So the Mario RPG franchise has finally made it to the Nintendo DS and many people wonder if it continues to live up to its high caliber of fun gameplay like its predecessors. However, the game is going to be judged on the previous version, Superstar Saga on the GBA, because it's from the same developer and the art direction and gameplay are similar. The truth is that Partners in Time does share Superstar Saga's subtle and slapstick humor, but it has a charm on its own which kept making me want to come back to it everyday and play for at least an hour or two.
The plot of the game is just oozing with sillyness so it's more geared towards kids but it's still tolerable for teens and adults. Basically, the Princess goes back in time to visit the Mushroom Kingdom in its infant stages via this machine that was conceived by Professor E. Gadd (For readers who unaware of this character, he first appeared in Luigi's Mansion and created Mario's water pack in Super Mario Sunshine). When roaming about in the past time, an evil alien race known as the Shroobs decide to take over the Mushroom Kingdom via the orders of their leader, Princess Shroob. Back in the present, the Princess doesn't show up and time holes start appearing around the Mushroom Kingdom. So it's up to Mario and Luigi to save the day again so they go back in time through the holes to retrieve their favorite gal. Once there, they discover the past Mushroom Kingdom has been Shroobified and they even run into their past infant selves. The Mario Bros, past and present, team up and set out to rescue the present Princess, adventuring over strange parts of the Kindgom and running into new and familiar foes. It really doesn't make a bunch of sense because there's a plethora of inconsistencies involving time traveling and past events that have had no impact on the future, but it is a Mario game. The story is more so of an excuse to allow you to play with your younger selves so you don't even care after the game gets going.
Partners in Time is an RPG so you will have your familiar RPG style of gameplay. You will be able to level up, use items, and equip your characters with clothing to boost your stats. Unfortunately, Partners in Time is a very linear and basic RPG. There is only one hub in the game and that's Peaches Castle in the present. Within the castle are all the time holes which will lead you to different areas of the game and you will buy all your items and clothing from within the castle too (except there is one area of the game that has another store but all the items are the same.). When it comes to equipping your characters there is only one type of clothing and it is pants. At the store there is always going to be two types of pants, one for the younger Bros. and one for the older Bros. There's never multiple set of pants to choose from either. Every time you complete an area, a new version of pants for the Bros. are available and each set of pants are affordable So throughout the entire game you should be wearing the best pants at the time, however, there is the rare find of mysterious pants after a battle or within a box.
The other item you can equip are badges and badges give a character their own little boost in some way, perhaps a higher chance of getting items after a battle or an increase in attack power. There are also hidden beans through out the game where if you get enough you can exchange them for really nice badges which are basically the same badges you've worn before but with just an improved result. This is the only side challenge that Partners in Time offers and the badges you can earn through it won't give you a gigantic advantage in battle. In addition, some of the bean badges can be found within boxes throughout the game.
I mentioned that the game was linear earlier. What I mean is that there no real point of backtracking throughout an area. Enemies are in clear view and once you kill them, they don't regenerate. Every box or secret area can be somehow reached at that point of time too. So throughout the entire game it's basically going from point A and point B and kill every enemy you see in order to level up. This also takes the challenge and the effort away from leveling which is often the key point of an RPG.
As you can gather, Partners in Time is really aimed for beginners of the RPG genre. However, the game is still fun despite it being so basic. See, within battle the majority of times you are going to be using Bros. Items. These items allow every Bros. to cooperate with each other and deal damage to one or multiple enemies. The items are used by using a timing system where each Bros. is assigned a button (i.e. Mario is A, Luigi is B, Baby Mario is X, and Baby Luigi is Y). You usually have to press the specific button right before the contact is made with enemy, but there are other items like the Fireflowers which require you to press the specific button as fast as you can before it's passed on to another Bros. Luckily there are enemies more prone to be dealt more damage depending on the item used so there is some strategy involved. However, there will be times where you can just use the same item over and over due to its efficiency of dealing huge amounts of damage to anything. The hardest part of the Bros. items comes down to timing and knowing when and which button to press. You can also counter enemy attacks using the same timing system. So the further you progress, the challenge does step up a bit when enemy attacks become faster and more sporadic.
Both Bros. can also be used to solve puzzles in order to progress in the game. There will be times where the babies will have to go on their own in order to hit some type of switch or box allowing the bigger Bros. to progress too. Some puzzles are long or require a little bit of thinking, but none are too complicated where you would have to resort to using a strategy guide.
As far as other mechanics of the game goes, Partners in Time only uses the touch screen of the DS once in the game and it's very minor. However, the game does a great job of using the two screens. Your map is always on the top so you know where you need to go at all times. During battle, the top screen is just a continuation of the bottom which is useful when trying to time using Bros. Items that get sent into the air or when trying to counter enemy attacks that come from above. The graphics in the game could have been done on the GBA, but they are very colorful and crisp. The sound is nothing special and it's redundant, but not annoying, and the Bros. talk in garble which is amusing.
Overall, Partners in Time is a fun trip to take. It will take you about 16 hours to complete and it's a very good pick up and play game. Like I said, the game has its own charm and has a cute humor with the interactions between the characters. Just trying to progress and battling alone can be addictive. The graphics are very colorful and crisp and the sound But the game does suffer for being the most basic RPG out there and the developers only introduce one new character to the series that isn't very memorable at all. The game is not a must buy, but it's definitely worth at least a rental. If you are hankering to own a new RPG or just a diehard fan of the series, then go ahead and pick it up.
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