Mario & Luigi RPG on the GBA is one of those games that just sticks with you. You start off thinking it's just another Mario adventure, but then the brothers start bouncing off each other's heads in battle, and suddenly you're grinning like an idiot. The turn-based combat has this weird rhythm to it—timing your jumps right actually matters, and messing up feels way worse than it should.

What really got me was the writing. The dialogue’s full of dumb jokes and weird little character moments (Luigi being a nervous wreck never gets old). And the sprite work? Still holds up—everything’s so bouncy and expressive. Only downside is the occasional slow-paced tutorial bit, but once it lets you loose, it’s hard to put down. If you’ve got a GBA lying around, this one’s a no-brainer.