Mario & Luigi: Parallel Planes

Mario & Luigi: Parallel Planes
Developer(s)	Alpha Dream
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo 3DS
Genre(s)	RPG
Series	Mario & Luigi
Predecessor	Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Release Date(s)	March 11th, 2017 internationally

Mario & Luigi: Parallel Planes (known as Mario & Luigi: Double Dimensions in Japan and Mirror Dimension Bros. in Europe and Australia) is the next installment of the Mario & Luigi series, and the third title to be released on the Nintendo 3DS. It is unique in that in addition to the Mario Bros, the player takes control of the Koopa King Bowser's minions, Private Goomp, Corporal Paraplonk and Sergeant Guy, with intertwining stories.

Story

Act I

Private Goomp, Corporal Paraplonk and Sergeant Guy are walking through Woodland Trail, after a long vacation, ready to prove themselves to Bowser once more. As they walk, they cross paths with Mario and Luigi, and decide to take this an opportunity to test their skills, even if not prepared. However, Private Goomp had forgotten how to fight, so his friends had to help him. The members of the Trio go down one by one and of course easily defeated. After being stomped on, Kamek arrives, and berates the Trio for failing, and for the Bros. being so annoying, and then whisks the failed underlings back to Bowser's castle.

The scene shifts over to Princess Peach, Toadsworth and the Mario Bros. along with Starlow and many toads are celebrating their victory with a giant party after a very recent event, where they had met Paper versions of the kingdom, though Toadsworth had to be filled in by the Princess. The celebration is of course stopped short by Bowser, but this time he doesn't want violence, destruction or even Peach. He frantically requires for assistance when he tells Peach that his minions are disbanding, and leaving his army. But everyone thinks it is a trick, or how the former minions were smart to leave. This eventually pushes Bowser to anger - and Mario is forced to take action. After dealing with the Koopa King, Mario is knocked out by Bowser and storms off, as Mario's friends are shocked.

Sergeant Guy is the first to awaken in the medical room. He briefly chats with a white Magikoopa and strolls off to stretch his muscles to disturbingly find that Bowser's troops are packing their bags. This leads to the Sergeant to returning to his resting friends and he tells them what he saw. The Trio are quickly ordered to go on "trap patrol" by Kamek. After doing so, the Trio decide to go to the training room, but are almost run over by Koopa Troopas and Hammer Brothers charging out of the door. The three troops squabble over what the reason for their leaving may be, and are interrupted by Kamek with a surprise training battle.

Kamek bestows the troops with Special Attacks, and takes his leave to see if the castle had been properly secured. The Trio must sneak out through the back entrance when they find the front door is blocked by troops resigning. Passing the storage room, they encounter Nabbit, who gives them Battle Cards he swiped from the Bros. to avoid being thrown in jail. The Trio meet up with Bowser Jr. as well, who adds a few more Cards to their deck, and tells them he is going to complain to Peach, and runs off. This gives the Trio the same idea, to figure out the dilemma. Soon after leaving the boundaries of the castle, however, they are attacked by whom they previously called their brothers in arms, and make haste to Peach's, hopeful that the Bros and she could help them.

More to come...

Playable Protagonists

Mario	The famous Mario himself tags along with his little brother, Luigi. He's always there to save the day, especially from Bowser but often other threats. He specializes in Power and Speed. He is controlled via the A button.
Luigi	Mario's little brother! Luigi may be scared easily, but he never has to fear when he's by his big brother. He is learning to overcome his fear of ghosts. He specializes in Heart Points, Defense and Stache. He is controlled via the B button.
Private Goomp	A Goomba clad in blue pajamas. He once had to deal with being a janitor - without any hands! He may not be very bright, or have technology smarts, or even have any sort of strategy, but he is very loyal to Master Bowser and his troops. He specializes in Speed and Skill. He is controlled via the A button.
Corporal Paraplonk	A Parakoopa donning a red bucket as a helmet. His shell helps him take in damage, and is a valuable weapon as well. He specializes in Defense and Heart Points. He is controlled via the Y Button.
Sergeant Guy	A green Shy Guy equipped with a cannon and magic wand. His strategy out of the three is unparalleled - if not sometimes outrageous. His multitude of equipment lets him have an array of tricks. He specializes in higher Power and a larger SP than his fellow comrades. He is controlled via the B button.

