History VideoGame / MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam

* BoltOfDivineRetribution: Damage dealt to the enemies or Bros. as a result of gear effects is delivered via sudden lightning strike. [[UpToEleven Even if you're fighting underground.]]

* UpToEleven: [[spoiler:Bowser can still grow giant by himself, and Kamek can still turn him giant on top of that. In the final phase of the final Giant Battle, this results in the Bros. fighting a ''giant'' giant Bowser.]]

* AndManGrewProud: Mention is made early on of the cataclysm that caused the Pi'illo Kingdom to vanish far in the past, and that it's still not known exactly what happened. Dreambert provides more details on this once you meet him.

Notably, despite the DS' polygonal graphics, [[VideoGame3DLeap this is the first time the style of the games' artwork gets adapted to 3D graphics.]] This transition is smooth though, so the PolygonCeiling is thankfully an AvertedTrope.

** Later in the Dream World, there's Big Massif and his disciples. Make sure you're decently-levelled and well-acquainted with all of your current skills, or you won't be getting past them easily.

* CerebusRetcon: You we’re encouraged to point and laugh at Luigi when he was made out to be inferior to Mario in the previous installments. ''Dream Team'' will singlehandedly make you feel guilty for doing that.

* CerebusRetcon: You we’re encouraged to point and laugh at Luigi when he was made out to be inferior to Mario were in the previous installments. ''Dream Team'' will singlehandedly make you feel guilty for doing that.

* CerebusRetcon: All those times Luigi was made out to be inferior to Mario were PlayedForLaughs in the previous installments. ''Dream Team'' will singlehandedly make you feel guilty for laughing at Luigi.

The fourth game in the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' series for the 3DS. Its [[MarketBasedTitle Japanese name]] is ''Mario & Luigi RPG 4: Dream Adventure'' and its European name is ''Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros.'' As with ''VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros2'', it was announced late in its development and, therefore, closer to its release date (February 2013-Summer 2013).

* CreepyCrossdresser: In Dreamy Driftwood Shore, [[spoiler:Kamek once again reveals himself as having dressed as Peach to fool the Bros. who (along with everyone else) were thinking she was in danger and needed to be hidden, though this time he carries the ruse on much longer with her identity]]. This leads to the chapter where Peach must be hidden becoming an example of ShootTheShaggyDog.

** As per the series norm, jumping on a spike-covered enemy results in ''you'' taking damage rather than the target. A certain enemy also has a sneaky attack that superheats the ground after you dodge the initial fireball, still resulting in foot pain ''and'' a [[StandardStatusEffects burn]] if you don't keep jumping.

* CreepyCrossdresser: In Dreamy Driftwood Shore, [[spoiler:Kamek once again reveals himself as having dressed as Peach to fool the Bros., though this time he carries the ruse on much longer]].

* {{Smurfing}}: The Hooskis milk this hoo for all its worth. Oddly, the Massifs, as well as Big Massif's Hooraw disciples seem to be exempt from this.

* SophisticatedAsHell: [[spoiler:The Zeekeeper]] appears to be a terse and easily angered character with some WorthyOpponent tendencies. Then Dreambert shows up, and he drops the act.

* SpinAttack: Bowser has one, and Giant Luigi performs one [[spoiler:''against'' Bowser]].

!! Tropes include:

* WintryAuroralSkies: The skies atop the freezing Dreamy Mount Pajamaja are laced with multicoloured auroras.

** The Fire Flower Bros. Attack which is inferior to everything else for single enemies and outclassed by a massive degree in every respect by the Zee Egg. Fire Flower is, however, excellent for dealing with the {{Bee|Afraid}}hoss enemies of Somnom Woods, which have a [[KillItWithFire weakness to fire]].

* BossBanter: Activate: Pi'illodium RoboSpeak. With upper hand: mocking. When wings unoperational: depressive.

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: From the Earthwake battle: "BAD-DAMAGE! DAMAGE-BAD! BAD-STACHES! MUST DEFEAT!"

* DurableDeathTrap: Pi'illodium, who despite being the last active part of the Pi'illo kingdom for how many hundreds or thousands of years is still in enough working order to try and blow up the Mario Bros. with missiles and lasers and make comments about their imminent demise. Possibly also Earthwake, which has presumably just been left in Dreamy Wakeport for goodness knows how long and yet is still in perfect condition and able to horribly maul the last couple of adventurers confident/stupid enough to try and get the Nightmare Chunk.

** The boss of the Dream World version of Mount Pajamaja is...Mount Pajamaja. The volcano itself is sapient and wants to kill you.

