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6[[caption-width-right:350:Let's-a go![[note]]Okie-dokie![[/note]]]]
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8''Mario & Luigi'' is a series of {{Eastern RPG}}s for Creator/{{Nintendo}} handheld systems, starring the eponymous [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Super Mario Brothers]]. It's the third RolePlayingGame series to star Mario, the first being the one-shot ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' made by [[Creator/SquareEnix Squaresoft]] and the second being the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series. Developer Creator/AlphaDream produced every title in the series up until their bankruptcy and closing in October of 2019, and every game thus far has featured a soundtrack composed by Music/YokoShimomura.
9
10On the surface, the games are fairly standard RPG stuff, with a field screen, a map, and a battle screen, equipment and items to collect, a smattering of statistics, and a suitably grand adventure. What sets it apart is how it integrates classic ''Mario'' elements into an RPG. The two leads are joined at the hip, the field screen is negotiated with platform action, and all sorts of [[ActionCommands action elements]] are added to the battles, up to elaborate "Bros" attacks which can be [[SomeDexterityRequired shockingly demanding]]. Enemy attacks can be avoided completely with proper timing and can even result in [[DeadlyDodging counter-attacks]].
11
12Also, as the title implies, Luigi, ever the LesserStar in most ''Mario'' games, is given a much more prominent role here than in any other SpinOff game other than ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' and its sequels. Many of the jokes revolve around his tradition of staying behind during Mario's other adventures and how [[ForgettableCharacter hardly anyone knows who he is outside of the Mushroom Kingdom]]. But at the same time, he also gets to make a name for himself through his own heroics in each entry of the series, to the point where he eventually earns the remembrance of characters who start off unable to remember his name.
13
14There are seven games in this series, two being remakes:
15[[index]]
16* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga'' (Platform/{{GBA}}, Platform/WiiU Virtual Console 2003)
17** [[/index]] ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2017 VideoGameRemake) [[index]]
18*** ''VideoGame/MinionQuestTheSearchForBowser'' (The side story included in the above remake.)
19* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'' (Platform/NintendoDS, Wii U Virtual Console, 2005)
20* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'' (Platform/NintendoDS, 2009)
21** [[/index]] ''Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2019 VideoGameRemake)[[index]]
22*** ''VideoGame/BowserJrsJourney'' (The side story included in the above remake.)
23* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2013)
24* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam'' (Platform/Nintendo3DS, 2015) ({{Crossover}} with the ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' series.)
25[[/index]]
26
27----
28!!Tropes in the series as a whole:
29* AccidentalMisnaming:
30** Luigi, at least to Bowser and his goons, who instead call him "[[PaletteSwap Green Mario]]," "Green 'Stache" and the like. [[spoiler:By the end of ''Dream Team'', Bowser ''finally'' remembers his real name after having deemed him a WorthyOpponent this time around. And again in ''Paper Jam'', where even though Bowser calls him "green guy" at the first time he says it in the final battle, the second time, he actually calls him "Luigi".]]
31** At one time in ''Paper Jam'', Starlow even receives the same treatment [[spoiler:in her final battle against Bowser and Paper Bowser]] as she's called "yellow thing."
32* ActionCommands: Very vital in combat. Aside from boosting your attacks, they can also be used to dodge or even counter enemy attacks.
33* AdventureDuo: This sub-series has one of the most notable portrayal of the Bros. with this dynamic. Mario is more levelheaded and serious, while Luigi is the quirky, cowardly sidekick, who's often the butt of the jokes.
34* AfterBossRecovery: In the first two games, the Bros. will always be healed after every boss they fight (and fallen ones will be revived).
35* AlertnessBlink: The occasional '''!'''. This can stand for anything from an OhCrap to a sudden realization or idea to a warning from enemies.
36* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: The final levels of the first three games are castles that have been taken over by villains.
37** ''Superstar Saga'' has [[spoiler:Bowser's Castle being controlled by Bowletta]].
38** ''Partners in Time'' has [[spoiler:Peach's Castle in the past, taken over by the Shroobs]].
39** ''Bowser's Inside Story'' has [[spoiler:Peach's Castle taken over by Fawful and Midbus, with it being turned into a giant robot as well]].
40* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: ''Superstar Saga'' and ''Partners in Time'' have wildly different cover art depending on the region: in Japan, they're minimalist pieces featuring the Bros. standing together and one or two of the other major characters on a white background. Everywhere else though, they depict very action-y scenes with the Bros. springing into action and the main villains in the background, either looming ominously or causing havoc. Starting with ''Bowser's Inside Story'', the minimalist Japanese cover style would become standardized for all localizations, including ''Saga'''s remake (although promotional art in the style of its international cover exists).
