Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. (Nintendo 3DS) Review

Disaster has struck - the flat kingdom of Paper Mario has collided with that of the…'rounder'…Mario & Luigi world. That means there are now two Bowsers on the prowl, complete with double the amount of cronies to wreak havoc all over. With the temptation of two Princess Peaches, as well, when realisation kicks in, obviously chaos is afoot and it is up to the Mario brothers to save the day…again. Fortunately, they have a helping hand from none other than half of the heroic team from the other land - Paper Mario. The wafer thin legend acts as not only a third member of the group in battle, bringing with him specialist abilities, but also comes in very handy during the overworld adventuring sections, sliding into crevices to access otherwise unreachable places, helping the team fly across voids, and much more. The 'paper' element adds a considerable amount to the already strong heritage of which the superb Bowser's Inside Story was borne. That entry probably still remains the pinnacle of the series, but Paper Jam Bros. is certainly no slacker.

For one thing, the core mechanics are back in full force, encouraging quick reactions from those in control of the turn-based affairs, pressing at just the right time to inflict more damage or reduce that taken from enemies, plus getting the upper-hand by attacking the roaming enemies to knock off a few extra hit points before moving into the battle arena. Also, the quirky humour is all present and correct, complete with the hilarious mock-Italian gibberish uttered by the non-paper Mario and Luigi, although there are nowhere near as many in-jokes as in past adventures, which may be a sore point for some. However, the big kicker has to be the lack of enthralling mini-games, something that the previous two titles - Bowser's Inside Story on DS and Dream Team Bros. on 3DS - excelled in.

For the most part, the focus is instead on rescuing Toads in timed and non-timed modes, and whilst fun at first, there is an overreliance on them right the way through, until the final throes of the journey to Bowser's Castle, for that ultimate showdown, and they do start to wear really thin. Not bad enough to drag down the entire experience, but enough to certainly make you shake your head when suddenly they are opened later on for repeated play-throughs to improve upon best times. Whereas the homage to the likes of Rhythm Heaven in Bowser's Inside Story still stands the test of time, going back to Toad hunts is just too much to stomach.

Papercraft battles make their debut here, as well, and although intriguing, to say the least - with a large paper character being transported around an arena by Toads, bashing against other papercraft foes until victory is sealed - they eventually prove to be too slow and cumbersome in nature and again lack enough enjoyment factor to want to return to them once completed. That is the downfall of Paper Jam Bros. in general. It is indeed a solid Mario & Luigi romp, with all of the key elements included to keep long-term fans plugging away until the end, but there is a certain hook missing to make this the not-to-be-missed quest that most of its predecessors were.

There are so many positives, though, so it proves to be quite a conflicting game on the whole. The much-loved combination attacks, for instance, reappear, complete with some exceptionally innovative new moves for Mario and Luigi alone, as well as Trio Attacks where Paper Mario gets involved to devastating effect. Additionally, there is a wealth of hidden content to uncover as new moves are accrued, with a useful map to indicate how many of each type of collectible there is remaining in the different sectors visited. Heck, even the much maligned tutorials can be skipped, with conversations set to fast-forward if desired, and battles placed on 'Easy' to fly through quicker. AlphaDream has tried to alleviate many of the issues raised in the past, making it much more streamlined, and for that the team should truly be commended. Paper Jam Bros. brings in the old, freshens it up, and adds in a whole host of new, exciting features…

There are puzzles galore, on top of this, making use of the three lead characters, and to a degree it feels like the developer has thrown every idea possible into a pot and then shaken things up to see what happened. Why there is a feeling at times of disappointment, then, is unknown - almost like having KFC without the Colonel's secret recipe, perhaps? It should be amazing, on paper (…), and for the most part it is indeed a very good entry into the already fantastic series, but that long-lasting feeling of elation is absent. There is more than enough to keep players coming back for more, yet once the final credits roll, and all that is left is a jukebox to listen to the handful of sublime tracks and the rest of the forgettable ones, it will be a case of 'Onto the next game' as memories fade fast.