* MatryoshkaObject: Mammoshka, a mammoth-like creature inside a whole horde of mammoth like shells, each slightly bigger than the one inside it. The actual creature eventually turns out to be less than half the size of the thing the Mario Brothers start out facing.
* MeaningfulName: Aside from being a PunnyName, Mammoshka is quite literally, a MatryoshkaObject. However, you need to damage it well before it's layers start to show, and it explodes when the final layer is defeated.

* OneHitPointWonder: [[spoiler:Mammoshka, once you break through its protective shells]].

** [[spoiler:Near the end of the fight with Giant Bowser, both parties begin spinning, allowing them to knock each other around in an attempt to dunk them in lava.]]
* RoboSpeak: Everything said by Pi'illodium and Earthwake, two of the robot foes in the game.

* TakingYouWithMe: The [[spoiler:Pi'illodium]] will self-destruct once it runs extremely low on HP. If you don't destroy it in time, it will self-destruct (taunting you before it does) and cause massive damage. If both of the Mario Bros. get KO'd, it's a game over (or loss in the Battle Ring). Interestingly, the countdown is in real time, rather than being turn-based. As such, the execution time of attacks becomes critical.

** Pi'illodium looks like one when it activates the self destruct timer in its own battle (oddly, this is a thirty second countdown in real time, despite the turn-based battle format). However, it's quite possible to survive the self-destruct and win anyway, especially with a Boo Biscuit which turns the Bros. {{intangib|ility}}le. It's also entirely possible for the player to defeat Pi'illodium before it even activates the self-destruct.

* AllJustADream: A version in a non-Dream World context at the beginning, with Luigi dreaming of Antasma attacking the Zeepelin and causing it to crash.%%[[spoiler:And again during the MushroomSamba.]]

** If you don't finish the "Dodge 10 Attacks" Challenge in Pi'illo Castle and are level 40, you can use Boo Biscuits, which have the effects of making the Bros. both take and deal zero damage, as well as not letting them take turns either, meaning that the enemies get to do free attacks on the Bros. that count toward completing Expert Challenges.

---> '''Luigi:''' Big bro's in danger! Gotta save big bro!

* BlockPuzzle: Several times in Dreamy Mt. Pajamaja, with an ice block. It's a standard platform in frozen form, but when the area gets thawed it melts into a water trampoline (that still retains its block shape) to reach higher areas. It can only be pushed by the bros. when in frozen form.

%%* BonusBoss: Making his debut in the ''Mario & Luigi'' series on the 3DS, we have [[spoiler:Bowser Jr]].

%%* ChainOfDeals: In Wakeport, you can engage in a MatchmakerQuest that turns into one of these.%%Into one of what? How?
* ChekhovsGun: The first door you find within Dreambert's dreamworld is locked. It plays a important role in the mid-game where it's revealed that behind the door is [[spoiler:another section of Dream's Deep or, more specifically, the front of the Zeekeeper statue that details how one would summon him]].
* ChekhovsGunman: {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Dr. Snoozemore. He's mentioned (but doesn't appear) in the beginning, is dropped for a while, and then finally appears tells Mario and Co. about the Ultibed, but still plays a relatively minor role.

** Eight before the end, you fight Antasma after [[spoiler:Bowser reveals that he had the Dream Stone in his power and his betrayal of Antasma, thus becoming the true BigBad]].

** [[spoiler:In the Giant Bowser battle, Giant Luigi can grab him by the tail, spin him around and throw him like in VideoGame/SuperMario64.]]

** One to ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' and its [[VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon sequel]]: one of the things Luigi [[SuddenlyVoiced says]] during the first visit to Dream's Deep is "I fight ghosts!"

** It's possible to catch Broque Monsieur [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory talking about his hatred towards the Mario Brothers to his fellow Brocks because of the fact that they hit blocks and getting their contents, thus devaluing them]].

%%* CreepyCrossdresser:

%%* DiscOneNuke: Birthday Hammer, one of the first rewards from the CollectionSidequest, via using the 3DS' birthday setting loophole.

%%* GreenHillZone: Mushrise Park.

%%* HumongousMecha: Robo Drilldigger and Earthwake, two of giant Luigi's foes.

* MoneySpider: Best not to think about how defeating the likes of Mount Pajamaja gives you a human-sized pair of gloves, a couple of thousand coins and some edible items. Or how come the items dropped by the monsters and bosses all come in a nice gift box with a ribbon and bow, including Antasma.
* MundaneMadeAwesome:

** Luigi sleeps for the majority of the game. This is actually a good thing, however - it not only allows Mario to enter the dream world (because Luigi just happens to have the same wavelength as that of a Pi'illo which allows "dream portals" to appear when he sleeps on one), it also allows Dreamy Luigi, Luigi's dream self, to accompany and help Mario on his journey. Dreamy Luigi's powers borders on supernatural -- he can possess various things, many of which allows him to influence the environment when Starlow does something with his sleeping body. During dream world combat, he typically possesses Mario in order to enhance his powers, making even a simple stomp or hammer whack seem a lot more powerful. Lastly, he can grow big in order to take on ginormous foes that threaten him and his brother.