41* AmusingInjuries: All over the place. Luigi and Bowser are the most frequent victims, and the ending picture of ''Bowser's Inside Story'' shows Bowser in really bad shape, and poor Luigi must get hit on the head over 20 times in ''Partners in Time.'' This is such a prevalent feature of the series that its even the basis for several gameplay mechanics, with the bros frequently needing to [[SquashedFlat flatten each other into human pancakes]] to solve puzzles and [[GrievousHarmWithABody hurl each other around to do attacks,]] though when done successfully they generally [[IronButtMonkey take these ones in stride]].
42* ArtEvolution: Compare the ingame-graphics of ''[[http://www.spriters-resource.com/gameboy_advance/mlss/index.html Superstar Saga]]'' with those of ''[[http://www.spriters-resource.com/ds/marioluigipartners/index.html Partners in Time]]'' and ''[[http://www.spriters-resource.com/ds/marioandluigi3/index.html Bowser's Inside Story]]''. While the general style stays quite the same, the sprites get much more detailed in the latter two games, thanks to them being released on the Platform/NintendoDS instead of the Platform/GameBoyAdvance. ''[[http://www.mariowiki.com/Gallery:Mario_%26_Luigi:_Dream_Team Dream Team]]'' brings 3D graphics to the series for the first time -- but still keeps the same overall art style.
43* TheArtifact: Bean collecting. Every game has the player dig up beans from specially marked spots in the ground, either to consume directly or use as currency for a special sub-quest shop. This makes perfect sense in the first game, which is set in a kingdom that's bean-themed to the same extreme as the Mushroom Kingdom's mushroom theme, and it works well in the second as an excuse for a cameo from the first, but as the series has gone on the beans have been further and further removed from the overall theme of things.
44* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: Mario and Luigi's gibberish ''sounds'' Italian...
45* AuthorUsurpation: While [=AlphaDream=] has created quite a few games, ''Mario & Luigi'' has overshadowed all of them.
46* BashBrothers: Quite literally with the titular characters. The games also feature quite a few sibling tag-teams. The first game alone has the Starshade Bros., Sledge and Mallet, Cork and Cask, and Gigi and Merri, all siblings who have a red-green contrast.
47* BigBrotherInstinct: While the series' titular brothers have always looked out for each other, this series puts the most consistent emphasis on it, so much so that it's [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration a critical part of the gameplay]] - if either brother should ever be knocked out in combat, the other will be ''horrified'' and instantly jump in to keep them safe from any further attacks. This heavily penalizes their combat reflexes and leaves them very vulnerable, incentivizing the player to do exactly what a protective brother ought to do - either escape to live and fight another day, carrying the unconscious brother as you do so, or use an item to revive them as quickly as possible.
48* BlackBeadEyes: As part of the games' art style, many supporting characters are stylized with these.
49* BreakoutCharacter: Due to his popularity in the fandom, Fawful was upgraded to BigBad in the third game.
50* ButtMonkey: Poor Luigi. At least he regularly gets to wallop Mario on the head. Bowser gets kicked around quite a bit as well. Luigi's status as a ButtMonkey is considerably lessened in ''Bowser's Inside Story''. He still gets the shaft, but not nearly as much ([[CosmicPlaything or as forced]]) like in the preceding titles in the series. Ditto with Bowser, who becomes one of the main characters.
51* {{Cap}}:
52** Levels stop at 99, and you can only carry 99 of each item.
53** As far as ''Bowser's Inside Story'' goes, damage caps at 9,999. It's somewhat impractical though, because only one thing will even have that much HP (Exactly that much.) and it still requires you to power it up. [[spoiler:It's Bowser X. Without the Challenge Medal, he has 8,000 HP.]]
54* CallAHitPointASmeerp: Critical hits = "Lucky hits" (in addition to what the games call critical hits: using an attack that an enemy is weak to), Skill/[[LuckStat Luck]] = "'Stache", MP = "BP" ("Bros. Points") in the first game and "SP" ("Special Points") in the third, though the remake uses the series standard "BP", calling them "Brawl Points" in Bowser's case.
55* CharacterInTheLogo: One version of the general series' logo features silhouettes of Mario and Luigi running on top of the title of the series, visible on the viewer's left.
