As a seasoned gamer with decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that the latest addition to the Mario & Luigi series, Brothership, has certainly piqued my interest and tickled my nostalgia bones. The freedom to make choices, albeit small, adds an element of strategy that I appreciate in a game, making me feel like more than just a simple button masher.
When AlphaDream shut down in October 2019, many believed it spelled the end for the Mario & Luigi Role-Playing Game series. Yet, contrary to popular belief, Mario & Luigi: Brothership signifies a fresh installment on Nintendo Switch, with some of the original developers rejoining to develop this new journey. The game successfully incorporates many beloved elements from previous games, such as witty humor and rhythmic combat sequences. This results in an overall entertaining RPG that maintains the core formula without introducing drastic changes, which is good news for fans who have longed for the series’ return.
The title “Mario & Luigi: Brothership” derives from Shipshape Isle, their primary base throughout the game and the heart of this world. Shipshape Isle contains a Uni-Tree seed, which holds the power to keep all of Concordia intact. However, Concordia has been strangely disconnected, and Mario and Luigi must traverse between islands, reconnecting them to Shipshape Island. The discovery of new sea currents allows players to reach different islands. Once an island is found, they can blast off to the location using a cannon on Shipshape Isle. If they miss reaching the cannon while the island is within range, they’ll have to wait for it to draw closer.
Fortunately, the Toads provide a way to boost Shipshape’s speed at the start of the game, enabling players to rush things if they’re aiming for an island located far off. When Mario and Luigi manage to re-establish Connectar’s flow, linking these islands with Shipshape, players can zip between locations using Warp Pipes. This convenience also extends to the citizens who were previously divided. The game world of Concordia also includes numerous smaller islands ripe for exploration and reefs that play a role in one of the game’s sub-quests.
In Brothership, the primary plotline effectively engages, incorporating engaging storylines for the protagonists to explore, and even side quests. Due to Concordia’s division, families and friends have been torn apart, allowing players to aid in their reunification, adding an emotional layer to the tale. However, there’s also a good deal of humor woven throughout, with numerous instances that will make you laugh out loud. As we highlighted in our preview last month, much of the game’s humor stems from the expressive physical mannerisms of the two lead characters, Mario and Luigi. Despite being silent, they are more expressive in Brothership than in any other video game. Their facial expressions accurately portray their emotions, and the slapstick elements are one of the game’s strongest aspects.
If you’ve ever played a Mario role-playing game, you should have a general understanding of the kind of battle system you’ll encounter in Mario & Luigi: Brothership. This game offers turn-based combat that combines rhythm and platforming elements. The brothers’ attacks are more powerful when you press buttons synchronously with commands, and they can dodge most enemy attacks using the same method. Initially, the gameplay is relatively straightforward, with Mario and Luigi working together to enhance each other’s basic attacks. However, as the game advances and you learn skills like Bros. Attacks or Luigi Logic, the complexity increases. Failing to keep up with the rhythm or missing a necessary button press can lead to significant losses. The difficulty level is challenging but manageable, and mastering some moves may require multiple attempts. Even after practice, I sometimes found myself slipping up and getting into trouble as a result.
The world within the game “Mario & Luigi: Brothership” is heavily influenced by electronics, with this theme extending to its battle system as well. As players progress in the game, they’ll discover a unique feature called Battle Plugs. Mario and Luigi can create Plugs that possess various effects during battles, such as reducing the damage taken from certain attacks or amplifying the damage dealt against airborne enemies. However, only two Plugs can be active at once in the Power Tap, and they can drain quickly, necessitating players to swap them out and recharge them. This strategic element requires careful consideration on when to use these Plugs. One minor issue I have with this system is that the Plugs do not remain in the Power Tap once their charges run out. As a result, even after they’ve been recharged, players must manually equip them again from the menu before using them again. This can sometimes be overlooked, leading to extended periods without utilizing these Plugs.
One captivating aspect of the game “Mario & Luigi: Brothership” lies in its interactive narrative, where players are granted several occasions to influence the story’s direction. These choices range from deciding the sequence of islands to explore, to decisions that significantly affect the game’s difficulty level. In some instances, these side quests subtly enrich the narrative, while in others they merely serve as a means for the brothers to acquire additional items and gain extra experience points. The developers have skillfully designed the game to alert players of time-limited quests through a user-friendly menu and distinctive color codes associated with each quest. While I appreciated the added freedom these choices provided, I sometimes felt compelled to complete the limited-time quests due to fear of missing out on unique experiences.
In the game “Mario & Luigi: Brothership,” the presentation is primarily impressive. While the graphics don’t fully utilize the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch (as there are more visually stunning games available on the console), the developers manage to impress in various ways, showcasing beautiful water effects and engaging character animations. The music is another highlight, with catchy tunes that stick in your head long after you’ve finished playing (I hope they release these tracks on Nintendo Music soon). One of the aspects I particularly enjoy is the level up music, and watching Mario and Luigi celebrate never fails to bring a smile to my face.
In Concordia’s world, the creative presentation is commendable, but occasionally, the character designs lack depth. The residents of Concordia all have faces reminiscent of electrical outlets, which aligns with the game’s concept, but this similarity can cause some NPCs to become indistinguishable and forgettable. Luckily, the design team has come up with inventive solutions to differentiate the characters, and the writing brings out the distinct personalities of certain characters like those from IDLE. It’s good to note that the enemy designs don’t face the same issue since they feature some impressive villain designs also derived from electronics.
Over the last year, Switch fans have been treated to two of the best existing Nintendo RPGs, with remasters and remakes of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Mario & Luigi: Brothership doesn’t quite reach the same heights as those games; there are no standout original characters like Vivian or Geno, and the overall adventure isn’t quite as memorable. That said, the high points of Mario & Luigi: Brothership make the game an easy recommendation, and they serve as a great reminder why the series was so appealing in the first place. There was a point where these games seemed to be coming out far too frequently, but after a long pause between new entries, I find myself hoping we’re not waiting another nine years until the next one.
Rating: 4 out of 5
The game “Mario & Luigi: Brothership” is scheduled for release on November 7th, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. For this review, we were given a code by the publisher. We played and reviewed it on a Nintendo Switch OLED console.
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2024-11-04 15:09