* OutGambitted : When [[spoiler:Bowser gets access to the wish-granting Dream Stone]], the protagonists immediately conclude he'll [[spoiler:go after Peach again]] and set off to hide [[spoiler:her]] in the dream world. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, they're too late; Peach was swapped out with a disguised Kamek at some point beforehand]].

%%* PalmtreePanic: Driftwood Shore.

* PlotTunnel: The dreampoint segment of Dreamy Mount Pajamaja. The dream portal closes and traps you there until you beat the boss (who happens to be a living copy of the mountain itself).

%%* PortTown: Wakeport.
%%* PowerGlows: [[spoiler:Dreamy Bowser]].
%%* PteroSoarer: The Pi'illodactyls.

%%* TimeStandsStill: What happens when the Gold and Miracle badges are used in combination with one another.

** Private Goomp, Corporal Paraplonk and Sergeant Guy, the three ragtag rookie minions from ''Bowser's Inside Story'' whom Bowser allowed back under the stipulation that they pull their weight, have become the Elite Trio. You even have a boss battle against them, wherein Goomp commands the entire Goomba army (which never runs out of troops, so resource depletion is impossible), Paraplonk airlifts Giant Bob-Ombs and becomes a whirling shell of death, and Guy has a ''Banzai Bill Cannon'' and a magic scepter--the kind the ''Magikoopas'' use. Nice job, guys.

** It's not just the villains, either. Mario and Luigi's abilities, both in and out of battle, are ''much'' more dynamic, resulting in situations like Mario swinging around a huge ball of [[MesACrowd Luiginoids]] to smash through rock, or using them to create a tornado, or flinging themselves through the air at high speeds to smash through rocks. [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu And they beat a]] [[spoiler:RealityWarper Bowser]] at the end of the game ''without powering up''.

** Bowser's Koopa Troop have finally gotten their act together, after the last three games. Every single Koopa Troop enemy is a nonbrainwashed mid-to-endgame enemy, when in other Mario [=RPGs=] (Except the first ''VideoGame/{{Paper Mario|64}}'' or ''[[VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar Sticker Star]]'') including the other three games in the M&L series, they are some of the earliest enemies encountered, and in some games, the most powerful of them are brainwashed into service of someone else.

%%* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: [[spoiler:Neo Bowser Castle]].

-->"Hmph. Well... this isn't as much fun as I'd hoped. But... Oh well, who cares? This was just for kicks. Because [[spoiler:Bowser already kidnapped the real Peach]]!"

-->[[spoiler:'''Bowser:''' Hmph! I don't work well with others!\\

** Also, Mario can only counterattack in two directions in overworld battles. It was only in the dreamworld that he can counter from all fronts.
* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: The level counter maxes out at level 100. It's likely you'll be about level 40 when you beat the final boss. And it takes longer to get to level 100 than to literally start the game over and play through it twice more. Similarly, your stats max out at around 999 (assuming, no one's got there yet). Reaching level 100 gives you maybe 400-500 per stat if you're lucky. And grinding to that point with randomly dropped beans is likely another fifty hours worth of gameplay. Either way, don't expect to reach either in the storyline, and don't expect anything to last a single turn in battle (including the final boss) if you do.

** Played straight with viruses or the dream world, where one enemy on the overworld ends up being about 16-20 enemies in the battle. Or where [[BossInMookClothing background enemies]] fly in mid battle.

* AirborneMook: Par for the course, some enemies fly and can't be hit with hammers or other ground-based attacks. A variation later in the game involves enemies appearing in the background where they cannot be attacked directly. The Taunt Ball item can either defeat them, provoke them into the foreground or provoke an attack that can let the Bros. do tons of damage via counter-attacks.
* AllJustADream: A version in a non-Dream World context at the beginning, with Luigi dreaming of Antasma attacking the Zeepelin and causing it to crash. [[spoiler:And again during the MushroomSamba.]]

* AmbidextrousSprite: Averted. The Bros. have unique sprites for running and jumping in ''16'' different directions, as opposed to 8 directions in the previous games. Because Mario always raises his left arm when jumping and Luigi has an L letter on his cap, mirroring their moves would look glaringly obvious.

