Mini-Mario

Mini-Mario, also formatted as Mini Mario , is a technique used by Mario and Luigi in various Mario & Luigi games, appearing in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, Mini-Mario first appears as a Bros. Action taught to Luigi in Chateau de Chucklehuck by Cork and Cask alongside the Luigi Dunk move. It involves Luigi standing behind Mario and hitting him with a hammer. Mario then shrinks to about half of his normal size, allowing him to fit through gaps normally inaccessible. When this happens, the bros will be separated. In addition, Mini-Mario acts as a sort of dowser, generating a "!" bubble above his head when he is near a hidden underground treasure. If the game is being played on the Game Boy Player, the controller will react. A larger exclamation mark appears if Mario is directly above the underground treasure. In order for him to be restored to his normal size, Mario must either be hit by Luigi's hammer or enter a battle with an enemy. The in-battle equivalent to this move is Knockback Bros., and the move is also used in the Cyclone Bros. Bros. Attack.

Also, if Luigi attempts to High Jump onto Mini-Mario, and if Mario jumps when Luigi is directly above him, he earns a coin every time Luigi is hit. However, every time Luigi is hit, he loses 1 HP (2 HP in the Japanese version, 4 in the remake); if his HP is at 1 (2 or below in the Japanese version, 4 or below in the remake), when Mario hits him, nothing happens.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story / Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey
In Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey, this ability is learned at the Pump Works. Once Mario and Luigi obtain the hammers, Luigi can hammer Mario to shrink him down to a small size just like in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. This ability is used for the same reasons as in the previous game; allowing Mario to fit through and get past tight spaces normally inaccessible, causing him to be separated from Luigi. Unlike the previous game, this ability does not help the player find items hidden underground. Also, unlike the other games, the player cannot switch control between the two brothers, and Mario may move around in Bowser's body, a complete two-dimensional area, making the physics of the move somewhat different.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
In Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the Mini-Mario ability is learned from two Shelltops working for Britta in Dozing Sands, along with the Mole Mario move. The ability retains its purpose and function from the previous games it appeared in. The player can only use the Mini-Mario ability when standing on hard surfaces, such as rock or metal; using it on soft surfaces, such as dirt or sand, will make the player perform the Mole Mario ability instead.

Trivia

 * There is a glitch in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga where, if Mario and Luigi leave an area or a location, the background music that plays in the area or location they leave from will not change. This happens even when they use a Warp Pipe to travel to another location.