REVIEW – The Mario & Luigi titles aren’t as mainstream as, say, Super Mario RPG or Paper Mario. Nevertheless, they can’t be said to be bad, and the latest episode is up to the mark, even if this time it’s more, bigger and more substantial than the previous ones, but the story of the two Mario brothers is not that memorable… but at least we can say it’s fair. 

This time, the Mario brothers find themselves in a world called Concordia, where everything is held together by a tree called the Uni-Tree, but now they’ve been torn apart into islands, so we have to move everything from our base called Shipshape into place. 

On board (but not in the Wind Waker style) 

So we can move around with our ship, but unlike in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, there’s no free movement. Our guide, named Snoutlet, gives us a map so we know where to go based on the currents. In addition to the islands in the main story, there will be reefs and smaller islands. The former offer rewards at our base, the latter offer puzzles. The larger islands will all offer a different world, as if you were looking at one of the locations from an older Mario game. The goal is to get to the lighthouse at the end and then connect the island back to the main island. But before that, there are some enemies to fight and some puzzles to solve. You’ll have to use both Mario and Luigi individually and together. We mostly control Mario, but the buttons vary from brother to brother. Mario uses A and X (jump/hammer), while Luigi uses B and Y (ditto). Luigi also has a menu linked to the L button that he can use to automatically smash a crate or help Mario solve a puzzle (Luigi Logic). Bros. Moves lets the two brothers transform to show off more in the platforming sections.

The animations are very good and elaborate, and you can see that during the fights. The fights are generally divided into two parts (attack, counters). The two basic attacks (jump/hammer) require timed button presses in order to maximize damage through cooperation. There will be no low frame rates or input lag. You can expect different enemies from island to island, and as the game changes them, you’ll have to learn different timing (or dodge the attacks). Perhaps they’ve messed up the balance, because in some places it feels like there’s a slight lack of variation and the pace is slower than expected, which detracts from the experience and atmosphere of the game. Meanwhile, Battle Plugs should also be mentioned: they require collecting Lumenade on each island, and these give passive buffs for a few turns before they need to be recharged. Certain combinations will unlock additional effects. These are not only worth experimenting with, but a must, as they allow you to pretty much tailor the way you fight your opponents to your playstyle. 

Unique fights, but how unique are they? 

The Bros. Attacks allow you to perform Mario-themed custom attacks and modify equipment, but the leveling is a bit more unique. At certain milestones, your rank increases and you can choose a bonus that stays with you (more gear space, more damage when using a certain attack, more stat points when leveling up, that sort of thing) a la Mario RPG. Eventually you get to the lighthouse dungeons, which are overly long. This is where the game loses its momentum, and it’s not recommended to skip the fights because you’ll be too weak, but if you learn how to defeat certain formations easily, it’ll be too boring. The bosses, on the other hand, are very good, not only visually, but also from a gameplay perspective.

In the environment, there’s always a trick that Luigi can do to get an advantage, but in return, you’re faced with much tighter timing. If we’re not prepared, we’re going to be defeated. The islands are varied and really give a sense of adventure thanks to the different twists and turns in each location, and once back on the main island there are side missions and new areas, so it’s worth going back to the previous areas. The only problem is that the side quests are a bit boring, but the timed ones are worth a try for the good rewards. That’s why it felt that the pacing of the game was broken too often. It’s good to have a lot of content in an RPG, but sometimes less is more, and in this case it’s even more so. 

The two brothers on the road again 

Mario & Luigi: Brothership isn’t bad, but because of the aforementioned flaws, it only deserves a 7/10, because it’s good, but you can’t give it more than that. It’s also a fair score, and it’s nice how it pours the turn-based mechanics into a platformer style. The new characters don’t stand out negatively, though, so don’t play it for too long. It’s good in doses, but if you play longer, you might not find it to be that good. It’s stylish and attractive, that’s all you can say about it.

-V-

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Acquire
Style: RPG/platformer
Release date: November 7, 2024