** The Bedsmith. He desperately wants to "nap" on Prince Dreambert and even has hearts emitting from him on one occasion. Later on, seeing how the Mario Bros. get things done, he wants a reward for the things he's done in helping them... namely "napping" on the Mario Bros.! Cue hilariously horrified expressions and Bedsmith's insistence that's it's just a Pi'illo expression...
** A more straight [[AccidentalPun (heh)]] example would be Dreamy Broque Monsieur, who claims Dreamy Luigi is a "dreamboat."
* AmbiguouslyHuman: Dr Snoozemore. Even the Mario wiki says "species: unknown". And his fancy facial hair makes it even harder to work out what he's supposed to be.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: Oh no, you didn't finish the "Dodge 10 Attacks" Challenge in Pi'illo Castle and now you're level 40? Don't worry, you can use Boo Biscuits, which have the effects of making the Bros. both take and deal zero damage, as well as not letting them take turns either, meaning that the enemies get to do free attacks on the Bros. that count toward completing Expert Challenges.

** There's a very cheap way to ensure victory over a Gold Bean: [[spoiler:enter the battle with Mario in critical condition, and have the Gold Bean k.o. him. Losing gives you the option to restart the battle in easy mode (in this game's case Mario's stats get vastly improved, but for that battle only), giving you a better chance to beat the Bean before it has a chance to escape.]]

* ApatheticCitizens: Actually, it's {{averted|Trope}}! Everyone on the island gets changed and understandably terrified dialogue when [[spoiler:Neo Bowser Castle appears in the sky and blasts away the barrier islands]].
** Well, most of them do at least. The side-quests are entirely unchanged before or after the aforementioned event, meaning you can nonchalantly [[spoiler:[[RefugeInAudacity help a tourist make a marriage proposal to his girlfriend while a giant death fortress hovers above them]]]].

* TheArtifact: This game introduced the ability to save the game at any time, rather than having to rely on a Save Block. However, Save Blocks are still present in this game and serve the same function, though this was most likely to still act as a sign that a boss fight is coming up.

* AssShove: Mario and Luigi free Boss Brickle, who was trapped on the center fountain of Mushrise Park, by unloading a powerful spray of water that ejects him out of the contraption. Brickle even says the water's going straight to his rump.

* BagOfSpilling: The Mario Bros. have not retained any of their items or Bros. Attacks from ''Inside Story'', as is usual for the series. This trope is subverted, however, in that Bowser has retained all of his abilities from the last game! [[spoiler:Up to and ''including'' the ability to turn into a ball, which is one of his attacks during the Bowser and Antasma fight, his ability to turn giant (though only in the Dream World), and even the Vacuum Block ability, which ends up being the basis for the final boss of the game!]]

* BeeBeeGun: Beehosses, the living beehive enemies, return from ''Bowser's Inside Story'' and can now send entire ''swarms'' of bees at Mario and Luigi.
* BeefGate: The Hermite Crabs in Mushrise Park, near the entrance to Wakeport which appear as soon as you get the hammers (yes, you can fight them even before you get Bros. Items). The Toad even warns you that you'll get mugged if you try to take on these monsters at this point. Played with in that although the Hermite Crabs are much tougher than the Thorbs or Capnaps in the rest of Mushrise Park and can do a lot more damage, their attack patterns are pretty easy to figure out and dodge, and if you do a preemptive strike where there's just two of them and don't forget which coconut they're hiding under, they'll never attack because they'll waste their turn getting new coconuts to hide under. Plus you can level up so quickly that it's essentially a DiscOneNuke against Grobot, Bowser and Antasma, and Torkscrew.

* BigBadWannabe: Take a guess who's who. [[spoiler:It's not who you think it is: It's ''Antasma''.]]
* BigBeautifulWoman: Madame Broque can count, especially since she has put on a lot of weight since ''Bowser's Inside Story''.

** Luigi's kinda got a Younger Brother Instinct going as well what with the Giant Battles and everything.

** In an almost literal sense--just before Dreamy Mount Pajamaja runs over Mario, Luigi turns giant and sends him flying with a hammer swing.

* BigWhat: Starlow and Toadsworth got this after finding out that [[spoiler:the Peach was a fake]].
-->'''Toadsworth:''' Master Mario! How fared you?
-->'''Starlow:''' Did you hide her in a pleasant spot?
--> *Mario explains to them*
-->'''Toadsworth:''' Mm hmm...So Princess Peach [[spoiler:was an impostor]], was she?
-->'''Starlow:''' Well, excellent news. [[spoiler:It was a fake prin -]]
-->'''Both:''' [[DelayedReaction WHAAAAAAT?!]] [[spoiler:SHE WASN'T REAL?!]]

