Should We Sign Up For Bowser's Minions + Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - The more I think about it, the more my answer is a decisive “no.”

There has been a question on my mind for the past 3–4 months since its E3 2017 reveal: Should I purchase Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions for the Nintendo 3DS or not?

I wrote it as “Bowser's Minions + Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga” in the article title because, let's face it, I care more about that sub-mode than the game being remastered. There is not any new content in the Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga portion, though the graphics are improved and the sprites have changed, and the music is all remastered to what I think is a better soundtrack. I mean, your competition is the Game Boy Advance's limited audio capabilities, so it's not hard to go up from that.

Still, I can pop in my GBA copy of Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga into my GameCube's Game Boy Player at any time and play it on the TV, or I can purchase the Wii U Virtual Console port for $8 and get full Miiverse capabilities. What's in it to want to buy this 3DS remaster for five times the price?

I haven't done a full survey of different opinions of the new Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser mode, but no one is saying it's better than the main game. I've read that it's very grind-y, not all that fun, and people are not having a good time. It does, however, feature new dialogue for the Koopalings, and we are actually quite prominently featured as part of the plot. In the whole original game, we appeared, but we didn't actually say anything. But hey, we looked GOOD.

The existing dialogue appears to be in-tact,
or at least the one line that I care about that conclusively proves last month's article's point that the Mario Brothers are still plumbers.

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, when I say the sprites changed, that also includes the sprites for the Koopalings. We now have our revisionist New Super Mario Bros. designs, and I hear other sprites have changed negatively. I've read that Psycho Kamek is no longer in the game, but Dr. Toadley is instead. This (presumably non-fake) news has already upset Kamek.

I've learned from not finding value in Mario Kart 8 that buying games just because I'm in them is not a wise investment of my money. And, believe me, the only reason I bought Mario Kart 8 is because it was the first game I was ever playable in.

...Besides, in terms of the main game, they actually CHANGED MY BOSS FIGHT... to be worse. What the hell kind of remaster does that? No one asked for my boss fight to be changed. ...I mean, you could say it's new content, I guess, but it's not new on a net basis.

“The only change I honestly hate, is making [L]udwig's fight a joke[.]
[S]eriously, [it's] a simple counter attack[.]” - Connor, NNID TheZekroms.

I would buy a $7 or $8 game that was just Minion Quest: The Search For Bowser, similar to how the Kirby series has been releasing its sub-games as individual releases. I will not spend money on a game that I already have, thoroughly enjoyed, and have readily accessible whenever I please.

If you haven't played Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, however, and you have a 3DS but not a Wii U, then this would be worth $40. Even if KoopaTV has a Paper Mario bias (see: our logo), there's no question that Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was really important to all of us fourteen years ago. That said, its GBA incarnation has aged well, so this remaster was never necessary.


Ludwig will check out all of the particulars of Minion Quest: The Search For Bowser at a later time, when spoilers are more available for consumption. He wants to know his dialogue and the storyline! What are your thoughts on the game?


Ludwig is at least mostly consistent in how to evaluate these games on a price per new content basis.
While it's worth it, Ludwig isn't buying Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey, either.
Superstar Saga's developer is now bankrupt, and it's probably Ludwig's fault.