Honestly, the Mario and Luigi Partners in Time DS game is kind of a fever dream when you look back at it. It’s dark. Like, surprisingly dark for a Nintendo handheld title from 2005. Most people remember Superstar Saga for its wacky humor or Bowser's Inside Story for its polish, but Partners in Time is the weird middle child that decided to introduce body horror and alien invasions to the Mushroom Kingdom. It’s gritty.
Think about the premise for a second. You have an alien race called the Shroobs—purple, mushroom-headed invaders—who literally liquidize Toads to use their life force as fuel for their spaceships. It’s heavy stuff. If you played this as a kid on your original DS or the DS Lite, you probably remember the unsettling vibe of the Toadwood Forest. This wasn't your typical "save the princess" romp. It was a desperate, time-traveling resistance movement.
The game relies heavily on the dual-screen gimmick of the Nintendo DS, but unlike many early titles, it actually makes the hardware feel necessary. You’re controlling four characters at once. Four. You have Mario and Luigi on the X and Y buttons, and then Baby Mario and Baby Luigi on A and B. It’s a literal finger workout. If you haven't played it in a decade, your muscle memory might scream at you the first time you try to pull off a Bros. Item.
The Time Travel Headache That Actually Works
Time travel in games is usually a mess, but AlphaDream—the now-defunct developer—handled it with a specific kind of charm. You spend the game hopping between the "present" (which is actually the past relative to us) and the "past." The story kicks off because Professor E. Gadd, ever the chaotic scientist, builds a time machine powered by the Cobalt Star. Peach goes back in time, gets kidnapped by the Shroobs, and the brothers have to go clean up the mess.
What’s interesting about the Mario and Luigi Partners in Time DS game is how it handles the world map. Instead of a sprawling, interconnected world like Superstar Saga, you have a central hub in Princess Peach’s Castle. You jump through time holes to reach different "levels." Some fans hated this. They felt it was too linear.
But there’s a benefit to that linearity. It allowed the developers to crank up the difficulty. This is arguably the hardest game in the series. The bosses have massive HP pools. If you aren't hitting your "Excellent" hits on every single turn, you are going to be there for twenty minutes fighting a single boss like Sunnycide or Swiggler. It demands perfection.
The Babies Aren't Just a Gimmick
Adding the babies wasn't just a way to make the game "cute." It changed the entire mechanical DNA of the series. When the four brothers are together, the babies sit on the adults' backs. You use the L and R triggers to throw them into the air or swap who you're controlling.
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The puzzles often require you to split the party. You’ll send the babies through a tiny hole in the wall to hit a switch while the adults wait in another room. It’s a lot of management.
- Baby Mario and Baby Luigi use hammers (which the adults don't have initially).
- Adults can do the "Spin Jump" to cross gaps.
- Combining them allows for the "Baby Spin," where the babies launch into the air like a helicopter.
It’s tactile. You feel the weight of the characters. When you're in a battle, the babies provide extra hits. If you jump with Mario, you hit A, and then just as you land, you hit X to have Baby Mario add a second stomp. It’s rhythmic. It’s almost like a music game masquerading as an RPG.
Why the Shroobs Are the Best Villains You Forgot
The Shroobs are terrifying. Princess Shroob and her twin sister represent a genuine threat that Bowser never quite captures. They don't want to marry Peach or steal a trophy; they want to colonize and consume. They speak in a garbled, alien language that isn't translated. You don't know what they're saying, but you know they’re mocking you.
Look at the design of the Shroob UFOs. They look like something out of a 1950s sci-fi flick, but with a fungal twist. The game uses the DS's top screen to show the Shroob ships looming over the battlefield. It creates a sense of scale. You feel small.
Even Bowser is relegated to a secondary antagonist/comic relief role here, often teaming up with his younger self. It’s one of the few times we see Baby Bowser (not to be confused with Bowser Jr.) interacting with his future self. Their dynamic is hilarious, mostly because Bowser is embarrassed by how bratty he used to be.
The Problem With Bros. Items
If there is one major critique of the Mario and Luigi Partners in Time DS game, it’s the shift from Bros. Points (BP) to consumable Bros. Items. In the first game, you had a mana pool. In this one, you have to buy your special moves from a shop.
