If your video game diet is made up of mostly role-playing games, Nintendo has been keeping you fed recently. In the past 12 months, they’ve released expansive remakes of both Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door and 1996’s Super Mario RPG, while 2023’s hugely successful Super Mario Bros. Movie paid homage to the typical in-game grind of levelling-up via a slapstick training montage. And if you have no idea what an RPG is, Nintendo’s next effort might be the perfect place to start.
Released next month, Mario & Luigi: Brothership is the first new entry in the long-running series since 2015’s Paper Jam and also marks the franchise’s debut on a home console after its handheld beginnings. It’s very much a Mario game, with the majority of your time spent navigating a vibrant 3D world, but you will also need to battle enemies to gain experience and increase your combat level.
We spent 80 minutes with Mario & Luigi: Brothership during a hands-on preview, helping everyone’s favourite plumbers team-up to explore the fictional realm of Concordia. It’s clear that Nintendo’s RPG renaissance isn’t running out of steam anytime soon.
They’ve mashed up two of the greatest Gamecube games
In typical Mario fashion, our moustachioed siblings have somehow found themselves miles away from home, surrounded by people that are in desperate need of a hero or two. Brothership starts off on Shipshape Island, a floating base camp that used to be much bigger until something untoward caused the various islands to splinter off. Connie, one of the island’s friendly residents, promises to help you return home – but since you’re here…
Once you’ve volunteered to uncover the mystery and save the day, players will sail the seas of Concordia by making use of unlockable currents, before using a cannon to fire Mario and Luigi into parts unknown. After dealing with a few colourful locals and various beasties, the brothers have to activate the island’s lighthouse and connect it to Shipshape. Then it’s onto the next one. There are familiar faces and plenty of new characters, but the whole thing feels like a cross between two all-time great Gamecube games; the tropical island-hopping Super Mario Sunshine and the playful, seafaring epic The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
It’s all about single-player teamwork
Mario games usually have the titular plumber trying to rescue his leaner, greener sibling from all sorts of scrapes, while the Luigi’s Mansion series flips the script on that dynamic. However, the Mario & Luigi games have always celebrated teamwork – and this new one is no different.
The plucky duo are very much equals throughout Brothership. You can control both Mario and Luigi independently as they explore the various levels and, later in the game, team up to create a human UFO via the special ‘Bros. Move’ which allows them to reach new places, while Luigi is prone to moments of genius. These flashes of ‘Luigi Logic’ are great for uncovering secrets, gathering items you can’t be bothered to chase down and giving hints for puzzles, while combat allows their individual strengths to shine. Speaking of which…
The combat is consistently colourful
The turn-based combat system also leans into that brotherly love element we’ve been banging on about. Echoing Final Fantasy and Pokémon, Brothership makes you beat enemies to gain experience. However, the dynamic battles mean you’re never just sitting back and letting the numbers do the work. You can easily dodge attacks, while the strength of the counter comes down to a well-timed push of the button. It’s not as instant as simply jumping on a Goomba’s head or hammering a Fire Flower, you’ll need a good amount of skill too.
‘Bros. Attacks’ are also unlocked throughout the game, allowing Mario and Luigi to team up and unleash hell. The first is a shell-based back-and-forth that echoes the fiery chaos of Mario’s footballing spin-off series Strikers. It feels powerful, even if the epic animation is slightly repetitive after multiple uses. And for those who want a little more strategy, ‘Battle Plugs’ can be created by collecting Sprite Balls across the levels, which allows you to raise certain skills or increase the range of attacks and turn the tide of battle. Sneaking up on the enemy also gives you the advantage of attacking first, which is a nice touch.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership is a seriously funny game…
For a family-friendly franchise like Mario, even the most terrifying moments are usually undercut with a smirk – but Brothership takes that humour to another level. The punny, nautical-themed title eases you into the weird, wonderful and hilarious world of Concordia.
Your companion for this adventure is Snoutlet, a flying creature who lives under Luigi’s hat and gets outrageously annoyed whenever someone calls him a pig which, in pantomime style, happens frequently. There are also plenty of other running gags, like Luigi’s slapstick inability to nail any kind of landing.
The levels are bonkers too. We got to explore two different lands in our 80-minute preview. Merrygo Island is a puzzle-led playground, and you’ll need your wits about you to work your way through a maze filled with Snaptors (flying metal birds) and Krodes (haunted trees). Your reward for passing through unscathed is a reunion with a beloved “pink, charming” Mario regular, the identity of whom we won’t spoil here – but it’s probably not the one you’re expecting.
Then there’s Twistee Island. Like most lands in Brothership, your goal here is to reach the lighthouse but this journey involves synchronised dance routines, a groovemaster who’s lost his mojo and a haircare specialist who needs to be carried out of a bug-infested woodland. And that’s just for starters.
…but it’s a proper RPG
Mario & Luigi games have always been fan-favourites, but the future looked bleak after longtime developers AlphaDream went bankrupt in 2019. Brothership has been worked on by some of the original team (though Nintendo is keeping which studio has created the game under wraps for the time being) and from what we experienced, the whole thing has been lovingly created. Trailers have already replicated iconic moments from the series’ history, including a comical Bowser pose – and a whole host of familiar faces look set to make an appearance in the game.
Like the best RPGs, upgradable gear can be purchased to boost Mario and Luigi’s stats and you’ll want to keep a fully stocked backpack to recover after battles, which never feel too easy. There are also various minigames dotted about the islands to reward those who take exploration seriously. Twistee is one of the first new lands players will take on, while Merrygo becomes available after roughly four hours. Nintendo is keeping the actual length of Brothership secret, but all signs point to a substantial game that perfectly mixes the typically urgent chaos Mario inspires and the more strategy-led approach of RPGs. All in all, this Brothership looks unsinkable.
‘Mario & Luigi: Brothership’ is out November 8 on Nintendo Switch