Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (Mario & Luigi RPG 2×2 in Japan) is a video game for the Nintendo DS, developed by AlphaDream and published by Nintendo. It is the second title in the Mario & Luigi series, preceded by Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for the Game Boy Advance, and succeeded by Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story for Nintendo DS, and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team for the Nintendo 3DS.

The elements of this game is part turn-based RPG, part action RPG, and part platformer, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time took the formula from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and revamped it to take advantage of the Nintendo DS's new features. While it made almost no attempt to utilize the touch screen (Mario must rub the dirt off of a drawing at one point), the game used the addition of the and  buttons, the extra screen, and greater graphical capabilities.

Like its predecessor, it is one of the few Mario games to have been released in North America before Japan. The English and Spanish names of this game are puns on the title of the short story compilation Partners in Crime.

Story
During Mario and Luigi's infancies, Shroobs from a distant planet find the Mushroom Kingdom and invade it. The invasion forces Baby Bowser, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, and Toadsworth the Younger to flee to the Koopa Cruiser. In the future, Princess Peach, Toadiko, and Toadbert travel to the past via Professor E. Gadd's time machine machine and not return, causing Mario and Luigi to investigate a time hole. Mario and Luigi get defeated by the Shroobs in Hollijolli Village, where Baby Mario and Baby Luigi promptly defeat them afterward. The Koopa Cruiser then crash lands into Baby Bowser's Castle where Mario, Luigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi find a Cobalt Star Shard. They, with Toadsworth and Baby Peach, travel through a time hole that leads back to the present day Princess Peach's Castle. The Cobalt Shard at present day Peach's Castle creates another time hole, where the protagonists enter, which leads to Toadwood Forest and the Vim Factory. Baby Mario and Baby Luigi receive Hammers after they defeat the L33t Hamm3r Broz. at the Vim Factory. In the last room, the protagonists find and defeat Swiggler, which contains a Cobalt Star Shard. Baby Bowser and Kamek steal both Cobalt Shards.

Promptly after returning to Peach's Castle of the present, the protagonists travel to Yoshi's Island of the past via another time hole. Mario and Luigi meet Kamek; he flees and burns the island to slow them down. When the protagonists meet Kamek, he gets defeated, and they, with Baby Bowser, get eaten by a Yoob. Toadbert is first seen in Yoob's body, having apparently lost his memory except for a strange drawing that he himself made but does not recall what it meant. The protagonists defeat Sunnycide and exit out the Yoob, while snatching Baby Bowser's confiscated Cobalt Shards.

The protagonists then visit Gritzy Desert and open Koopaseum via pillars of the desert, as the Shroobs closed off the main entrance. Princess Peach is revealed in the arena and Petey Piranha eats her. The brothers fight Shrooboid Brat in the arena, and defeat him, angering Princess Shroob who sends them to Gritzy Caves. The brothers fight and defeat Petey Piranha where they rescue Kylie Koopa and a Cobalt Shard. They find Princess Peach, whose face is covered by a Shroob Mushroom and take her back to the present day castle. Bowser is just about to kidnap her and falls through the floor and lands in the next time hole, at Thwomp Volcano.

The brothers travel to the top, they meet Professor E. Gadd’s younger self, who thinks up of an idea of making a machine that could douse the volcano's fire, which the older E. Gadd creates in the present time. He then uses his quickly built invention to spray water into the time hole and stop the volcano, which angers Mrs. Thwomp, who battles the brothers and gets defeated. Her husband agrees to take the brothers in the volcano, where they solve various puzzles and fight and defeat Bowser and Baby Bowser, (who was shot into the volcano after being blown away from Yoshi's Island). Before they can rescue the Princess, she is sucked up by the Shroob Mother Ship. The brothers then end up in Toad Town and travel Star Hill, where they are attacked by the Commander Shroob, his Support Shroobs, and a Shroob-omb.

Once defeated, the four heroes head to the Star Shrine, where another Cobalt Shard is located. In the Star Shrine, after finding the fourth Cobalt Shard, the brothers meet up with Toadbert and Kylie Koopa, who reveal how to clean Toadbert's picture, which turns out that another Princess Shroob was on the picture. Mario and company are attacked by the Elder Shrooboid, who attacks Toadbert and Kylie Koopa, causing them to become Shroob Mushrooms. The four brothers fight and defeat the Elder Shrooboid, and the heroes acquire another piece of the Cobalt Star.

