In what looks to be another must-own title
for the Nintendo DS, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time is shaping up to be a solid sequel to 2003's stellar
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. And with two screens, four playable characters, and newly confirmed
DS Rumble Pak support, there's a good chance it might do
Superstar Saga one better. The story is classic Mario fare: Princess Peach gets herself lost in time, and her
two valiant knights—that is to say, plumbers—give chase to save the day. Expect to meet up with numerous past and
present denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom, including Bowser, Kamek, Yoshi, and, of course, Mario and Luigi's juvenile
selves. Throw in some arbitrary aliens bent on world domination and you've got yourself a B-movie script in the
making.
As judged by the newest screenshots, gameplay will put both screens to imaginative uses. Much like the recent Lunar: Dragon Song, the game's timed button-press battle system will encompass both screens simultaneously, lending itself to a swarm of new vertically-oriented combo attacks. While in the overworld the quartet will occasionally get separated, forcing the player to use both screens in tandem to accomplish a goal. Intrigued? The game's slated for a holiday release later this year, so all DS owners should start readjusting their calendars now (assuming that they haven't already been filled by nonstop Mario Kart, that is).
