The Trio Drill is the fourth Trio Move learned, done on Mount Brrr. It is similar in function and appearance to Drill Bros. with some small differences. Mario and Luigi start spinning, with Paper Mario folding into a cone and joining them, to dig underground. The Mario Bros. can then move underground to pass under impossibly high-to-reach walls. By holding, the player can dash to break rocks underground and, more commonly, start moving over diggable walls: if there's an opening, this can also be done to exit walls (or cross a gap to another). Like with Trio Grab, and  end the Trio Move.

The move has other applications other than the ones listed above. By moving into "X" spots, the player can receive Beans of various kinds and 50 Gold Coins or, more rarely, 100 Gold Coins. Additionally, rare paper terrain with a ? Block pattern over it can be dug over to receive either items or Clothing. However, digging underneath enemies still starts up a battle against them.

Trio Glide
The Trio Glide (Trio Aeroplane in PAL regions) is the final Trio Move in the game, learned in Bowser's Castle. Mario does a high, straight jump: Luigi then jumps over his shoulders, and the brothers grab Paper Mario, folded into an airplane, to start gliding. Like with previous Trio Attacks, and  can cancel the move. By pressing, the team can elevate in the air up to three times, albeit this yields a faster falling speed than before. This move can be very useful to cross large gaps a Trio Jump can't reach or, with proper spacing, reach platforms too high for a normal Jump.

In battle, a somewhat similar move to a Trio Glide is used in two occasions: however, it works quite differently from Trio Glide. One is during an Airplane Guard, where Paper Mario aids Mario and Luigi in dodging powerful attacks folded into an airplane while being chased by a boss. The other is an "attack" made by Bowser Jr. and Paper Bowser Jr.: the two challenge Paper Mario in a flying contest, which pits him against a Paper Bowser Jr. folded in an airplane. Whoever goes the furthest wins. Paper Mario can elevate about a dozen of times, each time lower than before. The losing party is inflicted heavy damage.