“Mario & Luigi Paper Jam” is set for a Jan. 22 release on the Nintendo 3DSfamily of consoles, Nintendo confirmed in a press release obtained by Blasting News on Tuesday, January 19.
A new dream team
For the first time in the series’ history, Mario, Luigi and Paper Mario will team up to complete quests, using powerful “Trio Attacks” to defeat baddies. Nintendo also confirmed that the game will support the use of amiibo-activated cards to boost attacks. Combining the RPG elements of the “Mario and Luigi” and “Paper Mario” franchises, this crossover title will attempt to create a best of both worlds scenario Nintendo hopes will start their 2016 lineup with a Goomba-squashing bang.
According to Nintendo, the game will also feature Papercraft Battles, which "involve giant papercraft versions of classic Mushroom Kingdom characters." While they won't be at the core of the gameplay experience, Nintendo did say that they will be "unique diversions from the standard RPG gameplay."While it's unknown how this new element will change the gameplay experience, it's safe to say that Nintendo is doing more than simply combining two beloved series.
Great expectations
Despite the crossover nature of the game, the expectations for the game are hefty, considering the last games in both franchises, sold a combined 4.24 million copies, according to video gamesales tracking website VGChartz.
With four Pokemon games on the way later this year as well, 2016 has the makings of a banner year for the video game giant, in what could perhaps be the last great year for the 3DS with Nintendo's newest system, the NX, garnering more attention as its development continues.
“Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam"starts the year off on a fun note,” Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing said in a press release obtained by Blasting News. “The wild and wonderful crossover game is one of many exclusive games launching for Nintendo 3DS throughout the first part of 2016.”
You can see the official trailer for the game below.
