Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is a wonderful celebration of Year of Luigi (review)

I wanted to play Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, the fourth and latest entry in the action role-playing game series from developer AlphaDream, because I’m a fan of Paper Mario’s similar style and because Nintendo christened 2013 the Year of Luigi. For a character whose fictional peers and players alike constantly ignore and belittle him, that’s a big deal.

While the recent New Super Luigi U looks to me like a character-swapped version of New Super Mario Bros. U, Dream Team (out Aug. 11 for Nintendo 3DS) promises the younger mustachioed brother redemption. In his dreams, Luigi can be anyone — as brave and strong as his big bro. I wondered if the developer would take this opportunity to honor him seriously, and a few minutes in, I was immediately skeptical as he tripped over his own feet and others lobbed their usual ridicule. Before long, however, the game’s themes took precedence, and Luigi conjured a world where he finally belonged.