When a battle starts and there is no sense of wanting to leave or quickly end the battle, you know the game is doing something right. Right now, I’m intentionally going after every enemy, not just because I want to level up, but because they are simply fun. Even when it’s the same enemies over and over again. I hope it’s not just the catchy music.
We last left off at the foot of Beanbean Castle where Mario and Luigi were tasked with heading to Woohoo Hooniversity to find Cackletta and the Beanstar. After solving various puzzles and fighting off transformed professors, Mario and Luigi finally reach Cackletta. After a lengthy battle, the fight for the Beanstar continues with a second round with Popple and Rookie. In the end, the Beanstar breaks into four pieces and scatters across the land, throwing Mario and Luigi all the way to a faraway beach.
First off, I take back what I said about the main story being left at the wayside. It looks like it is heading full force into some interesting territory. The interactions between all the characters was great, and I feel like they all have necessary and needed place in the game. Wasn’t expecting a battle with Cackletta so soon, but I don’t expect this to be the last one. My one nitpick is the fact that the Beanstar broke
In my previous log I hoped that the puzzles requiring the hammer moves would continue to be used in interesting and thoughtful ways, and I’m happy to say that they do. There were several sections of the university that had you reusing these moves in new ways, as well as incorporating older moves like the spin jump. Completing a puzzle was satisfying and none of them overused a concept or kept repeating the same old thing.
I have to mention the cool easter eggs and throwbacks to past Mario titles. There is an area of the university where block prototypes are being created and displayed, and one room showed off four different blocks that come from Paper Mario, Super Mario 64, Super Mario World, and the original Super Mario Bros. I love it when they throw little things like this in, and I hope to continue to see these small little callbacks throughout the rest of the game. Oh, and Viruses! The last thing I expected!
The game is really picking up and I’m glad I kept going. The battles are a lot more diverse and enjoyable, and I’m regaining an interest in the story. The settings are captivating and I’m getting used to the recurring characters. I suppose I simply started the game on the wrong foot, but I’m glad things are going the way they should.
If anyone is interested, I have my current stats for both Mario and Luigi in the two images below.