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Items like the Red Shell, Cannonballer, or the Pocket Chomp are your bread and butter. If you run out of them during a boss fight, you’re basically dead. It forces you to grind for coins. It’s a bit of a chore.
- Red Shells: Great for single targets if you have good timing.
- Mix Flowers: These require you to mash buttons to grow a giant fireball. It hurts your thumbs.
- Copy Flowers: The ultimate high-risk, high-reward item where dozens of clones run at the enemy.
The lack of a regenerating magic meter makes the game feel more like a resource management sim. You’re always checking your inventory before a dungeon. "Do I have enough Trampolines?" "Should I buy more Ice Flowers?" It adds a layer of anxiety that wasn't there in the GBA original.
The Technical Wizardry of AlphaDream
We have to talk about the sprites. The animation in this game is incredible. The way Luigi’s knees shake when he’s scared, or the way the babies cry when they take a big hit—it’s full of personality. AlphaDream were masters of 2D animation.
They used the dual screens for "Giant" boss battles before Bowser's Inside Story made it famous. When you’re fighting the Shrooboid Brat or the final bosses, the action frequently jumps between the top and bottom screens. It forces you to keep your eyes moving. It’s exhausting in the best way possible.
The music by Yoko Shimomura is also a standout. She’s the same composer who did Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy XV. You can hear her signature style in the boss themes—heavy piano, dramatic strings, and a sense of urgency. The "Boss Battle" theme is an absolute earworm that perfectly captures the frantic nature of managing four characters at once.
Why It Never Got a 3DS Remake
This is the big mystery. Superstar Saga got a remake. Bowser's Inside Story got a remake. But the Mario and Luigi Partners in Time DS game was skipped. Why?
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Some speculate it’s because the game is the "black sheep." It doesn't have the same nostalgic pull for the casual crowd. Others think the dual-screen integration was too baked into the core design to easily port. Whatever the reason, it means the only way to play it legally is to find an original DS cartridge or use the Wii U Virtual Console (if you still have access to that).
It’s a shame, really. The game’s 2D art style actually holds up better than the 3D-rendered sprites of the later 3DS entries. It has a crispness to it. On an original DS screen, the colors pop.
How to Play It Today (The Right Way)
If you’re digging out your old DS to play this, there are a few things you should know. First, don't ignore the "Stache" stat. It controls your critical hit rate and gets you discounts at shops. In a game where you have to buy all your special attacks, those discounts are literal lifesavers.
Second, learn the "Bros. Ball" move quickly. It’s the primary way you navigate the world later in the game. It’s fast, but it can be hard to control.
Lastly, pay attention to the gear. The badges in Partners in Time can completely break the game if you find the right combinations. Some badges allow you to use items without consuming them, which trivializes the hardest bosses.
The Mario and Luigi Partners in Time DS game is a relic of an era where Nintendo was willing to let their flagship mascots get a little weird. It’s a game about loss, alien invasion, and the bond between brothers—both young and old. It’s not perfect. The pacing can be weird, and the item system is polarizing. But it has more heart and creativity in its left pinky than most modern RPGs.
Actionable Steps for New and Returning Players:
- Check Your Hardware: If you're playing on an original DS, make sure your L and R buttons are responsive. You cannot finish this game without them.
- Focus on Power: When leveling up, the "Bonus" wheel is tempting, but consistently putting points into POW (Power) is the only way to keep boss fights from lasting 30 minutes.
- Master the Pocket Chomp: This is arguably the best Bros. Item in the game. Practice the timing until you can hit 20+ bounces every time.
- Explore the Hub: Princess Peach's Castle changes as you progress. New shops open up, and secrets appear in the rafters. Don't just rush to the next time hole.
- Watch the Enemy Eyes: Most enemies in this game telegraph their attacks based on who they look at. If a Shroob looks at Mario, he’s attacking Mario. If he looks at both, it’s a dual attack. Sounds simple, but in the heat of battle, it’s easy to forget.
Go find a copy. It's worth the effort just to see a Toad turned into a purple mushroom. It's weird, it's tough, and it's a piece of Nintendo history that deserves more respect than it gets.