Mario & Luigi: Fabled Melody

=Mario & Luigi: Fabled Melody= Edit Comments (7) Share  Mario & Luigi: Fabled Melody is an upcoming game for the Nintendo NX, it is part of the Mario & Luigi Series and once again focuses on our Plumber Heroes as they explore the peculiar Melodius Islands and a mysterious force that has stolen the Islands, Instruments of Harmony.

Contents
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Synopsis
The game starts out with Mario & Luigi heading to Peach's Castle however are greeted by Toadsworth who explains that the Princess has decided to take a vacation from the Mushroom Kingdom and is going to visit a set of islands of the Far South of the Mushroom Kingdom, Toadsworth offers the bros to join them and Mario and Luigi happily accept, imagining what the islands could be like. As their plane takes off it is revealed that Bowser has snuck aboard in the luggage compartment, disguising himself as a very large handbag, the plane arrives and the trio walk out to see that the islands seem to have an unnerving sense of gloom about them, the bros go to investigate the predicament.

Gameplay
Gameplay for Mario & Luigi: Fabled Melody has a similar aspect to previous Mario & Luigi games, Mario and Luigi are able to engage enemies in battles through a variety of ways some giving them intial advantages while others hinder them. In addition the game features a melody system, this replaces the previous chase aspects of Dream Team & Paper Jam, in this mode Mario & Luigi perform combinations in unison for both their Bros. Attacks and dodging special enemy attacks, the button prompts are displayed as either the enemies attacks which follow the beat of the music being played or when performing Bros. Attacks as a rainbow band that has each button prompt indicated on the band for the player to press, hold or move when necessary.

All attacks follow the rhythm of each song being played and this includes regular attacks which while not as dynamic as the Bros. Attacks deal extra damage if the player taps certain buttons in between the Bros. attacking.

In addition the game features a large assortment of songs and some songs only occur based on the enemies faced, this means that facing multiple enemies of different types can result in different songs each time, while most enemies have simple variations on their standard theme for that enemy type for example Fire Versions of Enemies tend to have a Timpani added while Thunder Versions have Brass Instruments added. In addition bosses have between two and six themes that could be played, while these themes with the exception of the major bosses of the game only have minor variations this can change how that battle is handled. When performing bros. attacks they also have their own tunes that play when performed, these tunes also have slight variations depending on what Bro performs the attack as well as factors like the Augmentations the Bros. have.

In addition throughout battles if the player performs well they may acquire assistance in later battles from random common enemies such as Goombas, Koopas & Cheep-Cheeps. As long as the brothers pull off their rhythms well enough they will continue to gather assistants to help in their Bros. and Standard attacks.

Locations
The Melodius Islands, are the location of Mario & Luigi: Fabled Melody. They are a series of 8 major islands with numerous smaller islands surrounding them. There are two developed towns on the South-West and North-East Major Islands, the towns are called Port Crescendo and Diminuendo Valley, in addition to these towns are a large array of small homes and villages scattered among the islands. Floating above the islands however is the ominous Sky Keep, that is said to have been built by a great and powerful Musicolo in times long since past. Other key features of the islands are the numerous forests that dot the landscapes, some of which are visible from a distance, there is also the Harmonius Mountain on the largest Island, the Orchestral Volcano on the middle island of the Red Eye Isles and the Chime Glacier that coats the North-West most Island. Across the Melodius Islands are the 8 major Islands from which the Melodius islands are formed, though their terrain does differ drastically the islands tend to share a similar climate. The largest Island is Thorte island which is believed to be the oldest while the two islands with towns are Mopte Island and Beatrall Island respectively. Hestro Island is largely barren of both foliage and sentient individuals while; Vissimo, Rhystic & Dergo Island comprise of what is known as the Red Eye Isles, with Rhystic Island being mostly comprised of the Orchestral Volcano. Froziano is the only island with any significant climate difference as the island is in perpetual winter for an unknown reason. Lastly above all of them although not technically an Island is Sky Keep, which commonly floats between Beatrall Island and Hestrao Island.

