The Beanbean Kingdom is weird. It’s a place where everyone is named after legumes, the queen is a massive bodybuilder with a laugh that shakes the earth, and the primary antagonist is a cackling witch who steals Princess Peach's voice. When AlphaDream released the Mario Luigi Superstar Saga remake on the 3DS in 2017—officially titled Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions—it felt like a bittersweet victory lap. We got a polished, modernized take on a handheld classic, but it also signaled the beginning of the end for a studio that defined Nintendo’s RPG output for nearly two decades.
Honestly, people still argue about this game. You’ve got the purists who swear by the 2003 Game Boy Advance original, citing its vibrant, expressive sprite work and the crunchier sound chip. Then you have the newer crowd who prefers the 3DS version for its convenience, the 60fps animations, and the fact that you don't need a worm light to see what’s happening on screen.
It’s a complicated legacy.
The Visual Identity Crisis
The biggest hurdle the Mario Luigi Superstar Saga remake faced wasn't the gameplay; it was the look. The original GBA title had this specific, rubbery art style. Mario and Luigi looked like they were made of saltwater taffy. They stretched, they squished, and their facial expressions were incredibly exaggerated. It felt like a Saturday morning cartoon.
When Nintendo and AlphaDream moved the game to the 3DS engine—the same one used for Dream Team and Paper Jam—things got a little more "standardized."
Some fans felt the new lighting and pre-rendered look sucked the soul out of the Beanbean Kingdom. While the environments in the remake are objectively more detailed—think actual shadows, shimmering water effects, and textured grass—the character sprites lost that "hand-drawn" grit. However, if you actually play them side-by-side, the remake's animation is buttery smooth. The brothers move with a fluidity that the GBA hardware simply couldn't handle. It’s a trade-off. Do you want the raw, punk-rock energy of the original or the high-definition, orchestral polish of the 3DS?
Gameplay Refinements You Might Have Missed
Let's talk about the map. In the original GBA game, navigating the Beanbean Kingdom was a bit of a nightmare. You had to memorize screen transitions, and if you were looking for a specific Beanstar piece, you were basically wandering blind.
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The Mario Luigi Superstar Saga remake fixed this by putting a persistent, interactive map on the bottom screen. It sounds like a small thing. It’s not. It’s a literal game-changer. You can drop pins, see exactly where you are in the Hooniversity, and track down missed items without pulling up a GameFAQs guide from 2004.
Then there’s the "Select" button issue. On the GBA, switching between different "Bros. Actions"—like the high jump or the spin jump—required cycling through icons with the L and R triggers. It was clunky. In the heat of a puzzle, you’d overshoot the icon you wanted and have to cycle all the way back around. The 3DS version maps these actions to the touch screen. You just tap the icon. Boom. Done. It makes the pacing feel significantly faster, even if the core combat remains largely unchanged.
The Battle System and the "Easy Mode" Controversy
Combat in the Mario & Luigi series has always been about timing. It’s rhythmic. You jump, you hammer, you dodge. The remake keeps this intact but adds some "quality of life" features that purists occasionally scoff at.
- The Emergency Guard: By pressing X, both brothers go into a defensive shell. It minimizes damage if you can't figure out an enemy's tell.
- Action Command Assists: There are now visual cues that tell you exactly when to press the button.
- The "Easy" Toggle: If you lose a boss fight, the game offers to lower the difficulty.
Is it "dumbing down" the game? Maybe. But considering the original game had some notorious difficulty spikes—looking at you, Cackletta’s Soul—having these options makes the game accessible to a younger generation. Plus, you can just... not use them. The "Hard" mode isn't an official setting, but playing without the assist icons keeps the challenge exactly where it was in 2003.
Bowser’s Minions: The Side Story Nobody Asked For (But Was Kinda Fun)
The remake isn't just a 1:1 port. It includes a completely new mode called Minions Road: Quest for Bowser. This is a real-time strategy-lite game where you play as a Captain Goomba trying to reunite Bowser's scattered army.
