Mario & Luigi: Brothership review: Brotherly love

Nintendo has spent the past year reliving the greatest RPGs in its history. Last November, the publisher released a remake of 1996's Super Mario RPG and, earlier this year, it put out a remake of 2004's Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The two are widely considered to be the best of Mario's RPG adventures and getting them so close to one another was a real treat. As it turns out, there might have been a reason for revisiting these gems in this manner. They may have been there to set the table for Mario & Luigi: Brothership, an all-new entry in Nintendo's other Mario-based RPG series. After so many hours spent playing the game and additional hours of giving it some extra thought, this could very well be the peak of Mario's RPG adventures to date.

All aboard and set sail

Mario & Luigi: Brothership begins in the Mushroom Kingdom, but the sibling plumbers are quickly sucked into another world that needs their unique brand of help. The electricity-themed land of Concordia once existed as a single continent with a melting pot of different people. It stayed that way until the binding Uni-Tree was destroyed, splitting Concordia into more than a dozen islands all set adrift. A burgeoning Wattanist named Connie and a new sidekick named Snoutlet are there to help guide Mario and Luigi against a new threat named Master Zokket and his cronies, the Extension Corps.

Most previous entries in the Mario & Luigi series sent players across a larger connected world. The various islands of Concordia, by contrast, can give the impression that the game unfolds over linear, individual stages. That's a slight oversimplification, because some of these islands can get involved and challenging with numerous platforming sections, field puzzles, and enemies. Part of the fun involves getting through some of these challenges with Bros. Moves, like one that lets Mario & Luigi spin around like a UFO across gaps. Ultimately, the core idea is to reconnect every island by pulling the plug on each one's lighthouse. Yes, instead of a flagpole, like the old days, Mario and Luigi finish an island by jumping atop a lighthouse.

What makes the lighthouses interesting is that once the plugs are pulled, the islands become connected to the central hub of Shipshape Island. Players then open up a massive ocean map and search for connected currents to seek other islands along the horizon. As more islands are bonded with the ship, the end goal is to ultimately tie these lands back together under a new Uni-Tree that Connie is growing mostly from scratch. There's satisfaction and fun in not only bringing new islands to the fold but also watching as their denizens start landing on Shipshape Island and begin mingling with one another. Brothership doesn't just tell players to unite these worlds but gradually shows them the progress they're making as they go along.

With so many lands to discover, Brothership uses that idea to introduce some of the most memorable supporting characters to emerge in a Mario RPG. Beyond Connie and Snoutlet, there's the explorer Arc, the science whiz Technikki, and the plucky kid crew who call themselves IDLE. Players will interact with these characters, as well as some lesser supporting characters, throughout the adventure and there's even a section in the story that briefly brings many of these cast members together. Combine this with the sudden arrival of some old friends (and enemies), and it makes Brothership feel like a far bigger world, with greater stakes and memorable faces than any Mario RPG that came before it.

Brothership goes even farther in making this world feel like it matters through its side quests. This is the first title in the Mario & Luigi series to feature multiple side quests and they're often worth checking out, since the rewards can range from valuable items to pieces of inventory that far outweigh what one can find in a merchant's shop. What's especially interesting is that some of these side quests can be relevant to the story and, as such, players will only have a limited amount of time to complete them.

Having said that, this is the first Mario RPG of its kind where it looks like the story can unfold in different ways. There are several points where players have a choice before them and whatever they decide can affect how the story progresses. While the story ultimately sails to the same destination, the steps in getting there can look different depending on certain choices made. One example I can note is that there's a pair of siblings near the beginning of the game who have gone their separate ways, so their mother asks Mario and Luigi to find them. Depending on which one they seek out, a different sibling will spend the rest of the story manning a shop on Shipshape Island. Is it the most consequential choice? No, even getting presented that kind of choice at all is a fairly big deal for this series.

There's more to say about Brothership's story, but let's put a pin in that and build to the best part by discussing the evolution of the Mario & Luigi formula.