56* CheshireCatGrin: Fawful, to the point where half of his face is covered in shiny teeth.
57* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Anything interactive that's red is usually going to be used by Mario, and anything green by Luigi. [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Bowser]] and [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam Paper Mario]]'s HUD elements are orange-yellow, which is the median color between red and green.
58* CombinationAttack: All of the special attacks are these. Even Bowser's Specials involve teaming up with his minions.
59* CounterAttack: During the enemy's turn, you can dodge their attacks and hit them back with jump and hammer attacks. Hypothetically, you can even get through an entire game without taking any damage at all aside from a small handful of {{Always Accurate Attack}}s.
60* CowardlySidekick: Luigi's comical anxiety is exaggerated in these games to fit the DenserAndWackier tone, though in the fourth game, his dreamy side begs to differ.
61* CriticalHit: A weird example. In-game, the term "critical hit" is used to refer to ElementalRockPaperScissors advantages, whereas actual critical hits are called [[CallAHitPointASmeerp "lucky hits"]].
62* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Invoked by certain enemies throughout the game; some will switch between attacks you have to jump to dodge and attacks you have to do nothing to dodge. Also, later enemies will especially take advantage of players who press both Bros' buttons at the same time to dodge instead of figuring out which Bro is being attacked by making it so that dodging with the Bro not being attacked will cause him to be hit while jumping.
63* DarkerAndEdgier: While the series is generally [[DenserAndWackier the opposite]], the fact that they're [=RPGs=] calls for the threats the bros face off against to have much sharper teeth than the usual ''Mario'' fare. While perhaps not as dark as ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' has gotten, the game still features surprisingly serious foes with darkly malevolent plots.
64* ADayInTheLimelight:
65** Luigi gets a much more prominent role in these games than he does in most other games in the franchise, particularly in ''Superstar Saga'' and ''Dream Team''.
66** ''Bowser's Inside Story'' is, naturally, one of these for Bowser, serving as his playable debut and giving his personality, thoughts and characterization a much greater degree of focus and development than he usually gets.
67** ''Partners in Time'' for the babies, especially Baby Luigi who's usually the one who needs to be saved.
68* DeadlyDodging: A significant feature of the series as a whole so there's no resting on your laurels when you're being attacked. The brothers usually dodge either by jumping or [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer using their hammers]] depending on what move is being used. [[SomeDexterityRequired It can be pretty difficult at times,]] especially when you have to control ''three'' characters at once in ''Paper Jam.''
69* DefeatEqualsExplosion: The bosses explode into stars when defeated.
70* DenserAndWackier: Without question, these games are some of the silliest games in the franchise, with a strong focus on comedy, goofy wordplay, and bizarre situations.
71%%* DifficultyByRegion: The Japanese versions are easier.%%ZCE
72* TheDragAlong: Luigi, literally so in ''Superstar Saga'': when Mario gets the news that Bowser is attacking the Mushroom Kingdom again, he immediately rushes out of his shower and jumps into his clothes, while Luigi is hanging them. This results in Mario running to the castle with the rope still attached to his clothes... and Luigi all wrapped in the rope.
73* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: ''Superstar Saga'' has a few differences from the rest of the series:
74** There are no {{Exposition Fair|y}}ies. Not even Starlow, who became a series mainstay from ''Bowser's Inside Story'' onward.
75** There are extensive gameplay segments where the bros are separated, rather than having them together most of the time.
76** In battle, there's an attack block that contains all three of the bros' solo attacks, as opposed to separate blocks for jump and hammer.
77** The Firebrand and Thunderhand techniques have only appeared in the first game.
78** Rather than using fancy items, Bros. moves have Mario and Luigi simply using their abilities in tandem.
79** First striking an enemy with a hammer doesn't do any damage, and stuns the enemies instead.
80** Using certain moves requires making Mario and Luigi switch places. In later games, and even in the remake of ''Superstar Saga'', the brothers cannot be switched freely, and Mario is always in the lead.
81** The first two games lack any PostEndgameContent. [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory The third game]] introduced a BossRush consisting of powered-up "X" versions of normal bosses with an ultimate {{superboss}} at the end, an addition which stuck for the rest of the series.
82* EmergencyEnergyTank: The Max Mushroom, which completely restores a selected brother's HP; the Max Syrup, which restores all Bros. Points; the 1-Up Super Mushroom, which revives a KO'd brother with max HP, and the Golden Mushroom (replaced by Star Candy in the third game), which restores all HP and BP. Also the Double 1-Up Mushroom introduced in ''Paper Jam'' which can revive two brothers at once although not with as much HP as an ordinary 1-Up Mushroom.
