Okay, I'm not putting up a story at this time.
BUT!
I'm not posting this for no reason! I've had these thoughts as of late, and I wanted to share them with all of you, critique or not. AND I think you will all be interested!
I've been a big fan of the Mario/Luigi series. They always come up with obscure and weird characters, strange and dark yet amazing story lines, and their battle system is probably one of the best things Nintendo has ever created. The last game I played was Paper Jam, and though I loved the battle system because it could be difficult, it was kinda bad at times since the game just openly tells you who's going to be attacked when the fun of it was figuring out who the enemies were attacking.
With that being said, I would love to show all of you some things I thought about for the next game. Of course, it will probably never happen x3 but if it did, I'd be AMAZED if they pulled it off well!
SO! Without further ado, I present to all of you...
Mario
Luigi
Journey to Sequin Land!
Plot
After the brothers seal Paper Bowser into the book, Mario and Luigi take the rest of the week off to help Princess Peach and others to repair the Mushroom Kingdom of its recent damages the paper foes have caused. When all is swell and good, the brothers wake up to find an angry and distraught Toadsworth banging on their front door. Comedic actions take place (mainly by Luigi of course. Why not?), and the two brothers soon learn that Peach had been kidnapped once again! The brothers sigh: Bowser is up to his no good tricks again. However, Toadsworth reveals a stunning revelation: Bowser may have had nothing to do with her kidnapping! The evidence to prove this is provided by Toadsworth, who hands Mario a dirty, rusty scroll that contains her whereabouts.
"Hehe! Did you enjoy the party? I thought I could put on a good show with my fellow Tinkerbats. If you want to see your precious Toadstool again, it'd be best to sail to Sequin Land. Look for Scuttle Town, you'll be in for quite a surprise! Don't be late, best you don't keep a pirate queen waiting!"
-Risky Boots
Though the brothers laugh at such a name, Toadsworth is quick to shut them down by dragging them to what remains of the Mushroom Kingdom. It appears that a raid occurred in the early hours of the morning, and Toads are running around to evade forgotten monsters that appeared with her ship. This is their first encounter with a new enemy: Tinkerbat, and a battle ensues. Tutorials are presented here: Mario and Luigi are familiar with how jumps and hammer attacks work. After all is said and done, one of the Tinkerbats leave behind a compass that only homes in on other comrades. With quick thinking, Mario decides that it is best to follow the Tinkerbat to one of the ships the others are repairing to get back home. With this, the brothers become stowaways and appear right where they need to be: Sequin Land's Scuttle Town! Once they arrive, a familiar tune (We Love Burning Town: Shantae and the Pirate's Curse) begins to play: Scuttle Town is under attack! Seeing the townspeople in a panic, Mario and Luigi begin to save them one by one by forcing the Tinkerbats to flee from their hammer attacks. The two continue to traverse through Scuttle Town, defeating as many Tinkerbats as they can (bonus: when battles begin, Come On!-Mario/Luigi Superstar Saga plays) so they can find the person responsible for the attack on Scuttle Town. As they move along, they encounter a man who almost looks like Toad (guess who!) as well as two other individuals. One is wielding a chain ball, the other has a bird on her shoulder. Though the brothers wish to learn who they are, the two individuals cease them for the time being due to the attack. Mario and Luigi nod (Luigi does reluctantly, scared of battles of course), and they continue to raid through Scuttle Town to defeat Tinkerbats.
Soon, the brothers stumble across Scuttle Town's bay area, where they find the nefarious Risky Boots waiting for them atop her ship. Hanging from the mast is Princess Peach, who is screaming their names. The brothers get in fighting stance, and prepare for a battle with the Pirate Queen herself! Before it begins, however, Risky invites them to join her crew. She has been observing their battle styles from a distance, and she has taken a fancy to them. If they swear their allegiance to Risky, then she promises to let Princess Peach free. Though Luigi wants to consider this (because he wants to avoid a fight), Mario shakes his head, and resumes his stance. Luigi shakes in fear, but after hearing an explanation from Mario, he nods and joins his brother in combat. Risky sighs, and prepares to utterly defeat them both.