The logic of teamwork

Brothership's gameplay formula is largely the same from previous Mario & Luigi titles. One button controls Mario and the other controls Luigi, though Brothership spends much less time forcing players to bounce around between the A and B buttons. Thankfully, Luigi mostly follows his brother automatically, so his dedicated buttons are mainly used for specific question blocks or other objects that have a giant "L" on them.

Turn-based battles work in a similar manner. The brothers fight side-by-side with their own stats and their unique Bros. Attacks. Enemies can be taken down by those Bros. Attacks, as well as Mario and Luigi's signature Jump and Hammer. Enemy attacks are then telegraphed in such a way that players can either dodge them or counter them with one of the brothers' signature attacks. As the game went on and enemies started attacking in greater numbers, I did get a kick out of two or more of them ganging up for a more elaborate strike. Players will become familiar with this aspect of the game, especially since leveling can become a bit of a grind.

There is a slightly greater degree of strategy put into place once players unlock Battle Plugs. These are open sockets that can be equipped with different plugs that will perform various functions. They could be offensive-minded skills, like dealing extra damage against flying foes; defensive skills, like reducing incoming enemy damage; or support skills, like automatically using an item without taking up a turn. The Battle Plugs have a limited amount of uses before they need to be recharged, so players need to manage how they use them, especially during boss battles. It can get tedious to manage Battle Plugs, especially as some sections drag on, but the net result is satisfying nonetheless.

Boss battles can get almost theatrical. These bigger foes can strike multiple times and their gimmicks will sometimes allow them to use their environment to their advantage. Fortunately, players can respond in kind with one specific mechanic. I'm getting to it! I promise!

Little brother, big laughs

Those who have played previous Mario & Luigi titles know that this series is beloved for its comedy. Brothership doesn't disappoint in that department and, in fact, it excels above its predecessors. This game is a laugh riot, filled with silly wordplay (the punny names are only the beginning), hilarious dialogue, and a whole lot of slapstick humor.

As one might imagine, the source of a lot of this humor is Luigi. He has always been the straight man to his older brother. He has been a valuable source of comic relief, especially in this game, where parts of the story can get a little heavy. The humorous moments with Luigi go a long way and they never feel mean-spirited. Everyone laughs with Luigi, never at him.

With all of this said, Luigi isn't solely there for levity. Brothership introduces the idea of Luigi Logic, which posits that Mario's little brother is prone to flashes of brilliance. He'll have epiphanies in the field, he'll come up with an idea during a cutscene, or most importantly, he'll think of something during a boss fight.

Luigi Logic in boss fights is one of the most novel ideas I've seen implemented in this series to date. When Luigi successfully executes his idea, a boss will be down for the count for at least one turn and take critical damage. Putting Luigi Logic to work is often a theatrical affair, testing players with a quick mini-game that's more hit than miss. I did have one instance where I became aggravated with a Luigi Logic mini-game, followed by a later instance where I thought it was one of the most brilliant ideas in the whole game.

By the end of Brothership, it gives players a greater appreciation for Luigi as a character. He becomes more than the scaredy cat that tiptoes through haunted mansions. He puts his brain and his heart to work throughout this journey and, by the end, there's a sense that there's nobody more proud of him than Mario.

Brotherhood is magic

It takes a special kind of game to stand among the ranks of Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Mario & Luigi: Brothership is on that level with an unforgettable story, lovable characters, a deeper-than-expected combat system, and beautifully drawn environments. I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard or smiled this much. The music is also delightful from world-to-world and even through the various battles, though I have to admit there was some odd sound mixing that I noticed during standard combat.

Mario has ventured to massive worlds before. He's even surfed the cosmos across different galaxies. Rarely has a world in any of his games felt this connected. Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a game about building bonds, the kind that Mario shares with his cherished brother.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership will release on Nintendo Switch on Thursday, November 7 for $59.99 USD. The game is rated E.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?