83* EscapeBattleTechnique: The series has a "Flee" option for this. In the first three games, you have to hammer the A and B buttons to make Mario and Luigi run while coins fall out their pockets; ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam Dream Team]]'', you just hit the run command and immediately flee the battle. As per the norm, it doesn't work in boss battles.
84* ForTheEvulz: The only explanation for around half of Fawful's actions. He decides to stop this after he's defeated in the third game.
85* GeodesicCast: There are a more than a few same-sex sibling pairs dressed in red and green floating around the games' universe, like Mallet and Sledge from ''Superstar Saga'', Gramma Red and Gramma Green in ''Partners in Time'', and the Massif Bros. in ''Dream Team''.
86* GlassCannon: Mario tends to have higher attack power and speed in the games, but suffers from lower health points and defense points, which are Luigi's strong areas.
87* TheGoomba: The first four games put their own unique spin on the Goomba. The TropeNamer also appears in all games, playing different roles in each.
88** The first game, ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Superstar Saga]]'', takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom's neighboring country, the Beanbean Kingdom, [[PlanetOfHats where everything is bean-themed]] instead of mushroom-themed. Their Goomba equivalent is the Beanie, a creature who looks like a bean with a face and two feet. Actual Goombas also appear in the game as [[TrainingBoss training bosses]]. It should be noted that the actual weakest enemies in the game are Fighter Flies, who live on the border between the two kingdoms.
89** The second game, ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Partners in Time]]'', takes place during an AlienInvasion. The weakest enemies in the game are alien Goombas called Shrooblets. Actual Goombas also appear later on, once again being tougher than normal.
90** The third game, ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Bowser's Inside Story]]'', is a FantasticVoyagePlot through Bowser's body. The weakest enemies inside Bowser are single-celled Goombas called Goombules. The weakest enemies outside Bowser are Chuboombas, chubby Goombas who love candy. Actual Goombas also appear as SummonMagic. [[IncendiaryExponent Flaming Goombas]] that [[RussianReversal stomp enemies]], no less. The same Goombas are also Bowser's only way of [[spoiler:countering one of Dark Fawful's attacks, by punching them into him, no less]].
91** The fourth game, ''[[Videogame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam Dream Team]]'', features Grombas as the weakest enemy in the overworld, while Drombas are the weakest enemy in the Dream World. Actual Goombas appear as (somewhat late) midgame enemies where they usually work together with Fly Guys or each other to try to overwhelm Mario and Luigi, either through ZergRush (with other Goombas) or through DeathFromAbove (with the help of the Fly Guys). They are even used as cavalry, being carried into battle by the Fly Guys to increase their numbers. Both Goombas and Fly Guys also have stronger versions of themselves that appear as mid-to-lategame enemies. Finally, Goombas remain one of the only enemies that are faced in both the real world, and the dream world (the latter as assisting enemies in a [[spoiler:boss battle with the Elite Trio, one of which is a Goomba]]), [[spoiler:and Dreamy Goombas can be summoned by the FinalBoss, Dreamy Bowser]].
92** The fifth game, ''[[Videogame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam Paper Jam]]'', which takes place in just the Mushroom Kingdom, is the first game to just use standard Goombas, and Paper Goombas, in their usual role as the weakest enemies.
93* GoombaStomp: The bros' first attacks are always jumps. There's also always some sort of Bros. Attack that involves powered up jumps.
94%%* GrievousHarmWithABody: Most Bros. attacks involve some element of this between the Bros.
95%%* HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: So many characters do this, it's almost a RunningGag.
96* HurtFootHop: Jumping on a spiky enemy will cause the jumper to hurt himself and hop while holding his injured foot.
97* InconsistentTranslation: The Spanish translators give Fawful a different name in every game. It doesn't help that the European and the American teams are different, so there are inconsistencies even between the two localizations of ''Bowser's Inside Story''.
98* InformedEquipment: You never see any of the special gear or badges on Mario and Luigi's actual sprites.
99* IntentionalEngrishForFunny: [[invoked]] Fawful's speech patterns, especially his [[CharacterCatchphrase catchphrase]] "I HAVE FURY!", are a homage to {{Good Bad Translation}}s of older video games.
