The Mario & Luigi series has been a staple in Nintendo’s handheld games catalogue since 2003. Every system from the Game Boy Advance to the 3DS has a new entry in this RPG series, with the 3DS receiving remakes of the first two games. However, we haven’t seen a new entry since the release of Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr’s Journey on the 3DS in 2018. This could be for a dozen different reasons, but the most likely is that the series developer, AlphaDream, declared bankruptcy soon after release. This put the series on ice for a while, and fans wondered if it’d ever see the light of day again. Wait no longer because new developer Acquire has brought it back into the spotlight with Mario & Luigi: Brothership! But was it worth the wait, or should this series have been left alone? Let’s find out.
Brothership takes place in the new land of Concordia, a continent completely separate from the Mushroom Kingdom. Things aren’t looking too great for this land because the Uni-Tree (the tree that provides power and life to the continent) has been destroyed, and Concordia has been split into many Drifting Islands. After arriving in Concordia and befriending a Wattanist named Connie, Mario and Luigi agree to use Shipshape Island, the Island she’s in charge of, to reconnect Concordia and stop any dark forces plotting in the shadows.
I enjoyed this story for the most part. It’s relatively par for the course in terms of Mario & Luigi stories, with the brothers entering a new world, befriending the locals, saving the day, and maybe fighting a hell demon along the way. You’ll get the gist if you’ve played any of the other games. What drags this story down a little, though, is the pacing, specifically in the middle chunk of the game. It feels like busy work as you connect every island, and I just wanted to get to the next big plot point. There were a few twists that kept things interesting, but I think some of the bloat could’ve been cut.
I was able to push through these boring sections, though, because the characters and writing in this game were phenomenal. I don’t know if it’s just because I have a soft spot for puns, but I loved how every character’s name was a pun that related to their job. Connie, for instance, wants to reconnect the world. Maykit and Buildit craft new gear for you, and my personal favourite new character, Snoutlet, is a flying pig whose face looks like an outlet. On top of this, the moment-to-moment dialogue between characters was very enjoyable, and it even got me laughing a few times. Mario and Luigi also have fun moments, but they are the same as they are in every other Mario game, which isn’t a bad thing.
There are two main aspects of the gameplay: exploration and combat. Starting with exploration, you’re tasked with travelling the seas and finding Drifting Islands to reconnect. You do this by using a telescope that doubles as a cannon (it makes sense in context). Once you find an island, you blast the brothers over and begin exploring. Exploration is pretty basic, with most areas being relatively linear. There are a few branching paths for additional items or collectibles, but nothing that would have you lost for hours on end. While you’re exploring, Luigi may also have an idea to help you accomplish tasks that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to. This “Luigi Logic” is a fun way to complete puzzles across the islands and leads to some entertaining cutscenes.
Your first visit to each island will have you complete the Main Quest of finding the Lighthouse to connect the island to Shipshape, helping the locals along the way. And after certain conditions are met (such as progressing the story), Side Quests will open up to allow you to get some extra story bits or just some EXP. I kinda wish some of the Side Quests were a bit more in-depth, as some took less than a few minutes to complete.
Combat is also similar to past entries, with you controlling Mario and Luigi in battle. You can use basic attacks, which are jump and hammer attacks, as your go-to offence. You time the A and B button presses for each brother to deal maximum damage. Then there are Bros. Attacks that are similar to magic abilities in other games, as they’re a finite ability that utilises BP. You can restore BP with items, but you don’t want to be caught out with none of your strongest moves to use.
Battle Plugs let you augment your attacks with a variety of abilities, such as HP regen or extra damage. These can be swapped around on the fly, but they can only be used so much before needing to be recharged. And finally, there’s the dodging, which uses the A and B buttons again. By timing your button presses, you can dodge and counterattack enemies to gain the upper hand.
I enjoyed this combat loop, but it did get a bit stale after the first 10ish hours. Once I had my loadout the way I wanted, I used the same strategy for nearly every encounter. The regular enemies only provided a challenge when I was learning their attack patterns, but that only took a turn or two, and then it became mindless once again. The boss fights, on the other hand, are where the combat shines, and also where I had the most fun with the game’s systems. The frantic dodging, counterattacks, and close calls were all exhilarating.
This game’s visuals remind me a lot of the late 2000s – early 2010s, and I adored it. The style and vibe of every aspect of this game hit my very specific tastes perfectly. In particular, I loved how the colours of Mario and Luigi’s outfits had a gradient to them, with the colours on their caps and overalls blending together. I also loved the expressiveness of the brothers, especially in cutscenes or when Luigi had bright ideas. The new characters are also all so freaking adorable. Snoutlet has an adorable design that I desperately want in plushy form, and Connie just looks like a lil precious baby that must be protected at all costs. Each environment also has its own unique visual flair that helps alleviate the tedium of the mid-game sections.
What I wasn’t as hyped about were the load times. I played this on an OG Switch, and the load times, especially when entering a battle, were not fun. In a game where combat is what you spend a lot of time doing, it sucks that you have to wait upwards of five seconds to load into a fight. I didn’t think it would bother me all that much, but during my 30ish-hour playthrough, it got on my nerves. Besides the loading issues, the game ran well in both docked and handheld mode, although it did drain my battery quite fast in handheld mode (or my Switch is nearly dead).
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a solid return for the series. While not reinventing the wheel, the game knows what it is and does a pretty decent job of providing an enjoyable experience. The story pacing is a little shaky, and the load times got a bit annoying, but all in all, I had fun with it. Who knows what the future holds for this series, but hopefully Acquire will get another shot and improve on a very solid base.
Have you played Mario & Luigi: Brothership? What did you think? Have you played the other Mario & Luigi games? Let us know in the comments where we can all agree that Snoutlet is the best new character.