(Shantae: Half Genie Hero boss theme plays)
The brothers land several good hits on the ship, but soon learns that it is taking absolutely zero damage. Risky laughs, and as the turns continue, she is firing off cannonballs that the brothers take damage from. Finally, Risky reveals her boat to be a mechanized monstrosity, and one swing from its arm depletes them completely. The brothers lie on the ground, Risky is laughing maniacally, taunting them relentlessly. Soon, however...a mysterious light appears before the brothers (you already know what's coming!), and a brilliant white flash occurs. As the scene clears, a beautiful dancer appears before them, softly landing on the ground and prepares for combat! Risky grows angry: her rival has returned to defeat her once again! Shantae appears (Dance Through The Danger plays)! After the two exchange dialogue, the battle continues. At this point, players are introduced to Shantae's fighting style: she can jump on foes, and uses her hair to inflict massive damage (her hair plays as the hammer in this case). In a few turns, Shantae can deflect the arm attack with her hair, but is also able to take damage. A game over is possible here. To continue, one final swish of her deadly hair destroys the arm of the bot, and the battle is over!
As the battle ends, Risky grows angry, and begins to flee with Princess Peach onboard, calling out to the brothers one last time before she disappears for a long time. Upon this, Shantae recovers a gemstone that fell from Risky's person, but the importance of that item would later be described by Uncle Mimic. Shantae takes the unconscious brothers to her lighthouse and allows them to rest there. Upon waking up, they are quickly introduced to Shantae who gives her thanks to them for helping out with the survival of Scuttle Town. As the story progresses, the brothers learn that the gemstone is an ancient relic used to take the memories of individuals and power up a golem who once placed Sequin Land into an eternity of darkness. The one who rules over the golem will eventually rule the world! After the brothers learn of this, Shantae joins them as they must traverse all of Sequin Land to collect the remaining gemstones that can power the golem, and stop Risky Boots from taking over the world!
I have to admit: I wrote all of this in a span of an hour, but I'm a big fan of both the Mario/Luigi and the Shantae series that this must happen! Shantae isn't very well-known to a lot of people, but I think a game with the Mario Bros. like this will skyrocket her popularity, and she'll be relevant again!
Now, I didn't just think of the plot. I have other goodies listed below of how the game will work! Take a quick look!
Gameplay
Overworld Controls
A Button: Mario
B Button: Luigi
Y Button: Shantae
X Button: All Characters Run (possible to get a first strike if colliding into an enemy)
R Button:Toggles between field actions regarding Mario/Luigi
L Button: Toggles between field actions regarding Shantae's Transformations
Start Button: Opens Menu
Select Button: Saves Game
Menu Screen
I will be breaking these menu items down one by one! I'll have to since Shantae will be the first female companion to join them and be playable!
-Gear-
Mario
-Basics-
Boots (ranged from Horrible Boots to Sequin Boots)
Hammer (ranged from Horrible Hammer to Sequin Hammer)
-Extras-
Wear (ranging from Basic Overalls to Sequin Overalls)
Charm (carries a variety of attributes in battle)
Gloves (changes stats with a variety of attributes in battle)
Luigi
-Basics-
Boots (ranged from Horrible Boots to Sequin Boots)
Hammer (ranged from Horrible Hammer to Sequin Hammer)
-Extras-
Wear (ranging from Basic Overalls to Sequin Overalls)
Charm (carries a variety of attributes in battle)
