Bear-Max
15-06-2006, 02:48 PM
Format: DS.
Genre: RPG.
Release: Out now (all territories).
Partners in Time is the first RPG outing for Mario and friends on the DS, with Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser and all their baby counterparts featuring throughout. The games story is that while travelling back in time, Princess Peach is abducted by an alien race called the Shroob, who are using the 'Vim' of the Kingdom's mushrooms to power their spacecraft. All very high-tech, I know ;) The story reminds me slightly of 'Day Of the Tentacle', and although this is a completly different type of game, if you enjoyed LucasArts' classic point-and-click adventure, I think you'll enjoy this.
In my modest opinion, the game is the most charming I've played in a very long time. The colours are very pastel, the sprites are beautifully done and the game is extremely funny at times through both its art and dialogue. Not being a fan of turn-based battle, I wasn't expecting to enjoy fighting off the host of creatures the game throws at you. But I was surprised. The battle system is very involving, but easy to control. Each of the four characters is assigned one of the four face buttons, and a lot of the challenge is making It really is a lot of fun, with counter attacks and double-teamed attacks simply initiated. There's even a chance to quadruple-team when you battle with Mario and Luigi giving piggybacks to their red and green-bearing tykes. Watch your HP counter though - if it reaches 0 for both characters you're battling with, it's game over and back to the last save. There's no shortage of healing items about though, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The game doesn't make any effort to make use of the touchscreen, which is a shame, but it's clever use of the top screen makes up for this. Primarily used as a map, the top screen becomes a playable area when Baby Mario and Luigi wander off into areas on their own, most often into places that their present-day ringers can't get to; this can be down low accessible because of their small stature, or up high because they can leap from Mario and Luigi's backs. There are all sorts of puzzles that require quick awareness of what screen you're on and rapid changes between controlling the adults and babies, and it's a nice challenge.
With a wonderful art style and a battle system that doesn't get too repetitive, the game truly is an unsung gem. I didn't really expect to pick it up myself, but I couldn't resist when I saw it at a bargain price in a store promotion. I urge all DS owners to try it - and if you plan to pick up a DS Lite next week, Partners in Time is a fine game to christen your system with.
Rating: *****
Genre: RPG.
Release: Out now (all territories).
Partners in Time is the first RPG outing for Mario and friends on the DS, with Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser and all their baby counterparts featuring throughout. The games story is that while travelling back in time, Princess Peach is abducted by an alien race called the Shroob, who are using the 'Vim' of the Kingdom's mushrooms to power their spacecraft. All very high-tech, I know ;) The story reminds me slightly of 'Day Of the Tentacle', and although this is a completly different type of game, if you enjoyed LucasArts' classic point-and-click adventure, I think you'll enjoy this.
In my modest opinion, the game is the most charming I've played in a very long time. The colours are very pastel, the sprites are beautifully done and the game is extremely funny at times through both its art and dialogue. Not being a fan of turn-based battle, I wasn't expecting to enjoy fighting off the host of creatures the game throws at you. But I was surprised. The battle system is very involving, but easy to control. Each of the four characters is assigned one of the four face buttons, and a lot of the challenge is making It really is a lot of fun, with counter attacks and double-teamed attacks simply initiated. There's even a chance to quadruple-team when you battle with Mario and Luigi giving piggybacks to their red and green-bearing tykes. Watch your HP counter though - if it reaches 0 for both characters you're battling with, it's game over and back to the last save. There's no shortage of healing items about though, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The game doesn't make any effort to make use of the touchscreen, which is a shame, but it's clever use of the top screen makes up for this. Primarily used as a map, the top screen becomes a playable area when Baby Mario and Luigi wander off into areas on their own, most often into places that their present-day ringers can't get to; this can be down low accessible because of their small stature, or up high because they can leap from Mario and Luigi's backs. There are all sorts of puzzles that require quick awareness of what screen you're on and rapid changes between controlling the adults and babies, and it's a nice challenge.
With a wonderful art style and a battle system that doesn't get too repetitive, the game truly is an unsung gem. I didn't really expect to pick it up myself, but I couldn't resist when I saw it at a bargain price in a store promotion. I urge all DS owners to try it - and if you plan to pick up a DS Lite next week, Partners in Time is a fine game to christen your system with.
Rating: *****