100* InterimVillain: Fawful. In the first game, he was [[BigBad Cackletta's]] [[TheDragon Dragon]]; in the second, he was only seen as a cameo while the role of the BigBad was taken by the Shroobs; and finally in the third he becomes the BigBad.
101* ItaliansTalkWithHands: Mario and Luigi's "talking" animation has them gesticulating with their hands.
102* KarmicButtMonkey: Popple, the self-proclaimed "Shadow Thief", never manages to successfully get away with his stolen goods and suffers at the hands of his lackeys. Even his [[CombinationAttack Bros. Attacks]] lead him to get harmed in some extraordinary action. It's hard to say he didn't have it coming, considering how [[{{Jerkass}} obnoxious he acts towards his rookies]][[note]][[BadBoss Verbally abusing them]], [[NeverMyFault blaming them when things go wrong]], and [[DirtyCoward running away if his rookies are defeated first]][[/note]]. In fact, his bad treatment of Birdo [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal leads her to attack him and send him flying]], and when he attempts to betray his latest "rookies" in the form of the Mario Brothers, it ends pretty badly for him.
103* KilledOffForReal: This series is not shy about having the Mario Bros kill off the {{Big Bad}}s of the series. Cackletta holds the dubious honor of being the first ''Mario'' villain to permanently die while Fawful remains the only recurring villain to have perished.
104* LargeHam: Fawful, [[IntentionalEngrishForFunny oh so very much]]. Bowser too (though not as much as Fawful). Luigi has many LargeHam moments of the HeroicMime variety, especially with his VictoryPose.
105* LaughablyEvil:
106** Fawful, in spades, though essentially every villainous character has their moments.
107** Bowser is just a cartoon villain in the first two games, before his voice became more demonic and his size grew immensely.
108%%* LethalLavaLand:
109%%** Bowser's castle, of course.
110%%** Thwomp Caverns in the second game.
111* LuckStat:
112** 'Stache increases chance of critical hit and improves prices in stores.
113** Bowser's equivalent stat is called 'Horns'.
114* MagicMushroom: Even more mushrooms are added, with plenty of interesting effects. The most prominent is the Vacuum Shroom, which starts off the third game by giving Bowser the ability to inhale stuff, such as the Mario Bros.
115* ManHug: Mario and Luigi do this fairly frequently after one or both have been rescued from danger, another way of showing how much they care for each other.
116* ManaPotion: Syrups restore Bros. Points.
117* MarketBasedTitle: '''Dream Team Bros.'' and ''Paper Jam Bros.'' in Europe, for some reason.
118* MascotRPG: A popular example of this trope alongside its sister series ''VideoGame/PaperMario''.
119* {{Metroidvania}}: Most if not all the games have elements of this; you're usually required to learn new techniques and obtain different items in order to progress to new areas or backtrack for HundredPercentCompletion.
120* MinimalisticCoverArt: The boxarts for the series tend to depict Mario, Luigi, and a few other characters relevant to the game on a stark white background. While other regions didn't adopt this style until ''Bowser's Inside Story'', Japan used it on both ''[[https://www.mariowiki.com/File:MLSS_Japan_box_art.jpg Superstar Saga]]'' and ''[[https://www.mariowiki.com/File:PiTJP.jpg Partners in Time]]''; other regions' [[https://www.mariowiki.com/File:Mario_%26_Luigi_Superstar_Saga_Box_NA.png covers]] [[https://www.mariowiki.com/File:MarioLuigiPartnersTimeBox.jpg for the]] respective games are much more action-packed. Interestingly, after using the same design for all markets for three straight games, the remake of ''Superstar Saga'' goes back to the split designs, albeit differently. The [[https://www.mariowiki.com/File:MLSS%2BBM_Box_NA.png Japanese and American]] versions use the same white background style as the original game's Japan boxart (although with a few more characters), while the [[https://www.mariowiki.com/File:M%26LSS_BM_UK_box_art.png European]] cover sticks to the old Western design.
121* MirrorBoss: Several.
122** The first game has the recurring Popple and Rookie fights, where the bandit crook teams up with a partner (either an amnesiac Bowser or Birdo) to fight against Mario and Luigi. The second one even has them pull Bros. Attacks like the protagonists.
123** In the second, it's Bowser and Baby Bowser, where the Koopa King is carrying his younger self just like the Bros.
