If you read the whole section on my relationship with the Mario franchise on the Super Mario corner page, you'll know that the Mario & Luigi series in particular is very special to me. And if you're reading this page, I would bet that you're looking to get into it yourself! But it is a series of JRPGs with recurring characters, so you might be wondering if continuity is something to be concerned about. Well, I'll give you my answer:
No!
The series is pretty continuity light and can be played in any order! So instead of telling you, "hey, this is the game that you should start with and then go in this order," I'll tell you a bit about each game so YOU can decide which one to start with! While the series spans multiple consoles, all of them (as of before November 2024) can be played on the 3DS in some way or another! There'll be a list of consoles any given game was released on. (But as a note, any DS games can also be played on 3DS via the latter's backwards compatibility with the former, and some DS models can also play GBA games through backwards compatibility as well!)
Jump to: Superstar Saga • Partners in Time • Bowser's Inside Story • Dream Team • Paper Jam
As the first game in the series, Superstar Saga establishes a lot, from the gameplay loop to the general tone the stories and humour take! The games are pretty consistent with this going forward, but there's one thing that seems to change somehow almost every time: the Bros Attacks. In this game, they're usually obtained alongside new moves in the field, or not long after. They also have Advanced variations (called Super variations in the remake) that are obtained when you use the original Bros Attack enough times in battle. These Advanced versions have more steps involved in their execution, but output more damage.
Superstar Saga is one of two games in the series to receive a remake on the 3DS! There are numerous small gameplay and character design changes - if you want to learn more, I would recommend reading the Super Mario Wiki's list of changes from the original on their Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions page. But there's no wrong version to play!
...Wait, what's that about Bowser's Minions-
The 3DS remake's exclusive side mode! You play as a Goomba from Bowser's army and gather allies while you search for Bowser! It sheds more light on certain plot points! It...! Isn't really all that fun in my opinion. I found the gameplay tedious and unengaging, which is like two of the Video Game Seven Deadly Sins. While in the main game you get direct control over both Mario and Luigi, here you get indirect control over a squadron of the brothers' usual (and unusual) enemies. While you can change up your squadron's composition before entering a level, in battle itself you mostly just watch the game do all the gameplay for you and interact with it every once in a while. I also found some of Minion Quest's retcons related to the main game unnecessary. If I have to give the mode anything, the Captains are a fun bunch. If you play the 3DS version, I'd still recommend at least trying it out to see if you like it, but don't feel like you're missing out on too much if you decide to not play it all.
The second game in the series, while keeping to the same core gameplay, tries a lot of new things. The amount of playable characters doubles due to the inclusion of Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, and the story, while keeping its sense of humour completely in tact, is probably the darkest out of all the Mario & Luigi games. Most notably, though, the Bros Attacks function differently to all the other games in the series. Here, they're actually items that can be used by any of the Bros. As such, the BP stat doesn't exist in this game, and is the only one to lack it! I imagine this choice was made so players wouldn't have to keep track of four different BP pools.
One of the most beloved games in this series, and one of the most beloved Mario RPGs in general! The amount of playable characters here is three, and that third character is Bowser, who plays a quite a fair bit differently from the Mario Bros! This is one of two games to have two different styles of field - the top-down perspective that's been around since the beginning and a sidescrolling perspective reminiscent of many of the platformers. Here, the sidescrolling perspective is used when the Bros are inside Bowser's body! For story reasons, I assure you. The Bros Attacks are back to being attacks (though they're called Special Attacks in the DS version because of the whole "Bowser being playable" thing), but they're instead obtained by finding Attack Pieces in the field!
Bowser's Inside Story is the other game in the series to have received a remake on the 3DS! Much like the Superstar Saga remake, there are many small gameplay and visual changes - two late-game bosses even get new battle themes as opposed to the default boss theme! If you want to learn more, I would recommend reading the Super Mario Wiki's list of changes from the original on their Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr's Journey page. But, like with Superstar Saga, there's no wrong version to play!
And yeah I have to talk about another remake side mode now.
Thank goodness this one doesn't have a different in-game title! As the name implies, you play as Bowser Jr and go on a journey! A journey to find a cure for the Blorbs, the illness that kickstarts the story of Bowser's Inside Story! This side mode is very much like Minion Quest in that it occurs alongside the main game and plays very similarly. I know that there are some smaller gameplay changes, but I haven't played this side mode myself due to how similar it is to Minion Quest, so I can't say how much this potentially improves or worsens the gameplay. Bowser Jr's Journey also has some retcons I found unnecessary while also having some fun new characters - this time around, it's the mode's main antagonists, the Best Fitness Friends. All in all, my feelings on this one are the same as my feelings on Minion Quest - play it if you want, but don't feel pressured to keep going with it.
(I added "Bros" in brackets because it's part of the game's title in Europe and Oceania. Same goes for Paper Jam!)
The first entry in this series on the 3DS! I think it's a fun one, but be warned it starts out slow. Like, really slow. Being released in 2013, the Year of our lord and saviour Luigi, there's quite the focus on him! Or more specifically, his sleeping habits, which get upheaved for the sake of saving the entire Pi'illo Island. (He takes so many naps.) Dream Team returns the amount of playable characters to just the Bros, but keeps a lot of other gameplay elements from Bowser's Inside Story! The two field perspectives are back, and the sidescrolling view is used in the Dream World, accessed by jumping into Luigi's dreams! The Attack Pieces needed to obtain Bros Attacks are back as well, and Attack Pieces found in the Dream World unlock Luiginary Attacks!
A rather maligned entry in the series due to being a Paper Mario crossover at a point in time when the Paper Mario series was at its most hated, but not a bad game by any means! This game's additional playable character is Paper Mario himself, who uses his own exclusive Trio Attacks alongside Mario and Luigi! Mario and Luigi still have their Bros Attacks, but in this game you get them by catching Nabbit, who stole at the start of the game. There aren't any brand new characters in this game, and the only character returning from a previous Mario & Luigi game is Starlow, but some characters that previously had little to no appearances in the series get more time in the spotlight here!