Mopte Island
Mopte Island is a large Southern Island in the Melodius Islands. It is the first place Mario & Luigi visit throughout their adventure. Mopte Island is home to one of the two towns of the Melodius Islands, Port Crescendo, the Musicolo of this town are generally up beat and usually speak quite loudly when they have something important to say. Outside of Port Crescendo, Mopte Island is mostly plains with some heavier forests to the North, known as the Forest of Winds, which earns its name from the bizarre trees in the forest that have hollow leaves which resonate sound when a breeze blows through. To the east of the island is a small set of islands which is where one can find the Geometric Outcrop, a series of oddly shaped Rocks surrounding a cliff and cave area. It is said at the top of the Geometric Outcrop lies an Instrument of Harmony. Even further east on the smaller islands are the Stones of Hollow, these giant stones have odd metallic covers to them which when entered cause a crashing sound similar to a gong.

Places of Interest
 * Port Crescendo
 * Forest of Winds
 * Geometric Outcrop
 * Stones of Hollow

Thorte Island
The largest of all the islands, Thorte Island is a mostly desert island with very fertile flood plains around its coast. It is the second major Island the bros. visit. Thorte Island is mainly inhabited by numerous tribal Musicolos that live in small villages. They are seperated by the vast Raindrop Desert in the center and the Valley of Strings in the South-West. This Valley is Strings is the first major locations the bros. visit on Thorte Island and is an arid valley filled with strange strings covering the valley, creating an accessible, yet twisting path with numerous dead ends. It is suspected some sort of creature created these strings. The Raindrop Desert is the main feature of Thorte Island and is a vast desert known for the odd blue crystals scattered throughout. It is believed some sort of ancient civilization once lived within where the desert now stands and may have been the predecessors of the Musicolo. To the north of the Raindrop Desert is the Harmonius Mountain which shadows all of the Melodius Islands due to its sheer height, despite this however it never snows near the peak. The Mountain is filled with many creatures which throughout the day will create melodies depending on which ones are awake, hence where the Mountain gets its name. Finally around the West of the Harmounius Mountain lies a rugged terrain with few trees between its vast area known as the Hills of Horns. These peculiar hills are mostly hollow throughout and house a mysterious underground creature that makes bizarre horn noises to communicate.

Places of Interest
 * Valley of the Strings
 * Raindrop Desert
 * Harmonius Mountain
 * Hills of the Horns

Hestro Island
A lonely and small Island in the East of the Melodius Islands, Hestro Island is known for being rather barren of vegetation. At one point the Musicolo attempted to colonize but had no success and thus abandoned the effort. Ruins of this failed attempt still exist on the island to this day including the Cave of Flutes and Ruins of Treble which lie near the center of the Island. To the West is a mysterious bridge connecting the mainland to one of the small islands called the Strung Bridge. This odd bridge has large strings crossing the hole bridge's floor that when stepped on cause the bridge to emit low frequency strums. At the South of the Island is the Lonely Beach which has earnt its name for a single statue of a Musicolo located on the island, it is unknown who the Musicolo is however. To the north of the Island is the Relic Plateau an odd and completely barren plot of land that has cracks surrounding its sides, the plateau appears to have some sort of rocky formation in the shape of a ledger at its center. The Cave of Flutes which is located near the center of the Island was once home to Musicolo although they were driven out by the cave's inhabitants, the Cave now emits an eerie tone from the monsters within, it is believed that there is a curse on the Cave of Flutes. Finally the Ruins of Treble are the main attempt of the Musicolo to inhabit the island, these ruins tell of a town that was overrun by monsters and the Musicolo who fled the town, leaving in boats with few to none of their belongings. There are stories about the Ruins of Treble and while many believe the monsters attacked first, some believe that the rapid expansion of the town caused the monsters to be pressured into attacking.
 * Relic Plateau
 * Lonely Beach
 * Strung Bridge
 * Cave of Flutes
 * Ruins of Treble

