Bros. Attack
- “Bros. Attacks are duo techniques...”
- —Seargeant Starshade, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Bros. Attacks are special methods of attacking, which require Mario and Luigi to work together. These moves are used in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.
In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario and Luigi learn six Bros. Attacks during the adventure, 3 for each. In addition, there are two secret Bros. Attacks that they can learn by acquiring the two Secret Scrolls in the Hammerhead Bros.' Cave. A very small selection of enemies can use attacks similar to Bros. Attacks, such as the bosses Popple and Rookie.
Bros. Attacks use up Mario and Luigi's Bros. Points, or BP. Note that BP in Superstar Saga is completely different to the BP (Badge Points) used in the Paper Mario series. Each Bros. attack costs three to eight Bros. Points, which can be replenished with Syrups.
To perform Bros. Attacks, buttons must be pressed in the right order, at the right time. Look on each of the Bros. Attack pages listed below for instructions on how to perform them. If a button is missed, the attack will do far less damage, possibly even less than a regular Jump or Hammer attack. Each Bros. Attack also has three Modes: 1, 2, and 3. Mode 1 is the most basic; the game goes into slow motion when buttons need to be pressed, to give the player ample time to press the correct buttons. In addition, button icons that show which button needs to be pressed are clearly displayed. In Mode 2, slow-motion is taken out, but the button icons remain. Mode 3 has no slow-motion, or button icons, but Bros. Attacks performed in Mode 3 are more powerful and cost less BP than those performed in the other Modes.
After executing a Bros. Attack successfully (i.e., pressing all of the buttons correctly) a certain number of times, Advanced Commands are learned. Advanced Bros. Attacks are generally harder to perform than regular ones, but Advanced attacks often have added bonuses such as stealing items, making the enemy Dizzy, or simply doing more damage to it.
The concept of Bros. Attacks was replaced with Bros. Items in the sequel, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time and Special Attacks in the third installment, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
Bros. Attacks return in Mario & Luigi: Dream Team. They can be used in battles in the Real World. Mario & Luigi have five Bros. Attacks each, making a total of 10. They are unlocked by collecting 10 Attack Pieces in various places in the Real World for each attack, similar to how Special Attacks are unlocked in the preceding game. The three Modes return as well, retaining the same effects. Advanced Commands are, however, absent. In the Dream World, Luiginary Attacks are used instead of Bros. Attacks.
