Review: Mario & Luigi: Brothership

I’m having a lot of fun playing Nintendo franchises or remakes of games I haven’t tried before like Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, which I reviewed earlier this year, and the streak continues with Mario & Luigi: Brothership, a fresh chapter for the RPG series.

While it might not have the grandeur of Super Mario Odyssey or Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Brothership has its own charm, blending puzzle-solving, strategic combat, and whimsical humour.

The story begins with a mysterious portal whisking Mario and Luigi away to the fractured land of Concordia, where they must unite its shattered islands to restore balance.

The duo sets sail aboard Shipshape Island, a hub of exploration, and navigate the high seas using a cannon to launch themselves onto various islands to solve puzzles and smash enemies.

The game’s central hook lies in its battle system. While turn-based combat fans might feel right at home, I struggled in the early hours, forgetting to press B for Luigi’s attacks and messing up defence multiple times. It didn’t feel intuitive until it did and then it was much easier.

Mario and Luigi team up for coordinated attacks like kicking a Koopa shell back and forth between them, and then rocketing it into enemies, so luckily the button-timing is a bit forgiving.

Combat is satisfying and strategic, even though there is a bit of a McGuffin at play with Luigi Logic—a mechanic that lets Luigi act independently to solve puzzles or perform special actions during battle.

I struggled a bit with the pacing as combat does plod along at times and the performance did dip in certain areas, detracting from the overall experience.

It’s not as jarring as Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom but a sobering reminder that the Switch is nearing the end of its life and we are seeing its mortality.

Visually, the game shines with its colourful cartoon art style, which feels right at home on the Nintendo Switch. The islands are varied with personality, each offering new environments and challenges. There’s lots to discover and the island-themed biomes are a fun touch, giving each locale a unique flair.

The exploration mechanics are another highlight. The brothers’ journey is not just about battling but also about figuring out how to reconnect each island to the central hub. Some islands require puzzle-solving, while others involve navigating tricky platforming sections. The fast-travel system is convenient, allowing you to revisit unlocked areas.