Beatrall Island
The only other island in the Melodius Islands that has an established town, aside from Mopte Island, Beatrall Island is considerably smaller than Mopte Island and has several small islands surrounding it. The town in the center of the Island is called Diminuendo Valley and its people appear to be more wealthy than those who live in Port Crescendo as their Architecture is more ornate and their houses are more fancy than those found in Port Crescendo. The people however live a much more quite life although something about this quite lifestyle is off as though the people are forced into their tranquility. To the north of the Town is the Shattered Archipelago, this off tune location is said to have once been a sister island to Beatrall Island but due to an unknown force shattered it into many small islands, these small islands lack consistency in their tunes making music from the area off-key and chaotic. Another location, this time to the East of Diminuendo Valley in the jungles of Beatrall Island is the Keynote Chasm, this dangerous and ominous location has a mysteriously lonely tune that seems to only have a single instrument. The Chasm is riddled with monsters of varying dangers and it is said something mysterious lurks at the bottom. Finally, located on the island to the West of Diminuendo Valley lies the Splintered Fortress, a huge fortress that is completely made of wood, the fortress was once the home of a noble Musicolo although was abandoned and has since been overrun by the native wildlife.
 * Diminuendo Valley
 * Shattered Archipelago
 * Keynote Chasm
 * Splintered Fortress

Vissimo Island
One of the three Red Eye Isles, Vissimo is the Northern-most of the three and is the only one without a significant fire-based place of interest. Vissimo is surprisingly hot though as its temperatures are increased due to the heat from its southern islands. Vissimo Island has a small village said to be located in the rocky hills of the East of the Island called the Village of Lost Tunes, the Village is believed to be haunted as noises can be heard coming from it at night even though no one has stepped foot in the village in 20 years. Near the Village of Lost Tunes is the ominous and intimidating, Overgrown Mansion. Said to have once been home to an incredibly rich Musicolo, the Mansion fell silent when numerous monsters raided the Mansion, the whereabouts and condition of the Musicolo who lived there are unknown although the monsters now reside there as well. To the north is the Harp Peninsula a small, skinny island that got its name from its angelic appearance as a light fog runs across the entire island leaving only the peaks of the mountains easily visible, what's more is that the Harp in the name refers to the pleasant and soothing sounds that originate from within the fog although their origin is unknown. Finally In the South-West lies the Rattling Steam Pits. A bunch of water holes that constantly dry up in the day due to the extremely hot ground around them. This steam normally is slow and calm although occasional jets crack through the ground creating elevators to the areas above.
 * Village of Lost Tunes
 * Overgrown Mansion
 * Harp Peninsula
 * Rattling Steam Pits

Rhystic Island
The Center Island of the Red Eye Isles, Rhystic Island formed from a massive volcano sprouting out of the sea and this volcano makes up about 90% of Rhystic Island's land mass. Rhystic Island's key feature is the Orchestral Volcano which has been known to erupt quite frequently and has numerous lava rivers across it due to cracks in the surface. The Volcano is inhabited by numerous monsters that can survive in the heat and it is one of the locations for the Instruments of Harmony. On the Volcano is a place called the Temple of Fires which is said to have an ancient treasure buried deep within, although only the strongest explorer could ever hope to reach said treasure. Along the rim of the island is the Burnt Jungle, this Jungle somehow is constantly able to survive despite being frequently set ablaze by the Volcano, the ground is surrounded in ash and soot. Finally along the Volcano is an odd set of stairs known as the Marimba Climb, each stair plays a key, indicating they were purposely built by something.
 * Orchestral Volcano
 * Temple of the Fires
 * Burnt Jungle
 * Marimba Climb

Dergo Island
The Southern of the three Islands of the Red Eye Isles, Dergo Island is known to have a small group of fisherman on its south coast who catch and sell a rare fish known as the Rainbow Cheep-Cheep that occasionally has been sighted near where they fish, the Pareme Docks. In the West of the Island lies the bizarre, Neon Jungle, a Jungle comprised of lights, electronics and robotic trees. It is unknown who built it although the Jungle sustains itself on natural energy to survive. Near the center of the island is the Marching Cave, a cave known by the Musicolo of Dergo Island for its constant sound of marching and has been described as a hypnotizing melody that has caused several Musicolo to go missing. Finally along the Eastern Coast of Dergo Island is the Duet Coast which gets its name from the numerous groups of two on the coast from rocks and creatures so features and even the grass and sand itself.
 * Pareme Docks
 * Neon Jungle
 * Marching Cave
 * Duet Coast

