Nothing says brotherhood like holding hands with your sibling and turning into a UFO.
Mario and his less-appreciated brother Luigi are back again to show us what an ultimate sibling relationship can amount to, so of course we’re going to dive straight into a Mario & Luigi: Brothership review. As with most Mario titles, the gameplay for Mario & Luigi remains simplistic and uncomplicated and the story is just as straightforward—the world is in trouble and only our mustachioed brothers can be counted on to save the day.
Despite its basic nature, for true fans of the series who can never truly be done with the uber-colorful world established by Nintendo, Mario & Luigi: Brothership features a ton of interesting combat that elevates it from the typical side-scroller game. The turn-based fighting was something we loved with Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, so it’s good to see the mechanics make another appearance.
Image – Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Mario & Luigi: Brothership Review—Double the Power to Make Your Day
Nintendo has remained committed to its Mario series as an easy crowd-puller and we’ve seen multiple iterations of the game get a remake or a revision in the last few years. Between Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario vs Donkey Kong, and Super Mario Bros Wonder, there has been a steady revival of interest in the games of the past. Considering how Zelda got her own game and Pokemon card trading is still able to rake in money, it’s no surprise that Nintendo is also sticking to what Nintendo does best.
As you’ll see with our Mario & Luigi: Brothership review, there are only two ways to feel about this game. Either you’ll love its typical art style as well as the familiar characters and plotlines, or you’ll find it a boring repetition of everything Nintendo has done already. How you feel when you hear “there’s another Mario game,” will determine how enjoyable you find this one.
With anticipation building for the Nintendo Switch 2, the Brothership game is a welcome addition to the older console as it eliminates some of the fear of missing out on titles that are to come for the next console. The turn-based RPG has a lot of content built into it to keep you occupied for hours with the mini-battles and unique ways of integrating the presence of the two brothers into the progression in-game.
Starting with the Storyline
The brothers enter the water-locked region of Concordia this time, where a central Uni-Tree keeps the many islands connected, allowing them to prosper under its protection. When the tree is unexpectedly destroyed, the islands are forced to look to the Italian plumbers to create a new tree and revive the connection once again.
The mission is led by young Wattanist Connie and her buddy Snoutlet (not a pig), but you can also expect to encounter some familiar faces like Princess Peach and Bowser. The Mario & Luigi game features an interesting cast of characters like the mysterious villain Zokket and the Extension Corps, all of whom bring a very futuristic, robotic feel to the otherwise rustic and worldly aesthetic of the game.
To save Concordia, Mario and Luigi climb aboard the hybrid ship island, aptly named Shipshape Island, and work to bring the power of the Uni-Tree to all corners of the region.
The Mario & Luigi Gameplay Is What Makes the Experience Interesting
The game has some of the traditional elements of a side-scroller Mario game as you make your way across different obstacles by walking, jumping, and smashing past hurdles. Various challenges on the journey require you to switch between the two brothers to find the right strategy to continue on the path that you are on.
Swapping between the two using the A and B buttons takes some getting used to initially, but it’s not impossible to master. Unfortunately, Luigi often acts like an NPC and acts on his own accord during the exploration stage, so that does take away from actually feeling like you’re playing with two characters. The battles allow you a greater sense of control over both characters.
The most interesting part of the gameplay is the turn-based combat. Various enemies await the brothers on their journey and the battles present some interesting opportunities for the two to work as a team. The brothers need to time their attacks correctly to have the biggest impact, and there’s quite a bit of dodging involved in it as well.
In order to really review the combat element of the game, you have to reach the point in the journey where you can create Battle Plugs. Essentially serving as power-ups in the game, these Plugs enhance your combat strategy and provide additional damage elements to the game. Properly timing and combining these Plugs are essentially for truly enjoying the Mario & Luigi: Brothership gameplay.
Game Highlights—The Best of Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Mario & Luigi: Brothership revives some of the traditional characters and gameplay elements of the older games, however, it also does its fair bit to stand out. The Plugs are an obvious addition to the gameplay experience, designed to make the combat less repetitive.
In addition to this, Mario and Luigi’s teamwork provides an interesting element of consideration, where you need to strategize how they can work together to solve the puzzles they encounter. Bros. Moves is a hilarious way to combine the abilities of the two brothers to turn into a ball or a UFO to create a whirlwind of power, and it can be fun to experiment with its uses.
You will also have the ability to use “Luigi Logic” at opportune moments to discover some particularly creative ways of solving problems you encounter in your journey. Some elements of traveling between regions can take a long time, and at these moments, you’re encouraged to explore the side quests available to you. Depending on whether you enjoy being distracted from the real-time wait on your journey, you can choose to explore these quests as well.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership Price
The new Mario & Luigi game brags of over 40 hours of gameplay, but it does not come cheap. The game is available for pre-order and is priced at $59.99 USD. Exclusively designed for the Nintendo Switch, you can start playing it on November 7, 2024, so there’s barely a wait ahead for those who want to give it a go.
Final Thoughts on Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Most reviews of Mario & Luigi: Brothership will tell you that the game is well-conceptualized and its in-game mechanisms are expertly designed, but it doesn’t come without its share of cumbersome features. The mini-map doesn’t bring anything new to the game and the ship journey can feel like a pointless wait as you attempt to travel to distant locations.
The game is also considerably longer than its predecessors so if you’re the type to try and speedrun a game, this one will not lend itself to the mission. The Mario & Luigi gameplay and combat can start to feel repetitive after a point, and so will the hand-holding when it comes to the tutorials. The slow and child-like approach to dialogues remains unchanged so if that’s not your cup of tea, neither is the game.
Still, if you enjoy Mario and Luigi’s camaraderie and want to experience the bright and uplifting art style typical to these Mario games, then you should consider giving it a shot. The unique islands are pleasing to look at and the combat promises to give you some room to personalize your battle style as well. If you’re excited to re-experience the world of Mario, then this game is a fine place to get started.