They then return to the castle, where they are told to go to the Shroob Castle in the past. Mario and the gang finally find Princess Shroob, along with Princess Peach. After a long battle, the brothers defeat Princess Shroob. Then, Princess Peach shows them the last piece of the Cobalt Star, but does not let them merge it with the other pieces that they have. Baby Bowser swoops in and connects it to the other pieces, causing Elder Princess Shroob to appear. Peach finally reveals that she trapped Elder Princess Shroob inside the Cobalt Star and the final piece freed her. After that, heroes beat her and turn her into a purple Mushroom. Baby Luigi then begins to cries on it, which restores Baby Bowser. Professor E. Gadd then to sprays a similar liquid to tears with the Hydrogush 4000, restoring the Mushroom Kingdom of the past.

At Peach's Castle, Elder Princess Shroob's mushroom form hovers into Bowser's mouth, who turns him into Shrowser. Having beaten Shrowser, Toadsworth the Younger, Baby Peach, Baby Mario and Baby Luigi all use the repaired time machine and travel back to their own time, bidding farewell to their future selves.

Playable characters

 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Baby Mario
 * Baby Luigi

Non-Playable characters

 * Toadsworth
 * Peach
 * Baby Peach
 * Professor E. Gadd
 * Stuffwell
 * Kylie Koopa
 * Princess Shroob
 * Baby Bowser
 * Toadsworth the Younger
 * Toadbert
 * Bowser
 * Toad
 * Yoshi
 * Yoob
 * Elder Princess Shroob
 * Kamek
 * Young Professor E. Gadd
 * Fawful
 * Toadiko
 * Gramma Red and Gramma Green

Enemies
These enemies are part of Bowser and Princess Shroob's Army.

Locations

 * Princess Peach's Castle
 * Hollijolli Village
 * Bowser's Castle
 * Toadwood Forest
 * Yoshi's Island
 * Yoob's Belly
 * Gritzy Desert
 * Koopaseum
 * Gritzy Caves
 * Thwomp Volcano
 * Shroob Mother Ship
 * Toad Town
 * Star Hill
 * Star Shrine
 * Shroob Castle

Battle system
To start a battle, Mario, Luigi, or their baby selves must touch an enemy or perform a First Strike by jumping on or hitting the enemy with a hammer in the overworld. A first strike damages the enemy (if jumped on) or possibly (not always) stun them (if hit with a hammer) as the battle starts. If an enemy with spikes or fire is jumped on, the Bro. who jumped on the enemy is damaged. Additionally, if the enemy starts the battle by hitting a Bro. in the back, that Bro. can't move until their turn. Since the game is a turn-based RPG, the player and enemies take turns attacking each other. The player can use well timed attacks to deal more damage. The player can also counterattack the enemy to damage them (see below). The enemies never counterattack but can harm the Bro. if they have spikes or are on fire and are jumped on.

Stats
Each brother and baby has his own HP, POW, DEF, SPEED, and STACHE points. When the brothers finish a battle, they each gain EXP points. With enough EXP Points, a brother can level-up and increase each respective statistic.


 * HP (abbreviation of Heart Points) is the amount of life the heroes have. When an enemy hits one of the brothers, he loses HP. When his HP reaches zero, he passes out, but can be revived with a 1-Up Mushroom or 1-Up Super.
 * POW (abbreviation of Power) is how strong a brother is. The higher his POW stats are, the more damage he gives.
 * DEF (abbreviation of Defense) is how much damage a brother can lessen from an enemy hit. The higher his DEF stats are, the less damage he receives.
 * SPEED is how fast a brother is. The more SPEED he has, the sooner he can attack an enemy in a given turn.
 * STACHE is the most unique of the stats. The higher a brother's STACHE stats are, the greater there is a chance of a Lucky Hit, which doubles POW. Plus, it gives the brother discounts when buying and selling at shops.

Moves
During a battle, the four heroes have five choices when attacking, unless Mario and Luigi are not paired with the babies; instead, they would have four choices. They can use a jump move, a Hammer move, a Bros. Item, use an item, or run from battle.

