Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga - Reception

Most reviewers had a positive reaction towards Superstar Saga. The game's comical dialog and themes in particular were lauded by critics. Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell commented that "each line of dialogue and identifiable cameo is handled with a loving sense of humour." Despite this, RPGamer's Andrew Long labelled the plot as repetitive, and the game's characters as "a tad shallow". While also appreciating references to the heritage of the Mario series, critics praised the game for avoiding clichés common in previous games of the Mario series.

The gameplay attained a mixed reception in general. Critics seemed to enjoy a battle system which deviated from role-playing game tradition. IGN's Craig Harris commented that "unlike most Japanese RPGs Mario & Luigi's turn-based battle involves the player at all times". Despite this novel approach to combat situations, some reviewers thought that the overall gameplay lacked innovation. GameSpy in particular criticized the game for an apparent lack of originality, commenting that "in terms of gameplay, there isn't much there that we haven't seen in the NES and SNES Mario and Zelda titles." Furthermore, some reviewers were disappointed by a perceived lack of difficulty in the gameplay as a result of targeting a younger audience. Cubed3 welcomed this approach, citing that "any gamer, be them veterans to the genre or complete amateurs, will find the title to be perfectly accessible." Gaming publications like Edge have criticized the controls for being occasionally confusing when considering the usage of jumping, hammers, and other combinations between the two characters. It was rated the 37th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.

A common concern among reviewers is the overhead perspective, which critics have bemoaned for preventing them from judging pathway routes and an object's location in relation to its background. Besides this, the actual visuals were generally well received, as well as the setting and animations. The audio was commended for combining both originality and nostalgia, even though it looped frequently. In 2007, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was named the twelfth best Game Boy Advance game of all time in IGN's feature reflecting on the Game Boy Advance's long lifespan. Superstar Saga sold 441,000 units in Japan and 1.46 million in the US. In 2006, the game became part of the Player's Choice label.