124** The third has Bowser Memory M and Bowser Memory L, who are blocky copies of Mario and Luigi based on his past memories of them. For Bowser there's Midbus, who is essentially just "Bowser if he was a [[MixAndMatchCritters pig/armadillo]] and later had ice powers"; and Dark Bowser, who is a dark copy of Bowser created from the Dark Star stealing his dna along with Fawful helping it from inside parallel to the Bros. inside Bowser.
125** In the fourth, there's Dreamy Mario, a dreamy copy of Mario created by Antasma. There's also the battle with Bowser and Antasma, in which the latter enters Bowser just like Dreamy Luigi does with Mario. Their attacks even feature Bowser using Antasma clones, just like what happens with the Luiginary attacks.
126* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: There are many jokes at Luigi's expense about him being the {{Garfunkel}} to Mario's Simon.
127* NameAndName: The series is named after the SiblingTeam that stars throughout it: Mario and Luigi.
128* {{Nerf}}: The remakes of ''Superstar Saga'' and ''Bowser's Inside Story'' nerfed the Advanced Chopper Bros, Advanced Knockback Bros and Magic Window respectively by having all three attacks last for a certain amount of attacks instead of indefinitely like in the original versions.
129* NotSoHarmlessVillain:
130** Fawful goes from being a joke of a shopkeeper in ''Partners in Time'' that incessantly mutters about revenge... to ''actually carrying those muttered threats out'' in ''Bowser's Inside Story'', where he's the BigBad!
131** Likewise, Bowser went from ButtMonkey to a HotBlooded Badass, though not without some help from Mario and Luigi.
132** As of ''Dream Team'' and ''Paper Jam'', Bowser has most definitely got rid of his VillainDecay phase.
133* NumberedSequels: In Japan only. Elsewhere, they went with subtitles instead. The second one is ''Mario and Luigi RPG 2 x 2'' (the two brothers and two babies) and the third is ''Mario and Luigi RPG 3!!!'' The fourth goes back to normal titles with just ''Mario & Luigi RPG 4: Dream Adventure''. Numbering was dropped for ''Paper Jam'', with the Japanese name being ''[[WordSequel Mario & Luigi RPG: Paper Mario Mix]]''.
134* OhCrap: Mario and Luigi do this a lot. Heck, each game has its own theme that plays when things go dire, and it's heard multiple times.
135* OnceAnEpisode:
136** Bowser is a RecurringBoss in every game.
137** The games seem to have fallen into the tradition of having Bowser as a [[WarmUpBoss tutorial boss]] (in the second game, it's Baby Bowser). ''Dream Team'' broke this tradition by having Antasma as the tutorial boss instead. ''Paper Jam'' doesn't have a tutorial boss at all, especially as you can skip the battle tutorials, and lets you get on with it.
138** Also, a WombLevel is present in the first three games, getting larger as the series progresses. In the first one, [[spoiler:it's merely the setting for the final battle]]. In the second one it's the second half of the second "world". In the third game it takes up about half the game.
139** Another element present in the first three games is collecting [[StarShapedCoupon the pieces of a special star]]. The first game has the four pieces of the Beanstar, the second game has the six pieces of the Cobalt Star, and the third game has the three Star Cures that combine to form the star-shaped Miracle Cure. This is Averted in ''Dream Team'', however: the PlotCoupon is the pieces of the Ultibed which is... a bed [[spoiler:that is the only way to get the Bros. to the Zeekeeper]]. Completely Averted in ''Paper Jam'' where you do not actually collect any PlotCoupons at all required to defeat any bosses or whatever.
140** The final boss of the first three game also has an uncanny habit of [[spoiler:entering Bowser]] and using his powers, as well as being defeated [[spoiler:while inside him]]. In the first one [[spoiler:Cackletta's soul possessed him to become Bowletta, and then died after the Bros. were sucked inside him and fought her personally]], in the second [[spoiler:the Elder Princess Shroob's ghost possessed him to become Shrowser, and was killed when [[HoistByHisOwnPetard all of Bowser's attacks missed and hit her ghost instead]] ]], and in the third [[spoiler:the Dark Star entered his body to copy his DNA and become Dark Bowser, who was even destroyed when Bowser inhaled its power source and let the Bros. whale on it]]. Subverted with the fourth one, [[spoiler:where Bowser ''himself'' is the final boss. However, he still eats something to power himself up: the shards of the Dream Stone]]. ''Paper Jam'' has [[spoiler:Bowser and Paper Bowser go all FusionDance.]]