** Dreamy Mount Pajamaja, on the summit. Bleak enough in itself (being the summit of an icy mountain), but even moreso in context. While you're in there, everyone in the real world is unconscious, and the portal back to the real world is sealed. It may be the closest the bad guys have ever gotten to winning, especially if the titular mountain turned Mario into a dreamy pancake.

* BonusBoss: Making his debut in the ''Mario & Luigi'' series on the 3DS, we have [[spoiler:Bowser Jr.]].

** PlayedForLaughs, of course. [[spoiler:The Zeekeeper refuses to piece the Dream Stone's dust back into its original form because he doesn't want people to use a trinket to get their jobs done for them...Instead, he turns the dust into a massive Dream Coin that he breaks through to shower the island with coins, and then he adds that the money will pay for his illogical services for helping the heroes. Dreambert is ''crushed'' by this action.]]
** [[spoiler:The Zeekeeper also says people shouldn't use the Dream Stone for material gain...[[HypocriticalHumor right before he shouts how much he loves coins and uses up the Dream Stone to shower the island with money.]]]]

* BuffySpeak: Dreambert's comment before the Earthwake battle is this. "Dreamy Luigi! Focus! Don't freak out! Be at one with defeating this giant...town...monster."
* BullyingADragon: Popple gets in a fight with a Wiggler and forces Mario and Luigi to help him. Throughout the fight, the Wiggler beats him up with a few of his attacks and Mario and Luigi beat him up when Popple tries to "help." [[spoiler:And after you beat the Wiggler, he decides to fight the ones who did all of the work to get them out of the way.]] [[SarcasmMode Yeah, reeeaaalll smart there, Popple.]]

** Many characters who only appeared in [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga the first game in the series]] return, including Popple and some Beanbean Kingdom citizens, such as the Beanish folk. There's also the Yoshis, who missed the [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory previous game]]. [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Kylie Koopa]] also makes a return.

* ButtMonkey:
** Luigi, as usual.
** Mario has his moments as well. Far fewer, but they're there.
** Surprisingly, Prince Dreambert shares this trope far more often than Mario.

%%* CallBack: ''Dream Team'' is '''loaded''' with them.

* ChainOfDeals: In Wakeport, you can engage in a MatchmakerQuest that turns into one of these.
* ChekhovsGun: The first door you find within Dreambert's dreamworld is locked. It plays a important role in the mid-game where it's revealed that behind the door is [[spoiler:another section of Dream's Deep or, more specifically, in front of the Zeekeeper statue that details how one would summon him]].
* ChekhovsGunman: {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Dr. Snoozemore. He's mentioned (but doesn't appear) in the beginning, dropped for a while, and then finally appears tells Mario and Co. about the Ultibed, but still plays a relatively minor role.

** There's the [[GoldfishPoopGang Elite Trio]], fought in Dreamy Driftwood Shore after the reveal that [[spoiler:Peach was being impersonated and the real one was kidnapped all along.]]
** And then right before the end, you fight Antasma after [[spoiler:Bowser reveals that he had the Dream Stone in his power and his betrayal of Antasma, thus becoming the true BigBad]].

* ContinuityNod: ''Tons'', not just to previous games such as the return of old characters like Beanbean Kingdom residents, but also to past (non-RPG) Mario games.

** Bowser's portrayal within itself is a huge continuity nod to ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Bowser's Inside Story]]''. Corporal Paraplonk, Private Goomp, and Sergeant Guy have all been made elites, and Bowser retains and uses all the abilities he had in that game--including the [[VacuumMouth inhale ability]] and [[spoiler:the power to grow giant (though it's only used in his dreams, ironically).]]
** [[spoiler:Also pertaining to Giant Bowser: instead of the usual transformation method, he is instead trying to grow giant in his dream by [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor eating a lot of meat]] ([[ExtremeOmnivore and a bunch of background objects]]), but it just doesn't cut it before the Mario Bros. arrive. So he presumably [[DrivenToSuicide jumps off the wall to his death]]...and then you remember that a NearDeathExperience was the [[DesperationAttack regular trigger for his supersizing]].]]
-->'''Bowser:''' [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Show time!]]

** One to VideoGame/LuigisMansion and its [[VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon sequel]]: one of the things Luigi [[SuddenlyVoiced says]] during the first visit to Dream's Deep is "I fight ghosts!"

* ContractualBossImmunity: Gold Beanies are immune to Luiginary Flame. Just Gold Beanies. All bosses? Take normal damage from it. And Gold Beanies themselves take normal damage/effects from everything else but Luiginary Flame. No idea why.

