Mario and Luigi: Brothership Review – High Tide

We’re in the midst of an unexpected renaissance for Mario RPGs in the twilight years of the Nintendo Switch era, and appropriately enough, that renaissance is being capped off by the most surprising of those new releases. Following back-to-back remakes of beloved Mario RPG classics, we’re now getting a brand-new Mario and Luigi game, something that many deemed impossible until not too long ago, not only because of how long the series has been on hiatus – with its last new instalment, Paper Jam, being nearly a decade old – but also because the series’ developer, AlphaDream, hasn’t existed for about five years now.

Now, however, with Octopath Traveler studio Acquire at the helm, everyone’s favourite plumber duo is back in a new sea-faring odyssey with Mario and Luigi: Brothership, which brings the series back with a bang, even if it it never quite touches the highest highs of the likes of Superstar Saga or Bowser’s Inside Story. By taking the established and familiar formula of past Mario and Luigi games and building upon it with some key new gameplay mechanics, this newest adventure serves as yet another strong RPG outing for Nintendo’s mustachioed mascot on the Switch.

"By taking the established and familiar formula of past Mario and Luigi games and building upon it with some key new gameplay mechanics, this newest adventure serves as yet another strong RPG outing for Nintendo’s mustachioed mascot on the Switch."

Mario and Luigi: Brothership sees the titular duo transported to the kingdom of Concordia, where trouble is afoot. Under mysterious circumstances, Concordia has split apart into multiple disparate islands that are now drifting off in different directions in the sea, following which it now falls to Mario and Luigi to rejoin the kingdom together. And how do they do that? With a pilotable ship-shaped island, called Shipshape Island, that drags all of the islands they have reconnected behind with it as it travels through the seas.

Narratively, Mario and Luigi: Brothership takes a while to get going. The story can feel a bit aimless in the early hours, and even after it does start gathering pace, the actual plot doesn’t ever feel as captivating or engaging as some of the best Mario RPGs in the past. Instead, the game’s biggest strength in this area lies in its writing. Typically enough for a Mario and Luigi game, Brothership is bursting to the seams with a bevy of charm, personality, and humour, with the latter’s effectiveness ranging from inciting sime chuckles here and there to being legitimately laugh-out-loud funny. Throughout their journey, Mario and Luigi also meet a vast and varied cast of characters, comprising of both familiar faces from the larger Mario franchise and entirely new characters, and these characters also elevate the narrative side of things in their own way. 

Contributing to the game’s abundance of charm is its gorgeous new visual aesthetic. Brothership sees the Mario and Luigi series finally transitioning fully into 3D, and in doing so, it also adopts a new, stylized look- and all of those changes work out for the better. Brothership is an absolutely gorgeous game, and it never misses a chance to flex its muscles, even if the frame rate can get a bit choppy occasionally. From the splashing water of a distant background waterfall to the way Luigi animates when he levels up, from the impressive level of detail crammed into the environments to how visually striking some of the game’s different environments can look, on more than a few occasions, I’ve been taken aback by how good this game looks. To match that, the game also delivers a spectacular soundtrack, which has had me humming a number of its tunes for the last few days.

"On more than a few occasions, I’ve been taken aback by how good this game looks."

And it plays great, too, of course, in a way that will be familiar to anyone who has played a Mario and Luigi game before. Combat is once again a particular highlight, delivering yet another strong dose of the series’ unique brand of turn-based action. Offensive and defensive moves both often require context-sensitive, timing-based button presses, something that’ll be plenty familiar to series fans, and the way the game keeps switching things up here cannot be praised enough. Hammer attacks, jumps, Bros. Attacks, and different dodges and blocks come with different QTEs, and from those QTEs themselves to the incredible animations you get to witness on-screen, none of it ever loses any charm. The trash mob battles can get a bit repetitive at times, especially given the game’s long runtime, but thankfully, thanks to the quickness of the battles and the variety on offer in the enemies you face and how to deal with them, such issues never feel too major.

Progression also feels like it strikes the exact right balance between being straightforward and feeling rewarding. Leveling up and watching your stats go up always remains gratifying, especially with every few levels allowing you to unlock a special, major upgrade for one of the two brothers, from unlocking a new gear slot to expanding their max HP to increasing their level up speed and more. Outside of that, the game also tasks you with equipping both brothers with the right and most optimal gear possible, while Battle Plugs, which are introduced several hours into the experience, also add yet more complexity and player freedom. None of the progression and customization systems here are going to pull up any trees, but their simplicity is exactly what ends up working in the game’s favour- it feels uncomplicated, yes, but it also always feels just engaging and mechanically rewarding enough. Besides, those who want something more complicated will certainly be rewarded for diving deeper into the Battle Plugs system.

The same can be said about exploration as well. Outside of combat, you spend a fair bit of time exploring environments, finding collectibles, doing side quests, and solving puzzles, and it’s all suitably enjoyable. The environmental puzzles and exploration in particular feel like highlights – the latter especially, thanks to the strong level design and biome diversity the game boasts – though the side quests can end up feeling a bit too thin and formulaic at times. Thankfully, the game benefits from strong writing and clever humour with many of its side quests as well.

"Combat is once again a particular highlight, delivering yet another strong dose of the series’ unique brand of turn-based action."

Meanwhile, the overarching structure tying the whole game together also works very well. Shipshape Island travels from island to island in real-time (though you also get the ability to speed up travel a few hours into the game, conveniently enough), and during that downtime, the game encourages you to go back to previous islands to explore newly opened up areas, explore your hub, talk to NPCs, do side quests, look for special reefs as you sail through the sea, and more. There’s a healthy variety of well-designed optional content interspersed throughout the excellent critical path content, and the game is, as a result, able to maintain solid pacing for most of its runtime.

All of this is, of course, familiar to anyone who has played a Mario and Luigi game before, though Brothership does introduce some of its own new ideas well. Take, for instance, Luigi Logic, which is one of the game’s most delightful additions. At certain times during a boss fight or when faced with an environmental puzzle or obstacle, Luigi can conjure up ridiculous plans to get the brothers out of the pickle they’re in, and as a Luigi aficionado myself, I couldn’t get enough of these moments. Though Brothership does de-emphasize the simultaneous control of both brothers a little bit when compared to its predecessors, the introduction of Luigi Logic helps make up for that.

Ultimately, though Mario and Luigi: Brothership has some minor annoyances here and there, but by and large, it’s a triumphant return for the titular duo’s RPG shenanigans. Oodles of charm, typically humourous writing, enjoyable combat, rewarding progression, compelling exploration, and gorgeous visuals come together in a voyage well worth undertaking.

This game was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch.