Parent's Guide: Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros. - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

What is Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros?

When Luigi accidentally knocks over a book and spills its contents - paper townsfolk, paper places and paper bad guys - to the four corners of the Mushroom Kingdom, perennial series bad guy Bowser decides to join forces with his paper counterpart (Paper Bowser!) to kidnap Princess Peach and her paper self, before trying to take over the world as a duo. It falls to Mario and his brother Luigi to help put things right, with the help of their long-lost brother, Paper Mario, in a turn-based role-playing game adventure, written in the traditional hilarious Mario & Luigi style.

How do you play Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros?

A traditional role-playing game, most of your with Mario & Luigi time will be spent exploring the forests, deserts and snow-topped mountains of the Mushroom Kingdom, solving some simple environmental puzzles and battling Bowsers' minions. Whether you're using Paper Mario to slip through a narrow gap and find some secrets, or going on a Toad finding quest, there's plenty to keep you buys here - and plenty of laughs to be had!

Battles are turn-based affairs which see Mario, Paper Mario and Luigi taking it in turns with enemies to attack, defend or use items. In a nice twist, there's a little bit of extra interactivity here too, as well-timed button presses will let you deal extra damage, or dodge enemy attacks altogether. All you need to do is press the button just before Mario whacks his enemy - or just before their attack hits you. Special Bros and Trio Attacks also offer fancier ways of dealing extra damage, and see Mario and Luigi kicking turtle shells at enemies, riding giant rockets into groups of bad guys or playing a game of tennis against a Goomba's face - again, these require a series of well-timed button presses, and can be a little trickier to get right.

How easy is Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros to pick up and play?

Generally speaking, Paper Jam is a very accessible take on the role-playing game genre that's perfect for newcomers. While the actual exploration may be a little bit tricky at first - each bro has their own jump button, so getting them all up a ledge at the same time can be a bit tricky! - the battles themselves are nice and simple. Things can be made easier by turning Assist ON in battles, so it highlights which bro is about to be attacked (letting you dodge moves that little bit easier), and switching to Easy mode for the mini-game style Bros attacks, which slows things down, and makes them easier to complete.

For the youngest of players, a solid reading ability is also a must, as Mario & Luigi isn't voiced at all - the story, conversations and quest objectives are all done entirely through text alone.

Sample Sentences:

• "Sometimes I catch a glimpse of a Toad out of the corner of my eye. But then when I turn to look at him, he disappears. It's creepy, I tell you."
• "What a klutz! He's always doing stuff like this. Could you follow behind that Toad and pick up any mushrooms he drops?"
• "Who gave you the Dash Socks? A Latiku, A Paper Toad, Toadette?"

Like most Mario games, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros is about as family-friendly as they come - there's no bad language, sex scenes or gore at all. Violence is fairly minor and slapstick too, with Mario and Luigi attacking enemies by jumping on their heads, hitting them with hammers or kicking turtle shells at them. When defeated, enemies simply disappear in a shower of coins or items.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Nintendo 3DS