141** There is a fake Peach in every game except for the third. The first has Luigi and [[spoiler:Birdo]], the second has [[spoiler:Princess Shroob]], and the fourth has [[spoiler:Kamek]]. The fifth is an interesting case, as Paper Peach is the one to deploy the decoys to trick the Bowser Jrs.
142** A Wiggler is always a boss, between the Wiggler living in Chucklehuck Woods in the first game, the Shroob-Wiggler hybrid Swiggler in the second, the vegetable farming Wiggler in the third, the Wiggler from the fourth who is fought with Popple and a temporarily BrainwashedAndCrazy Wiggler in the fifth.
143** Mario and Luigi [[ManHug always hug each other in the games as well]].
144* ThePinIsMightierThanTheSword: Badge equips. In ''Superstar Saga'' and ''Partners in Time'' they're stat boosting accessories, while in ''Bowser's Inside Story'' and ''Dream Team'' they're a power up meter.
145* PluckyComicRelief: [[ButtMonkey Luigi]] in all five games, [[LovableCoward despite being anything but plucky]].
146* ProlongedVideoGameSequel: On average, [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga the first two]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime installments]] can be completed in about twelve hours of gameplay each, [[SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer not counting sidequests]], while [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory the third]] is only slightly longer by about four hours or so. However, [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam the next]] [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPaperJam two]] can take up to thirty hours to be completed (again, without sidequests) on average.
147* PunBasedTitle: Starting with ''Partners in Time'', the English titles are pun-based. The first is a pun on the phrase "partners in crime" while reflecting the TimeTravel theme of that game. ''Bowser's Inside Story'' is quite literal -- the Mario Bros. end up accidentally getting swallowed by him. ''Dream Team'' refers to both Mario and Luigi themselves and the sleep and dream-based nature of the gameplay. Even the spinoff ''Paper Jam'' is a pun, playing off of the ''Paper Mario'' crossover.
148* RecurringBoss:
149** Bowser will always be fought more than once in every M&L game.
150** Also, a Wiggler is fought in every game.
151* RepeatingSoTheAudienceCanHear: How Mario and Luigi's conversations with [=NPCs=] go, since Mario and Luigi [[SpeakingSimlish only speak in a way that other characters can understand]]. There's only two exceptions: the first when [[spoiler:Luigi is disguised as Peach to trick Bowletta]] and the second where Dreamy Luigi temporarily loses physical form in Dream's Deep.
152* RhymesOnADime: Parodied by Fawful who sings an elaborate rhyming song but is unable to think of something that rhymes with his name (the only rhyme being awful, in a song describing himself) for the last line and settles for "And the...rhyme with...that."
153%%* RuleOfFunny: Everything. Also the general answer of anything in the Headscratchers page.
154* SequelEscalation: Stats of both the Mario Bros. and enemies get higher in each game, and the damage calculation becomes more unforgiving to match. The first game has a simple damage formula that just subtracts POW and DEF multiplied by different values depending on the attack. Starting with Partners in Time, the damage formula is POW*LV/DEF (multiplied depending on attack), which makes being underleveled far more unforgiving. Starting with the third game, enemy attacks do twice as much damage as they would have in the second.
155* SequentialBoss: Every final boss in the series comes in at least two parts. The one for ''Bowser's Inside Story'' is slightly different, given that one part is outside Bowser and one part is inside. [[spoiler:Averted with Dream Team. Dreamy Bowser is the only Final Boss.]]
156* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Fawful combines this with IntentionalEngrishForFunny. In fact, in the first game, he had an extremely long speech where he said "comeback" at least three times.
157* SiblingTeam: Mario and Luigi, more commonly known as the Super Mario Brothers, are the protagonists of each and every title of the series, though after the first game, they tend to share the limelight with someone who isn't a sibling.
158* SignificantNameShift: Bowser can't be bothered to remember the name of Luigi, the brother of his ArchEnemy, Mario, and instead refers to him as "Green 'Stache. [[spoiler:Once the Bros. win the day at the end of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'', Bowser promises the brothers that he will be back, before shouting their names, and once he's about to say "Green 'Stache," he backtracks and finally calls Luigi by his real name.]]
159* SpeakingSimlish:
160** Mario and Luigi speak in a vaguely Italian sounding gibberish babble, in addition to each other's names and affirmative noises. It's pretty well done and at least sounds somewhat Italian. Otherwise, the bros are {{Heroic Mime}}s. Paper Mario doesn't even have VoiceGrunting when he joins them in ''Paper Jam'', probably to separate him from the other Mario.