* CoolAirship: There's several of these as background enemies, manned by Shy Guys. [[spoiler:Dreamy Bowser can create them, as well.]]

* CreepyCrossdresser: Anybody who [[CallBack remembers]] [[spoiler:''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'']] sees this coming.

* DealWithTheDevil: Why Bowser and Antasma team up. [[spoiler:While Antasma (and many M&L veterans) thought he was the devil in the deal, he finds out all too late that it was '''Bowser''' all along.]]
* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: If you are knocked out in a battle, you are given the option to try it again, even on easy mode if you so want to, without having to go back to your last save point, and in Giant battles, you can retry as often as you want but there is no easy mode available. [[spoiler:Averted on Hard Mode, where dying sends you back to whenever you last saved.]]
* DeathMountain: Mount Pajamaja. Also a [[HailfirePeaks dormant volcano covered in snow on its upper levels]].

* DifficultButAwesome: Luiginary Wall is tricky to master, but if you do, it can deal more damage than Luiginary Hammer or even the ultimate move, Luiginary Typhoon, can do.

* DiscOneNuke: Birthday Hammer, one of the first rewards from the CollectionSidequest, via using the 3DS' birthday setting loophole.

* DisneyAcidSequence: A ''text-based'' example, if you drink from the fountain at (Dreamy) Mount Pajamaja.
* DisneyVillainDeath: You are led to ''believe'' that Bowser fell to his death in his dream while furiously searching for food to grow. [[spoiler:The cutscene ends for a split second before Giant Bowser emerges.]]

** You can also enforce this for Mario and Luigi through the ranking system, picking bonuses that the other brother does not have such as HP increases and so on.

** Upon first encountering Dreamy Luigi in Dreamy Pi'illo Castle, Mario simply nods at his younger brother and keeps walking into the level...only to turn back around and realize that, from his own perspective at least, there's no logical reason for Luigi to be following him in ''Luigi's own dream''.

** [[spoiler:Mount Pajamaja has a weird fountain of technicolor "magic water" that puts Mario and Luigi to sleep, giving a text description of their dreams. Its dream world counterpart has one too, thus giving a use of this trope.]]
** [[spoiler:During the final fight with Antasma in the Dream World, if you fail to dodge his bat swarm, Mario can fall asleep and has to dodge ''another'' attack before he can wake up. Doesn't help that the dream attack is endless and the only way out is hidden well.]]

** Mario and Luigi wield them, of course.

** [[spoiler:And Dreamy Bowser summons one at the end, deciding which Bro. to smash by flipping a coin.]]
* DualWorldGameplay: Pi'illo Island and the Dream World. The part of the Dream World the Bros. end up visiting depends on where exactly Luigi falls asleep. Except that there are no dream world versions of the treasure caves.

* DurableDeathTrap: Pi'illodium, who despite being the last... active part of the Pi'illo kingdom for how many hundreds or thousands of years, is still in enough working order to try and blow up the Mario Bros. with missiles and lasers and make comments about their imminent demise. Possibly also Earthwake, which has presumably just been left in Dreamy Wakeport for goodness knows how long and yet is still in perfect condition and able to horribly maul the last couple of adventurers confident/stupid enough to try and get the Nightmare Chunk.

** Starlow returns from ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Bowser's Inside Story]]'' as one of the two main fairies, though quite a bit more [[TheCynic cynical]] than last time.

** [[spoiler:Also, Bowser went from being the sideshow who was only there to kidnap Peach and add comic relief to the game's BigBad who very nearly succeeded at his conquest goals]].

* GreenHillZone: Mushrise Park.
* GrinOfAudacity: [[spoiler:Luigi sports one in his sleep right before the final Giant Battle in a badass display of CharacterDevelopment. Even Starlow notices that he's exuding confidence.]]

* HumongousMecha: Robo Drilldigger and Earthwake, two of giant Luigi's foes.
* HuskyRusskie: The Massifs, and the Hooskis in name.

** Hermite Crabs, which have two different species, are absolutely tiny...but surprisingly tough when they do attack.

* LoneWolfBoss: Grobot, Torkscrew, Drilldigger, Big Massif, Mammoshka, Mount Pajamaja, Wiggler, Popple, Pi'llodium, [[spoiler:Zeekeeper]]...About half your opponents are just jerks or characters with no real connection to the BigBad.

