Switch owners who are fans of the Super Mario series and the turn-based RPG genre have been eating very well lately. In the past year alone, we’ve gotten remakes of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, and now, after nearly a decade of patience, the Mario & Luigi series is finally coming back for an all-new adventure. After getting the privilege of playing the game early from Nintendo, let’s set sail and find out if Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood is the successor to the beloved spin-off series in the form of a ship, or if it should be thrown overboard.
To keep things as spoiler-free as possible, this review won’t go into story-specific details beyond what was mentioned in our preview. However, the story goes far beyond Mario and Luigi finding themselves on the divided land of Concordia and working together with its citizens to reconnect the separated islands. While it takes a while to really get going, as you progress, more important plots are introduced, paired with poignant and/or comedic text dialogue illustrated by a unique cast of characters, friendly and villainous, that ooze personality and charm. With a more than satisfying conclusion, Brotherhood has one of the best narratives in a Mario & Luigi game we’ve seen to date.
Shipshape Island is the main hub of Concordia connecting all the connected islands. Here you can use the map to change the constantly moving ship’s path to travel along the current to the undiscovered islands. The order of the islands you visit is mostly linear for the purposes of the main story, with more currents being unlocked as more islands are connected, but there are some instances where you’re given the option of which one to go first. After successfully connecting a new island, you can freely travel to and from them using the warp tube for exploration purposes, to obtain useful items that you may not be able to find elsewhere and to participate in side quests, but be warned, some side quests are only available for a limited time .
Each island has something new to discover, and the main objective is to get to the ‘Connectar Plug’ so that Mario and Luigi can connect it to Shipshape Island. It’s no easy task, as you’ll have to manage enemy encounters, solve environment-based puzzles, and interact with the islanders accordingly. With a fixed camera angle and full control of Mario’s movement, Luigi automatically follows behind him, but you can independently control both brothers’ jumps and attacks. Using ‘Luigi Logic’ by pressing a button when applicable, Luigi can also be guided to pick up objects, step on buttons and help with other various tasks. In addition, you will also unlock ‘Bros. Moves’ that allow the duo to transform into things like a UFO that floats (short distances) across platforms or a rolling ball that passes through tight spaces. These mechanics create a fun and engaging puzzle design that requires careful thinking to solve in later areas.
While RPGs can be overwhelming to those new to them, Mario titles have traditionally been some of the most accessible video games. Therefore, the Mario & Luigi series (and Brotherhood in particular) manages to find the perfect balance to appeal to the most die-hard RPG fans, while also being a good introduction to the genre. The trade-off is that combat mechanics are introduced slowly and not all are available to use from the start, but the result is a gradual increase in difficulty that feels natural. Furthermore, there’s an option to reduce the difficulty of a particular battle after it’s Game Over multiple times, which can come in handy if you start to get frustrated, especially during longer boss fights. Save blocks and autosaves are also plentiful, so you don’t have to worry about losing progress.
Mario and Luigi each have their own stats, including: HP (health points), BP (battle points), power, defense, speed, and stache (luck). Stats can be improved by wearing different types of gear which can be earned for completing side quests, bought from the island shops using coins you’ve collected, or even crafted in the Shipshape Island workshop using materials dropped by enemies. Gaining EXP and leveling up both brothers is also a surefire way to increase your stats, encouraging you to face as many enemy encounters as you come across. It can be a bit annoying when an enemy you didn’t want to fight rushes at you and starts a battle, but there’s no limit to running away (except in boss fights) if you’re low on health or just focused on another objective. After Mario and Luigi have leveled up a certain number of times, they’ll also eventually rank up, rewarding you with a selection of stat bonuses to aid you during battle.
Enemy combat in Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood is turn-based, but unlike most other RPGs, it’s never boring. Although easier said than done, by using the right reflexes and memorizing patterns you can always counter an enemy attack. Mario and Luigi each have their own turn, during which you can use some of your limited blood pressure to use the powerful ‘Bros. Attack’, or perform a standard jump or hammer attack, depending on the enemy in question (you don’t want to jump on one with a spike on their head, for example). Launching an attack is just the first step though, as you’ll then need to time your button presses as indicated on the screen to deal the most damage possible. Although the game runs at a limited 30 frames per second, I had no issues with timing and it’s always satisfying to successfully execute attacks and counters.
But attacks aren’t the only thing Mario and Luigi can do on their turn during battle. Using items you’ve collected, such as mushrooms to restore HP, jars of syrup to restore blood pressure, and 1-Ups to revive a KO’d party member is also incredibly important. Additionally, Battle Plugs are a newly introduced mechanic that adds many different possible passive abilities, such as increasing the amount of attack damage, lightening counters, or preventing status ailments like burn and ice. New types of Battle Caps can only be created outside of battle using the Sprite Bulbs found around the island during exploration, but can be freely changed during battle as well. Starting with two, the amount of Battle Plugs you can equip at once depends on how many Power Taps you have, with more unlocked as you play the game. Each power plug has a certain number of charges it can be used for and a certain number of charge cycles required until you can use it again. Careful management of all your resources is always the key to victory and it never gets old during the 30+ hours of gameplay.
Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood is an exceptional adventure that is as much about the journey as the destination. Whether you’re new to the series or have played all the Mario & Luigi games up to this point, the captivating story with well-written and comedic characters is sure to keep you fully engaged as you travel from island to island to reconnect the land of Concordia. From brain-teasing puzzles to extensive RPG combat mechanics, there’s plenty of fun to be had at every turn. Don’t miss out when Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood launches for Nintendo Switch on November 7, 2024.
9/10
A copy of Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood for review purposes was provided by Nintendo UK.