Supporting Protagonists

Princess Peach	The wonderful Princess Peach knows of a legend about a mysterious mirror... it is sad to be powerful, but no one knows its true power... typically she is kidnapped and held hostage by the villains.
Starlow	Starlow is a Star Sprite who tags along with the Bros. to carry their equipment, items and even give feedback and advice. Her stubborness and occasional short temper can cause problems, however.
Toadsworth	Faithful Toadsworth is the Princess's steward. He greatly worries about her safety and sometimes gives himself a shock. But he doesn't mind teaching techniques to the Mario Bros. and the Elite Trio if it is what he must do.

Main Antagonists

Bowser	The vicious Koopa King. Armed with a spiked shell and a packed punch, with a dangerous fire breath to boot, he usually takes on the Mario Bros. with himself and his army. But when his minions begin to give up on him, he goes to Peach and the Bros., not for fun, but for help...
Mirra	A seemingly sentient, mysterious sheet of reflective materials. It is surprisingly durable, and even is able to think for itself. Its existence is a mystery.
Emmitate	A swelling cloud of violet smoke, also seemingly sentient. It apparently can transform into or create copies of its enemies. Its existence is a mystery.

Other Characters

Kamek	The spell-casting advisor of Bowser. He sometimes acts as a sort of guide or instructor for the Elite Trio.
Bowser Jr.	Bowser's son. While the minions are running around, he is going along with his own plan, without his father's consent.
Petey Piranha	An anthropomorphic plant. He and Mario have some type of rivalry. He is able to fly, create whirlwinds, and of course, chew on his enemies.
King Boo	The King of Boos, obviously. He and Luigi have some history together. He lives in Moon Manor, and enjoys the company of his subjects.

Battle System

Stats

Both brothers and each member of the "Elite" Trio have their own HP, SP, POW, DEF, SPEED and STACHE (or in the Trio's case, SKILL).

• HP, or Heart Points, is the amount of health the playable characters have. The higher this number is, the more damage they can withstand before passing out, which occurs when the number reaches zero. HP can restored by eating Mushrooms, Candy Nuts (Bros.) or Shell Shake (Trio). Or in Sergeant Guy's case, use a large amount of SP to heal a member of his team. Passed characters can be revived by 1-UP Mushrooms.
• SP, or Special Points, are needed to perform Special Attacks. The more powerful a Special Attack is, the higher the cost for SP, which drains when Special Attacks are used. SP can be restored by eating Syrup or Candy.
• POW, or Power, is the amount of damage a character can dish out. The higher the stat, the more damage an enemy will take.
• DEF, or Defense, is how much damage a character will take if they fail to successfully dodge an enemy's attack. A higher number means they will take less damage.
• SPEED affects the turn order. If a character has higher speed than an enemy, they will move first, and vice versa.
• STACHE is a statistic exclusive to Mario and Luigi. The higher this number, the more often they will perform Lucky Hits, which will double their POW stat. It also gives them a discount when buying items and gear, and may make rarer items more likely to appear.
• SKILL is almost the same in mechanics to STACHE, except it is exclusive to the Trio members. The Trio's SKILL will increase at a faster rate than Mario and Luigi's STACHE.

Mario and Luigi's Battle System

Mario and Luigi control just like in the previous titles. The Bros. have a choice select of a few options when in battle; to Jump, Hammer, Bros. Move, Item or Run. Mario and Luigi can sometimes counterattack an enemy, or alternatively, the player may also press the X button to block. This halves the damage, but they will not get the chance to counterattack. The Badge system from Dream Team and Bowser's Inside Story returns, where when Brother deals damage to an enemy, his side of the bar will increase. The player may unleash the combined effect of the badge combination once it is full. There are many badge combinations.

The Trio's Battle System

Goomp, Paraplonk and the Sergeant's battle system is reminscent to that of Paper Jam's; there are three characters at one time, and the Battle Card system from that game is available to them in place of badges. Depending on the character, their Command Block selection may be drastically different. With a certain Rank-Up bonus, they may also gain the use of another Block. Their battles tend to be more challenging and require a little more strategy than those of the Bros.

Private Goomp has the weakest selection, as he is only a Goomba, but he is almost sure to always move first. His command blocks consist of Jump, Elite Move, Item or Run. However, with his Jump attack, he is able to attack a total of three times, with an additional fourth time if a Rank-Up bonus is selected. He may use the Goomba Summon command block if it is selected with a Rank-Up bonus. The Goombas he summons may be used to shield him from damage, or help him do even more damage; if they are defeated, he will need to wait a turn before summoning again.

Corporal Paraplonk has a bit more variety. His command block selection consists of Air Kick, Shell, Elite Move, Item or Run. If a Rank-Up bonus is selected, he may be able to use the Defend command block, to increase his Defense by 20% for one turn. If another Rank-Up bonus is selected, he will be able to shield both of his allies by taking all of the damage intended for them.