* MakeMyMonsterGrow: [[spoiler:Bowser uses several of his usual methods during his boss fight: [[VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor eating meat]], [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory having a near-death experience]], and [[VideoGame/YoshisIsland calling upon Kamek]]. And they ''stack''. What's the final result of this, you may ask? You know how standard Giant Bowser's usually around as tall as his castle in these games? Multiply that size by about ''five''. Yeah. Giant Luigi is barely up to the largest form's ''knee''; "Giant Giant Bowser" could probably body slam a ''city''.]]

* MatryoshkaObject: Mammoshka, a mammoth-like creature inside a whole horde of mammoth like shells, each slightly bigger than the one inside it. The actual creature even turns out to be less than half the size of the thing the Mario Brothers start out facing!

* MoneySpider: Best not to think about how defeating the likes of Mount Pajamaja gives you a human sized pair of gloves, a couple of thousand coins and some edible items. Or how come the items dropped by the monsters and bosses all come in a nice gift box with a ribbon and bow, including Antasma.

** Luigi sleeps for the majority of the game. This is actually a good thing, however - it not only allows Mario to enter the dream world (because Luigi just happens to have the same wavelength as that of a Pi'illo which allows "dream portals" to appear when he sleeps on one), it also allows Dreamy Luigi, Luigi's dream self, to accompany and help Mario on his journey. Dreamy Luigi's powers borders on supernatural - he can possess various things, many of which allows him to influence the environment when Starlow does something with his sleeping body. During dream world combat, he typically possesses Mario in order to enhance his powers, making even a simple stomp or hammer whack seem a lot more powerful. Lastly, he can grow big in order to take on ginormous foes that threaten him and his brother.
* MushroomSamba: Mario and Luigi [[spoiler:come across a spring of "magic water" on Mt. Pajamaja. Should you choose to drink from it, [[IntoxicationEnsues they instantly fall asleep]] and we're treated to a trippy description of their dream, which involves a literal field of mushrooms, culminating in a [[FissionMailed fake Game Over]]]].

* NoodleIncident: In an NPC's dialogue at one point.
-->'''Dozing Sands Worker:''' I keep hearing loud noises coming from the sky! Is something up there? See, I don't look at the sky anymore. Not after. . . the incident.

* PalmtreePanic: Driftwood Shore.

* PortTown: Wakeport.
* PowerGlows: [[spoiler:Dreamy Bowser]].
* PteroSoarer: The Pi'illodactyls.

* SelfDamagingAttackBackfire: The combination of the Risk Badge and Expert Badge gives everyone — including your characters, of course — a 50% chance of taking enough damage to drop to 0 HP.

* SuicidalGotcha: [[spoiler:When other methods of making himself giant prove ineffective, Bowser suddenly jumps off the edge of the platform he's on... Those who have played the previous game might remember that near death experiences trigger his ability to grow massive, and he does exactly that]].

** Like its counterpart in ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Bowser's Inside Story]]'', All of the bosses in the Battle Ring [[spoiler:besides Bowser Jr.]] are rehashes of older bosses, who also have the same names as the original bosses but with "X" at the end of their names.

** Pi'illodium looks like one when it activates the self destruct timer in its own battle (oddly, this is a 30 second count down in real time, despite the turn based battle format). However, its quite possible to survive the self-destruct and win anyway, especially with a Boo Biscuit which turns the Bros. into [[{{Intangibility}} Intangible Men]]. It's also entirely possible for the player to defeat Pi'illodium before it even activates the self-destruct.
* TimeStandsStill: What happens when the Gold and Miracle badges are used in combination with one another.

** Just as well? Remember Private Goomp, Corporal Paraplonk and Sergeant Guy? The three ragtag rookie minions from Bowser's Inside Story, who Bowser allowed back under the stipulation that they pull their weight? Guess what they go by these days? ''The Elite Trio''. You even have a boss battle against them, wherein Goomp commands the entire Goomba army (which never runs out of troops, so resource depletion is impossible), Paraplonk airlifts Giant Bob-Ombs and becomes a whirling shell of death, and Guy has a ''Banzai Bill Cannon'' and a magic scepter--the kind the ''Magikoopas'' use. Nice job, guys.

** Popple is much crueler in this game than in ''Superstar Saga'', especially when he [[spoiler:turns on the Bros. after they beat the Wiggler.]]

* TrainingBoss: Antasma, believe it or not. Smoldergeists also serve this role.

* UpToEleven: Hoooooly shnikies, does this game throw scale out the window towards the end. [[spoiler:Remember Giant Bowser? Remember how he can grow giant by himself, now? Remember how Kamek used to be in charge of that? Guess what? '''HE STILL CAN.''' In the final phase of the final Giant Battle, this results in an actually ''terrifying'' final obstacle: a ''GIANT'' GIANT BOWSER.]]
* VacuumMouth: Bowser kept this ability from the previous game. [[spoiler:He uses it to merge with the Dream Stone for the final boss battle.]]

