After the commercial flop that was Paper Jam, where does AlphaDream go from here? Well why not remake a game that isn't playable on the 3DS? Thus, we have Superstar Saga DX. It's called this in Japan and its a better name than "+ Bowsers Minions" cause lets be real it rolls off the tongue easier. Plus the new Bowsers Minions just sucks, it's too slow and uninteresting to be its own mode. I think its cool that we get some context for what was happening behind the scenes of the main plot but the mode feels tacked on and not really worth going through. Nah what were here for is the base game being remade in the modern engine, and boy is this game beautiful. I still have a bias towards the sprite based worlds the GBA/DS had but this game keeps the 2.5D map traversal but enhances it with superb lighting that makes each area feel distinct. There were some major and minor tweaks made to the combat but it still roughly plays like a Mario and Luigi game, this time more closely resembling Inside Story which is not bad. It still keeps the things that makes Superstar Saga have its own identity so that's most important. It's a pretty faithful remake and if you somehow missed out on the original Superstar Saga then this is a great alternative. It just goes a little lower because of the Bowsers Minions mode.

Been a while since I've played the original so I played the remake. Putting aside the fact it's a remake I just had more fun with the first Super Mario RPG. That could just be me, but I much prefer the traditional style of the latter. I was underleveled so fights in this one took a really, REALLY long time, at least way longer than generic enemies should. And it's weird I was underleveled, because I fought a lot of enemies and even grinded for around half an hour with the bonus EXP item... still ended up underleveled.

Cackletta's Soul is a weird difficulty spike and I had to rematch her on Easy to beat her because I was 5 levels under, went Stache most of the way (abandoned challenge, since it wasn't worth it) and was using the Triforce. If it wasn't for that fucking arm attack everything would've been fine. I remember when I was younger and figured out how to do that perfectly but I didn't feel like learning now, especially with the Mush Badge being nerfed; no training wheels this time bucko. It's like fighting Culex without the Lazy Shell, except I at least felt like doing that.

I honestly don't remember that many tracks from this game. Maybe they were just better in the original, I dunno. Popple and Fawful both had great themes back in the day and they're fine now, and I like the theme of the desert and the beach, but I don't remember anything else much. I know of quite a few tracks from SMRPG, though.

I'm sure many might be wondering, so I'll say it. I think this remake plays things too safe, even compared to the new remake of SMRPG. In the latter, there's rematches, and they aren't too exciting but they're there. There's added cutscenes, a chain mechanic, and of course there's also the Triple Moves. This game has some QoL, and it does look pretty nice, but looks and QoL are all it really has. Admittedly I have not played Bowser's Minions, nor do I plan to, but I haven't heard much good about it so I'll leave it out of this. It's supposed to be the other half but I'm here for Superstar Saga.

All in all this one's kind of just the original with new graphics. And that's fine, but more may have been possible on the Switch, and if this and the BiS remake were on there instead of the 3DS, maybe a particular event wouldn't have happened. Like you can already play this game on the 3DS with Virtual Console and the Ambassador Program, and for BiS it's even easier because the game is native to the DS. On Switch you can now play the original on the GBA app if you decided to get scammed. I don't even think the remakes are bad, they just do little to justify a purchase and most who played the originals were probably fine with how they looked. It kind of feels like this wasn't supposed to be the definitive version, but instead a redo of a game most probably played 10 years before at the latest.

People hated it because it wasn't pixel art
It's actually pretty good
I prefer it to the original
And Bowser actually looks like Bowser unlike the GBA version
And the gameplay stays intact

... I didn't bother with Bowser's Minions

One criticism I do have (which also applies to the GBA version) is with the overworld abilities the brothers get. There's WAY too many of them. Having to sift through them through button inputs interrupts exploration, the 3DS version at least having the option to select them via the touch screen, though it's still cumbersome.