Gloves (changes stats with a variety of attributes in battle)
Shantae
-Basics-
Heels (ranged from Horrible Heels to Genie Heels)
Shampoo (ranged from Basic Conditioner to Goddess Incense)
-Extras-
Wear (ranging from Dancer's Garbs to Genie Robe)
Sash (ranging from Dancer's Sash to Goddess Sash. Changes stats with a variety of attributes in battle)
Cuff (ranging from Dancer's Cuff to Magic Cuff. Changes stats with a variety of attributes in battle)
-Items-
-HP-
Red Vial: Restores 30 HP
Green Vial: Restores 60 HP
Blue Vial: Restores 100 HP
Purple Vial: Fully Restores all HP
1-Up Mushroom: Revives a fallen party member with half HP
1-Up Max: Revives a fallen party member with full HP
Double 1-Ups: Revives two party members with half HP
Essence of Life: Revives a fallen party member with full HP, and 3-turn Power Boost
Double Essence of Life: Revives two party members with full HP, and 3-turn Power Boost
Flesh Pop: Restores 15 HP
Chunk of Meat: Restores 40 HP
Bento Box: Restores 90 HP
Lobster Tail: Restores 200 HP
-BP/MP-
*MP applies to Shantae only
Syrup Jar: Restores 20 BP
Supersyrup Jar: Restores 40 BP
Ultrasyrup Jar: Restores 60 BP
Max Syrup Jar: Restores all BP
Red Jar: Restores 20 MP
Green Jar: Restores 40 MP
Blue Jar: Restores 60 MP
Purple Jar: Restores all MP
-HP/BP/MP-
Diamond Dust: Restores 10 HP/BP/MP to all party members
Emerald Dust: Restores 30 HP/BP/MP to all party members
Amethyst Dust: Restores 60 HP/BP/MP to all party members
Gold Dust: Restores 100 HP/BP/MP to all party members
Genie Dust: Restores all HP/BP/MP to all party members
-Battle Items-
Vanish Cream: For 2 turns, all party members will be invisible. However, damage will not be given or received
Bubble Shield: Grants a party member with a barrier that will protect them from damage. However, depending on its color, the amount of times damage is absorbed will limit how long it lasts
-Blue: 3 times. Red: 6 times. Yellow: 9 times
Pirate Flare: Deals 30 damage to all enemies. If used too many times, the user can be careless, and end up damaging party members too. Can critical damage wood enemies
Pike Ball: Grants a swirling pike ball around a party member to counter foes. This item is time-bound, so it will go away after a certain amount of time (1 minute)
Monster Milk: Increases ATK power by 30% for 3 turns
-Stat Items-
Pink Beans: Increases Max HP by 1
Green Beans: Increases BP by 1
Purple Beans: Increases MP by 1 (Shantae Only!)
Red Beans: Increases ATK by 1
Yellow Beans: Increases DEF by 1
Blue Beans: Increases SPD by 1
Brown Beans: Increases STACHE by 1 (STACHE determines your luck with extra damage/gem drops/item drops)
Orange Beans: Increases HAIR by 1 (Shantae Only! HAIR determines your luck with extra damage/gem drops/item drops)
-Status Items-
Refreshing Herb: Cures Poison
Massager: Cures Paralysis
Ointment: Cures Char
Mushroom: Cures Shrink
-Status-
*=Shantae Only!
HP-How much health a party member has
BP-How much Bros Points the Mario Brothers have
*MP-How much Magic Points Shantae has
ATK-How much Attack a party member has
DEF-How much Defense a party member has
SPD-How much Speed a party member has. This determines who attacks first in battle, Party Member or Enemy
STACHE-How much Luck the Mario Brothers have.
*HAIR-How much Luck Shantae has.
-Battle Cards-
Yes, the Battle Cards have made a return to this game. If you are not familiar with Battle Cards, they carry a variety of effects and can be hashed out provided you have created a deck and have the Star Points to spend. It's important to have these on you once you learn how to use them: they can be a tremendous help in battles!
Note: You MUST use all of your Battle Cards to reshuffle the deck and use them again, so choose good and bad ones wisely!
*Shantae Only!