* VariousVideoGameViews: ThreeQuartersView for the overworld, SideView for the dream worlds.

* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: [[spoiler:Neo Bowser Castle]].

** Hope you're used to dodging in the Dream World by now, and are decent at Luiginary Ball, as Bowser will be a nightmare if you're not, and it's still not easy if you do either, thanks to its multi-hit attacks and ability to attack multiple times per round, while Mario only gets one turn (and Luigi's boost do not compensate for Mario's paper defense and the boss's offensive and defensive stats). Have some Super Shrooms handy for this battle.

* WalkingSpoiler:
** [[spoiler:The Zeekeeper and Bowser Jr.]]
** [[spoiler:For the final boss battle, Bowser inhales the fragments of the shattered Dream Stone to become Dreamy Bowser, a giant, technicolor-glowing RealityWarper version of himself with the Dream Stone on his forehead and chest.]]

** Just where did Broggy go after the very beginning of the game?
** [[spoiler:What did the destruction of the Dream Stone at the end do to the Dream Stone's Spirit? And where is the Dark Stone Spirit, if it has one?]]
* WhoDares: Bowser exclaims "How DARE you?!" upon [[spoiler:being hit by a Hammer Chop during the Giant battle with Luigi.]]

* WorldTree: In Dreamy Somnom Woods.
* YouGetKnockedDownYouGetBackUpAgain: Averted, if Mario or Luigi get knocked down by an enemy attack or first strike, they'll be perfectly vulnerable to enemy attacks.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: A few times, like when one character notices that Starlow isn't wearing clothes, or much later in the game when Starlow and Prince Dreambert need to distract the three Fly Guys to get the Driftwood Jellyfish Sheets back, and make up a rumour involving a secret birthmark Bowser has somewhere on his body. It's implied that both its location and its shape are somewhat...interesting.
** One set of animations for the segments where Luigi is sleeping while Starlow has to interact with him for the brothers to get through a dream has Luigi laugh and Starlow smile when she touches his mouth. The animations can look like she's kissing him.

** [[spoiler:[[DamselInDistress Princess Peach]] and [[ExpositionFairy Starlow]] of all people get one right before the final battle with Bowser, when they combine their [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower good feelings]] together into a pair of FrickinLaserBeams to shatter the Dream Stone...[[NiceJobBreakingItHero too bad]] Bowser immediately turns around and inhales the Dream Stone fragments, turning into [[OneWingedAngel Dreamy Bowser]].]]

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: The [[spoiler:Zeekeeper]] battle. To wit: [[spoiler:The Zeekeeper is heavily implied to be a PhysicalGod. It can shoot [[FrickinLaserBeams powerful energy blasts]], lay [[AbnormalAmmo explosive eggs]], rip open dimensional rifts, and other god-like powers. Luigi manages to defeat him with nothing but jumping, his hammer, a bunch of tree stumps and sheer determination. He even manages to keep up with the god-bird... WHILE ON FOOT.]]

* DifficultySpike:
** When you start out the game, things are fine and dandy. it throws you a curveball now and again, but for the most part remains your smooth-sailing Mario & Luigi game. Suddenly, Bowser in Dream's Deep. A bit of a warning sign, not ''too'' bad, but unusually hard for being so early on. Then meet Big Massif and his disciples. The game wasn't lying when it said at the beginning that was better to beat every enemy you see, because you will ''need'' the levels and understanding of the gameplay mechanics by the time you reach these guys. Steel yourself, because the game pulls no punches now. And you can't even level-grind if you have problems with the giant battles.
** Speaking of giant battles, the Robo Drilldigger should be an easy win since it's mostly a glorified cutscene, Mount Pajamaja is a lot tougher but only his train attack is fairly hard to counter (thankfully he doesn't do it that often). But then comes the nasty robot/poltergeist known as Earthwake. He will hit you HARD and you will often have to make a SadisticChoice between wasting an attack turn and healing or attacking and risking getting killed.
** The biggest difficulty spike comes around Mount Pajamaja, where the enemies become stronger, the bosses far more difficult, and when you're finally treated to battles with traditional Mario enemies in Driftwood Shore, you find that they're freakishly overpowered (even the lowly Goomba can kick your ass if you take it lightly).

* MythologyGag: After passing the first elevator in [[spoiler:Neo Bowser Castle]] there are four coloured tiles, which are [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem Yellow, Red, Blue and Green]] clockwise, the colours of the Super Nintendo controller (when viewed at a 90 degree angle). This is the only time these four colours are together, and the only time they're arranged as such.