Sergeant Guy has a vastly different choice. He is able to use Magic, Spell, Elite Move, Item or Run. With the Magic block, he will able to apply stat bonuses to he and his allies, and he will unlock more to use as he and his allies progress. His Spell block allows him to use magical attacks against his foes, like his Spell block, it will gain more abilities. If a Rank-Up bonus is selected, he may be able to use an infinite amount of items at the cost of SP.

Status Ailments

Name	Description	Affects	Inflicted by
Poison	Character loses HP each turn, take more contact damage.	Bros., enemies	Some attacks
Sick	Character loses HP each turn, take more projectile damage.	Trio, enemies	Nooz, Sniffle Thwomp, ice attacks
Burn	Character loses HP each turn, cannot move/dodge, cannot be frozen.	Everyone, enemies	Fire attacks
Dizzy	Character is unable to move/dodge.	Everyone, enemies	Heavy projectiles
Fury	Character gives and recieves more damage.	Trio, enemies	A strong attack
Berserk	Character will use up turn and attack uncontrollably with increased POW. Increases speed for Special Attacks.	Trio, Broozer enemy	A strong attack
Defend	Paraplonk's defense is increased by 20% for a turn.	Paraplonk	Defend Block
Barrier	Increase a character's defense by 10 points for three turns.	Trio	Kamek, Sergeant Guy
Haunted	Character's dodging is slowed, takes damage every turn, lowers DEF and SPEED.	Trio	The touch of an undead enemy sometimes
Goomba	Character transforms into a Goomba, only Command Block is Jump.	Bros	Kamek, Sergeant Guy
Charm	Character may attack the other Bro, with 70% less POW.	Bros	Birdo
Petrification	Cannot move, invulnerable to most attacks. If hit with a strong enough attack or explosion, may instantly KO. Healed only by battle victory, Rod, or being shattered.	Trio	Totem Monolith, Riflectra
Frozen	Cannot moved, 200% more damage by Fire attacks.	Everyone, enemies	Ice attacks
Reflect	Immune to Fire, Ice, and all projectiles, bounces back with 150% damage.	Mirra	Self-inflicted
Mirror	Halves damage from attacks, bounces projectiles back with 200% the damage.	Riflectra	Self-inflicted
Shattered	Takes 120% the normal damage, deals heavy damage if Jumped on, immune to Jump.	Parallel enemies, Riflectra	Very strong hit, HP below 40%

Field Techniques

All five characters have skills they can use out of battle. Most of these skills are unlocked by progressing in the story.

Mario Bros.

• Jump to platforms and onto enemies for a Jump First Strike.
• Mario can use his Hammer to whack switches and other points of interest, and hit enemies for a Hammer First Strike.
• Luigi can help Mario perform a Spin Jump.
• Luigi can help Mario perform a Spin Drill.

Elite Trio

• Sergeant Guy can use his wand to destroy blockades, and for a Spell First Strike.
• Paraplonk can lift the others across short distances.
• Paraplonk can grab bombs from afar.
• Paraplonk can hit faraway switches with his shell, and for a Shell First Strike.
• Goomp can bounce up to high places.
• Goomp can call for a Goomba squad to appear, for a bridge.

Bosses

If the battle is fought with the Mario Bros. it will have one asterisk (*) beside the name, if it is for the Trio, it will have two (**).

Name	LVL	HP	Location
Bowser *	1	20	Peach's Castle
Mario and Luigi **	20	9999, 9999 (meant to lose)	Woodland Trail
Kamek **	2	40	Bowser's Castle
Bowser Jr. *	5	168	Mist Mire
King Bob-Omb **	8	277	Bowser's Castle
King Boo **	10	350	Moon Manor
Parallel Mario and Luigi **	11	200, (P Mario) 280 (P Luigi)	Moon Manor Entrance
Wiggler *	7	250	Mist Mire
Elite Trio *	9	180 (Goomp), 250 (Paraplonk), 225 (Sergeant)	Moon Manor Entrance
Petey Piranha *	11	687	Moon Manor Garden
Emmitate **	13	520	Toad Town Sewers
Parallel Trio **	14	260 (Goomp), 324 (Paraplonk), 315	Mirror World Gate
Parallel Bowser **	14		Mirror World Gate
Parallel Mario and Luigi * (2nd)	13	380 (Mario), 472 (Luigi)	Mirror World Gate
Mirra *	13	635	Mirror World Gate
Totem Monolith **	30	150	Mirror Stone Isle