Score: 4/5
This article contains light spoilers for Mario & Luigi: Brothership.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership isn’t just a return to the glory days of the Mario & Luigi spinoff series, it’s a step forward for the beloved turn-based RPG franchise.
It’s been nine years since the last original title in the Mario & Luigi series, with the original series developer AlphaDream having gone bankrupt in 2019. Nintendo seems to have found a new home for the series with the development studio Acquire, who have done an admirable job translating the long-running series to a home console for the first time.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership sees the titular brothers embark on a seafaring quest to connect the various drifting islands that once formed the continent of Concordia. Using the half-ship, half-island Shipshape as a home base, the brothers must visit each island to unlock its lighthouse, solving any problems the residents might be having along the way.
This segmented island approach might worry players who were left unhappy by level-based games like Paper Mario: Sticker Star, but fear not. For a world divided into various stages, Acquire has made the overall archipelago of Concordia feel surprisingly connected: as you connect more and more islands, citizens from each area will visit Shipshape and other islands you’ve visited, bridging the gaps between the various areas. It’s a joy to see more and more people fill up Shipshape, which starts as a desolate island but turns into a bustling hub for people of various cultures as you progress further in the game.
Brothership also offers plenty of reasons to return to islands you’ve already connected thanks to various side quests and new pathways that open once you’ve mastered the area. This contributes to Concordia feeling like one interconnected world despite the fact that it’s composed of various floating islands.
The theme of connection is very intentional right down to the original characters’ design motifs. The citizens of Concordia are based on wall outlets, and each island is connected to Shipshape by literally “plugging it in” — a long magical cord extends from the top of each lighthouse, connecting to a massive outlet on the back of Shipshape. Even the new enemy designs are based on various electronic cords and wires. One particularly clever design features an enemy seemingly inspired by an HDMI cord who wields a headphone jack as a sword. It might sound tacky, but I found the new designs to be endearing and thematically relevant as I progressed through the adventure.
As you might have guessed, the game’s villain seeks to disconnect the world of Concordia by breaking up its islands, even going so far as to use a dark substance called “Glohm” to brainwash the land’s citizens, making them crave isolation and loneliness. It’s refreshing to see a lead villain who isn’t Bowser, having their own unique motivations and characteristics to set this game apart.
Fans of the Mario & Luigi series will be happy to know that the turn-based battle system is as good as ever and has actually been built upon through the new “battle plugs” system. As you engage in combat, you’re encouraged to use battle plugs with various effects that work with one another to enhance your combat in creative and interesting ways.
Activating the “Surprise Iron Ball” battle plug, for example, will drop a spiked iron ball on an enemy’s head after you’ve attacked them, dealing extra damage to your opponent. If you choose to employ the “Kaboom Attack” plug, attacking one enemy will create a shockwave that damages other enemies nearby. What gets really interesting, though, is when you mix and match plugs. Using both of these plugs together will first deal damage to every enemy in the nearby vicinity and will also drop an iron ball on each of those enemies’ heads, not just the one you directly targeted. This system encourages experimentation and creativity, making a more dynamic battle system than ever before.
One disappointing element about the battle system is that the series’ popular “Bros. Attacks,” in which Mario and Luigi work together to deal incredible damage through over-the-top attacks requiring precise timing, seem to take a backseat. These types of attacks are still present in the game, but it seems as though there are less of them and you don’t amass a wide collection until late in the game’s story. It feels like the new Battle Plugs have taken priority over Bros. Attacks, but it would have been nice for them both to get equal time in the spotlight.
As any Mario & Luigi fan will tell you, another quintessential part of the series is its clever writing. While that’s certainly present in Brothership, there’s simply far too much dialogue for a game that relies on being over-the-top and snappy in its execution.
The first few hours in particular are incredibly slow with only a few short battles taking place as you repeatedly mash the A button to read through what feels like a novel’s worth of chatter. Thankfully, the game opens up later on and throws you into the exciting madness you’d expect from the series, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the drawn-out opening turns some players away from getting to the exciting portion of the game. There’s a wonderful experience buried under all this dialogue, but it shouldn’t take hours of reading to reach that point.
Another issue that the game faces is its continuous dips in frame rate. For most players, this won’t be noticeable throughout most of the adventure unless you’re specifically looking for it, but there are moments during specific cutscenes or exploring Shipshape once it’s filled with residents that the frame rate starts noticeably struggling. It didn’t ruin my overall enjoyment of the game, but if you’re a stickler for a consistent frame rate, this is something you should be aware of before picking up Brothership.
But none of that takes away from the clear passion that’s been poured into this new entry in the beloved series. It’s clear that Acquire has a deep understanding of what makes the Mario & Luigi games special, and despite its flaws, has created one of the most fun entries in the entire franchise. Its drawbacks will likely turn some players away due to its overuse of dialogue and inconsistent frame rate, but for those who are able to overlook these issues, there’s more than enough to keep you plugged in and coming back for more.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is available now, exclusively on Nintendo Switch.