Jump Move
During a jump move, a brother jumps on an enemy. When Mario jumps on an enemy, he uses, for Luigi,  on Baby Mario, and  for Baby Luigi's jump. Hitting their button when they are about to land on the enemy does extra damage. The babies can participate in battle, assisting their older counterparts. If so, when the two older bros. attack and land on an enemy, the player should press the babies button, and then the adult brother's button. This will give the enemy more damage.

Hammer Move
After Baby Mario and Luigi enter the Vim Factory, they get hammers to use in battle. However, the adult Mario and Luigi can't use this move without the babies with them, as they don't have hammers. When one of the babies attack with a hammer, the player must hit their button (either or ) when the tool shakes to deal much of damage that can possibly stun an enemy. If the player waits too long or hits the button too early, the hammer head will fall off the hammer and the baby bro. does much less damage. When the corresponding button is hit before they directly face the enemy, they trip and fall flat on the enemy, also yielding less damage. When the adult bros. are with the babies, they can perform a stronger attack with them. When doing this, the player must hit the adult button ( or ) to have Mario or Luigi lift up the baby. Then, they must hit the baby button ( or ) when their hammer shakes. This will deal more damage then a normal hammer attack. The hammer move does less damage than a jump move, and is best used when fighting a spiked enemy. Flying enemies avoid the hammer altogether.

Bros. Items
Bros. Items are special attacks that the heroes can use to deal more damage. Some attacks require at least two bros., while some require all bros. Some items that require two bros. have special commands that can be used to deal more damage than normal with all four bros. Note that some items are unlocked later in the game than others.

* - Bros. Items that require all the bros. so it can be used.
 * Green Shell
 * Fire Flower
 * Ice Flower
 * Trampoline*
 * Cannonballer*
 * Pocket Chomp
 * Red Shell
 * Smash Egg
 * Copy Flower*
 * Mix Flower*

Items
When choosing the item icon, the four heroes can use an item to recover HP. Other items, such as Refreshing Herbs, can heal status effects. When one of the bros. passes out, the other bros. can use a 1-Up Mushroom or 1-Up Super to revive him. However, once an item is used, the bro.'s turn is over. Peppers are another type of item that can be used with this icon and can bring up the bros. stats for a while.

Flee
Mario, Luigi, and the babies can both flee from battle when they choose the flee icon. When getting away, the player must hit either the or  button to make Mario or Luigi flee. If the babies are in battle, the player must hit the or  button. However, if they do not do this quickly, one of the bros. falls and drop a large amount of coins unless a wallet badge is equipped. When both bros. have left the screen, they end up back in the overworld and continue their adventure. The player can cancel this attempt by pressing the button, though it uses up a turn.

Avoiding Attacks
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time allows the player to avoid enemy attacks. Mario, Luigi, or Baby Mario and Baby Luigi can either use their Hammer or Jump moves to avoid attacks. With their Jump move, the heroes can jump over the attacking enemy. When using the Hammer to avoid attacks, the player must hold Baby Mario or Baby Luigi's respective button (Baby Mario is, Baby Luigi is ) and release just as the enemy or its weapon hits.

The four bros. can also use these moves to counterattack. When they jump over an enemy, they may land on them, causing damage. Baby Mario or Baby Luigi can also hit enemies with their hammer during an enemy's turn. Either way, the enemy takes damage on its turn.

Out-of-Battle Techniques
The four heroes can use some techniques out of battle. All of the following techniques must be learned by progressing in the game, except for jumping.

Mario and Luigi Techniques
When Mario and Luigi are without the babies outside of battle, they can do the following techniques:


 * Mario and Luigi can both jump.
 * Mario and Luigi can perform a Spin Jump. They can use this technique in a whirlwind to go farther.
 * Mario and Luigi can form a Bros. Ball.

Baby Techniques
When Baby Mario and Baby Luigi are alone outside of battle, they can do the following:


 * The babies can both jump.
 * Baby Mario can use his Hammer.
 * The babies can perform a Baby Drill.
 * Baby Mario can fill himself up with water when near a fountain. Then, Baby Luigi can hit him with his hammer to spit out the water quickly.

All-Character Techniques
There are also techniques where all the heroes are needed. They can do the following:


 * Mario and Luigi can flatten the babies into Baby Cakes by rolling over them while in Bros. Ball mode.
 * The babies can be picked up by the older bros.
 * The four heroes can perform a Piggyback Jump.
 * Mario and Luigi can perform a Baby Toss, and throw the babies to higher areas.
 * Mario and Luigi can make the babies perform a Spin Jump by spin jumping into them. The babies then slowly float down and can use a whirlwind to go farther.

Items
These are the items that appear in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.

Clothing
Clothing boosts the brothers' stats. There are two categories of clothing: one made specifically for the adult brothers and one made specifically for the baby brothers. Unlike Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, clothing is not restricted to a specific brother. Clothing is either dropped by enemies, found in blocks, or purchased in shops.

Badges
Badges cause miscellaneous effects when worn and can be universally worn by all brothers. Such effects include unlimited use of Bros. Items or restoring HP every turn. They do not increase a brothers' base stats. Badges can be purchased in shops, exclusively purchased in Fawful's Bean 'n' Badge, dropped by enemies, or won by completing minigames.

References to other games

 * Super Mario Bros.- When the wind blew away Baby Peach, Toadsworth the Younger asked the Baby Mario brothers to save her, saying: "You will save her, won't you? I assure you, she's NOT in another castle or anything." This is a reference to the Mushroom Retainers' line: "Thank you, Mario! But our princess is in another castle!"
 * Yoshi's Cookie- The Cookies in Yoshi's Island reappear from Yoshi's Cookie''.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island- This game features the return of Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Bowser, and the Chomp Rock. Also the player can travel to Yoshi's Island, whose first area has the same music as this game's alternate title music. In addition, Kamek makes a reference to his attempted kidnapping of Baby Mario and Baby Luigi in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
 * Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars- In the beginning of the game, the Cobalt Star shard is in a block similar to the regular Treasure Chest blocks in this game.
 * Super Mario 64- The music that plays within Princess Peach's Castle is a cover of "Inside the Castle Walls".
 * Luigi's Mansion- Professor E. Gadd moves to the Boo Woods as a young man where he is later found by Luigi, foreshadowing the events of the game. Also, background music from cutscenes involving E. Gadd are a cover of the Luigi's Mansion main theme.
 * Super Mario Sunshine- Shine Sprites return as a source of light. Also, the Hydrogush 4000 resembles F.L.U.D.D..
 * Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga- Fawful runs Fawful's Bean 'n' Badge. Additionally, a picture of Prince Peasley appears in the Shroom Shop on a poster about beans. The ending theme for Partners in Time is a cover of the ending theme from Superstar Saga. Also, before the fight with Bowser and his younger self Bowser affectionately calls Baby Bowser a 'little Firebrand', Mario's skill from said game.
 * Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door- Dark Boos first appeared in this game.

References in later games

 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl- A Shroob, Stuffwell, and Luigi carrying Baby Luigi appear as stickers. Also, a cover version of the Gritzy Desert theme returns for the Mushroomy Kingdom stage.
 * Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story- Three Shroobs appear as optional bosses. Junior Shrooboids, Commander Shroobs, and Elder Princess Shroob cameos in the background of that stage. Also in the audience from Fawful Theater there's a Shroob in the audience. There are some gear that has "Shroob" in the name.
 * Mario & Luigi: Dream Team- Kylie Koopa appears in this game, along with a picture of a Shroob hanging on a wall in the house where she is found.
 * Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U- One of Luigi's poses in this game resembles that of his solo artwork from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.

Notable mistakes and errors

 * In the North American instruction booklet, on page 27, has a Japanese screenshot, where "Stache" is listed as "Hige".
 * In the North American instruction booklet, on page 32, has the following sentence: "Approach either side and speak to the sales-Toad to make the corresponding menu will appear," where the word will is an unnecessary addition to the sentence structure.

Trivia

 * The boss theme was originally going to be in Super Smash Bros Brawl, but was removed in the final version.
 * This is the only Mario & Luigi game where Peach is kidnapped at the very beginning.
 * This is the only Mario & Luigi game to not feature a boss fight with a Wiggler, instead having Swiggler as a boss.
 * The solo-artwork for Baby Mario incorrectly depicts him with red shoes, instead of light-blue ones.