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Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions Review: Is the 3DS Remake Worth Playing?

The 3DS remake preserves Superstar Saga’s humor and lively combat, while its added Minion Quest mode is a more divisive bonus.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions is a strong way to play the original adventure on Nintendo 3DS, with its humor, timing-based battles and dual-brother controls intact. The added Minion Quest mode gives the package more to do, but its appeal is less consistent: reviewers praised the extra perspective while some found its battles repetitive. Whether it is worth seeking out depends more on your interest in the main RPG than on the side mode.

What is Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions?

Released for Nintendo 3DS family systems on October 6, 2017, this remake revisits the 2003 role-playing adventure and adds a separate mode called Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser. Nintendo’s premise sends Mario and Luigi to the Beanbean Kingdom to recover Princess Peach’s stolen voice. The brothers are controlled together, and combat is turn-based, with player-timed actions central to the battles. Nintendo’s product listing describes the adventure’s characters, surprises and combat; Metacritic lists Nintendo as publisher and AlphaDream Corporation as developer.

How does the main adventure hold up?

Reviews generally regard the remake as a faithful preservation of what made Superstar Saga appealing: comic writing, distinctive characters and a playful RPG structure. The Beanbean Kingdom gives the journey its own setting and tone, while exploration and turn-based encounters keep the focus on the two brothers rather than a conventional party of interchangeable heroes.

The combat’s timing is an important part of the experience. Attacks and defense reward attention and input at the right moment, rather than relying only on menus and statistics. The brothers also have a dual-button control scheme, a series convention discussed in Nintendo Life’s review. That approach can make battles feel active and expressive; players who prefer hands-off, menu-driven combat may find it less appealing.

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#1 Best Overall
Nintendo 3DS Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (World Edition)
  • USA NTSC version game with World Edition packaging as pictured. Plays on all USA version (NTSC) 3DS consoles
  • Mario and Luigi have access to different techniques, known as Bros., Moves, necessary for solving puzzles on their adventurev
  • Time your button presses to skillfully dodge enemy blows, land devastating counters, and inflict increased damage in battle. Utilize Bros Attacks that dishout massive damage
  • In the brand new mode titles Minion Quest. The Search for Bowser, become the unlikely hero, Captain Goomba. Journey together with ShyGuy, Boo and other familiar Baddies
  • The Minion Quest storyline takes place during Mario & Luigi's classic adventure. Find out what really transpired behind the scenes

What changes in the 3DS remake?

Reviewers praised the visual remake and the retention of the original’s humor and design. They also noted quality-of-life changes, though the available review evidence does not establish a complete feature-by-feature list of those changes. It is safest to view this release as a refreshed presentation of the established adventure, not a ground-up redesign.

Metacritic’s critic aggregate currently shows an 81 Metascore from 51 reviews and labels it “Generally Favorable.” That is an aggregator snapshot, not a prediction of any individual player’s enjoyment, and the live figure may change. Metacritic’s listing also reflects the range of responses: reviewers welcomed the preserved core, but differed more on the value of the new side mode.

Rank #2
Sale
Mario and Luigi: Dream Team
  • In Luigi's dreams, anything can happen like spawning hundreds of Luigis into a bouncy tower, a wrecking ball, and more
  • Master two 3D worlds the real world and Luigi’s dream world
  • Discover a ridiculously fun adventure with imaginative new ways to battle

What does Minion Quest add?

Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser shifts the viewpoint from Mario and Luigi to Bowser’s minions, offering a parallel story and a different style of play from the main RPG. It is additional content, not a replacement for the brothers’ adventure. Some critics appreciated having this extra mode in the package; others found its battles repetitive or felt it was not substantial enough to justify buying the game on its own.

GameSpot reviewer Heidi reported spending about 20 hours on the main story and six to seven hours on Minion Quest in her 2017 review. Those figures describe one reviewer’s playthrough, not a guaranteed completion time; pace and optional play can vary. GameSpot’s review called the remake a definitive way to experience the RPG while distinguishing the side mode’s additional playtime.

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Rank #3
Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga
  • Unique RPG elements allow you to level up Mario and Luigi increase their stats and powers and even buy them equipment
  • explore the strange bean bean kingdom using a unique simultaneous control setup that lets you control each brother separately or team up for super moves
  • enjoy the involved story puzzle solving challenges and the experience of a classic role playing game combined with the jumping challenges of a platform and an all new reflex testing battle system
  • interact with other classic Mario characters and enemies throughout the game
  • pak also includes mario bros battle and mario bros classic both games can be played in multi pak mode with all the Super mario advance games.

Do you need amiibo?

No amiibo is required for the main adventure, and Nintendo presents amiibo support as an optional bonus for Minion Quest. Compatible Super Mario series amiibo—including Mario and Luigi figures—can unlock extra quests and a special golden Captain for the minion team. Nintendo announced these unlocks for the side mode in its UK launch announcement and describes the functionality in its product listing. If you are mainly interested in Mario and Luigi’s story, amiibo are not a prerequisite.

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Should you seek out the 3DS game?

If you want to play Superstar Saga and have access to a Nintendo 3DS family system, the remake is worth considering for its preserved adventure, refreshed visuals and added side mode. The main RPG is the clearest reason to choose it; treat Minion Quest as a bonus whose repetitive battles may not suit everyone.

Rank #4
Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga + Bowser's Minions (Nintendo 3DS)
  • Save Princess Peach's voice, the Beanbean Kingdom and ... Bowser?!
  • Mario and Luigi have access to different techniques, known as Bros. Moves, necessary for solving puzzles on their adventure. Switch between the two characters at will to pave your way and progress through new areas
  • Time your button presses to skillfully dodge enemy blows, land devastating counters, and inflict increased damage in battle. Utilize Bros. Attacks that dish out massive damage!
  • In the brand new mode titled Minion Quest: The Search for Bowser, become the unlikely hero, Captain Goomba. Journey together with ShyGuy, Boo and other familiar Baddies

The physical cartridge is the direct match for this release. Because it is an older game, current stock, price and condition depend on the seller and were not established here; check those details before buying. The release date and platform are documented on Metacritic’s title page, while Nintendo’s listing identifies the 3DS family platform.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 2
Mario and Luigi: Dream Team
Mario and Luigi: Dream Team
Master two 3D worlds the real world and Luigi’s dream world; Discover a ridiculously fun adventure with imaginative new ways to battle
$36.87
Bestseller No. 3
Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga
Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga
interact with other classic Mario characters and enemies throughout the game
$62.43
Bestseller No. 4
Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga + Bowser's Minions (Nintendo 3DS)
Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga + Bowser's Minions (Nintendo 3DS)
Save Princess Peach's voice, the Beanbean Kingdom and ... Bowser?!
$100.00
Bestseller No. 5
Mario & Luigi - Superstar Saga + Bowser's Schergen
Mario & Luigi - Superstar Saga + Bowser's Schergen
Nintendo 3DS Mario & Luigi: Super Star Saga+Bowsers Schergen
$100.00
Best Value
Mario & Luigi - Superstar Saga + Bowser's Schergen
  • Nintendo 3DS Mario & Luigi: Super Star Saga+Bowsers Schergen

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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