-Healing Cards-
Bronze Heart Card-Heals all party members for 20 HP
Silver Heart Card-Heals all party members for 40 HP
Gold Heart Card-Heals all party members for 60 HP
Platinum Heart Card-Heals all party members for 100 HP
Genie Heart Card-Heals all party members for max HP
-Team Attack Cards-
Bronze Jar Card-Restores the Mario Brothers' BP up to 15
Silver Jar Card-Restores the Mario Brothers' BP up to 30
Gold Jar Card-Restores the Mario Brothers' BP up to 45
Platinum Jar Card-Restores the Mario Brothers' BP up to 60
Genie Jar Card-Fully restores the Mario Brothers' BP
*Bronze Potion Card-Restores Shantae's MP up to 15
*Silver Potion Card-Restores Shantae's MP up to 30
*Gold Potion Card-Restores Shantae's MP up to 45
*Platinum Potion Card-Restores Shantae's MP up to 60
*Genie Potion Card-Fully restores Shantae's MP
-Stat Cards-
Bronze Sword Card-Increases ATK by 10% for 3 turns
Silver Sword Card-Increases ATK by 20% for 3 turns
Gold Sword Card-Increases ATK by 30% for 3 turns
Platinum Sword Card-Increases ATK by 50% for 3 turns
Excalibur Card-Increases ATK by 70% for 2 turns
Enrage Card-Increases ATK by 30% for everyone on the battlefield for 3 turns
Novice Defuse Card-Decreases ATK by 10% for enemies for 3 turns (has a chance to fail)
Rookie Defuse Card-Decreases ATK by 20% for enemies for 3 turns (has a chance to fail)
Master Defuse Card-Decreases ATK by 50% for enemies for 3 turns (has a minimal chance to fail)
Grandmaster Defuse Card-Decreases ATK by 70% for enemies for 2 turns (has a minimal chance to fail)
Bronze Shield Card-Increases DEF by 10% for 3 turns
Silver Shield Card-Increases DEF by 20% for 3 turns
Gold Shield Card-Increases DEF by 30% for 3 turns
Platinum Shield Card-Increases DEF by 50% for 3 turns
Bright Shield Card-Increases DEF by 70% for 2 turns
Protection Card-Increases DEF by 30% for everyone on the battlefield for 3 turns
Novice Curse Card-Decreases DEF by 10% for enemies for 3 turns (has a chance to fail)
Rookie Curse Card-Decreases DEF by 20% for enemies for 3 turns (has a chance to fail)
Master Curse Card-Decreases DEF by 50% for enemies for 3 turns (has a minimal chance to fail)
Grandmaster Curse Card-Decreases DEF by 70% for enemies for 2 turns (has a minimal chance to fail)
Bronze Boots Card-Increases SPD by 10% for 3 turns
Silver Boots Card-Increases SPD by 20% for 3 turns
Gold Boots Card-Increases SPD by 30% for 3 turns
Platinum Boots Card-Increases SPD by 50% for 3 turns
Pegasus Card-Increases SPD by 70% for 2 turns
Fight or Flight Card-Increases SPD by 30% for everyone on the battlefield for 3 turns
Novice Bulldoze Card-Decreases SPD by 10% for enemies for 3 turns (has a chance to fail)
Rookie Bulldoze Card-Decreases SPD by 20% for enemies for 3 turns (has a chance to fail)
Master Bulldoze Card-Decreases SPD by 50% for enemies for 3 turns (has a minimal chance to fail)
Grandmaster Bulldoze Card-Decreases SPD by 70% for enemies for 2 turns (has a minimal chance to fail)
Lucky Chant Card-Lowers Critical Hit Rate for enemies for 3 turns
Incantation Card-Increases Lucky Hit Rate for party members for 3 turns
-Status Cards-
Stormpuff Card-Sends cloud monsters through all enemies. Can potentially paralyze them
Sludge Surge Card-Sweeps all enemies with an ocean of poison. Can potentially poison them
Blazing Wall Card-Pillars of fire collide into all enemies. Can potentially char them
Minimize Card-Beautiful music contacts the ears of enemies listening. Can potentially shrink them.
-Damage Cards-
Plummet Card-Damages one enemy for 15 HP
Slam Card-Damages one enemy for 30 HP
Scythe Card-Eliminates one enemy from battle. Does not work on bosses
Hammer Card-A giant hammer swings upon all enemies, inflicting 100 HP
Fire Card-Balls of fire fly upon all enemies, inflicting 30 HP. Lucky Damage bonus for those weak to Fire
Thunder Card-Bolts of lightning land on each enemy, inflicting 30 HP. Lucky Damage bonus for those weak to Thunder
Snow Card-A giant ball of snow collides into all enemies, inflicting 30 HP. Lucky Damage bonus for those weak to Ice
-Character Cards-
Bolo Card-Summons Bolo to the battlefield, who wildly swings his chain pike ball around. Action commands are prompted for all party members to evade his attacks. Perfectly avoiding all attacks rewards half HP.
Sky Card-Summons Sky to the battlefield, who unleashes a flock of war birds upon everyone. Action commands are prompted for all party members to evade her attacks. Perfectly avoiding all attacks rewards half HP.
