Dream Team is a real mixed bag for me. I like the setting and premise of a faraway island with a forgotten history that is unwound as the game goes on. It is a very lived in world map that you feel very at home in by the time the end credits roll. The battle system has been revamped in an interesting way which makes dodging attacks even more fun and dynamic than it normally is. Wakeport is likely a top 3 Mario and Luigi location for me, and the soundtrack is pretty consistently good. I really liked the bosses in this game which was no surprise for this series. I also like how this game, despite being the most tutorial heavy of the M&L games I've played, is actually quite difficult at times.

As far as what I did not like about this entry in the series, overall, I felt the game was simply too long. Coming from Inside Story and Superstar Saga, I felt was spending an eternity in each of the individual areas. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I often had the feeling that I wanted to move on with an area more than a few times before finishing it. I also feel like the dream sections were kinda mid and overused. You are constantly jumping in and out dream clouds and transitioning to a usually not quite as cool environment to do simple puzzles for hours on end. This would be novel if the game didn't spend so much time in the dreams or made them more interesting, but as they are they do not bring all that much to the table for me. Early on this game is also very tutorial heavy but apparently everyone says that so I don't need to pile on too much about that. Lastly, I felt like the gaps between boss fights were a little too long for my liking as I feel like that's where this game, and this series really shines.

Overall, I enjoyed my time with this game and would recommend it to any fans of the series, but I think it has some major pacing issues that keep it from the upper echelon of Mario RPGs.

Reviewed on May 23, 2022


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