Mario & Luigi: Brothership Review

Initial release date: November 7, 2024

Developers: Acquire, Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Genres: Role-playing video game, Adventure game, Platform game

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Publishers: Nintendo, Nintendo of America Inc.

Series: Mario & Luigi

In many aspects, Mario & Luigi: Brothership is reminiscent of earlier Nintendo games. While the series has remained inactive except from certain remakes, what we have here feels almost like a soft reboot, but also reminiscent of Nintendo’s Wii U-era hand-holding and over-explaining. It may not be a negative thing for a younger audience, but for more experienced players, Brothership, while enjoyable overall, will not be without its frustrations.

The premise is as predictable as you’d expect: Mario and Luigi have found themselves in a new realm that isn’t the Mushroom Kingdom, and they’ve become embroiled in a conspiracy to stop the bad guys from destroying Concordia, a world that resembles a large archipelago divided into currents and regions. You see, the world has been split asunder, and you have to go around reconnecting them while piloting the good Shipshape Island (part ship, part island), along with your friendly “not a pig” pig, Snoutlet, whom you meet early on and who hides under Luigi’s hat, popping out on a regular basis to give you context for what’s going on.

I bring this up right away since it may be the most significant flaw in Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood. Despite being filled of mechanics and ideas, when one is reused, Snoutlet will appear and tell you about it again, or the camera will pan to the current issue. Then you’ll regain control, continue onward, and probably get stopped in your tracks for another talk. This begins early, and you could be forgiven for thinking, “Well, they’ve got to tutorialize,” but when you’re 25 hours in, and control is still being snatched from you every few steps, it’s tough not to yearn for a lighter touch.

You see, Mario and Luigi do not converse. They have a simlish voice, aside from the obvious “Woohoo” and “Let’s Go!”” Comments. They’ll meet a new individual and describe the problem in this dialect, which is consistent and constant in a way I haven’t seen in a game in a long time. I don’t mind long dialogue passages, but Mario & Luigi: Brothership feels like it’s continuously saying a lot without saying anything at all, and I’m guessing most people will be a few steps ahead, just waiting to regain control and play the game.

However, when you are permitted to explore and fight, you do so in a magnificent, gorgeous world. The fighting is simple, yet more malleable and engaging than practically any other Mario RPG-style game you’ve played. A plug system, similar to the Paper Mario badge system, allows you to create intriguing combos to deal extra damage, status effects, or even automatically heal outside of your current turn. You will engage with your attack at all times, and the brothers will collaborate to deal damage at each round.

Every enemy type has a distinct assault that you can evade and counter, and it’s incredible how deep this goes. You’d expect that from unique boss confrontations, but even generic foes have different counter maneuvers that you must time precisely to nullify damage and plan your own counterattack for each turn. Similarly, each “Bros” move (the equivalent of magic strikes) gets its own animation, and I’m divided between thinking these are a little overkill.

As the difficulty and hours increase, you will encounter a large number of foes at once, making it logical to employ your Bros attacks for these. However, having an interactive and lengthy scene to carry out the attack is something I can see getting folks worked up as the hours pass. whether it is an issue, you may attach a Plug that allows you to “auto-excellent” (read: not push any buttons), but it made me wonder whether even the devs were bothered about some of the over-animated scenes.

It’s also worth noting that this isn’t a game where you’ll have several party members. It’s titled Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood, and that’s the party right there. This means you’ll be improving your leap and hammer attacks from the start, and while you may lengthen them with a Plug, you’ll have to get used to seeing the same animations repeatedly. However, the battle is enjoyable and, as previously stated, adaptable. Changing your plugs mid-fight when they run out of charge can create unexpected moments, revealing a more complex system than you might expect. There are many combinations to discover, and they are always exciting and entertaining.

Exploration is also an enjoyable experience. Each island has its own set of individuals to interact with, and the gameplay varies from islands with a full maze to explore to islands where you must become a sleuth and solve a murder. There are Bros Moves that exist outside of combat and are essentially MetroidVania components, letting you to return to earlier islands and explore them more thoroughly. Whether they’re transforming into a flying saucer to traverse a wider space than you can jump or rolling into a ball to enter a pipe, they’re entertaining to watch.

And that is the point: Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood is all about the characters. It’s ridiculous in the greatest manner possible, with the evil guys frequently mispronouncing everyone’s names and Luigi either falling asleep or landing on his face as he is cannon-balled from Shipshape Island to a new region to explore. Luigi Logic moments will come as Green Mario looks to be the smarter of the two brothers, solving issues and frequently discovering new mechanisms that allow you to move about. I’d say he’s the star of the show, but the characterisation of everyone on offer is the star of the show, and it’s the title’s best feature.

The biggest difficulty is pace. For every island that allows you to explore and appreciate the lovely painterly cel-shaded style, there will be one that stops you every few feet to over-explain. Before each fantastic boss battle, there will be an instant-fail stealth stage. For every colorful new character you meet, there will be a bizarrely shoehorned rhythm mini-game that you must play for the third time. There is a lot of repetition in Mario & Luigi: Brothership, but there are also some details in the animation and design that demonstrate a keen eye for detail. It’s a strange dichotomy that captivates while also disrespecting the player’s time.

Despite this, Brotherhood is a really enjoyable experience. Yes, there are irritating moments, and you could claim that the level is way too easy to begin with, with spikes at random times. It looks fantastic, has beautiful soundtrack, and an excellent fight system. While titles like Paper Mario are easy to recommend, Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a little trickier. I’m sure anyone would enjoy it, but I can’t help but think that an even better game could have been created with a little more attention for the player and a little less repetition in general.

Review Overview

Gameplay: 86%

Controls: 88%

Aesthetics: 91%

Content: 84%

Accessibility: 83%

Value: 85%

Overall: 86%

BROTHERLY FUN AHOY!

Summary:

“Mario & Luigi: Brothership” is a charming addition to the franchise, sending Mario and Luigi on a maritime adventure complete with humor, riddles, and classic turn-based combat. The gameplay is highlighted by imaginative monster encounters and delightful co-op mechanics that allow players to rotate between the brothers to complete complex puzzles. The controls feel natural and intuitive, providing flow to the fighting and exploration. Visually, the game features colorful, vibrant graphics that convey the fun essence of Mario’s universe. With plenty of substance and replay potential, “Brothership” is a great, feel-good experience for both aficionados and beginners.