After nearly a decade since the release of Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (2015), the future of the Mario & Luigi series has been uncertain for some time. With poor sales of the 3DS remake Superstar Saga (2017) and Bowser’s Inside Story (2018) leading to some unfortunate circumstances, it seemed all hope was lost for the critically acclaimed RPG spin-off series. But against all odds, it was announced during the Nintendo Direct in June 2024 that the iconic brotherly duo is returning with a brand new entry for the Nintendo Switch – Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood.
When a mysterious vortex transports our heroes to Shipshape Island, they meet a local resident, Connie, who explains the history of Concordia; the world where Shipshape Island resides. At the center of Concordia was once a Uni-Tree that connected to different parts of the country using an energy known as Connectar, but after an unfortunate and catastrophic event in which the Uni-Tree was destroyed, the land of Concordia was broken up and separated into numerous islands. With the help of the brothers, the newly planted Uni-Tree and a flying pig named Snoutlet, the main goal is to reconnect the islands and restore Concordia to its former glory, with each island a new area to explore.
After the superb remakes of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, it’s great to see that Nintendo is once again willing to expand the world of Super Mario by introducing a new cast of characters beyond the typical Toads, Goombas and Koopas. The residents of Concordia all have adorable designs that represent an AC outlet (I never thought I’d use “cute” and “outlet” in the same sentence), and each one has a unique look and personality. Other familiar faces also appear as you progress through the story, including Star Sprite Starlow, though her previous role as Mario and Luigi’s companion has now been replaced by Snout. The Mario & Luigi games are known for their clever and witty dialogue, and Brotherhood definitely lives up to its predecessors. Although the voice acting is minimal, the dialogue still produces unique, unintelligible sounds; similar to games like Animal Crossing and Banjo Kazooie. While Mario and Luigi themselves don’t speak via text, with Snoutlet doing most of the talking for them, their new voice actor, Kevin Afghani, showcases his vocal talents not only with the expected jumps and shouts, but also witty Italian gibberish to introduce the characters, just as delightfully the original voice, Charles Martinet, did before.
Since Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood is a turn-based RPG, the beginning is a little difficult to make it accessible to newcomers to the genre, teaching you the combat system and slowly introducing new mechanics. However, once things get going, the game gets much deeper and more complex. I biggest concern with games like this is always whether or not it’s going to be challenging enough, and I’m happy to report that both proper skill and strategy are required to progress once you get past the earlier areas and have all the abilities at your disposal. If you’re not up for a challenge or just aren’t very good at RPG games in general, there’s also an Easy Mode option after two Game Overs, and if you’re still looking for a more casual experience, if you fail the third time, there’s an additional Cakewalk mode to further reduce the difficulty.
There are two types of gameplay in Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood: turn-based battles triggered by enemy encounters, and exploration and puzzle-solving on the Concordia Islands. In terms of turn-based battles, Mario and Luigi function as two separate party members, each with their own turn, abilities, and health bars. The goal is to deplete the health of all enemies in the encounter before they deplete yours. Using command blocks, Mario and Luigi can escape from battle, use an item, or perform different types of attacks, including a jump attack, a hammer attack, or a special Bros. attack (which requires BP). With the right timing of the buttons, you can perform a satisfying combo to deal extra damage. During enemy moves, timing also plays an important role, as Mario and Luigi can dodge or counter their attacks if your reflexes are quick enough and you follow their movements carefully enough. Pretty much everything you’d expect from an intricate turn-based RPG is here, including detailed player stats, leveling EXP, items, gear, status ailments, craftable passive abilities in the form of Battle Plugs, and more, all by me we will discuss this in more detail in our upcoming review.
You control both Mario and Luigi as you explore, and Luigi automatically follows Mario behind you as you traverse the land. Mario and Luigi can jump and attack independently by pressing different buttons, but you never get full control over Luigi’s movement. Instead, you have to use a new mechanic called “Luigi Logic”, where you guide him to complete certain tasks, such as picking up objects, but this can only be done while a glow appears around him, indicating that he has an idea. While Luigi Logic is a fun and intuitive way to control two characters at once, the gameplay almost feels like it’s tailor-made for co-op. Despite the Switch being the perfect opportunity to introduce multiplayer to a series previously only available on handheld consoles, Brotherhood is unfortunately an exclusive single-player experience.
Brotherhood is the first Mario & Luigi game to be developed for a dedicated home console, which means it’s also the first time the series has gone to HD, and the result couldn’t be more glorious. The wacky, colorful world and cartoony character designs and movements are visually stunning with new shadow-colored graphics, staying true to the art style of the classic games while also drastically updating it for more modern times. If the announcements weren’t convincing enough, just wait until you see it all pop up on the screen of the Nintendo Switch OLED model. The only downside is that the game only runs at 30 frames per second, but thankfully, I didn’t experience any noticeable framerate drops or lag while playing.
Mario & Luigi never came back like that. From what I’ve played so far, Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood is not only a worthy restoration for series veterans, but also a beautiful, standalone turn-based RPG in its own right, with intricate combat mechanics, compelling original characters, and eye-catching visuals to boot. I still have a lot more to explore about Concordia before I can make a final verdict, but as it stands right now, I haven’t been able to wipe the smile off my face while playing and I can’t wait to see what’s next. Stay tuned for our review before Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood launches for Nintendo Switch on November 7, 2024.
A copy of Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood was provided for review purposes by Nintendo UK.