Basically, it's a rock-paper-scissors battle system. Flying units beat melee, melee beats ranged, and ranged beats flying. You don't actually control the characters in battle; you manage the "Spirit" of the team by triggering special moves. It’s surprisingly deep, though it does get repetitive. The writing here is the real star. The dialogue is genuinely funny, capturing that self-aware Nintendo humor where the minions realize they’re basically expendable cannon fodder. It provides a neat perspective on what was happening "behind the scenes" while Mario and Luigi were busy doing the main quest.
Sound and Music: The Yoko Shimomura Legacy
Yoko Shimomura is a legend. She did the music for Kingdom Hearts and Street Fighter II, but her work on Superstar Saga is some of her most whimsical stuff.
The Mario Luigi Superstar Saga remake features fully orchestrated arrangements of the original tracks. The "Teehee Valley" theme sounds more mysterious. The boss battle music has more punch. However, some fans miss the "Bleeps and Bloops" of the GBA. There’s a certain nostalgia in the lo-fi audio of the original that the 3DS version can't replicate. That said, hearing the "Chucklehuck Woods" theme with actual instruments is a treat for anyone who appreciates high-tier video game composition.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Remake
There’s a common misconception that the remake is "slower." People point to the loading times or the slightly longer transition animations. In reality, the 3DS version actually respects your time more. You can fast-forward through cutscenes by holding the R button. You can save your game anywhere instead of hunting for those floating Save Albums.
Another myth is that the "glitches" were removed. While the famous "Infinite 1-Up" trick from the GBA version is gone, the remake introduced its own set of weird quirks and skips that speedrunners have since exploited. It’s not a sanitized version of the game; it’s just a different build.
Why Superstar Saga Still Matters in 2026
In an era where RPGs are getting increasingly complex with massive skill trees and 100-hour playtimes, Superstar Saga is a breath of fresh air. It’s tight. You can beat it in 20 hours. Every single room in the game feels like it was designed with a purpose. There’s no filler.
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The Mario Luigi Superstar Saga remake serves as a perfect entry point for someone who has never played a Mario RPG. It’s funnier than Paper Mario: The Origami King and more mechanically sound than the later Mario & Luigi sequels like Paper Jam. It represents a time when Nintendo was willing to be weird, irreverent, and genuinely challenging.
Actionable Tips for New and Returning Players
If you’re diving into the remake for the first time, keep these things in mind to get the most out of your run:
- Don't ignore the "Stache" stat: It's tempting to put all your level-up bonuses into Power or HP. Don't. Stache increases your luck, which leads to more critical hits and better prices in shops. High Stache is the secret to breaking the game's economy.
- Master the "Advanced" Bros. Attacks: Just like the original, you can "upgrade" your special moves by using them repeatedly. These advanced versions often have different properties, like hitting multiple enemies or stealing items.
- Talk to everyone: The Beanbean Kingdom residents have some of the best flavor text in Nintendo history. Seriously, the NPCs are hilarious.
- Use the Map Pins: In the 3DS version, you can mark spots on the map that you can't reach yet. When you get a new ability (like the Hammer or the Surf move), check your pins. It saves hours of backtracking.
- Check the Minion Quest: Even if you’re only here for the main RPG, play a few levels of Bowser’s Minions. It unlocks specific gear and items in the main game that are actually quite helpful.
The Mario Luigi Superstar Saga remake is a respectful, high-quality update to one of the best games ever made for a handheld. Whether you prefer the pixel art of the past or the polished 3D of the "future," the core of the game—the humor, the timing, and the heart—remains exactly where it should be. It’s a reminder that even when things change, a good jump and a well-timed hammer swing never go out of style.
To get started, track down a physical copy for the 3DS or check the eShop if it's still accessible in your region. Focus on leveling up your "Bros. Points" early on, as the late-game special attacks are expensive but necessary for the final gauntlet in Bowser's Castle. Once you've mastered the timing of the "Splash Bros." attack, the rest of the game's mechanics will naturally fall into place.