Review Information
Game Reviewed NSMB-MarioVsLuigi, by ipodtouch0218
Review Author Astrakitu
Created Apr 14 2023, 2:36 PM

General Commentary and Game Overview
I've heard about this game several times on YouTube and even in some Discord communities I'm in, so I decided - why not give this remake of Mario vs. Luigi a try? This review is based on all the past experiences with the game (via the latest version downloaded through the GitHub page) I've had so far, even going as far as months ago, and it's been an overall fun experience for me.

The biggest addition I've seen for this game so far is the ability to connect to online servers via Wi-Fi connection. Combined with the ability to play the game in web browser and as a standalone download, this game's essentially accessible to almost everyone, which is a great time. And the additional content added to the game such as new powerups, match settings, and new maps also spice up the fun.

Although I had somewhat terrifying internet latency, I still had a fun time with the game. Many stage elements, enemies, items, and attacks are decently responsive enough (despite small lag due to my somewhat funky internet). Generally speaking, I didn't get a lot of victories, but that's fine, considering it's all part of the chaotic gameplay Mario vs. Luigi has.
 
Pros + More players, up to ten for more chaotic fun with friends, enemies, frenemies, siblings... You name it, it's a party game at this point!
+ Additional content is included, from Ice Flower and Propeller Mushroom to new maps based on a sky stage, volcano, and even a bonus-themed stage.
+ Several choices of color schemes to pick for Mario & Luigi's clothes. I especially liked playing as Cyan-Blue Luigi in particular.
+ Low barrier of entry as this game has been ported to browser as well as having online support.
+ Playable Luigi regardless of which system you are on. I feel this is an imp
 
Cons - High latency/lag can make this game somewhat unplayable, especially if the game's host has internet speed that is below par. Especially a heads-up to those playing with a slower connection.
- Somewhat lacking in customization options (some suggestions are listed in the gameplay section if you like to check them out.)
 
Impressions
Gameplay
8 / 10
From my first hands-on, this game pretty much plays the same as one would expect for NSMB and the original Mario vs. Luigi in particular - having faithful physics, controls, and the like, on top of new gameplay elements, maps, and just an overall improved experience from the original.

The addition of online multiplayer with up to ten players makes it a very popular experience for many of us, including those who never played the original Mario vs. Luigi, to dive into this season of star-stealing, plumber-bashing chaos. The lag, however, can be somewhat unbearing for those who have poor internet connection, causing one to lag behind on collecting stars and powerups, but otherwise I had no problem with that either.

Lobbies are customizable, and you could even set the number of stars to win a game, set a time limit, set lives, choose how many coins the player needs before getting a powerup, and more. You can even set a spectator for those who want to stream match beatdowns for fun. Though I think it'd be nice if it had more options for the sake of balancing, such as:

- setting conditions for the player to lose stars
- setting how many stars to lose if being ground pounded or attacked
- enabling/disabling certain powerups (Not just custom ones). You could disable Blue Shell and enable the rest, or turn off two powerups.

I cannot exactly judge gameplay based on my experiences with online players in public servers. So I'd say this - despite me constantly losing because of me being accidentally stupid enough to get hit or become cannon fodder to others, I still had a fun time regardless.
 
Graphics
9 / 10
While most graphics and animations are very much faithful to the ones seen in NSMB, I think one thing that kinda looks funny to me is the fact Mario and Luigi's models are way higher in resolution than the rest. Regardless, that didn't bother me much, and Mario could be downscaled anyways if you have turned on the 144p resolution (Nintendo DS resolution) in the Options, which is a neat idea as well.

Besides that, I appreciate the color customization options for Mario & Luigi. You could choose from twenty-one alternate colors for each plumber, making it great for stealing stars with style. I like the color references too, such as the Super Mario World palette and Wario & Waluigi color alts making appearances.

The title screen also changes too, which is a neat touch. Even the menu interface is also clean and simple in presentation, and accurate to the NSMB games as well. I had no problem navigating the menu this way, and it even is pixel-perfect on higher resolutions too, which is nice.
 
Sound
9 / 10
Most sounds used are very much faithful to the source material or in the case of new assets, fitting. Although there's only one thing that I'd need to acknowledge here: Sounds appear to have lower volume or unbalanced mixing compared to the rest. I think the Mario Bros. respawn sound and the NSMB powerup sounds are some of the hard hits here. It doesn't affect the experience much, but it would be great to have that fixed too.

Felt this is very oddly specific to mention, but I also appreciate having a volume slider for sounds and music. I know most games do this, but normally the original Nintendo versions of Mario games do not have a dedicated separate volume slider for them, so it's nice to see as well, especially when I'm playing while watching live streams or listening to the radio.
 
Final Words
9 / 10
Been playing this game for a while, up and down, on and off. And it's a really great way - for someone like me who's never played such mode before - to experience the chaotic fun of NSMB's Mario Vs. Luigi despite internet connection oopsies on my end.

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