Mario and Luigi trapped inside Bowser, and Bowser himself playable outside: an idea no one else would have dared.

Good sign to start: when the community picks on gut feeling, with no thought, this Mario & Luigi gets ahead of nearly three games out of four. And the detail holds up. The desert island question puts it ahead of 87% of titles, fun ahead of 86%, the art style ahead of 85%. On few votes, to confirm, but the consistency reassures. The catch comes from gameplay and attachment, which fall back to the middle, and rediscovery a touch lower. No great tension here: what the community loves on instinct, the detail confirms. A game that wins you over fast and holds up under analysis.

Against handheld RPGs, it's a peak of the genre, funny, readable, generous in its staging ideas, AlphaDream at its best.

So, for who? For you if you love an RPG that doesn't take itself seriously, reflex-based battles, plain humor. Much less if you want pure tactical depth or a gut-deep bond with your characters.