Mario & Luigi (series)

The Mario & Luigi Series is a fan-favorite series that consists of two handheld RPG games, and an upcoming third one, where Mario and Luigi team up to defeat evil. So far, the main villain in the series is considered to be Fawful.

Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
The first game in the series is Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, released 2003 for the Gameboy Advance. The game centered around Peach's voice being stolen by Cackletta and Fawful. Unlike previous Mario games, it took place in the neighboring Beanbean Kingdom. Superstar Saga was Mario and Luigi's first adventure together since Super Mario World twelve years previously.

Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time
A sequel to Superstar Saga was made for the Nintendo DS in 2005, called Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. This game revolved around the Mushroom Kingdom, like most Mario games, but the Mushroom Kingdom of the past. It featured an evil alien race, known as the Shroobs, attacking the Mushroom Kingdom of the past, capturing Peach's Castle, and forcing Baby Bowser, Baby Peach, and the Baby Mario Bros. to flee. At the same time, Peach went back in time using E. Gadd's Time Machine, and was captured by Princess Shroob. Eventually, Mario & Luigi end up going back in time through the Time Holes the Time Machine created. There, they meet their baby selves, and the four team up to stop the Shroobs and rescue Peach.

Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
A third installment was released in Japan on the DS in February 2009. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, was announced at Nintendo's Fall Press Conference on October 2nd, 2008. This is the first game where Bowser is the main hero. In Bowser's Inside Story, Mario and Luigi must find a way out of Bowser's stomach, while Bowser stops Fawful from taking over his castle. Bowser's Inside Story will be released on September 14, 2009 in the US.

Super Smash Bros: Brawl
Artwork from the Mario & Luigi series appeared as stickers in Super Smash Bros Brawl: Cackletta, Luigi with Baby Luigi, Luigi, Mario with Luigi, Prince Peasley, a Shroob, Stuffwell, and Toadsworth. The absence of Fawful was surprising, considering his prominence in the series. However, one of the random names in Brawl is FWFUL, obviously referencing Fawful.

Trivia

 * The Mario bros. have been inside someone's body in the three games (Bowletta's belly in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Yoob's belly in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Bowser's body in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story).
 * The three games have their own version of the Mushroom Kingdom enemies (Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga have bean-related enemies, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time have Shroobified enemies and Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story have Fawful-themed and organ-themed ennemies).
 * The first two games play the same music after the final boss is defeated.
 * In all three games, Bowser or a similar being must be battled (Bowser, Rookie and Bowletta in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Baby Bowser, Bowser and Shrowser in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Bowser, Bowser X and Dark Bowser in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story).
 * All three games have Bowser as the first boss.
 * In all three games, Mario learns the action command during the first fight (with Bowser) while Luigi is doing things (watching in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, playing in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and sleeping in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story).
 * This is the only Mario RPG series that is for handheld consoles.
 * In this series, Mario's "M" and Luigi's "L" are black, unlike their other appearances.

Similarities Between the Games

 * In Partners in Time, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi faces three Shroobs in Hollijolli Village. In Bowser's Inside Story, Mario and Luigi can face three Shroobs optionally.


 * All three games have at least one boss that only gives the player a limited number of turns to defeat before Game Over, the bosses are: Roy Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, and Larry Koopa in Superstar Saga, three Shroobs in Hollijolli Village, and Elder Shrooboid in his larger form in Partners in Time, and Gera Express in Bowser's Inside Story.


 * The first two games have one character that is stuck and needs help, but as soon as they are rescued, something wrong would happen and are not seen for the remainder of the game. In Superstar Saga, Bloat is stuck in a gap, and after he is rescued, the S.S. Chuckola starts to move out to the Oho Ocean, and sinks. In Partners in Time, the Hollijolli Mayor is stuck in a chimney, and after he is rescued, Shroob UFOs come and kidnap him.


 * All three games' storyline is about collecting the pieces of a Star or another magic item (the Beanstar in Superstar Saga, the Cobalt Star in Partners in Time and the Miracle Vaccine in Bowser's Inside Story).


 * In all three games, there is (or there are) one (or multiples) Wiggler boss.