Rottytops Card-Summons Rottytops to the battlefield, riding with Abner and Poe upon their carriage. Action commands are prompted for all party members to evade their attacks. Perfectly avoiding all attacks rewards half HP (Card can only be obtained after Rottytops, Abner, and Poe are defeated in their boss battle)
Mimic Card-Summons Mimic to the battlefield, using his Dynamo Machine to attack everyone. Action commands are prompted for all party members to evade his attacks. Perfectly avoiding all attacks rewards half HP. (Card can only be obtained after the player collects all 50 Blueprint Pages)
Genie Realm Card-Perhaps the greatest Battle Card one can obtain. Upon use, Shantae's mother appears and revives all fallen party members to full HP, restores all BP/MP, cures status conditions, and provides all party members with ATK, DEF, SPD, STACHE, and HAIR buffs up to 100% for 3 turns. A Bubble Shield and Pike Ball are also provided in the mix, the Bubble Shield lasting 10 contact attacks, and Pike Ball up to 2 minutes.
WARNING: GENIE REALM CARD CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE PER BATTLE, AND WILL COMPLETELY DEPLETE ALL STAR POINTS!
-Extra Cards-
Potluck Card-Increases the number of gems received after battle
EXP Card-Doubles the amount of EXP earned after battle
Benji Card-Increase time by 5 minutes (only works if timer is displayed)
Shuffle Card-Shuffles all cards in the player's deck
Bubble Shield Card-Enables Bubble Shield upon all party members for 10 consecutive hits
Spikeguard Card-Enables all party members to jump on spiked enemies until the battle is over or a particular party member loses all their HP
-Collection-
What's a game without its collectibles?! Not a fun one at all! If you tire yourself out from progressing through the story line, there's some side quests you can engage yourself in to get the game's collectibles! If all collectibles are...well, collected, you will reap rewards that can help you in your quest to save Sequin Land and the Mushroom Kingdom!
-Blueprint Pages-
The attack on Scuttle Town upon the Mario Brothers' arrival has caused Uncle Mimic to lose all of his Blueprint Pages! Those darn Tinkerbats and their meddling! Collect all 50 Blue Print Pages scattered around Sequin Land and Uncle Mimic will reward you with his Battle Card!
-Beans-
Shantae learns that residents from the Bean Bean Kingdom once settled in Sequin Land for 100 years. After leaving to settle in what is now the Bean Bean Kingdom, their beans were left behind. Collect all 100 beans to aid in increasing party member stats!
-War Bird Eggs-
Tinkerbats have managed to break into Sky's loft and clean her out of all the eggs she was incubating! Collect and return all 30 eggs and earn accumulated rewards!
5 Eggs-100 Gems
10 Eggs-1,000 Gems
15 Eggs-Gear for Mario/Luigi
20 Eggs-Gear for Shantae
25 Eggs-Giant Bag (more room for items)
30 Eggs-Void Coinpurse (enables 1,000,000 gems to be collected)
-Fireflies-
Shantae once had to collect fireflies in order to learn new dances to aid her in combat. For every 10 that are collected, Shantae learns a Genie move that can help the brothers defeat their enemies! Collect all 50 to get all of Shantae's Genie Moves!
10 Fireflies-Magic Fireball
20 Fireflies-Magic Cannon
30 Fireflies-Magic Replicate
40 Fireflies-Magic Door
50 Fireflies-Magic Carpet
-Bros Artifacts-
Scattered throughout Sequin Land are mystical artifacts that grant powers to those who share an unbreakable bond. The only two who could fit this category were none other than the Mario Brothers! Collect 10 of these to learn Bros. Attacks!
-Mario-
3D Red Shell
Bomb Derby
Hammer Spin
Fire Glove
Superstar Saga
-Luigi-
Fire Flower
Slingshot
Quake Hammer
Thunder Glove
Mega Thwonk
And that's all I got everyone! At least for now! I really hope you all gave this a full read and will agree that THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN! I can't think of any other crossover that could work so well with this!
Next up is the Battle System, and I'm VERY HAPPY to write about that: so many things to talk about! There's...3 battle styles in the game I think? If not, then 2, and one of them makes a return! I can't wait to write about those!
Any comments or critique is welcome ^^ I hope all of you enjoyed this! Look forward to the next one this upcoming weekend!