Froziano Island
Possibly the most unusual island of the Melodius Islands, Froziano Island is the North-East most island and is surprisingly mostly covered in Ice. It has several glaciers floating around its coast including one known as the Chime Glacier which has many icicles hanging from it which make various tunes in the winds that blow through. Around the North of the Island are the Percussion Glaciers which when stepped on produce various sounds of percussion instruments, the largest of which appears to make the same sound as a Bass Drum. On the mainland itself there was once a village of Musicolo who worshipped a mysterious artifact, contact with them was lost many years ago and it is feared the artifact has turned them into something else, the Musicolo would mourn their lost ones at the Graveyard of Bells, where large bells would ring a low-key sound throughout the night. On the icy landscape near the Graveyard of Bells is the Phantom Castle, a mysterious and ominous location that is said to appear and disappear at will, no one is sure if the legend is true or not as most Musicolo are too afraid to investigate the island.
 * Percussion Glaciers
 * Chime Glacier
 * Graveyard of Bells
 * Phantom Castle

Other
The following descriptions are for the location below said description.

The mysterious and ominous, Mechazz Island supposedly appeared out of nowhere and no one appears to visit or leave the island. While the island looks perfect in every way sailors and water creatures from around the area have described hearing machinery and gears crunching when going near the island. Many Musicolo believe the island to be the work of a demon. TBA
 * Mechazz Island
 * Accordian Seas
 * Ruins of Bass
 * Baut Whirlpool
 * Conduction Tower
 * Sky Keep

Bros. Attacks
The Bros. Attacks return as a feature for the battle system in Mario & Luigi: Fabled Melody. Bros. Attacks have their own mini-tunes that act as the music while button prompts line up with key notes in the tunes. Mario and Luigi learn a variety of Bros. Attacks, with 17 Bros. Attacks for each Bro, most are learnt through leveling up through the game although a handful are learnt automatically through the game's storyline.

Taught Bros. Attacks are given by the Gigi and Merri at various intervals in the game and their attire changes according to which Bros. Attack they are teaching Mario and Luigi.

Enemies
A variety of enemies both returning and new comprise of the main creatures Mario & Luigi will face along their way through the Melodius Islands.

Assistants
Assistants will join Mario at the end of a battle if they perform their Rhythm-based attacks well enough. The chance of getting an assistant depends on the rarity of that assistant as well as how well the player performs a particular attack during their battles. Using certain Bros. Attacks will spend these assistants, although alternatively the player can use the Assistants in attacks known as Assistant Attacks that have all the available assistants the Bros. have with them attack in rhythm with the battle itself.
 * Perfect - 100% for Assistant
 * Awesome - 80% for Assistant
 * Great - 50% for Assistant
 * Good - 25% for Assistant
 * Ok - 10% for Assistant
 * Poor - 0% for Assistant

Trivia

 * This is the 6th Entry in the Mario & Luigi franchise but the first Non-Handheld one of all of them (excluding ports)
 * This is the first time Starlow is not a helper for the Bros. instead Allegro plays this role as she has extensive knowledge on the creatures of the Melodius Islands
 * This is the first game since Bowser's Inside Story to not feature Bowser as one of the Main Villains
 * Vae Ictus is the first Main Villain in the Mario & Luigi series to have a two-worded name excluding titles such as Elder Princess Shroob
 * Mario & Luigi: Fabled Melody features the most Bosses to date of a Mario & Luigi Game
 * It also features the most Plot-Centric Items
 * It also features the most Bros. Attacks
 * This game's original concept was to be a crossover between Mario & Luigi and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy although this was dropped as it was decided that the two wouldn't blend as well as they did in Super Mario RPG, although Square Enix still had a hand in the game
 * The bosses; Ukeleleon and Banjo-Tron are references to the characters Yooka & Banjo from Yooka-Laylee and Banjo-Kazooie respectively