Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

When developer AlphaDream shut down in 2019, it seemed like that was the end for the long-running Mario & Luigi series of Turn-Based JRPG games they were known for (well, alongside the Hamtaro game series). However, while the developer is gone, the series continues to live on in a new release on Nintendo Switch in 2024, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, being helmed by developer Acquire, these days best known for the Octopath Traveler franchise.

In some ways, Brothership represents the best of this series, bringing Mario & Luigi to consoles for the first time and making use of the Nintendo Switch to take the series in directions it has never gone before. In other ways, Brothership is the worst game in the Mario & Luigi series, with Acquire having a good general idea of what made this series so special while bungling some important details.

In terms of presentation, Mario & Luigi: Brothership does one thing magnificently, and that is character animation. The 3D cel-shaded character models for the two titular brothers specifically and especially for Luigi is magnificent, with the characters constantly moving around in ways that absolutely ooze with character and charm. Outside of this, the game uses a much more dynamic camera with more interesting level design than any of the previous games in the series had, making for some really interesting-looking locales, at least in theory.

In practice, these locales can look a bit bland and samey due to repeated textures, empty spaces, and unimaginative decoration. It’s actually a bit jarring to go from a wild bit of looping level design only to be immediately bored again seeing the same rocks and trees that decorated the rest of the location you’re in. In addition, while the animation here is fluid, there are some noticeable framerate drops, though nothing that greatly affects the gameplay.

This gameplay is backed by an upbeat, energetic soundtrack that even has a few catchy themes in it, like Shipshape Island, Rumbla Island, Twistee Island, and Heatfreeze Island. I will fault the game for having some pretty bland dialogue though, voiced mostly with short one-word clips (particularly Mario saying “Luigi” and Luigi saying “Mario”) as well as Animal Crossing-style babble speak for most characters. There are some funny moments here and there, particularly where the villains are involved, but overall, the overwhelming majority of this game’s charm seems to have gone to the visuals.

When it comes to the gameplay, it feels like the core idea of the Mario & Luigi franchise has been preserved here. You still have Mario assigned to actions using the A and X buttons, and Luigi assigned to buttons using the B and Y buttons. Players use timed presses of both A and B for both brothers’ attacks during battle, with each brother assisted by the other for combo attacks that do enhanced damage if you get the timing right.

What’s changed this time is that moving around through the rest of the game has Luigi’s actions secondary, rather than half of the gameplay. Luigi not only follows Mario, but will automatically jump platforms this time, removing the need to actively control him most of the time. In fact, if you try to make him jump, he sometimes just jumps straight up even if you’re moving, making him have to scurry to catch up to you once he’s back on the ground, and it’s easier to just ignore him most of the time.

The exception to this is “Luigi Logic”, a new mechanic in this game that just amounts to an icon appearing over Luigi’s head indicating that you can press the L button to have him do something automated that requires no further input from you. I suppose, to look at the bright side, all this automation means this is probably the most accessible game in the Mario & Luigi series, with it much easier for new players to play without thinking about Luigi unless he tells them to press the L button, or if it’s his turn in battle. But this nevertheless ruins a key part of the franchise, making it just that much less special.

Another issue is the level layouts. While Mario & Luigi: Brothership’s levels are not especially large, your walking speed is slow enough that it can still take a while to traverse them, and through much of these areas there’s a lot of open space with nothing in it. This means that you’ll have a lot of time just moving back and forth, especially in levels you criss-cross repeatedly.

It gets worse too, because this game’s mechanic of discovering new locales has you firing yourself off at nearby floating islands as they enter your range as your own floating island slooooowly moves around a circuit of current in an ocean. Not near an island? Then wait… and wait… and wait… Or you could revisit areas you’ve been to grind and look for undiscovered secrets… and possibly miss your stop when your main base island comes back in range of where you want to be.

As much as Mario & Luigi: Brothership is very clearly flawed and I would argue the worst game in the series, I want to make it clear that it’s still very good – the timing-based combat is still satisfyingly visceral, the game’s upbeat charm really makes it hard to put down, and the core RPG gameplay is still solid. But it’s probably telling that I’d rather go back and replay the first Mario & Luigi game on Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy Advance App than continue playing this.

tl;dr – Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a Turn-Based JRPG that once again has you controlling the titular brothers with gameplay that uses timing-based attacks in combat and has you controlling the brothers’ actions separately outside of combat… however, this time so much of what Luigi does has been automated that you can effectively ignore him most of the time, only to tap “L” when he has a “Luigi Logic” moment and does something on his own. Due to this and other flaws, this is my least-favorite game yet in the Mario & Luigi series, but still an enjoyable, polished RPG that’s well worth playing despite its flaws.

Grade: B+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2024 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best RPG, Most Disappointing

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