161** Also, each character has their own unique "voice" -- different sounds with different pitches are used for each character when their dialogue is scrolling, but it's much simpler than the Mario Bros' version. Bowser's in particular sounds a lot like his usual voice.
162* TalksLikeASimile: Fawful: Who could forget the "mustard of your doom!" speech?
163* ThemeNaming: Everywhere! Beans and laughter in the first game, sticking the word "Shroob" into anything villainous in the second game, Fawful adding parts of his name to his minions, like Crawfuls, in the third game, references to sleep in the fourth game, and adding the word "Paper" on everything coming from Paper Mario's world in the fifth game.
164* TookALevelInBadass: Bowser took levels in badass as the series went along. In ''Superstar Saga'', he's a ButtMonkey. In ''Partners in Time'', he's an actual threat, albeit a minor one. In ''Bowser's Inside Story'', he's one of the protagonists, though he still has some ButtMonkey tendencies. In ''Dream Team'', he's [[BigBadDuumvirate one of the main villains]] alongside Antasma, is taken seriously as a threat, [[spoiler:and eventually ends up replacing Antasma altogether]]. In ''Paper Jam'', he shares the role of BigBad along with Paper Bowser.
165* UndergroundMonkey: Most ''Mario and Luigi'' games feature derivatives of classic ''Mario Bros.'' enemies, though [[PlanetOfHats sporting a new theme]] particular to the game -- the regular enemies tend to take secondary roles instead, and sometimes don't appear at all.
166** ''Superstar Saga'' takes place in the Beanbean Kingdom, where everything is based on beans and which is inhabited by enemies like the ''Troopea'', rather than the Koopa Troopa, or entirely new derivatives of foes who happen to live in the location, like the Yo-Yo Bros. spun off from the Hammer Bros.
167** ''Partners in Time'' involves an alien invasion, so many of the enemies are [[TheCorruption Shroobified]] versions of common Mooks. The Shroobs themselves are villainous Underground Monkeys of the Toads.
168** ''Bowser's Inside Story'' has two major sets. There are physiology derivatives within Bowser himself, which resemble regular enemies based on organs and cells, and the Fawfulized enemies on the outside.
169** ''Dream Team'' features, naturally, dream versions of common enemies.
170** ''Paper Jam'' has the normal and paper versions of many classic enemies.
171* VerbalTic: In the Japanese version, Gerakobits (Fawful) repeats all of his "ru" sentence endings ten or twenty times. Whether or not the sentence actually ends with a "ru" rurururururururu. The warbling effect isn't unlike [[Anime/GaoGaiGar Penchinon]]. While translations of Fawful's dialogue in other languages don't keep this, it can still be heard in his VoiceGrunting.
172* VictoryPose: The brothers strike these at the end of battles. Mario's tend to come across as cool, while Luigi's tend to be awkward, or like he's trying too hard to be cool like Mario. Leveling up comes with an extended victory pose.
173* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The series has a peculiar mix of DenserAndWackier and DarkerAndEdgier elements that result in this. The games' tone is extremely goofy and jokey, with a much greater degree of slapstick, comic situations and bizarre misunderstandings than either the main ''Mario'' games or other spinoffs. At the same time, the series also tends to use much darker and more serious villains than the franchise's standard, including genocidal aliens, ancient dark entities and scheming nightmare lords.
174* VisibleSilence: Quite prevalent in humorous moments, with each dot spread apart by about a half second, in contrast to the usual speed of the text.
175* VoiceGrunting: A few plot-important characters, such as Bowser and Fawful, have short voice clips that're used in conjunction with their "speaking" sounds. It's usually used in between text boxes, when SpeakingSimlish won't have the same effect (like Fawful's [[GigglingVillain giggling]]).
176* WrapAround: Many enemies have this, such as charging off one side of the screen and coming back from the other. Some of Mario and Luigi's Bros. Attacks result in this as well, mainly if you fail them.
177* ZergRush:
178** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d earlier by Bowser in ''Bowser's Inside Story'': "marching straight ahead into the enemy's feet" is apparently ''all'' {{the Goomba}}s learn during their military training. Bowser's Goomba Storm combination attack plays it straight, but if pulled correctly, it [[SubvertedTrope shifts]] to DeathFromAbove via [[IncendiaryExponent flaming Goombas]].
179** The Goombas uses this as their sole attack in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam''. In other words, all the Goombas attack at the same time, attempting to ram into the Mario brothers.

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